Considering the growth in the entry level ADV segment, Honda has decided to launch a budget ADV to grab a piece of the market share. The ADV is likely to be called the NX200 and it will be based on the Hornet 2.0. Honda 2 wheeler India has launched a teaser for the aforementioned motorcycle across its social media platforms and while the teaser doesn’t reveal much, we managed to extract few details of the upcoming ADV.
The design of the new entry level ADV will be based on the Hornet 2.0 and it could share the majority of the hardware in terms of design. Starting from the front, the headlight looks similar to that of the Hornet 2.0, and it has been integrated into a fairing which is newly designed for this ADV. The fairing also has a tall smoked windscreen above the headlight indicating that this motorcycle draws design cues from the recently-launched CB500X. The bike can come with handguards, either as standard or as an option, and the teaser video has a clear shot of turn indicators integrated into the handguard. It is not clear whether this ADV will borrow the same suspension setup from the donor bike, but looking back at the teaser video, the stance of the motorcycle hints that this ADV could have a taller upside-down suspension with more travel. The riding position seems upright, indicating raised handlebars which should add to the bike’s touring capabilities. The braking hardware is likely to be the same as that of Hornet 2.0 and at the given price point, we can assume that this ADV will have alloy wheels but whether it gets wire-spokes wheels as an option remains to be seen. And lastly, the upcoming ADV in the teaser was seen running on mild off-road spec tyres and also has something that looks like a bash plate to protect the engine from rocks.
This new ADV will share the same power mill from the Hornet 2.0 but whether or not it will be running in the same state of tune, remains to be seen. The BS6-compliant, 184cc single-cylinder engine on the Hornet 2.0 puts out 17bhp at 8500rpm and 16.1Nm of torque at 6000rpm and is mated to a five-speed transmission. A five-speed ‘box is fine for the city commutes but we think a sixth gear can enhance the upcoming ADV’s highway cruising experience.
The teaser video from Honda showed LED headlights and turn indicators and we can expect that the tail lamps are also LED. In terms of instrumentation, the upcoming ADV could have a completely digital LCD instrument cluster similar to the Hornet 2.0. And similar to the Hornet 2.0, the new ADV can also have the single-channel ABS, however, dual-channel ABS will make for a good addition.
The unveiling of the upcoming ADV is slated for August 19. And as for pricing, we are all aware that Honda motorcycles come with relatively premium price tags, take the CB500X for example and we certainly hope that Honda doesn’t take the same approach with this bike. The ADV will definitely be pricier than the Hornet 2.0 but by what margin, remains to be seen. Watch this space for the latest news on the upcoming ADV.