The 160cc segment has been quite hot recently. The college students and the young Indians are driving the sales of 160cc motorcycles. The Bajaj Pulsar 160NS and the Honda CB Hornet 160R are some of the top sellers in this segment. Let’s compare these motorcycles in terms of their technical specifications and see which of the two is better.

Performance

The reason for the sales surge in the 160cc segment is the significantly higher power output compared to the 125cc motorcycles. The Bajaj Pulsar NS160 BS6 features a 160.3cc single-cylinder engine with fuel injection and oil cooling. The engine produces a maximum power of almost 16.8 bhp and a maximum torque of 14.6 Nm. The BS6 Pulsar NS160 is currently the most powerful motorcycle in the 160cc segment. But the Honda Honda Hornet is no weak player either.

Honda Hornet BS6 is not yet released, so we will take the BS4 model as a reference. Honda Hornet BS4 comes with a 162.71 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, carbureted engine. The engine produces a maximum power of around 15.04 bhp and a maximum torque of 14.76 Nm. Comparing these figures with the Bajaj Pulsar, we can see that the Pulsar NS160 has overtaken the Hornet in terms of power, but the Hornet has a very good maximum torque that helps the bike to take off well at lower rpm. Nevertheless, the Bajaj Pulsar NS160 is clearly ahead in terms of power figures.

Bicycle parts

Coming to the bike parts, the Bajaj Pulsar NS160 features a telescopic suspension at the front and a canister mono-shock suspension at the rear. Braking power on the Pulsar NS160 is handled by a 260mm disc at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear. These brakes are then assisted by a single-channel ABS. The motorcycle rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tyres.

The Honda Hornet, on the other hand, has a similar level of bike parts. It has a telescopic suspension at the front while the rear has a monoshock suspension. Braking is done with a 276mm disc at the front and a 220mm disc at the rear. These brakes are also supported by a single-channel ABS. The wheel size is also similar to the Pulsar NS160, both being 17 inches. The Honda Hornet has a wider and thinner 140/70 section rear tire while the Pulsar NS160 has a 120/80 section rear tire. So it’s a tie between both the bikes or you can say that the Honda Hornet has a very slight advantage in terms of bike parts.

Special feature

The Bajaj Pulsar NS160 comes with a semi-digital instrument cluster while the Honda Hornet has a fully digital unit. The Bajaj Pulsar has clip-on handlebars while the Honda Hornet has a single-piece handlebar. The Honda Hornet has LED headlamps and taillamps while the Bajaj Pulsar has halogen headlamps and LED taillamps. The Bajaj Pulsar comes with a split seat while the Honda Hornet has a single-piece seat. So, in terms of features, both have a win.

Also Read: Bajaj Pulsar SS 400 – Do You Remember It?

Price

The Bajaj Pulsar NS160 is priced at Rs 1.03 lakhs (ex-showroom) while the Honda Hornet BS4 is priced at Rs 97,203 (ex-showroom). The BS6 variant is expected to see a price hike of around Rs 6,000-7,000. Both the 160cc bikes offer good value for money. However, there should be a winner as the Bajaj Pulsar NS 160 seems to have a clear performance advantage and offers slightly better value for money than the Honda Hornet. Other 160cc bikes in this segment include the TVS Apache 160 4V and the upcoming Hero Xtreme 160R.