While the bookings for the CB300R have commenced at select dealerships, the motorcycle is yet to arrive at Honda’s Super Bike stores. The announcement about the pricing and the availability is coming on February 8, and today we stumbled upon a video that captures the startup and the exhaust note of the CB300R.
Also read: Here's the list of dealerships where you can book the new Honda CB300R
The exhaust note has a throaty sound but it isn’t as hooligan-like as the KTM 390 Duke. The CB300R will deliver a laidback ride experience while packing a decent amount of punch and the exhaust note sound perfect to match its character. The bike is powered by a 286cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, single cylinder fuel-injected motor that put out 30.9 bhp of power at 8,500 rpm and 27.5 Nm of peak torque at 7,500 rpm. The engine is paired with a six-speed gearbox.
Honda confirmed the motorcycle for the Indian market on January 16 and announced that it would arrive below INR 2.5 lakh (ex-showroom). The CB300R will come to India via the CKD route and yet carry at a competitive price tag. In comparison, the Made in India BMW G 310 R retails for INR 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The CB300R’s closest rival will be the KTM 390 Duke that carries an INR 2.44 lakh price tag and offers much more power and features such as smartphone integration via Bluetooth and ride-by-wire tech. The Honda matches the feature list with its hardware specifications such as full LED lighting, digital instrument console and upside down forks at the front and a seven-step adjustable mono-shock at the rear.
Despite the aggressive price tag, the Austrian pocket rocket has suffered from lacklustre sales in the last year. Thus, it will be interesting to see how the neo-retro Honda fares in comparison.
Also read: KTM 390 Adventure India launch likely in H2 of 2019
In more updates, Honda is reportedly working on a cafe racer variant of the CB300R. Christened as the CB300 TT, the motorcycle is expected to arrive in 2020.
