Honda Winner X is about to be launched with many worthwhile upgrades, becoming a formidable competitor to the Yamaha Exciter 150 2019 in the manual motorcycle segment in the Vietnamese market.
Honda Winner was first introduced in the Vietnamese market in April 2016 at the Vietnam Motorcycle Show. At that time, Winner – Honda Vietnam’s strategic card in the manual motorcycle segment was expected to be a counterpart to the main rival Yamaha Exciter, which entered the Vietnamese market in 2005.
First image of Honda Winner X revealed before its official launch. (Photo: Facebook).
However, in the latest upgrade, Yamaha Exciter 150 2019 did not have many significant changes, still keeping the same engine and no ABS brakes. Meanwhile, the upcoming Honda Winner X is expected to be a complete transformation from design to equipment compared to its predecessor. In particular, the information that Winner X will be equipped with ABS brakes on the front wheel has made waves among manual motorcycle enthusiasts in recent days.
Honda Winner X will be equipped with ABS brakes on the front wheel.
In the current manual motorcycle segment in Vietnam, only the SYM Star SR 170 is equipped with ABS brakes on the front wheel. This model was introduced to Vietnamese consumers in late December 2018 but has not really gained much attraction. Therefore, if Winner X possesses ABS brakes, it will not only increase its competitive advantage against the main rival Yamaha Exciter but also easily defeat other competitors in the same segment.
In addition to upgrading the braking system, the all-new Honda Winner X is expected to have a different design and appearance. From the leaked images in the teaser video from Honda Vietnam in late June, Winner X seems to be inspired by the sport-bike model CBR150R, bringing a more sporty, dynamic, and personality design. This is a significant improvement for Winner as this model was previously not highly regarded in terms of design due to its use of the familiar “mass” design of Honda.
Another obvious change on the Honda Winner X compared to the previous version lies in the completely new and different headlight. Moving to the second generation, Winner X will have a mask above the headlight inspired by the Click/Vario model. Meanwhile, the lower mask looks like the AirBlade with a large size high beam along with two demi lights above. There are separate turning lights with the same design as the new CBR150R line on both sides. It is likely that the lighting system will use LED lighting technology.
There is a cluster of switches that will not be designed separately like Vario, but still stick together like the previous generation, and the display cluster is also rumored to be taken from the new CBR150R with a compact Full-LCD form. In addition, the images also show that Honda Winner X takes a lot of inspiration from the sport-bike model CBR150R, as shown in the compact taillight cluster, separate license plate, and two side turn signal lights, which are quite similar to those of the CBR150R.
It is not yet clear whether Honda Winner X will have an engine upgrade or not. However, it seems that enthusiasts of this manual motorcycle are not very concerned about the engine performance details as the current Winner engine already has slightly more power than the Yamaha Exciter 150 2019.
The “heart” of Winner’s current version is a DOHC, single-cylinder engine with a capacity of 149.1cc, liquid-cooled, producing 15.4 horsepower, torque of 13.5 Nm, and a 6-speed gearbox. Meanwhile, Yamaha Exciter 150 2019 still has a SOHC engine, single-cylinder engine with a capacity of 149.7cc, maximum power of 15.1 horsepower, torque of 13.8 Nm, and a 5-speed manual transmission. Not only more powerful, the Winner engine is also considered more fuel-efficient and smoother in operation than the Exciter 150.
The launch of the Honda Winner X on July 13 will mark an important milestone, promising to bring the competition between Winner and Exciter to a new level. If it actually possesses upgrades in design and equipment as rumored, Winner X will have a great opportunity to surpass the Yamaha Exciter 150 in the manual motorcycle segment in Vietnam.
THIS COULD BE THE HONDA WINNER X ABOUT TO BE LAUNCHED IN VIETNAM
Thanh Nhon (forum.autodaily.vn)
