The Yamaha R15 Has A New Rival - Presenting The All-New 2021 Honda CBR150R

The Honda CBR150R was a popular and fun little motorcycle back when it was sold in Singapore many a years ago, but if you thought that bike was a weapon, wait till you hear about this 2021 version of the CBR150R that Honda has just launched. This is the sister-bike to the super popular Class 2B cafe racer in Singapore - The CB150R Exmotion, but dressed in sportsbike fairing and a more aggressive stance.

At first glance, you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for the CBR250RR, because that’s exactly where the new 150 derives its design inspiration from. The funky headlight design, sharp fairing and neat tail section all mimic the 250RR and give the new CBR150R an intentful and aggressive appearance.

The next most noticeable feature on the new bike is that lovely new golden upside-down (USD) fork. We were pretty impressed to see a simple Showa USD fork on the Honda CB150R Exmotion, but the CBR150R takes things up a notch because the unit you see here is the revered SFF-BP separate function big-piston fork - the same kind used on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R.

Another new piece of kit on the 2021 CBR150R is the slipper clutch, which not only reduces rear wheel hopping and locking during aggressive downshifts, but also claims to cut down lever effort by 15%.

To bring the little CBR properly up to date, Honda has thrown in a smart and well-laid out fully-digital LCD instrument cluster complete with fuel consumption data and a gear position indicator. The motor remains pretty much the same: a 149cc liquid-cooled 4-valve single churning out 17.3PS and 14.4Nm. This means that it’s down on power compared to the Yamaha R15 V3 but actually produces slightly more torque.

Honda offers the new CBR150R in two versions, with and without ABS, and the variant with the safety feature will set potential buyers back an additional S$1-2,000, if the reference from when the ABS and non-ABS version of the CB150R Exmotion was sold in Singapore.

We're not sure if Singapore agent of Honda motorcycles, Boon Siew will be bringing in the CBR150R but you can count on the parallel importers bringing over a few units to our shores with how sweet the 2021 Honda CBR150R is looking. There will be an alternative now for those who are looking for a Class 2B sportsbike but have never warmed up to the Yamaha R15 V3.

What do you think? Would you pick the Honda CBR150R or the Yamaha R15, and why? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Full launch video of the 2021 Honda CBR150R courtesy of Honda Indonesia: