Chinese motorcycle manufacturer, Haojue appears to have filed a design patent for an updated version of its DR300. While the Haojue 300cc motorcycle does not have any relevance to us, what does interest us is the fact that Haojue is Suzuki’s partner in China. And Suzuki, in the recent past, has launched the Haojue GW250 that was badged as the Inazuma, in India.
However, rumours surrounding this motorcycle being sold with a Suzuki badge have been doing the rounds from quite a while now. The current-gen model, which has Suzuki’s older styling and not the new design theme shown in the patent drawing, is due to go on sale in China next month. Which is why, it’ll be interesting to see how the Chinese market responds to the surfacing of these images as they showcase a new version of a model that is yet to be launched.
That said, this updated model that has been patented could possibly be the one that will be rebadged to Suzuki GSX-S300 and exported. This theory is further backed by the fact that the motorcycle shares many styling elements with the international-spec GSX-S125. Speaking of which, the tail on the patented bike is shorter and more aggressive. Similarly, towards the front, the headlight is more compact and points sharply downwards, like on the 125.
Rumours suggest that the extended number plate holder and side reflectors confirm that this bike will be sold in Europe as those are the changes bike manufacturers usually make to meet international regulations. While the current-gen Haojue DR300 is equipped to meet these regulations, it isn’t an international model, yet.
If Suzuki does, however, go on to badge this motorcycle as the GSX-S300 or the Gixxer 300 and bring it to India, it would go up against other similar-capacity sport-nakeds like the KTM 390 Duke, BMW G 310 R and the Honda CB300R.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
