Honda XR150L

Minimalist comes to mind when you look at the new Honda XR150L. It is of course inspired by the legendary CRF series. Honda offers the 2018 Honda XR150L in two colors - red and black. There is also the spoked wheels with tubed rubber. The wheels are 19-inch in the front and 17-inch at the back. There is a telescopic front fork while the rear is a monoshock. The Honda XR150L measures 2,091 x 811 x 1,125 (mm) for the length, width and height parameters. The meters are really simple with a large speedometer and a few tell-tale lights next to it. This version of the XR150L has digital units in some other Asian countries. Wonder why Honda isn’t bringing them down here. The side slung exhaust which is closer to the pillion seat also is coloured based on the bike’s colour. Both the tail light and headlight feature halogen bulbs. The wide seat, as well as luggage rack behind it, look cohesive with the utilitarian image of the vehicle.

As discussed, the Honda XR150L uses telescopic front suspension and a monoshock at the back. Under heavy braking, the front end dips lightly but the rear stays firm. This set up particularly helps while there is a pillion or if you are travelling with luggage. Speaking of which, the broad seat also doesn’t ring in fatigue even after covering long distances. Honda uses a combination of a front disc and a rear drum to bring the motorcycle to a halt. Unfortunately, ABS isn’t offered. We love the fact that the seat height of 825 mm is lower than that of the competition. The ground clearance of 243 mm is more than enough to tackle off-road obstacles. The knobby tyres offer good grip but since there is no ABS on offer, things can get a bit tricky in the wet. 

Honda uses a 150 cc carbureted motor in the Honda XR150L. The engine is of the 4-stroke single cylinder, air-cooled, Over Head Cam (OHC) type. The bore and stroke of this engine are 57.3 x 57.8 (mm). This oversquare configuration makes the motor a joy to rev. From this engine, Honda has massaged 11.8 PS of power and 12.5 Nm of torque, enough to handle the daily grind as well as off-roading. Honda uses a 5-speed manual transmission. The fuel tank capacity is 12 litres and while there is no fuel gauge to tell you how much is left, the efficiency of the bike is quite high. The mileage of the Honda XR150L is 52 kmpl. So, more than 600 km range is available before a refill. 

As discussed, the Honda XR150L uses telescopic front suspension and a monoshock at the back. Under heavy braking, the front end dips lightly but the rear stays firm. This set up particularly helps while there is a pillion or if you are travelling with luggage. Speaking of which, the broad seat also doesn’t ring in fatigue even after covering long distances. Honda uses a combination of a front disc and a rear drum to bring the motorcycle to a halt. Unfortunately, ABS isn’t offered. We love the fact that the seat height of 825 mm is lower than that of the competition. The ground clearance of 243 mm is more than enough to tackle off-road obstacles. The knobby tyres offer good grip but since there is no ABS on offer, things can get a bit tricky in the wet. 

The Honda XR150L price starts from Php 96,900. The Honda XR150L is worth the money and is a very good motorcycle. It tackles the rough as well as street riding very nicely. It will also handle touring duties though we wish the motorcycle had some more grunt. The equipment list is minimalist and something we wish Honda did take care of.  Honda has worked on the basic safety features of the bike with its latest version, making it competent in the segment.