You read it first on MotorBeam. Honda has pulled the plug on the current CBR250R, the manufacturing of the model has been stopped and the company is making changes to the production line to make way for its replacement. The new production line will be set-up by November while Honda dealers continue to clear stocks of the existing model. Honda will replace the CBR250R with the CBR300R in India, the launch will take place in the first quarter of next year. Honda is seeing a decreasing demand for the CBR250R in India as buyers rush to more value for money offerings.
The Honda CBR300R is a major upgrade over the CBR250R and gets all new styling. While the old bike was inspired from the VFR, the new one is a true-blooded CBR, at least in appearance. The 300R is also faster than the 250R thanks to the higher output. Honda has taken the CBR250R’s engine and increased the bore to boost displacement to 286cc. The single-cylinder mill outputs 30.4 HP and 27 Nm, the bike weighs 8 kgs less than the quarter-litre CBR. Meanwhile Honda has also updated the CBR250R with the styling of the CBR300R for certain markets. That bike now produces 29 PS instead of 26 PS.
It’s quite clear that Honda is looking at displacing Hero in every possible segment. With an aggressive onslaught in the entry-level commuter segment, Honda hasn’t been able to come close to Hero in sales. However, Hero will be launching the HX250R early next year and the CBR300R will help them counter India’s largest 2-wheeler manufacturer. Honda will launch the CBR650F in 2015 while Hero’s Hastur seems unlikely to go into production in the near future. Coming back to the CBR300R, expect Honda to price it at Rs. 2.30 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai) for the ABS equipped variant.
