[SchumiFan]

If it was priced around 25K less, the reaction would probably be a lot more positive. As drt_rdr says above, it has quite a few things going for it.

All LED set up, traction control, Slipper clutch, 6 gears, a big heart putting out good numbers at relaxed rate. And at a price significantly less than the 300R, it will find an alternative to the customer who's in shock after hearing about the 300R.

The Hunter's pricing has put this in a fix. Even the 350RS looks pricy for what it offers. I almost see this as a bigger Unicorn.

[SkylineGTR]

2 problems I see here
1. It looks like the Hornet. Basically a sporty commuter. This alone will kill interest, despite decent specs. When people spend 2.5 lakh they want to stand out.

2. Overpriced. Honda will either be forced to discontinue it or cut prices, like Yamaha had to do with FZ25. Cut it by 30-35k and see sales pick up

They've overpriced it because they don't want it to compete with the CB350s but I will be very surprised if people buy it in any volumes. I mean, c'mon, there's no way you can look at this and NOT see a Hornet.

Originally Posted by amvj

This could spell doom for the CB300R. People who enter into the Honda Bigwing showroom may astonish by the price of cb300r will go for cb300f. After all, the horsepower and weight are not that different.

This could be a bad news for CB300R. The bike is already selling in very poor numbers.

Disagree here. I don't think people buy the CB300R for its specs, they buy it for its looks and because it is a younger sibling to the CB600R and 1000R. So they won't care for a 300 cc Hornet too much, I feel.

[Black_Star]

Originally Posted by NoSugarNoSpice

Even worse its the extinct air-cooled Brazilian version's engine.

BTW which bike are you talking about?

[drt_rdr]

Originally Posted by SchumiFan

I almost see this as a bigger Unicorn.

Seems like it.

The compression ratio is relaxed. The footpeg placement seems relaxed. I'm willing to bet the suspension will be easy-going. It as many conveniences any middle aged man would desire.

Just needs a taller handlebar and flatter seat now.

The Hunter's pricing has put this in a fix.

I don't know what magic RE did (and I'd hate to find out what corners they cut) to price the Hunter by 30,000 less then the Classic. That is remarkable pricing for the current market indeed.

And yeah, wish Honda could price their bikes like that.

But the Hunter and CB offer riding experiences that are very different. No point in comparing.

[SoumenD]

Hornet 2.0 was followed by a 200X, so this(looks unmistakably hornet-ish) might be followed by a 300X at 2.4/2.5L? Suddenly SX250 seems VFM

[jaganm]

A slightly different take, Honda probably needs a bike that will do substantial volumes and make their Big Wing network viable. However much an enthusiast will love a bigger bike or a 350 cc scooter, they will probably do double digit figures a month. This will easily do 1000 + a month and help bring activity to the showroom as the Highness, for all its advantages can only be flogged so much as RE brings fresher and improved models.

[Guru_Shikhar]

Honda is launching their products as if Indian Govt has made it compulsory for them. Another disappointment.
I remember; long back one of my friends working with Honda shared- Honda generally captures 55% of the market and does not try to go ahead and try different things. They keep it proving every time here. Though they are on second number and just not ready to touch higher segments as they should.

For Honda, may be Thailand is better market than India in case of big bikes. As a Japanese company they also charge more premium on price just like Toyota (CB500X pricing).

God knows when shall we have relevant (and affordable hopefully)big products from Honda except very limited Africa Twins, CB650R and CB 500x.

Cheers

[NoSugarNoSpice]

Originally Posted by Black_Star

BTW which bike are you talking about?

So I did some more digging, and that's the wrong Brazilian bike I mentioned, but I'm close - let me explain

Here's the Brazilian CB300R which was discontinued around 2015, the oil-cooled, DOHC version.

It's engine specs are :
Type DOHC, 4 valve
Displacement 300cc
Power 26.53 bhp @ 7500 rpm
Torque 2.81kg.m @ 6000 rpm ~ 27.5 N m
Compression 9.6:1
Bore x Stroke 79x76 mm

So the bore and stroke values are pretty off, also Desi CB300F is a SOHC top end. The above was replaced by the Brazilian CB250 Twister circa 2015, which is this bike:

Engine specs are:

Type 249.5cc, SOHC, 4-stroke
Displacement 249.5 cc
Maximum Power 22.4 HP @ 7500 rpm
Maximum Torque 22 Nm @ 6000 rpm
Compression Ratio 9.6:1
Bore x Stroke 71.0x63.0 mm

For reference the Desi CB300F specs are:

Type 4 stroke, SI, Oil cooled Engine
Displacement 293.52cc
Max engine output 18kW @ 7500rpm ~ 24 HP
Max torque 25.6 N-m @ 5500 rpm
Compression ratio 9.3:1
Bore x stroke 77.000 X 63.033 mm

So the desi CB300F is a 6mm extra BORED out version of the Brazilian CB250 Twister with a slipper clutch added, not a copy of the older 300 like I mentioned. The engine casings have a similar layout, but the clutch cover is different.

There are 2 questions that remain -
1) Can it still run E27 ? Since Brazil has been following E27 since 2015 which is when the 250 Twister was launched
2) Are we derailing the XRE300 hype train ?

Yup this bad boy right here will remain the stuff of dreams for Indians

The XRE300 is a Brazil only pseudo-dirt bike(Honda calls it an Adventure Trail Bike). While it is still on sale in Brazil, it uses the older Brazilian CB300R's engine. HMSI's engine choice discussed above all but means end of hype train for the focused XRE300, and that we are going to see a nip and tuck job CB300X, similar to the Xpulse vs CB200X situation now

[Indraneel Bhat]

Is Mr. Atsushi Ogata. the CEO of HMSI high on something? Does he come in to work everyday? Is HMSI being run by middle management only? WHY is HMSI going the Nokia way? Nokia did not adapt to the market due to overconfidence. HMSI just does not seem to be bothered (as long as the Activa sells well)

An unexciting, overpriced Hornet 3.0. It's as if HMSI wants to kill it's motorcycle section. Soichiro San must be turning over in his grave. HMSI needs it's Siddharth Lal.

[TheHelix0202]

Look at these -

Typical marketing jargon for the first few features listed on the website -









The next few is where they probably ran out of creativity -

[Chimera]

Have to hand it to honda with their pie in the sky pricing.
Honda two and four wheeler department seems to have similar strategy, make the most of Indian automotive scene and launch products that are priced astronomically or are just legacy products like the Honda City and bide their time while keeping their pockets lined well.

[Sebring]

Mr P Rajagopi is Operating Officer. Took the stage yesterday

Originally Posted by Indraneel Bhat

Is Mr. Atsushi Ogata. the CEO of HMSI high on something? Does he come in to work everyday? Is HMSI being run by middle management only?

[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by NoSugarNoSpice

Even worse its the extinct air-cooled Brazilian version's engine. This thing is at best a competitor for the FZ250. Not sure why Honda targeted THAT fledgling segment.

The beefed up Hornet is pretty underwhelming for the price of ~2.26 lakh and ~2.28 lakh.

Here's what I think is happening at HMSI. The CB350 was supposed to be the Royal Enfield beater for Honda, it was the bike that was supposed to bring Honda a good number of sales. My theory is that HMSI thought if they introduce a Classic 350 competitor that is refined and won't vibrate at highway speeds they can lure in Royal Enfield buyers with their refinement and the Honda brand name.

What HMSI probably didn't expect is how well Royal Enfield would nail their next gen bikes and especially the J-Series engine. The CB350 launched in September 2020 only at Honda BigWing dealers as they probably thought it would be a good way to get people to even visit their premium dealerships. But then a couple of months later in November 2020, Royal Enfield effectively fired a ballistic missile at Honda by launching the Meteor 350 and we all know how that bike turned out. Later when the Classic 350 launched all hope for the CB350 was lost, especially with booking being limited to BigWing dealers of which there are about 20 in a country of over 1.3 billion people.

I'm pretty sure the CB300F launch is a HMSI's haphazard attempt to take away some headlines from the Hunter 350 launch as that bike is a major threat to the already low CB350 sales. I mean seriously, the most expensive Hunter 350 (Metro Rebel, 1.68 Lakh Ex-Showroom) is a cool 30,000 cheaper than the cheapest CB350 (DLX, 1.98 Lakh Ex-Showroom). Let's just say they really wanted to launch a modern styled 300cc naked bike, why not just make a CB300F with the engine and frame from the proven (but slightly overpriced) CB300R.

[Indraneel Bhat]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Mr P Rajagopi is Operating Officer. Took the stage yesterday

Sebring Sir, P. Rajagopi is the Chief OPERATING Officer. Mr. Ogata is the MD, President and CEO.
My rant is directed at the fact that seems to be a very deliberate strategy by HMSI to not introduce exciting products in India. Whoever took the stage yesterday does not matter. The product may be good, but at that price point, it's dead already.

For reference:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/bus...f-2485696.html

[Jesse_Mach]

The saying "Khoda pahad aur nikla chooha" is apt for the event unfolded . What a disappointment! I really thought it would be an ADV which could have given company to my CBR 650F in the garage. But alas, its a dream for another day.