Honda CB300R BS6 Price: What We Expect

Honda unveiled the BS6-compliant CB300R at the India Bike Week earlier this month. The company announced that it will be available from January 22, 2022, which is also when Honda is likely to reveal the pricing.

What’s even more interesting is that Honda will be heavily localising the CB300R BS6. We already know the company’s new Gujarat plant will be manufacturing engines with capacities of 250cc and above, including the Honda CB300R’s heart. So all these point out to one possibility: making the CB300R BS6 competitively priced.

Going The Kawasaki Way:

The Kawasaki Ninja 300 was a capable 300cc faired motorcycle but wasn’t within reach of enthusiasts due to its high price tag. In fact, when the bike was brought to India via the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) route, it used to cost Rs 3.6 lakh (back in 2018, ex-showroom Delhi). That’s a hefty price tag for what at the end of the day is a 300cc bike. Then in July 2018, Kawasaki slashed the price by around 17.2 percent by launching a heavily localised version of the Ninja 300, priced at Rs 2.98 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

If Honda were to follow Kawasaki’s footsteps, we could expect the Honda CB300R BS6 to also be considerably more affordable. The BS4-compliant iteration used to cost Rs 2.41 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) before it was discontinued in 2020 as it didn’t comply with the new BS6 emission norms. Going by Kawasaki’s logic, if Honda were to slash the CB300R’s price by around 17.2 percent, then it would cost just under Rs 2 lakh (ex-showroom). 

• Honda To Take On RE With Multiple 350cc Bikes
• How Different Are The Honda CB150X And CB200X?
• ZigOpinion: Dear Honda, Y U Do This?

Even if Honda charged around Rs 10,000 over this for implementing emission-restrictive components (and also tuning the engine for a little more power), along with the slip-assist clutch and aesthetic touches like the gold finished fork, at Rs 2.10 lakh, it’d still be a stonkingly-priced neo-retro naked. 

Power Of Dreams? More Like Stuck To Ground Reality:

Honda has never really been a player that priced its products competitively. Almost all of its two-wheelers have commanded a pretty premium for what they offer. A perfect case in point is the Honda CB200X. Priced at Rs 1,44,500, it’s a whole Rs 12,262 dearer than the Honda Hornet 2.0 while only offering a more butch bodywork, and no advantages on the mechanical or feature front.

So, if you apply Honda’s logic in the CB300R’s case, and then add aspects such as inflation and rising raw material costs, you might just get a bike that could be more expensive than its BS4 version, despite all the benefits of localisation. We wouldn’t be surprised if Honda prices the bike at a fair premium, say around Rs 2.50 lakh (ex-showroom) for the CB300R BS6. Do you think its lightness (weighs only 146kg kerb) and gorgeous neo-retro design, and the Honda badge are enough to compensate for the likelihood of it being priced at a premium? Let us know in the comments below.