Honda Airblade 160 is based on the same platform as Vario 160 and gets the same powertrain setup
Scooters in India are primarily seen as commuter machines rather than high-performance vehicles until now. With the launch of Yamaha Aerox 155 last year, the Indian market has started to come to terms with scooters being an efficient means of extracting performance.
In other Asian markets, performance scooters already cater to a sizeable share of their respective markets. Honda has launched the sixth generation model of Airblade in Vietnam. The new gen Airblade 160 gets plenty of updates over its predecessor, the most prominent of those is a new heart borrowed from Honda Vario 160.
Powering the sixth-gen Airblade 160 is a 160cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that replaces the older 150cc unit from its previous iteration. This 160cc mill kicks out 15 bhp and 14.2 Nm of peak torque. These figures are 0.2 bhp and 0.3 Nm more than what Yamaha Aerox 155 derives from its motor. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a belt-driven CVT automatic transmission.
2022 Honda Airblade 160 Design
As far as design goes, Honda has made subtle tweaks to its styling. This includes an updated headlight cluster and revised body panels with elegant lines running through them. Overall design is similar to its previous iteration with a thick front apron and side fairing. In sync with contemporary maxi-style scooters, Airblade gets a spine running through the floorboard.
It receives a single-piece seat with a slightly raised tail section. Components like alloy wheels, upswept exhaust muffler, footboard and suspension setup have been painted black which enhances the sporty appeal of the Maxi scooter. Ergonomics is well suited for a comfortable riding posture. More importantly, Airblade is now underpinned by a new and lighter chassis.
Features & Price
In terms of features, Airblade 160 is equipped with all-LED lighting, a fully digital instrument cluster and a smart key along with an underseat storage capacity of 23.2 litres. The underseat storage also gets a boot light as well as a USB charger. Hardware equipment consists of a suspension setup that comprises telescopic forks up front and twin shock absorbers at rear.
Braking duties are handled by a disc brake in front and a drum brake at rear which are accompanied by a single-channel ABS. In Vietnam, Honda Airblade 160 has been priced at VND 55,990,000 (approx. INR 1.87 lakh). It will lock horns with Yamaha Aerox 155. Airblade 160 will most probably not reach Indian shores anytime in the near future.
However, Honda has filed patents for as many as three scooters in India which could cater to its performance segment. The most prominent of those is the X-ADV scooter which is most likely to be based on the same 160cc platform as Airblade.
