2019 HONDA CB300R
FIRST IMPRESSION
P98
under the oddly named Neo-Sports Café
genre as Honda further distances itself
from the sports naked market.
Honda has not totally reinvented the
wheel with the CB300R but has gone
over it with a fine-tooth comb compared
to the 2017 version. The engine is the
same as the CBR300R in the 285cc,
single-cylinder, fuel injected four-stroke,
although changes to shock mounting
have enabled a straighter intake path and
better airflow, boosting initial accelera-
tion up four percent, and acceleration
from 31 mph up a claimed six percent.
The biggest mechanical differences
between the 2017 CB300F and this
300R come in the chassis. It's again the
same tubular steel design as before but
careful attention has been paid to weight-
saving measures like thinner tube thick-
nesses and lighter wheels and axles.
There's a new swingarm design, 41mm
inverted Showa forks and a repositioned
shock with the pivot plate separated from
the main frame.
Braking is now the domain of a radi-
ally mounted four-piston Nissin caliper
clamping down on a 296mm floating disc
up front and a single-piston caliper biting
a 220mm disc out the back. Interestingly,
the ABS-equipped 300R gets an IMU
New LCD dash's
readout doesn't
get hampered by
direct sunlight
and has all the
information you'll
need, except a
gear position
indicator.
The red is our pick of the two.
