Honda CB300R to be priced below Rs 2.50 lakh

Honda has revealed that it will be launching its CB300R in India at a price that's under Rs 2.50 lakh. The company has also commenced bookings for the retro-modern sports bike at select dealerships across India. Honda has said that the motorcycle will be brought to India via the CKD route. The launch is expected to happen soon, and going by Honda’s earlier announcement of rolling out one new product this financial year, expect it to happen before the end of March or sooner. 

The CB300R features Honda’s new ‘neo-sports café’ styling that is also seen on the company’s litre-class sport-naked – the 2019 CB1000R+ in India. Like the bigger bike, the 300R features aggressive lines paired neatly with retro elements like the round LED headlight. The overall design of the motorcycle is minimalistic, especially towards the rear. The instrument cluster on the CB is a fully digital unit.

Powering the bike is a 286cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-valve, DOHC motor that is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. In the United Kingdom, this motorcycle makes 31.4hp and 27.5Nm of torque. While the specifications of the India-spec bike haven’t been revealed as yet, we can expect similar figures.

Suspension is handled by a 41mm USD fork and a preload-adjustable monoshock. Braking at the front is taken care of by a 296mm disc and a four-pot caliper, while the rear uses a 220mm disc with a single-pot caliper. To improve the front to rear distribution of ABS, the motorcycle gets a dual-channel system that uses an IMU.

The 300R rides on 17-inch wheels at both ends, with a 110/70-17 section tyre at the front and a 150/60-17 section tyre at the rear. The UK-spec CB300R has an impressively low kerb weight of just 143kg, making it one of the lightest bikes in the segment. We can expect a similar weight figure in India. 

The CB300R will be available in two colours in India – Matte Axis Gray Metallic and Candy Chromosphere Red.

With a price below the Rs 2.50 lakh mark, the CB300R faces competition from the base Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (Rs 2.50 lakh) and KTM 390 Duke (Rs 2.44 lakh). At this price point, the Honda will significantly undercut the BMW G 310 R, another rival in this space. While there is no clarity on when deliveries will start, we expect it to be soon after the launch. 

All prices, ex-showroom.