2018 Honda X-Blade first ride image gallery

The 2018 Honda X-Blade is a new tack by the Japanese company to attach the commuter 160 space. In effect, think of it as an alternative to the Honda Unicorn to understand it. What if you don't want the staid looks of the Unicorn but do want its convenience and sweetness? That is literally the motorcycle the X-Blade is. And given how much of the Honda X-Blade's story is visual, we thought a super expansive photo gallery would be right on the, er, X. To read our first ride review of the X-Blade, go here. To find out what you'll love and what you won't about this 160cc motorcycle, read here.

The Honda X-Blade cuts a fresh, striking figure. It has the same creases and folds that mark the Hornet out as a nice looking motorcycle but it uses more panels and some graphics to achieve this sense of distinction

The Honda X-Blade is a very busy design and whether its the tank or the side panel, there are details, textures, motifs everywhere you look

The Honda X-Blade looks very aggressive but it isn't anywhere close to that in its riding feel or nature. And that's its appeal

The single-piece seat of the Honda X-Blade is mildly stepped to remain commuter friendly. Note the sculpting on the panel below the seat

The Honda X-Blade looks rather good from most angles but the front and front three-quarters is the bestg - just look at that head light

The headlight design is the real highlight of the Honda X-Blade. It looks a little odd from the side because it sticks out so far but from the front, it's aces

The "Robo Face LED headlamp" looks very nice from most angles. Unfortunately, this isn't a very bright LED producing adequate illumination only

The LED T-shaped tail light is very nicely executed. The bar illuminates normally and looks like a wing and the stem is the bright one that lights up when you hit the brakes

The Honda X-Blade is a sleek motorcycle but the extra-large indicators are a bit of a surprise - they don't match the rest of the motorcycle

The gloss black panel is a nice contrast element that sets off the matte black panel above.

The rear of the Honda X-Blade has an slightly over-wrought saree guard that we would get rid of. We would also nix the splatter guard but most commuters won't

The engine is the same 162.71cc single-cylinder from the Unicorn with the same 5-speed gearbox. Some careburettor tuning and ignition timing changes to accommodate the slightly different weight brings a smidge more power and torque

The Honda X-Blade's exhaust is perhaps the least complex part of its design. And we like that. The chrome thingamabob, though, has two exhaust outlets in it

The rubber footpegs are one of the few signs of the Honda X-Blade's intended role - commuting. The pegs are set only marginally rearward, just like the Unicorn for a comfortable, upright riding position

The Honda X-Blade fuel filler cap is surrounded by a plastic panel with a faux carbon fibre texture. Looks good!

The Honda X-Blade does not get an engine kill switch but it does get a hazard light switch

The all-digital instruments look densely packed but are readable. Especially the middle panel with the huge gear indicator and speedometer. The fuel gauge, tripmeters, clock feel a little compressed to the right. Tacho is more readable than you'd expect also. The LCD design also means that neutral shows as a glowing green light and the gear indicator goes blank when you select neutral.

The mirrors are a little too basic on the Honda X-Blade but they work

We love the design of the grab rails on the Honda X-Blade

Note the riding position. It's almost exactly the same as the Unicorn except for a slightly narrower handlebar

The Honda X-Blade splatter guard is, er, comprehensive!

The rear shock absorber is a simple pre-load adjustable monoshock on the Honda X-Blade

The front wheel is the same size as the Unicorn and the disc brake is standard. No combined braking system for the Honda X-Blade though, and no ABS either

Images: Anis Shaikh