Honda CB300F Reviewed Through 10 Images

Take a closer look at what the latest streetfighter from Honda is all about in these detailed images

After sending us a ‘Block Your Date’ and releasing a teaser, Honda launched the CB300F in India on August 9. We then got a chance to ride it as well. So here’s our take on this shockingly priced naked from Honda, via detailed images:

Serving as the younger sibling to Honda’s CB500F sold overseas, the new CB300F wears the same brawny streetfighter look. Think of it as an upscaled Hornet 2.0, or a scaled-down CB500F; either way, its design is unmistakably Honda. Be it the headlight design, muscular fuel tank or the gold finished USD fork, the streetfighter surely commands a second glance.

The CB300F gets an all-new 293cc, air-/oil-cooled single-cylinder engine – mated to a six-speed gearbox– that’s good for 24.47PS and 25.6Nm. While we liked the tractability that the engine had to offer, it was overshadowed by the lacklustre performance. There was no enthusiasm or eagerness to be found, something you’d expect from a motorcycle of this genre. 

Adding to the CB300F’s woes was its refinement, which we found, wasn’t as much as you would expect from a Honda. While the vibrations weren’t harsh, but for a company that has a reputation of building ultra-refined motors, it was disappointing. 

In terms of features, the Honda offers a few that its competition misses out on. It gets a large LCD instrument cluster which offers all the basic readouts and Bluetooth connectivity, voice control and type-C USB charging on the top variant. While the charging port is a useful feature to have, the placement of the port could be better, though, as it is currently located beneath the console and behind the bikini fairing. The bluetooth connectivity, on the other hand, only works well with an in-ear or helmet-mounted communication device.

The Honda CB300F is suspended on a gold-finished USD fork along with a 5-step preload-adjustable monoshock.

Braking duties are handled by a 276mm front and 220mm rear disc, with dual-channel ABS as standard. That said, the brakes do not do a good job of instilling confidence when braking hard. Even after grabbing a handful of the lever, we found the stopping power to be lacking. 

The Honda CB300F rides on 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in MRF Revz F rubber (110-section front, 150-section rear). While the traction offered by the tyres was more than enough, their width meant that direction changes weren’t as smooth as one would expect from a bike of this genre.

The riding posture on the CB300F is a fairly relaxed one. An accessible 789mm seat coupled with a 153kg kerb weight means the bike is a great boon for riders of all heights. That said, the riding experience is more like a  commuter and doesn’t really feel sporty, which once again seems counterintuitive. 

The Honda CB300F is priced at Rs 2,25,900 for the DLX and Rs 2,28,900 (both ex-showroom Delhi) for the DLX Pro. The only difference between the two is the Bluetooth connectivity on the higher variant, which is more of a gimmick. Considering its dull performance, underwhelming handling and small list of features, we felt that the bike doesn’t do justice to its price.