Honda Winner what?
Same thoughts here. Honda has both ends of the spectrum covered when it comes to naming its cars. You’ve got simple models like the Beat and the Click, some slightly more complex ones such as the ADV 160 and PCX 160, and then outliers like the Honda Supra GTR 150 that confused a lot of car guys when it launched. Now we have the Winner X which sort of falls near the latter half of that spectrum.
Slightly unorthodox names aside, the new Honda Winner X does look sporty.
It sure does. It’s as if Honda took that macho look from the Click and the AirBlade and gave it to the Wave. And unlike the Supra GTR 150, the Winner X looks beefy, which hints at the performance the bike has to offer.
Okay, tell me about that performance.
I thought you’d never ask. As you may have noticed in the photos, we were recently able to take the Winner X out on the Carmona Race Track for some hot laps. The bikes were all stock so they didn’t have rear sets, so we weren’t knee-dragging around the circuit, but we were still able to make good use of the 149cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine. It puts out 15.4hp at 9,000rpm and 13.5Nm of torque at 7,000rpm similar to its scooter siblings, but it gets a six-speed manual transmission with an assist/slipper clutch so you’ll have more leeway to play around with it.
There’s plenty of torque during initial acceleration, and the bike has enough oomph on open straights to reach even north of 100kph. It holds its own when cornering at speed, too. Footpegs will scrape when you lean too much, but as mentioned, we didn’t have rear sets available during our outing. That being said, the way the bike handled around the track after six full laps was enough to show me that this thing has potential.
So it’s like a little track toy, then?
Yes and no. Yes, because I’m sure a few tweaks to the Winner X will turn it into a race-ready bike. No, because it’s still a commuter-oriented underbone at its core. It’s lightweight and a cinch to straddle, making it easy to ride through Metro Manila’s traffic-riddled streets. It’s got a smart key system which adds so much convenience especially for those who ride their bikes daily. It also has a built-in USB-A charging port, something delivery and motorcycle-taxi riders will appreciate.
And most important of all, it’s fuel-efficient.
How fuel-efficient, if I may ask?
Honda claims the Winner X can do 52.3km/L. As with all manufacturer-provided data on fuel consumption, it can go both ways. We weren’t able to test for that yet, but I’m sure with a six-speed manual at your disposal, you can go higher than that with the right riding style. Impressive, no?
It is. How much for it, though?
It’s relatively affordable, actually. Whereas Honda’s 150-160cc scooters sticker for P150,000 or more, the Winner X starts at P123,900 for the non-ABS variant. The ABS Premium stickers for P129,900, while the ABS Racing is priced at P131,900. That makes this new model from Honda an interesting proposition.
Unfortunately, we haven’t had much saddle time with the Winner X yet. But once we’re able to take it out for a proper spin, we’ll be out with a full review. For now, you can check out our quick walkaround of it below.
