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ajor motorcycle manufacturer Astra Honda Motor (AHM) has resurrected Honda’s most famous sports bike of the 1990s, the CBR250RR, looking to strengthen the company’s grip on the domestic premium motorbike market.

AHM, a joint venture between diversified conglomerate Astra International and Japan-based Honda Motor, has showcased the prototype of the new CBR250RR at the ongoing Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show (GIIAS) event in South Tangerang, Banten, since Thursday.

The new bike, fully made in Indonesia, is available for indent purchase with an advance payment of Rp 5 million (US$382). AHM has yet to announce the official price, but it is expected to be around Rp 63 million to Rp 74 million.

“Twenty-seven people ordered a CBR250RR during the first day of the event. The enthusiasm was remarkable,” Honda big bike manager Adrian Suriantio said on Friday. “The motorbike will be sent to them by the end of this year.”

Honda originally produced the 250 cc sport bike series during the 1986 to 1996 period, with the CBR250RR one of its most popular models. Sold only in Asia and Australia, the lightweight sports bike stole the spotlight with a four-cylinder engine that could reach top speeds of 185 kilometers per hour at 19,000 revolutions per minute (rpm).

In 2011, Honda tried to bring back the glory by launching the new CBR250R. However, the model is less powerful, with a one-cylinder engine and maximum speed of only 150 km per hour at 10,000 rpm.

This year’s CBR250RR is therefore expected to be the closest successor to the old model, with a parallel-twin liquid cooled engine and a top speed of 180 km per hour at 14,000 rpm. Moreover, it is claimed to use state-of-the-art technologies, including the first throttle-by-wire (TBW) system in the 250 cc segment, which allows the engine to create more torque and power.

The CBR250RR will be competing head-to-head with other 250 cc engine motorbike such as the Kawasaki Ninja 250 and Yamaha R25.

As the largest motorcycle market in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is considered the ideal place to launch the new motorbike.

“Indonesians have a strong riding tradition and are really in love with motorcycles. For them, it’s not just a means of transportation, but also a tool to express their hobby,” AHM president director Toshiyuki Inuma said as stated in a press statement in July.

The total sales of motorcycles in Indonesia have constantly plummeted in recent years as a result of economic slowdown. The number of vehicles sold in the first half of this year was 2.96 million, down from 3.25 million in 2015 and 4.2 million in 2014 in the same period, according to the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI). AHM holds a 73 percent market share, and in July, the company saw a 130 percent annual increase in sports bike sales to 22,793 units, constituting a 48.1 percent market share in the segment. More than half of the sales came from its 150 cc motorbike CB150R StreetFire with a price tag of around Rp 25 million to Rp 26 million.

AHM, the sole distributor of Japanese Honda motorcycles in Indonesia, now plans to grab a bigger market share in the market of big bikes with 500 cc or more engine capacity. Since mid-2015, it has started penetrating the segment by introducing various big bikes with prices ranging from Rp 133 million to Rp 575 million.

“Currently, Kawasaki is still in charge with a 70 percent market share in that segment, followed by Yamaha at around 20 percent. We want to overturn their dominance,” Adrian said. (vps)