Honda CB 300F Road Test Review – As Formidable as it can get
Honda has launched the all new CB 300F in its BigWing lineup and will be sold exclusively at the BigWing Showrooms only. The Honda CB 300F has an aggressive streetfighter design due to its body design and the sharp headlamps. Its masculine toned look seems it’s come straight out from a workout due to it muscular fuel tank with sharp lines extending from the pointy tank shrouds.
As many of you must be having a question, is the engine shared with the Honda CB 300R? The Honda CB 300F is based on a brand new engine and chassis that the company claims as the world-first for our market. The Honda CB 300F is powered with a 293cc oiled cooled four – valve SOCH engine that allows more air into the engine and comes with a piston cooling jet, a 6-speed gearbox with the slip, and assist clutch. The engine puts out 24 hp at 7,500 rpm and 25.6 NM of torque and also a load of other features, which are mentioned below in our review.
The Honda CB 300F engine comes in a dual tone casing in bronze and black, which also indicate that this is a premium motorcycle. At the first glimpse, many will mistake it for the Honda Hornet 2.0, which is sold at all the regular Honda dealerships, but this bike the Honda CB 300F is totally different in terms of power, handling  and even features.
Honda CB 300F comes in 2 0 Deluxe and the Deluxe Pro. The motorcycle we are riding today is the Honda CB 300F. The only difference in the Delux Pro is that it comes with Honda Smartphone Voice Control System (HSVCS) through Bluetooth connectivity using the Honda RoadSync app which gives the rider information like who’s calling, navigation, text messages, weather and even music and at the same time your phone can also be connected with your helmet intercom to support all this and also not lose out on your phone battery it also comes with a USB Type – C charger. The CB 300F comes with a fully digital instrument console with 5 levels of brightness, which can be adjusted to.
Honda CB 300F comes with a golden USD front Fork with a 110/70mm front tire and the rear comes with a Mono-Shock which has 5 setp adjustable suspensions with a 150/60mm tier and both are with 17″ alloy wheels shod with MRF tyres, which really gives the rider a lot of confidence and the thrill to corner on the CB 300F. We also enjoyed throwing the Honda CB 300F into a few corners, and you can check out those videos only on our YouTube Channel MotorWorldIndia.
With the crazy tires, the bike comes with Nissin break calipers in the front and the rear with a dual channel ABS and with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HDTC) the Honda term for traction control, which can be switched off as per the riders requirement.
The Honda CB 300F handles much better than any of the 300cc in the market, which makes it more enjoyable and nimble. The rider actually feels connected and gets that perfect response from the motorcycle that a rider enjoys. The smooth gear shift, the perfect bite from the front breaks during breaking, the comfortable ride, and the stunning looks make the Honda CB 300F a complete package at an affordable pricing. The CB 300F comes with all LED light that includes your head lamp, tail lamp, and even the turn indicators.
We rode this bike for almost 100km and must say it was fun riding around in Hyderabad Ramoji Film City. We never felt the lag in the power; it always had more left. The down and the up shift were so smooth, which was really fun when we had to downshift as well and still never felt the rear wheel hopping. We even tried to go at really low speed at high gears that to climbing up a hill and the bike kept up without even glittering once, which was remarkable. It comes it split seats and must say not the worst rear seat comfort in its segment; it was pretty comfortable for the pillion as well.
Honda CB 300F Deluxe is priced at Rs.2.26 Lakh and the Deluxe Pro at Rs. Lakh ex showroom India, The CB 300F comes in 3 colors, Matte Axis Grey Metallic, Matte Marvel Blue Metallic, both these colors have a Matte finish to the Bike and The Sports Red which is also the launch color for the Honda CB 300F which has a Gloss Finish.
The Honda CB 300F can be compared with the Suzuki Gixxer 250, the KTM Duke 250, and also the BMW G 310 R. In terms of pricing, the Honda CB 300F is priced right in the middle of the Gixxer and the Duke 250, but the BMW 310 is priced slightly higher than the CB 300F.
I would like to sum this up by saying the word Formidable used to describe this motorcycle really suits it. As it is inspiring fear with its power or respect through being impressively large and its intense looks, which makes the Honda CB 300F really capable and Formidable.
Words: Neville Barsivala
Video Photography – Subodh