Five Honda Two-Wheelers We Wish Would Come To India (But Probably Won't)

Honda two-wheelers we wish would come to India span everything from a rally-bred dual-sport to a retro minibike, and none of the five on this list have an official HMSI launch date, despite existing in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines or the US right now. HMSI already builds and sells the CB350, Hornet 2.0 and Shine 125 for Indian roads, yet its global catalogue runs far deeper — and some of what's missing would slot into gaps competitors are currently filling on their own. Prices below are converted from the markets these bikes are actually sold in; treat them as expected landed costs, not confirmed India pricing.

Why HMSI skips these models

Honda's India strategy has always prioritised volume segments — 110cc scooters, 125cc commuters, 350cc premium cruisers — over niche imports that would need CBU routes and 50%+ import duty. That's precisely why bikes like the CRF300L or the PCX160 stay parked in Bangkok showrooms while Kawasaki, Triumph and Royal Enfield quietly build audiences in the exact white spaces Honda is leaving open. A rider comparing options today has to look at what Royal Enfield, Kawasaki and Hero already sell here, because that's the competition Honda is conceding by not bringing these five over.

Honda CRF300L

The CRF300L runs a 286cc liquid-cooled single making 27.3PS and 26Nm through a six-speed box with a slipper clutch, and it's priced at THB 155,900 in Thailand — roughly ₹4.45 lakh at current exchange rates, before any import duty gets added. That's steep next to the Hero Xpulse 210, but it sits close to what a Kawasaki KLX300 costs as a CBU import here, and the CRF300L's 43mm inverted Showa fork and genuine off-road pedigree would give it real credibility against both. Long-travel suspension and a proper 21-inch front wheel make it a trail bike first, a commuter second — which is exactly the CBU pricing problem that keeps it out of India.

Honda ADV160

Thailand's ADV160 got a proper update this year: a colour TFT dash with RoadSync smartphone connectivity, a 157cc liquid-cooled engine putting out 15.8bhp and 14.7Nm, and 27 litres of underseat storage. It retails at THB 101,900, translating to roughly ₹2.9 lakh before duty — a price bracket where India currently has almost nothing with genuine adventure-scooter styling, since the Aprilia SR160 plays in a different, sportier lane. Riders doing highway stretches between cities would appreciate the tall windscreen and long-travel suspension far more than they'd notice the missing final few kmpl an Activa delivers.

Honda PCX160

Where the ADV160 leans rugged, the PCX160 stays purely urban: a 156.93cc SOHC single making 15hp and 14Nm, a low 764mm seat, and Thai pricing around THB 96,000 — close to ₹2.75 lakh before import costs. Run that engine at a realistic 40kmpl in Indian traffic and a 1,500km monthly commute costs about ₹3,860 in fuel at ₹103/litre, comparable to what a Yamaha Aerox 155 owner already pays here. The PCX160's edge is refinement — a Combined Brake System and a genuinely quiet CVT — rather than outright pace, which is a tough sell to justify CBU pricing against a locally-built Aerox.

Honda Dax125

The Dax125 is Honda's most unapologetically nostalgic play: a 124cc air-cooled single making 8.8bhp and 10.4Nm, a T-shaped pressed-steel frame lifted straight from the 1969 original, and a four-speed semi-automatic gearbox that needs no clutch lever. Indonesian pricing sits near Rp 82 million, which converts to an eyebrow-raising ₹4.8-odd lakh — a number that has far more to do with CBU import tax in that market than with what a 125cc engine is actually worth. If Honda ever brought it here as a lifestyle CKD build, similar to how it's positioned the Super Cub-adjacent range globally, expect pricing closer to ₹2.5-3 lakh rather than that Indonesian sticker.

Honda CL500

The CL500 is the one with genuine India buzz, and BikeDekho already lists an expected price of ₹6 lakh for it here. It shares its 471cc parallel-twin with the CB500X and CB500F, tuned slightly differently to make 46.6PS and 43.4Nm, and its scrambler stance — 19-inch front wheel, high-mount exhaust, 790mm seat — puts it in direct range of the Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 and the incoming Triumph Scrambler 400 X. Financing that ₹6 lakh price at 20% down over 60 months at 11% interest works out to an EMI near ₹10,400 a month, which is realistic Bullet-350-plus territory rather than an impulse buy. Honda already sells the same engine platform in the CB500 range through BigWing dealerships, so the CL500 is arguably the easiest of these five to actually bring in — Honda just hasn't pulled the trigger yet.

None of these five have a confirmed HMSI launch date, and the CBU math explains most of the silence — duty structures make niche imports expensive enough that Honda would rather protect volume in the 110-350cc segment it already dominates. The CL500 is the closest to realistic, given the shared engine platform already sold here; the rest remain aspirational unless Honda decides a CKD route makes sense. Check the on-road price and EMI for the Honda CB350 or CB500X — the closest things to these five that Honda actually sells — for your city on Drivio.