Honda Navi Is First Motorcycle from Honda R&D India
Honda has revealed the Honda Navi, the first Honda motorcycle to go from concept to production in India via Honda R&D India. There will be three Navi versions produced—the Navi Street, Navi Adventure and Navi Off-Road, and it can be ordered through an Android app. The price will be 39,500 Indian Rupees, which is the equivalent of $583 US at press time.
The Navi will feature a 110cc powerplant, and its clean design is intended to encourage customization by young buyers. The Honda Navi will come in a choice of five colors—Sparky Orange, Patriot Red, Hopper Green, Shasta White, and Black.
“With India having the world’s youngest population, it is imperative for Brand Honda to connect with the youth. NAVI will take forward Honda’s Fun DNA in India,” according to Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. “From business point of view, almost 70-percent of two-wheelers sold in the country today have engine displacement up to 110cc. However, most of the models here, irrespective of their segment‚ motorcycle or scooter, are lookalike without much differentiation in specs or features. Considering the potential and moving away from the Syndrome of Sameness, Honda R&D India challenged to create ‘New additional value for India’ – Navi.”
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India President and CEO Keita Muramatsu reinforces Honda’s focus on the youth market, saying, “2016 will be the historic year for Honda. Led by increased capacity with fourth plant, we will cross the threshold of five-million two-wheeler sales in India for the first time. More importantly, we are confident that Honda’s six new models, led by Navi, will reinvent two-wheeler mobility in India. With the Navi, the game is on and Young India is going to play with their two wheels like never before.”
Also important for Honda is the production of motorcycles in India, something taken very seriously in Japan. Honda Motor Company CEO and Representative Director Takahiro Hachigo points out that “Honda met a total of 17.1 million two-wheeler customers across the globe last year. India, with its fast growing economy, is the largest two-wheeler market in the world and our Indian operation became the largest volume contributor to Honda’s global production in 2015. I would like to re-iterate here that India is one of our priority markets, where we have strong intention to grow further. Honda’s fourth two-wheeler plant in Gujarat will be ready to commence its operation soon, and our operations here in this country further deliver lots of joy and excitement.”
In addition to the 110cc Honda HET motor, the Navi features an automatic transmission and cargo carrying area below the fuel tank. The forks are inverted, and the Honda Navi has a kickstarter and drum brakes. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India calls the Navi “a revolutionary ‘new kind of ride’ providing unlimited possibilities and unmatched freedom. In its standard form, the design statement is ‘fun to see’ and pure ‘fun to ride’.” Indian dealerships will also focus on optional parts for the Honda Navi on customization with a an appeal toward younger riders.
With the size of the potholes on the non-city roads there, l kind of wonder about the wheel sizing from the looks of the picture. Other than that, I think it looks great for it’s market. That storage area under the tank should sell a few million there (now that I realize that the engine isn’t actually missing). With Honda engineering oversight & quality control, it may well present a dependabilty upgrade from there normal selection. That alone could make it the populace go to in the future. That built in open sided cargo bay should be an enormous draw.
Well done (I think) and good luck Honda. :-)
Don’t see a radiator. If it’s air-cooled does it have a fan? They going to be blocking the airflow to the engine bigtime. ?????
Look at any modern scooter. Air cooled and covered in plastics without vents. The flywheels cooling fins funnel air over the cylinder and block.
Oh yeah, good point. Forgot about scooters. I was thinking that the cylinder head might be showing behind the frame at about 55 degree angle. But even if that is it, it could be shrouded. Hard for me to tell much from picture. Thanks for pointing that out.
The engine looks like the old GY6 configuration.