Honda CRF300L And Honda CRF300L Rally Spied: India Launch Soon?

The Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally were spied at BigRock Dirt Park in Bengaluru. With the news of these bikes being launched in India, here is our take on the matter

Quick News Highlights:

- Both bikes were spotted at BigRock Dirt Park in Bengaluru
- Both dual-sport bikes are powered by a 286cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine 
- They have been spied in India earlier as well

Adventure and dual-sport bikes are getting more popular in India thanks to their go-anywhere capabilites, which really comes in handy while riding on broken Indian road. Manufacturers are also noticing this trend, and are bringing more Adventure bikes in India. Recently, Honda launched the NX500 and Transalp 750 in the premium ADV segment, and now, the Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally were spied at the BigRock Dirt Park in Bengaluru.

The Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally share the same 286cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 27.3PS and 26.6Nm. However, the CRF300L Rally differs itself with a raised handlebar, a tall windscreen, sump guard, and tank extensions. The bike also features an LCD instrument console and a dual-LED headlight setup. 

Another Japanese manufacturer is also planning to launch a smaller dual-sport bike in the country, as the road-legal Kawasaki KLX230 S was spotted testing in India. So, the news of Honda bringing the 300cc dirt bikes would seem like a possibility. However, we can’t say anything for sure unless we get an official word from Honda. These bikes were also spied at a Honda dealership in India two years ago, but since then, there has been no official statement on the launch of these bikes in India from the manufacturer.. 

Keeping that in mind, there is also a possibility that the dual-sport Honda bikes which were spotted at BigRock Dirtpark belonged to some customers who got the bikes imported directly through Honda.

Currently, in the 300-400cc segment, the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and KTM 390 Adventure are the top choices and are priced aggressively. So, if Honda wants to launch the CRF300L and the Honda CRF300L Rally they have to price it competitively. But if these bikes come to India, they’ll likely be available as CBUs (Completely Built Up) units, which would result in a really expensive price tag. 

For perspective, the Yamaha MT-03 and the R3 were also launched through the CBU route in December 2023, priced at Rs 4,64,900 and Rs 4,59,900 (both ex-showroom Delhi), respectively. These prices are similar to their prices in the US market. Since the Honda CRF300L is priced at $5,449 and the CRF300L Rally costs $6,199 in the US market, they could be priced at around Rs 4.55 lakh and Rs 5.18 lakh mark in India, respectively. 

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