Honda CB300F

The Honda CB300F is a sporty-looking naked bike from the Japanese manufacturer. Its design looks slightly similar to the smaller Honda Hornet 2.0 and has a compact design. It, along with the CB300R, are the only two modern 300cc motorcycles offered by Honda in India.  It has an accessible seat height and is very lightweight at just 153kg.

The Honda CB300F comes with an aggressive streetfighter look. It has sharp bodylines. The headlight looks sleek and sporty and the fuel tank extensions add to its sharp looks. It also has a gold-finished inverted fork that enhances its overall appeal. The LED indicators are mounted just below the instrument cluster on the headlight cowl and are pretty slim. The CB300F has split seats, and chunky split grab rails and the tail section looks sleek. It is available in a total of three colour options: Sports Red, Mat Marvel Blue Metallic and Mat Axis Grey Metallic.

The Honda CB300F comes equipped with an all-LED lighting setup and features an LCD instrument console that shows the speedometer, odometer, fuel level, tachometer, trip meter, instantaneous and average mileage, distance to empty, gear position indicator and battery voltage. The bike even has 5 different brightness levels. While the speedometer, odometer and other info on the right side of the console are clearly visible, the fuel gauge, tachometer and gear position indicator placed on the left seem a little cluttered.

The CB300F also has the Honda Smartphone Voice Control System (HSVCS) which brings in smartphone connectivity features, providing call/SMS alerts, music controls, weather updates, turn-by-turn navigation, and voice commands. But you will need a Bluetooth headset or a helmet communicator to use the voice control function. The CB300F also gets a traction control function, which is not really necessary given this bike’s not-so-impressive performance, and the traction from the tyres is more than sufficient. Even in our test, the traction control system didn’t have to step in at all. Additionally, the bike also comes with an engine start/stop switch, hazard lights and a USB-C phone charging port. However, the placement of the charging port could have been better.

Even with those sporty looks, the Honda CB300F is as comfortable as a typical commuter bike. It comes with well-padded and spacious rider and pillion seats. It offers a relaxed and comfortable riding posture, thanks to the easy-to-reach single-piece handlebar. It also has mid-set footpegs. The CB300F is suitable for riders of all heights and even shorter riders would easily reach its ground, thanks to the accessible 789mm seat height. At 153kg, it is very lightweight for a 300cc bike and can be easily moved around in the parking lot.

The Honda CB300F has a 293cc, air and oil-cooled, single-cylinder engine that makes 24.47PS and 26.6Nm. The engine is very tractable which means you can effortlessly ride it around the city at 40-60kmph in 5th or 6th gear. The acceleration is also very good and the bike goes from 40 to 110kmph very quickly. While this 293cc engine offers good low to mid-range performance, it lacks top-end performance and doesn’t feel lively or exciting even at triple-digit speeds like 110-120kmph. 

The engine is decently smooth and feels refined. However, it is not “Honda level” refined. Honda fans who are used to those buttery smooth engines from the manufacturer will be a little disappointed with the CB300F. While the engine for sure isn’t harsh or vibey, you can easily feel a slight buzz, especially above 7,000rpm.

While the bike handles nicely in the city and highway roads, it unnecessarily gets a wide 150-section rear tyre which restricts its agility and its capability to tip into corners. We don’t expect it to behave like a sportbike around the corners but it lacked smoothness when leaning into turns, staying leaned over, and picking it back up. It also felt a bit unstable, while making small direction changes and mid-corner corrections. That said, the ride quality is pretty decent. The inverted fork and rear monoshock take on the bumps and potholes effortlessly and keep the rider and pillion comfortable.

The CB300F has a 276mm front disc and 220mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS, but these brakes aren’t very responsive. They lack feedback when braking hard. The bike does not slow down easily and you have to grab the brake lever very hard to stop the bike. While the braking performance needs to be improved drastically, thankfully the ABS calibration is quite good.

At Rs 1,70,001, the Honda CB300F is priced nicely, however, it wasn’t always the case. When launched first, the bike was priced at around Rs 2,28,900 (both prices ex-showroom). But, Honda somehow managed to reduce its price massively by Rs 58,899, which makes it a desirable package. The CB300F is a good bike for someone who wants to upgrade to a bigger 300cc bike from a 150-200cc bike but wants a relaxed and comfortable bike that can be ridden easily in the city and on the highways as well.