Honda for a while now has been teasing a new mystery bike for an India launch just calling it ‘The Formidable’, and now the motorcycle has been launched. Badged the Honda CB300F, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) says the new streetfighter gets a design inspired by the larger CB500 and shares little with the neo-retro styled CB300R already on sale. While the 300R is a retro-styled café racer, the CB300F is a sharper-styled streetfighter that will go up against prominent rivals such as the KTM 250 Duke, Suzuki Gixxer 250 and the Bajaj Dominar 250. While a proper in-depth comparison will have to wait, we see how the new Honda stacks up on paper to rivals. We also put it up against its stablemate the CB300R to see what is different.
The KTM 250 and Gixxer 250 have the smallest mills in this comparison both being in the region of 249 cc. The KTM though makes up for it when it comes to power with the liquid-cooled single punching out 29.6 bhp and 24 Nm of torque. The Gixxer 250 meanwhile makes a lower 26.1 bhp and 22.2 Nm – the lowest torque among the models considered.
On paper, the CB300F is the least powerful unit here with 24.1 bhp on tap though torque at 25.6 Nm is higher than the Duke and the Suzuki. Look closer and you’ll notice that power and torque reach their peak lower in the rpm range than on its rivals which should have an affect on how it performs on the road.
The Dominar is the largest and heaviest bike here though, Bajaj is quite clear that it's targeting the cruiser bike segment. The 373cc mill is the same as you get in the KTM 390 Duke and has been tuned to develop a strong 39.4 bhp and 35 Nm, which makes the Bajaj's power figures stand higher above the rest.
The Honda CB300R meanwhile does make a compelling case for itself, particularly on paper. At 146 kg it’s the lightest in the segment and the second most powerful model here at 30.7 bhp and 27.5 Nm.
In terms of pricing, the Dominar 400 and 250 Duke are both priced close to the CB300F while the Gixxer 250 is notably more affordable with a sub Rs 2 lakh price tag. The CB300R meanwhile is the most expensive of the lot at Rs 2.77 lakh (ex-showroom).
