When the 150SS Racer first appeared at the Bangkok Motor Show in March it looked a far cry from a production model. Carbon-fibre disc wheels, a rear-view camera and futuristic café racer styling all smacked of eye candy rather than production potential. But while the showroom version is toned down a lot, it retains a surprising amount of the original bike.
Of course the rear-view camera and carbon wheels are gone, along with the oversized tyres and perspex panels on the tail unit. But the overall style is instantly recognisable, from the massive round LED headlight to the stubby tail and slash-cut exhaust exit. The big change is the name, with the production version gaining the CB150R tag.
The engine is Honda’s DOHC 150cc single, as used in the CBR150R, and good for around 13kW. At the front is an upside-down 41mm fork (borrowed from the X-ADV), along with a single radial-mount brake caliper – all high-spec stuff in Thai-market terms.
While there’s no indication about whether the bike will be sold outside Thailand, the engine does meet the latest Euro emissions limits, and ABS is available as an option.
To sell the bike in Europe, Honda would likely need to make a smaller, 125cc version for learner riders.
More important, perhaps, is the styling trend that the bike follows.
The angular design follows on from several larger concept bikes that shared similar shapes, including the CB500-based Bulldog from 2015, the CB650F-based CB4 from the same year, and the CB1100TR concept shown at EICMA in Italy last year.
The fact that the 150SS Racer concept has become a CB150R production model strongly suggests that the same family styling will carry though to larger CBs in the near future. It’s already widely rumoured that there’s a new Fireblade-derived CB1000R in the works, and when it comes it may well look a lot like the new CB150R.
By Ben Purvis
