Could The Honda XRE 300 ADV Come To India?

Honda has showcased a flex-fuel XRE 300 Rally at Auto Expo 2023. Check it out here.

An image of the Honda XRE 300 ADV has surfaced on the internet, allegedly spotted in India. We say ‘allegedly’, though, as we aren't sure if it was indeed snapped here or in any other South Asian country. That said, the possibility of this ADV coming to India is reasonably high. How? We explain.

Honda recently announced that they will be working on launching a 300-350cc motorcycle next year, and going by the popularity of adventure motorcycles in the Indian market, the XRE 300 ADV would be a good offering from the Japanese bikemaker. Currently, the XRE 300 ADV is available in the Brazilian and Colombian markets.

The XRE 300 ADV can be seen doing benchmark tests against the KTM 390 Adventure and what looks like the BMW G 310 GS, possibly to make the XRE 300 more India-specific. That said, it’s likely that Honda may use the same chassis as the international model but with the engine from the recently launched Honda CB300F. We have ridden the CB300F and we found the engine to be more in tune with the adventure touring kind of riding. 

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The Brazil-spec XRE 300 ADV is powered by a 291.6cc air/oil-cooled single-cylinder engine – with flex-fuel compatibility – producing 25.1PS and 27Nm. The India-spec CB300F, meanwhile, gets a 293.5cc air-/oil-cooled engine making 24.47PS and 25.6Nm.

In terms of underpinnings, it features a telescopic fork with 245mm of suspension travel and a pro-link shock that has 225mm of wheel travel. The wheel set up is a wire-spoked 21-inch unit up front and an 18-inch unit at the rear, which with the suspension travel should result in a great offroading experience.

While it gets a massive ground clearance of 259mm and a light 148kg weight, a seat height of 860mm is not exactly very accessible to different types of riders.

What remains to be seen now is if Honda will actually bring the XRE 300 ADV to India to rival the Suzuki V-Strom SX, BMW G 310 GS and the Royal Enfield Himalayan. So stay tuned to ZigWheels for all the updates on Honda’s upcoming bike.

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