Japanese two-wheeler maker, Honda is exploring new segments to improve its sales in the highly competitive Indian auto industry. The company introduced the CB350 and CB350 retro styled Classics to rival Royal Enfield in 2020-21. Interestingly, Honda is also planning to enter into the affordable adventure motorcycle segment.
In a latest development, Honda has filed a patent for the CRF300L dual-purpose motorcycle in India. The application was filed last year in April, which has been jounalled recently. The company had introduced the Euro 5/ BS-6 compliant Honda CRF300L in December 2020 as a replacement for the CRF250L, which failed to meet the Euro 5 standards.
The Honda CRF300L is currently on sale in Europe and select Southeast Asian market. It could be Honda’s new entry level ADV in our market. The Adventure Motorcycle segment is gaining traction in our market, which is visible with the success of RE Himalayan, KTM 390 Adventure and Hero XPulse 200. It could mark Honda’s entry in the fast growing 300cc adventure motorcycle segment. Bajaj and TVS are also working on new ADVs for the Indian market. Adding to it, Hero MotoCorp is also developing a bigger capacity dual purpose motorcycle.
In Thailand, the Honda CRF300L is available at THB 145,800 (approximately, INR 3.42 lakh). However, the India-spec model could cost under Rs 3 lakh. Like the CB300R, the new CRF300L could be introduced as a CKD unit.
The Honda CRF300L comes with 43mm long-travel inverted front fork, and a preload adjustable long travel rear monoshock. It rides on 21-inch front wheel and 18-inch rear spoke wheels. The Thai spec model has a ground clearance of 244mm and offers a seat height of 830mm. The motorcycle has a kerb weight of 138kg, which is an added advantage.
Powering the Honda CRF300L is a 286cx single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine that produces 27bhp of power and 26.6Nm of torque. It is paired to a 6-speed gearbox with assist and slipper clutch. Featuring a 7.8L fuel tank, the new CRF300L is claimed to return a fuel efficiency of 32.kmpl.
The exact launch details of the new Honda CRF300L adv is yet to be announced. We believe the new motorcycle could arrive in the end of 2021 or early 2022. The company is also reportedly planning to re-introduce the CB300R in BS6 avatar in India.
