Honda has launched the street naked CB300F today – Two variants are on offer, with prices starting from Rs 2.26 lakh, ex-sh
Honda had been on the run of creating a lot of hype for a month teasing us multiple times with their new “Formidable” product. A product we all thought would be a Forza 350 maxi scooter is actually the CB300F, a naked street motorcycle. So, the F is what coined the term “Formidable”.
Honda dubs CB300F as “Advanced Street Fighter”. Remember the CB650F? A faired motorcycle that was launched in India before CB650R? It had a sharp fairing based on its street counterpart. But this CB300F is not a faired version of CB300R that is already on offer in India.
Honda CB300F Design
Starting from CB92, Honda’s CB series has always been one of the most successful for the Japanese brand. CB300F gets a masculine and toned fuel tank giving the bike an international streetfighter charisma. The rider’s triangle is a little committed and sporty. But it also gives a lot of aggression too.
It also gets a split seat, and a compact muffler. Also, stylish V-shaped alloy wheels look good too. But the main attention is obviously drawn towards the gold USD forks at the front, though. Complementing the gold on USD forks are copper-colored engine head and clutch cover with a proud Honda branding. CB300F offers a lot of road presence within the mid-size street sports category.
Specs & Features
The heart of the matter for this Honda CB300F is its pulsating heart. It displaces 293cc and gets a modern DOHC setup along with a 4V head. This engine makes 18 KW ( around 24 bhp) of peak power and 25.6 Nm of peak torque. This engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission and to take things a notch higher, it also gets a slipper clutch along with oil-cooling too.
Honda has tried to provide a safety net for CB300F riders in the form of HSTC (Honda Selectable Torque Control) and Dual Channel ABS . HSTC is Honda’s proprietary tech and helps modulate the engine torque when slippage is detected. Sounds a lot like Traction Control, doesn’t it? Well, it is, but with a fancy name. That’s not all. Honda is claiming that there are 10 patented tech on CB300F too. Fancy, eh?
In terms of features, Honda has made sure that CB300F is not left out to come out as bland. So, Honda offers smartphone connectivity along with a fully digital instrument console which gets five stages of brightness adjustment too. Honda has not mentioned exact functionalities of its Honda Smartphone Voice Control System (HSVCS), just yet. It gets LED lighting all around, rear mono-shock suspension, front USD forks, and a fat 150-section tyre at the rear ensuring massive presence along with optimal grip.
Price & Competition
Honda CB300F is available in two variants – Deluxe & Deluxe Pro. Both these variants get three color options, Mat Axis Grey Metallic, Mat Marvel Blue Metallic and Sports Red. Prices start at Rs. 2,25,900 for Deluxe trim and Rs. 2,28,900 for Deluxe Pro trim (both prices ex-showroom, New Delhi). If you want to, you can book it at Honda’s Big Wing dealerships.
CB300F falls in a weird category. Looking at its 24 bhp and 25.6 Nm torque, it is less powerful than 250 Duke, Dominar 250, and Gixxer 250. But in terms of pricing, it tries to dance with Bajaj Dominar 400 too which makes 39.2 bhp and 35 Nm. Heck, for around Rs. 50,000 more, one can buy Honda’s own CB300R, BMW G 310 R, and KTM 390 Duke too.
