New Honda CB300F: First Ride Review
After many teasers, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India finally disclosed its best-kept-secret, the CB300F and at a surprisingly optimistic price tag despite local manufacturing. Now there are two ways to look at the new Honda CB300F – a budget alternative to the CB300R or an expensive rival to the Suzuki Gixxer 250 and the Yamaha FZ25. For me, it tilts more towards the latter. However, it looks aesthetically pleasing and comes equipped with serious hardware and features – some of which are unavailable on its rivals.
Honda CB300F Front View
But does it justify that price tag? We got an opportunity to test ride the new CB300F for the first ride review and here is what we thought of the motorcycle. Do note that we had the motorcycle for a few hours and the observations are based on a short ride. We will bring you a detailed road test review when we get the motorcycle for a longer duration.
The Visuals
Honda CB300F Right Rear Three Quarter
Honda says that the motorcycle draws styling cues from the CB500F. To me, however, it looks very much like the Hornet 2.0 with a CB650R/CBR650R-style LED taillight. The Hornet 2.0-esque styling is more evident because of the exhaust design, seat setup, golden-coloured upside-down front forks, and the split-style grab-rail. That said, the resemblance with the Hornet 2.0 isn’t a bad thing as this lower displacement Honda, which rivals the TVS Apache 200 and the Bajaj Pulsar NS200, is a very handsome motorcycle.
