Honda CB300R Vs BMW G310R Vs Dominar 400 Vs KTM Duke 250 – Yet again, the mid-size motorcycle category has been resurrected thanks to the introduction of a 300cc from Honda!
With the new year just kicking in, Honda has made an important announcement, they have confirmed that the CB300R will be officially launched in the Indian market. In addition to this, the Japanese automotive manufacturer has also announced that the bookings for the same have also been started at some selected dealerships. With the launch the CB300R, Honda will be competing with the Dominar, G310R and Duke 250 in the 300 cc segment. Hence we get to you a detailed on paper comparison of the Honda CB300R with its rivals.
Dimensions:
The CB300r Neo Sports Cafe boost of a lightweight but strong chassis which helps to balance its power to weight ratio and if we compare its kerb weight amongst it competitors it is the lightest of all with 143kg. This is very close to the KTM Duke 250 as it weight 146kg, while heaviest of them all is the Bajaj Dominar weighing 182kg. In terms of ground clearance, the CB300R is the lowest with 151mm, while the highest GC is offered to the Duke 250 with 175mm. The length of the Dominar is more among the four as it measures 2156mm whereas the width of the BMW G310R is the highest by 849mm.
Aesthetics:
Honda has offered the CB300R Neo Sports Cafe with modern styling giving it a classic roadster design. In addition to the naked approach it stands out with a dominating stance. The design elements that makes it a head turner includes, round LED headlamps, steel swingarm, blacked out hardware and a fully functional LCD Instrument cluster. On the other hand, the BMW G310R looks good and is inspired from the S1000R, but it does misses out on many modern features which are available with its rivals. The Duke 250 is inspired from its elder sibling the Duke 390 and it gets a much agressive naked bike look.
Even though its carries over the looks of the Duke 390 but it does misses out on the all LED headlamp unit and the TFT Screen. Bajaj has offered the Dominar with a much modern look and it also consists of many sculpted body parts that will grab your attention. The headlamp unit is all LED and it also looks out of the box appreciating the overall design of the bike.
Suspension:
Upfront, Honda has equipped the CB300R Neo Sports with a 41mm telescopic fork which offers a travel of 130mm, while at the rear it gets a swingarm suspension with 107mm travel. BMW offers the G310R with an upside down fork at the front and at the rear it gets adjustable preload monoshock unit. The Dominar on the other hand is offered with 43mm telescopic fork at the front and the rear it gets a gas-charged monoshock unit with multi-steps adjustments. Just like its older sibling, even the Duke 250 comes equipped with a 43mm WP inverted fork at the front and WP Monoshock unit at the rear with preload adjustments.
Braking System:
Stopping the Honda CB300R Neo Sports is 296mm floating disc at the front and 220mm dis at the rear and it gets a four-piston calliper at the front and single piston caliper at the rear. In addition to this, it will also come equipped with dual channel ABS unit along with Inertial Measurement Unit. BMW also offers the G310r with a dual channel ABS unit and at frot it gets 300mm disc while at the rear it gets 230mm disc. Dominar also comes equipped with dual channel ABS unit and the its braking system comprises of a 320mm disc at the front and a 230mm disc at the rear. KTM offers the Duke 250 with 300mm disc at the front and 230mm disc at the rear but it misses out on an ABS unit, which will most likely be introduced in Jan 2019.
Powertrain:
Honda will be powering the CB 300R Neo Sports Cafe with a 286cc DOHC four valve, single cylinder, liquid cooled engine which will be coupled with a six-speed gearbox. This mill is capable of churning out 31PS of power at 8,500rpm and 27.5Nm of twist at 7,500 rpm. The G310R is powered by a 313cc single cylinder engine which is also matted with a six speed gearbox and it generates 34PS of power and 28Nm of torque. The Dominar of the other hand is powered with a 373.3cc single cylinder unit which gets Bajaj’s Triple Spark tech and it is matted with a six speed gearbox and it also gets slipper clutch.
This unit generates 35PS of power at 8000 rpm and 35Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. The Duke 250 here has the smallest displacement amongst its rivals as it is powered with a 248.8cc, single cylinder, liquid cooled engine and is coupled with a six speed gearbox too. Even though the engine size is small, this mill can churn out 29.91PS of power at 9000 rpm and 24Nm of torque at 7500rpm.
Price:
At the end, it all comes down to the pricing and it is expected that Honda will retail the CB300R Neo Sports at Rs 2-2.5 lakh (Ex-Showroom). This will be quite close to the KTM Duke 390, if the pricing is done right the CB300R will be tough competitor. Just below it is the Duke 250 which retails at Rs 1.80 lakh (Ex-Showroom) and the cheapest of them all is the Dominar from Bajaj which is priced at Rs 1.63 lakh (Ex-Showroom). On the other hand, the BMW G310R is the costliest of all as it is carries a price tag of Rs 2.99 lakh (Ex-Showroom).
