You have already read about Honda’s plans to get the Fireblade and the CB1000R to India by the end of February this year. But what you haven’t heard yet is their plan to launch two new mass production vehicles. The first bike is a new generation Activa scooter. Speculated to be a local version of the Honda Lead which is sold in other Asian countries, the bike will use a retuned powerplant from the Aviator. A tweaked variomatic gearbox from the current Activa will find its way into the new scooter as well. Honda also plans to have a variant, christened the Activa Deluxe, which will boast additional features like a front disc brake assembly, cast alloys, etc. The scooter is expected to go on sale by late March or early April 2009 and will be priced in the same bracket as the current Activa with the Deluxe variant dearer by Rs 3,000.



The other two-wheeler on the cards is a sporty variant based on the Unicorn platform. In short, the new 150cc bike will be to the Unicorn what the Stunner is to the Shine. Likely to be named the CBF150, (which was also the development code for the Unicorn) the bike will take on the Yamaha FZ16, TVS RTR and other premium offerings in the segment. It will be the first two-wheeler from Honda to incorporate the PGM-FI technology which was seen earlier on the Hero Honda Glamour FI. Our sources have also confirmed that Honda has been extensively testing a new 120-section rear tyre with MRF. This tyre is likely to make it onto the CBF150. Expect the bike to be launched a couple of weeks before monsoons.