Honda has finally introduced the CB300R in the Indian market and we do a quick comparo with the KTM Duke 390!
Honda has finally launched the CB300R in India and the motorcycle is available in India via the CKD route and with a price tag of Rs. 2.41 lakhs (ex-showroom). It comes equipped with a fuel-injected, liquid-cooled engine derived from the CBR250R, producing 31 HP of power and 27 Nm of torque. The bike comes mated to a 6-speed transmission and competes with the likes of the KTM Duke 390 and BMW G 310 R.
Well, we do know that the KTM Duke 390 is the most frantic single-cylinder bike in its segment currently. Honda is long known for not making any attempts to update the CBR250R all this while but seems like it is all going to change soon with the launch of the CB300R.
Will Honda’s strong fan base, reliability quotient and unmatched refinement levels be able to take over the segment favourite KTM Duke 390? Here’s a quick spec comparison to give you a fine idea about what we are yet to witness. The KTM Duke 390 clearly has an advantage over the Honda CB300R in almost every aspect. But here are few reasons why we think the CB300R is a good alternative.
The CB300R comes to India as a CKD unit which defines that the component quality is going to be second to none. Honda’s are always known to perform better than what is on paper, the CBR250R is a prime example. Although we don’t expect it to offer Duke 390 levels of performance, the CB300R shall be subtle and quick. Considering it is a CKD Honda, maintenance should be hassle-free and one could expect this motorcycle to be extremely reliable.
After sales service and spares availability is the key for Honda and this motorcycle has the potential to grab some market share. We could also expect a couple of other variants like Rebel 300 and CBR300R which comes with the same engine.
Honda is yet to compete with Yamaha and Kawasaki in the twin-cylinder department. Honda introduced the CBR250RR in the Indonesian market in the year 2017. That motorcycle along with the CB300R can turn the sales charts upside down in the segment. The Japanese automaker has already sold out the CB300R for the next 3 months with bookings having commenced 25 days back. Meanwhile, the KTM Duke 390 being an older motorcycle, might not find as much love these days but is still a pocket-rocket which only Royal Enfield’s Interceptor can match.
Honda CB300R vs KTM Duke 390
