Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has announced that it will be expanding its motorsport operations to also participate in off-road racing in India. To that end, HMSI has also announced that it is evaluating the expansion of its product portfolio to include more off-road and ADV-style machines “in line with the rising interest in all‑terrain riding among Indian enthusiasts”.
- Multiple national championships for Honda to participate in
- CRF300s and Sahara 300 were shown at a customer clinic in 2024
- These bikes share their engines with certain models sold in India
Honda’s off-road racing ambitions in India are growing
More off-road-oriented and ADV bikes are being evaluated for India
Currently, some of the most recognised off-road motorcycle racing championships in India are the National Motocross Championship (NMC), the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) and the new Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL). Of these, the first two have factory-supported teams from big names like Kawasaki, Yamaha, Hero and TVS, among others. ISRL has mainly privateer teams, which use motorcycles from different manufacturers, including Honda’s own CRF250R and CRF450R machines, but these are private imports by individuals, not factory-supported bikes.
Since Honda is looking to enter the off-road racing scene in India officially, it would entail doing so with a factory-supported team. So it’s likely that Honda will compete in the INRC or the NMC, or both. The press release shared by Honda doesn’t clarify which leagues the company is planning to compete in.
In certain classes of the championships – particularly the higher ones – manufacturers are allowed to race competition-spec off-road machines that aren’t road-legal, like Kawasaki’s vast KX line-up and the recently launched Ducati Desmo450. However, the lower classes – especially the ones intended to support the grassroots racing movement in India – usually require stock or specifically modified versions of production motorcycles each brand retails in India – think models like the Hero Xpulse 210 and Kawasaki KLX230.
Honda currently doesn’t have a single properly off-road-focused motorcycle under the 500cc mark; the NX200 are soft-roaders, at best. In its international line-up, the brand has three machines that potentially make a compelling case for being brought to India – the CRF300L, CRF300L Rally and Sahara 300. The CRFs are powered by the 286cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine seen on the CB300R (not sold in India currently) while the Sahara uses the 293cc single-cylinder air/oil-cooled mill seen on the CB300F. In the past, there has also been a sighting of a Honda XRE300 testing in India alongside potential competitors.
In fact, nearly two years ago, HMSI had conducted a customer clinic with these bikes in select metro cities with off-road enthusiasts to gauge, understand and cater to the evolving preferences of Indian riders in the adventure and off-road categories. It also bears mentioning that this clinic was overseen directly by Honda Japan.
Post that, there has been radio silence from Honda regarding the introduction of any off-road-focused model in India, but considering the growing popularity of trail riding and adventure touring in India, the company now seems to be gearing up to introduce machines that will serve this purpose.
In the large-capacity, multi-cylinder ADV segment, Honda currently only sells the XL750 Transalp in India. The Africa Twin 1100 Adventure Sports was on sale a few years ago before being discontinued. The timing of Honda’s move into off-road racing could also potentially pave the way for the Africa Twin’s return to India.
HMSI has also dabbled in circuit racing over the past 18 years, beginning with the Honda One Make Race in 2008, with NSF250R Moto3‑spec machines. The company has also supported Indian talent in international championships, including the Honda Asia Dream Cup, Thailand Talent Cup and the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC). Currently, Honda also has the India Talent Cup one-make racing series, which uses race-prepped CB300F motorcycles.
Ved Janve
