[wangdu]

From the side CB300R just looks like plain jane commuter-ish splendor. Why is this bike not exuding a 'Honda CBR' kind of character?

And then there are two discordant fittings I noticed and these simply refuse to grow on me no matter from which angle I look.

First is the bulky exhaust and then the huge number plate hanger and rear fender that stands out from the otherwise compact silhouette.

Getting an after market exhaust might be possible but that would void the warranty; and that puts me in a quandary. And I'm afraid there wouldn't be an eliminator kit accessory that mercifully corrects the rear fender's & plate's disproportional presence.

These are eye sores and possible deal breakers for me. Let's see, it now depends on how it presents itself when I see the bike in person.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by wangdu

First is the bulky exhaust and then the huge number plate hanger and rear fender that stands out from the otherwise compact silhouette.

blame emission norms for that

Originally Posted by wangdu

And I'm afraid there wouldn't be an eliminator kit accessory that mercifully corrects the rear fender's & plate's disproportional presence.

you would really allow such a simple thing to be a deal breaker? Any naked bike with a stubby short tail section will have a similarly long fender for the number plate holder. This is due to basic government regulations. I wouldn't rely on an aftermarket kit for such stuff simply go to a welding shop and have them cut and make whatever tail-tidy kit you want (I am getting it done for my RC390 right now as I type this itself). They'd do it for half the price and you will be able to make it as unique as you desire. Such simple issues should not detract one from buying the bike since I feel the solutions are so easy.

[wangdu]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

... Such simple issues should not detract one from buying the bike since I feel the solutions are so easy.

Agreed and I'd been thinking of options for the fender/plate. Actually the one on my Duke 200 felt longish but once I removed the mud guard piece, it looked a perfect fit as is.

But that exhaust on CB better play a bass-y Mozart if I were to ignore the bulky metal stuck along side.

[hungrygamer]

Seriously thinking of going with this one as my next bike
But - just last week got a news article on Ninja300 severely slashing the spare parts price (which actually was a point I was holding against Kawasaki), the lure of twin cylinders is nudging me towards N300 whereas my bank balance and the availability of multiple Honda ASS is pushing me towards Honda , will wait for the official price figures in Feb I guess

[uday.ere]

India Spec CB300R spied during ad-shoot

Looks gorgeous

Source :https://www.rushlane.com/amp/honda-c...mpression=true

[BANDHAV]

Most of the modern super/street bikes have riding stance where you actually sit IN the motorbike, while this rather have a stance where you actually be sitting ON it.

I would attribute the same to slanting design of the tank. I just have this uncomfortable feeling about it.

The success of this would depend upon the fact how Honda prices it. Naked street bike market is rather hot with lots of value offering (read RE 650 twins, upcoming Dominar 400, Dukes). Honda can command may be a bit of premium but thats it, only a bit. Too ambitious and its DOA.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by BANDHAV

The success of this would depend upon the fact how Honda prices it. Naked street bike market is rather hot with lots of value offering (read RE 650 twins, upcoming Dominar 400, Dukes). Honda can command may be a bit of premium but thats it, only a bit. Too ambitious and its DOA.

I think they no longer can command that premium and that's the reason why they want to price at if not lower than the KTM 390s. Kawasaki learnt this lesson the hard way. They lowered the price of the Ninja 300, still didn't get enough sales and now they have drastically lowered the cost of spares which should finally help them sell enough bikes. Yamaha ought to follow suit soon unless they want to be a decade late to the party all over again. The Japs definitely bring unparalleled quality to the table but what they bring in terms of quality, is beat by KTM in terms of performance, cycle parts, features and bragging rights. This is not the scooter market. They definitely need to be as aggressive as possible in order to get a slice of the pie IMO

[Nithesh_M]

A lot of people have this sort of misconception that the D390 is the largest selling bike in its segment by a huge margin. It isn't the case. Its selling on par with the other 300s in class. Secondly, if pricing was the be all and end all in the segment then the Apache RR310(Designed by BMW, built by TVS) would have rocked the sales charts by managing atleast a 1000 units per month considering the features/performance/looks and VFM on offer. But it hasn't. The 300 market is far too saturated for anyone to take a stab at the large pie. HMSI knows this, hence they opted to import the 300R rather than waste a manufacturing line here. Whether it sells for 2 lakhs or 2.5 lakhs, the amount of customers will always be very limited to what the other 300s are seeing(double or triple digit per month sales at best).

Mr.Kurien has already stated in 2016 after the R3 failed to manage 2000 units per year target that the company has dropped the idea of any localization to bring the prices down.


Like I always say, a manufacturer's decision is solely based on the spending power of the buyer. If a segment has generated mass volumes, they will all flock to it to get first blood! If a segment sees stagnation or a negative growth, then they have no reason to run towards it with new products. A good example of this is the current movement of all manufacturers to making SUVs/C-Suvs while the sedan market has come to a dead end!

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

A lot of people have this sort of misconception that the D390 is the largest selling bike in its segment by a huge margin. It isn't the case. Its selling on par with the other 300s in class.

Based on what are you making this statement? Please go have a look at the December 2018 2 wheeler sales analysis thread on our forum which mentions total sales in the previous year.

KTM 390 - 7323
Kawi Z250+N300+N400 - 841
R3 - 603

The KTM 390 is clearly selling about a 1000 percent more what would you call that if not a huge margin? Even if you forget the numbers and assume that you are correct I'm saying that the 390 sells only a smidgen more than the rest, how do you explain the Sinple fact that everyone sees more 390s on the roads than other bikes in the segment?

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Secondly, if pricing was the be all and end all in the segment then the Apache RR310(Designed by BMW, built by TVS) would have rocked the sales charts by managing atleast a 1000 units per month considering the features/performance/looks and VFM on offer. But it hasn't.

TVS managed to sell 5297 units of the RR310 considering it lacks in performance compared to the rest of the segment, and that fully faired sportbikes no matter how watered down are still a niche in our market, I think that is fairly good. And if you're interested in what the brand has to say, they are perfectly happy with it too.

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Like I always say, a manufacturer's decision is solely based on the spending power of the buyer. If a segment has generated mass volumes, they will all flock to it to get first blood! If a segment sees stagnation or a negative growth, then they have no reason to run towards it with new products. A good example of this is the current movement of all manufacturers to making SUVs/C-Suvs while the sedan market has come to a dead end!

Please go through our thorough sales figures analysis thread on the forum. The 250-500cc segment is only now growing. Why on earth would manufacturers be making any moves at all in the segment if it wasn't growing? Manufacturers are sitting and spending on R&D developing products to suit that category, brands like Kawasaki are maximising localisation and slashing maintainence costs in the segment.

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M

Mr.Kurien has already stated in 2016 after the R3 failed to manage 2000 units per year target that the company has dropped the idea of any localization to bring the prices down.

Just because Yamaha, a brand notoriously known for being a bit late when it comes to realising market trends, and losing endorsement from celebrity fans, makes a statement, does not mean we need to preach the same words. I get it Rossi is god Rossi is life but the numbers are out there and there's no need to be fooled

[Nithesh_M]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Based on what are you making this statement? Please go have a look at the December 2018 2 wheeler sales analysis thread on our forum which mentions total sales in the previous year.

I am talking of monthly sales of locally manufactured bikes in this class, obviously imported bikes will sell drastically low.
Do you think KTM's sole target is averaging 600 units a month and that too on a facelifted model with all the bells and whistles at such a low price?
Between 2011-13 HMSI averaged 2.5-3k units a month of the 250R. 6 years later, this segment doesn't even see an avg 1k units a month for any 1 motorcycle because there's a lot of brands taking each others shares.
This erodes confidence for any manufacturer who wants to jump in on the segment and make these bikes here locally. Its just easier to import bikes from outside when the numbers individually are this small without affecting its local production units.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

TVS managed to sell 5297 units of the RR310

TVS struggled to average 500 bikes a month even in its first year is what I can read from this.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Please go through our thorough sales figures analysis thread on the forum. The 250-500cc segment is only now growing. Why on earth would manufacturers be making any moves at all in the segment if it wasn't growing? brands like Kawasaki are maximising localisation and slashing maintainence costs in the segment.

Making moves would be manufacturing locally if the market grew exponentially, not importing and assembling in limited quantities to keep the brand name floating in the eyes of the enthusiasts. Kawasaki would maximize the localization on the N400, not the N300 that's discontinued around the world if they really thought this segment is booming. Since the N400 is brand spanking new, they do not have the confidence in localizing it anytime soon. Maybe they'll wait a year or two and when the N400 is replaced with something new they might localize it for the Indian market.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Just because Yamaha, a brand notoriously known for being a bit late when it comes to realising market trends, and losing endorsement from celebrity fans, makes a statement, does not mean we need to preach the same words. I get it Rossi is god Rossi is life but the numbers are out there and there's no need to be fooled

I could care less about Yamaha the brand. I am giving you examples as to why most manufacturers aren't willing to launch international products here in the very same year as its worldwide launch and would rather launch 5-10 year old models from Brazil here for a much lower price to stay competitive(see FZ25 or the rumored XRE).

The R15 got to v3 solely because the bike averaged 2-3k units a month at 1.3 lakhs. But then too, Yamaha knew even the most hardcore of enthusiasts wouldn't pay a lot more than the v2s pricing which is why the v3 had to lose some of its international spec components.

At the end of the day, we are much more price conscious than other Asian countries even. In 2011 when I spent 2 lakhs on a 250cc bike, I was asked why I didn't buy a car for that sort of money. I thought by 2019 people's mindset would change. But even today there are people who think 2 lakhs buys you a car. People today expect manufacturers to price their products at the same price as it used to be nearly a decade ago yet they don't understand that they don't get paid the same pay they did 10 years ago and nor do the factory workers/materials/bills

Suzuki had announced 2 years ago that they will get out of commuter segment(after failing to make inroads) and focus solely on premium scooters and motorcycles. Let's wait and watch how they fare in the market whenever they decide to bring their 300s

[RedStallion]

Honda CB300R will come with Michelin Pilot Street tyres instead of Dunlop found on international specifications model.

Honda may not provide IMU-based ABS, too.

Source: Autocar

https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-ne...n-india-411285

@Mods: Kindly delete or merge this post, if necessary.

Thanks.

[abeerbagul]

If Honda deletes the IMU based system from the bike, I am cancelling my booking. The tech features are one of the big attractions, and in this bracket we do expect the same model as launched internationally.

[sathya.bhat]

Originally Posted by RedStallion

Honda may not provide IMU-based ABS, too.

Source: Autocar

https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-ne...n-india-411285

Thanks.

I had a chat with a friendly Honda wings dealer. He confirmed that the bike will have IMU based brakes. The article is just speculating.
He doesn't have information on the tires though.

[abeerbagul]

I also talked with my sales guy, he confirms that the bike will have the IMU tech.
How can AutocarIndia be so irresponsible as to speculate about specifications without calling Honda India? This is very bad journalism.

[RedStallion]

@ sathya.bhat and abeerbagul,

Thanks for the information!

This is really a good news. I was in the same shock when I had read the news.

However, Autocar has already mentioned in the article that it is one of the possibilities. I guess, they might have some information regarding the same.

Thanks.