EXCLUSIVE: Honda CRF300L Patented In India, Will Honda Bring This Off-roader?

It would certainly make for a delightful sub-400cc adventure motorcycle

We have seen Honda India ramping up its big bike portfolio by bringing in the CB500X, CBR650R, and CB650R. Now with adventure bikes gaining massive interest, especially the sub-400cc segment, it’s a great time for Honda to ride in the CRF300L into the country. The Japanese manufacturer recently filed a design patent for the ADV in the country, leaving us salivating at the prospect of a thoroughbred Honda adventure motorcycle.

The CRF300L is Honda’s dual-purpose adventure motorcycle that shares its heart with the CB300R naked but that’s where the similarities end. It is definitely on the hardcore side of the spectrum, fairly similar in spec to the Hero XPulse 200 with the Rally Kit: 21-/18-inch spoke wheels, extremely long-travel suspension, and off-road friendly ergos. Also, the motocrosser-like bodywork, small headlamp, compact LCD dash, and high upswept exhaust are all the makings of a great adventure motorcycle. 

That shouldn’t fool you into thinking it wouldn’t be good on tarmac. It’s got a pretty accessible seat height of 830mm, which when you take its compact build into account, would be pretty easy for shorter riders to manage. The ground clearance on offer is a whopping 244mm, 24mm more than the Royal Enfield Himalayan. 

Moreover, it weighs just 138kg, 20kg lighter than the stock Hero XPulse 200. Even after fitting the mandatory accessories to pass Indian homologation laws, its weight shouldn’t go up massively. The only chink in the armour, when you think of it from a touring perspective, is its puny 7.8-litre fuel tank. But nothing a couple of jerry cans can’t fix.

We have experienced the CRF’s 286cc single on the CB300R. On this ADV, the engine is tuned to push out a respectable 27.3PS and 26.6Nm. What we loved about the engine is the availability of torque all across the rev band. The CB300R was a peppy pupper and we expect the revised tuning for the CRF to make it better suited for daily commutes as well as off-roading. 

Will Honda India actually take the plunge and bring in the CRF300L? Well, it’s a bit uncertain at the moment. What we can tell you is that in South-East Asian markets, the CRF is priced lower than the CB300R. If Honda were to bring the naked back to India in its BS6 guise, it would cost somewhere around Rs 2.70 lakh. Thus, a highly attractive price tag for the CRF300L would be around Rs 2.60 lakh. Even if it’s priced on par with the CB for India, we think it would find a lot of takers. So Honda, will you please bring the CRF to India? Pretty, please.