Honda CB250R vs CB300R: Differences Explained

The identical-looking motorcycles have quite some differences 

Honda Malaysia recently gave the CB250R a bunch of functional updates for 2022. The pocket rocket, in its latest iteration, is a much more wholesome motorcycle than before. So that had us wondering how different it is from the desi Honda CB300R? Let’s find out:

For 2022, Honda has equipped the CB250R with Showa’s Big Piston Separate Function Inverted Fork. Along with that you get a five-step, preload-adjustable monoshock. The India-spec CB300R, on the other hand, not only comes with a lip-smacking gold-finished Showa inverted fork, but its monoshock also has seven-step preload adjustability. 

Coming to the most interesting part, the CB250R has a 249cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that makes 27.4PS and 23.4Nm. The CB300R, as its name suggests, employs a bigger 286cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that makes 31PS and 27.5Nm. 

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In terms of dimensions, the India-spec Honda CB300R has a 3mm shorter wheelbase. That, coupled with the fact that at 146kg, the CB300R is only 2kg heavier than its Malaysian quarter-litre sibling, should ideally make it the faster, more flickable bike. For once, India gets a bigger-engined, more powerful bike, and we’re not complaining. 

While the CB250R continues with its LCD instrument cluster, it now comes with a gear position indicator, something that the India-spec CB300R got earlier this year. 

Other aspects remain identical for both the bikes. Even in terms of design, the bikes adopt a neo-retro design with a circular headlight and sleek taillamp. Both also get a chiseled design, giving them a muscular look. That said, while the India-spec CB300R gets a small 9.7-litre tank, the CB250R’s tank is slightly bigger at 10.1-litres. 

Honda has priced the 2022 CB300R for Rs 2,77,000 (ex-showroom Delhi). While the bike comes off as a great package overall, the Rs 57,000 bump in price over its BS4 iteration is hard to justify as there are no tangible updates.