Completed 4 years with Hornet. ODO: 31,000.
Going pretty solid,
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The X tail is still eye-catcher.
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I own a Gixxer too, except mine is 2017 and has AHO on it. Now, you're saying a few burn marks with a non aho model, I wonder what'll happen if it's a AHO model. I was also looking at the same osram as the OP, but I now I don't know.
Anybody you know has an AHO and uses this headlight?(as an upgrade)

I am saying this with pillion . Check your throttle freeplay .

So you say that a 130/140 section rear tyre is just a gimmick. Well those fat tyres have been a life saver for me on the FZ, Gixxer and Apache 200. They just don't improve cornering but they drastically improve the braking stability. Bikes like FZ, Hornet, Gixxer, RTR200, RTR160 4V don't skid and loose control under hard braking. Still people complain about less mileage. A Unicorn 150 in comparison feels so unstable with those 110 sec tyres. IMO all bikes from 150cc onwards should use atleast 130 section tyres.

Even if Hornet, Xblade & Unicorn use the same 160cc engine, they have different characters. The Hornet has completely different gearing compared to Unicorn 160 and Xblade. Both Xblade and Uni 160 are tuned for city riding, have better low end torque and initial acceleration. Whereas Hornet is tall geared, has very low torque in low end especially in 2nd gear. It is not that friendly in the city but its a blast to ride on the highway. Hornet also has the best cornering prowess among all the 160cc bikes. And Xblade also uses a 130 section tyre.

The Pulsar 220 has a short stroke engine (67x62). Yes the Pulsar 220 has mad power delivery. But the straight line stability is bullsh#t. Ride a RTR200 to feel the the difference. RTR200 is rock solid stable even at 120+ kph, while Pulsar 220 becomes all wobbly post 100.

To conclude, hardware like fatter forks and a 130/140 section rear tyre are basic things that ensure straight line, braking & cornering stability. And these aspects are more important than mileage, atleast for me. There is no point in expecting 45+ avrg from a 160cc. But they can save your life in an ugly situation. On the contrary, the chance of falling due to skidding is very high on Unicorn 150, Shine and every other budget commuter bike.

There is much more to a bike than tyre size in terms of stability. Fat tyres may have been a life saver but it's not exactly necessary for stability or life saving. Braking stability? Lets see there are a thousand more things like chassis design, suspension, rake angles, tyre compound, bike's wheelbase, tyre pressure, brake pads, fluid levels, terrain and tyre size (thinner like 110 or a 120) itself.

This is about tyre size for you? Lets see. FZ's 140 section robs it of it's acceleration compared to other 150-160 segment bikes with thinner tyres. Honda Unicorn and unstable? Wider Tyre = More effort to move the bike. More effort = less mileage. It's simple. Have you ever rode a Unicorn? I own a Honda Unicorn (2017 model) as well in addition to Splendor and have completed 41,000kms so far. Never have I ever fell from it or have had any stability issues even with the 110 tyre. I bought it after riding my friend's 2016 Hornet for a year or so. I suggest you take a look at the thread and ask how many people have fallen because of it.

Pulsar 220 came in 2007 and came with 120 rear tyre (still does). Wobbly post 100? I suggest you get your facts checked. Unless you have ridden a 220 for a decent period, I would advise against commenting on it. There are tons of happy owners around. Just ask them. How many people have have stopped riding the bike because it's unstable and they have fallen from it because of the thin tyre? Also to tell you, I started learning on a Pulsar 150 back in 2015 which had a 100/90 tyre. Never had a stability issue and my UG 4.5 Pulsar back in the day made 15HP compared to FZ's 13.2HP and still the tyre sizes kept it under control without any braking issues what so ever.

Even before FZ was released, Pulsar 180, 220, CBZ, Unicorn, GS150R, Dazzler, Apache 160, 180 and many other bikes came with 100 to 120 section tyres. Forget all these even R15 V1 had a 110 Rear. Mind you, R15 is a proper track machine with great stability in the sub-200cc category. From your point I assume that they are unstable, have straight line stability issues and poor braking and might have a chance of skidding and making you fall because they have small rear tyre? And did you know that Apache 1604v (carb) and Pulsar NS160 come with 110 rear tyres as well? Well are people falling from it citing your reasons?


If that's the case, you should fit your Passion with 140 section rear tyres as well. And a 100 unit on front. Would make it super stable, wouldn't it? If can't ride a bike without fat rear tyres, you don't belong anywhere near a bike or have a phobia of riding bikes.

It's evident that you don't have much experience riding higher capacity bikes and even if you did, you rode a poorly maintained bike. Manufactures are not idiots to under equip their bikes (with exception of some which is rare). I would suggest that you get out, ride the bikes you speak of and then comment on it. If not, it just becomes all bluff and by the book knowledge.

Hmmm.... I wonder who is bluffing here now. If you have experienced the above said bikes or know about them you would never say " Pulsar 220 has long stroke motor" or " why do 160cc's need 140 section rear tyre apart from chunky looks" or " why would anyone corner on commuter?".

These premium 160cc's are also made for cornering. If you've experienced the cornering prowess of Hornet, You would never compare its stability with Unicorn. Oh you don't corner on commuter 160cc. Sorry about that.

I agree that I was wrong when I mentioned 110 section tyre for Uni 150, my bad. But how much difference do 10mm make. At 80kph a Unicorn 150 will easily get unsettled by a large pothole while a Hornet/Xblade will be rock solid in such a scenario. The manufacturer's are not idiot's. They charge the premium for what they give. A Hornet is considerably expensive than Xblade and Unicorn. But in return you get better suspension and wider tyres and they're given for a purpose that is improving stability. The Hornet inspires so much more confidence than the Uni160 & 150 on the highway.

What if the Pulsar 220 was launched in 2007. It still has better performance than RTR200. So it should also have better stability which it doesn't. Yes it is weak in cornering but a wider tyre would only help in improving this aspect.

It's you who said that these tyres are just gimmick and I just responded with my opinion. But you started questioning my knowledge & experience and have forced me to do the same. I never meant to troll you or anything. I only had respect for you as a fellow enthusiast and your liking for bikes like splendor, Cd100 and Shogun.

But at this point, I don't care whoever the hell you are. I don't care if you have designed any bike. From what I understand is that you don't read any post carefully before commenting. And I am not here to educate anybody.

I stand by whatever I have said. I believe in my riding experience. I still say that on a paved road especially in wet conditions the chance of skidding and losing control during hard braking is higher on budget commuter bikes with thinner tyres including Unicorn 150 and my HH Passion.

P S- I apologise to all the Hornet owners in this thread. I understand that the thread has gone way too off topic. Never really thought that this would get so ugly. Please avoid these posts. Be safe & ride safe.

Motoman.

I had ridden your bike which felt peppier than my 2016 more powerful model. Sometimes I have to go on 2nd gear from standstill in Guwahati's notorious traffic which my bike does quite easily riding solo, but don't know much about the same while riding with pillion as I ride solo mostly. I shall try the same with pillion, hopefully.

Newest addition to my garage. My 2019 Honda xBlade Non-ABS. Was a bit overdue but I decided to go ahead with it anyway. Have some 400kms on it on the last 5 days. Everything is great so far. Weight distribution and ride-ability is fairly agile. The only thing missing is a 90/90 front tyre.

Hornet/ Xblade owners whatsapp group. All are requested to join.

Thanks.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BSMhnpR4vpxBFoizieJRAP

Hornet/ Xblade owners whatsapp group. All are requested to join.

Thanks.

https://chat.whatsapp.com/BSMhnpR4vpxBFoizieJRAP