5 Cool Instrument Consoles: Sub-300cc Motorcycles

We’ve picked 5 of the best-looking instrument consoles based on Design, Information and Legibility

Instrument consoles on motorcycles have evolved over time from complete analogue to semi-digital to fully digital clusters. Its an essential part of every vehicle and helps the rider keep an eye on various crucial parameters. We’ve picked 5 of the best-looking instrument consoles that we feel tick all the right boxes and stood out from the rest. They are not necessarily in order as all of them are unique in their own way. So, here we go:

Honda CBR250R -

The Honda CBR250R may be one of the oldest bikes here but it still came with one of the most neatly designed instrument consoles we’ve seen on a motorcycle. Its analogue tachometer sits right in the middle atop a digital gauge which displays the speedometer, fuel gauge, coolant temperature and a clock. The fonts and gauges are all large and legible, making it easy to read the console at a quick glance. The console is flanked by warning lights on either side and the entire setup is highlighted by a silver chamfered panel. The blue backlit display is pleasing to the eye and adds a bit of oomph to the overall design.

KTM Duke 200/250 -

The KTM’s display may not be the prettiest of the lot, but function certainly takes precedence over form here. Besides the obvious readouts like speedometer, tachometer, odometer, and fuel gauge, it has three tripmeters, a gear position indicator, real-time fuel efficiency, average fuel efficiency, service indicator, distance-to-empty gauge, clock and a side-stand warning light. Tell-tale lights sit above the speedometer along with a shift indicator placed in the centre. The gear shift light can also be customised to blink according to the rider’s style. Thanks to the light sensor on the KTM speedometer, the orange backlight turns on and off according to ambient lighting conditions. Legibility isn't clear though, as the fonts used are quite small and the reflection off the gloss black display makes it difficult to read at a glance.

Yamaha R15 V3.0 -

The Yamaha’s horizontally elongated instrument console is fully digital and comes packed with a slew of information. Backlit in white, the console reads out speedometer, tachometer, odometer, and fuel gauge, tripmeters, real-time fuel efficiency, average fuel efficiency, service indicator, distance-to-empty gauge, gear indicator, a clock and a shift indicator bang in the centre on top of the console. Additionally, the bike also gets a Variable Valves Actuation (VVA) indicator. The entire setup is flanked by tell-tale lights on either side which is neatly tucked away and hidden from sight unless they come on. The fonts used are of decent size and easy to read at a glance - well, at least the ones that really matter.

Apache RTR 200 4V -

The RTR 200’s pentagonal shaped, fully digital instrument cluster is amongst the top clusters we’ve seen so far in terms of design and user interface. The brightly lit console is simple to read and gets a lap timer, 0-60 timer and top speed recorder over and above all the features mentioned in the earlier bikes, making it the most feature-packed console in the market. The speedometer sits smack in the centre, making it easy to read at a glance, while other information is neatly placed on the well laid out console. Tell-tale lights are placed below the instrument console while a gearshift light sits on the right-hand-side top corner, giving it a proper race bike feel. Notably, the build quality of the plastic around the console is top notch.

TVS Apache RR 310 -

Another bike from TVS’ stable here on this list is the RR 310, with its uniquely designed, nonagon-shaped instrument console. It's nothing like we’ve ever seen before and we must say, it is the best looking console in the sub-500cc motorcycle market. Much like the RTR 200 4V, the bike gets all the necessary readouts along with a lap timer, 0-60 timer and top speed recorder - excellent additions considering it’s been bred to be a sportsbike. The speedometer sits on top, making it easy to read even while crouching behind the windscreen, while the RPM meter climbs from the bottom to the top. The gear shift indicator sites right beside the speedo, aiding the rider achieve perfect shifts. Other necessary information is placed on the left of the console while the tell-tale lights sit on the top and bottom. Legibility is spot on and we couldn't have asked for a better-looking console.