This Chinese Naked Could Soon Become The Suzuki GSX-S300

Haojue will soon launch the DR300 in China. The Chinese manufacturer unveiled the 300cc naked motorcycle at the Chongqing Mobo Fair back in October 2018 and commenced production of the motorcycle last month. The DR300 is of significance given the fact that Haojue is Suzuki’s Chinese partner and sells small-capacity Suzuki motorcycles there under the banner Changzhou Haojue Suzuki Motorcycle Co. Its motorcycles are essentially rebranded Suzuki bikes and the DR300 itself is based on the Suzuki GW250 (Inazuma). There is a possibility that Suzuki could rebrand the Haojue DR300 and sell it as the Suzuki GSX-S300 overseas. Suzuki has not revealed any such plans though.  

That in itself would not be a bad thing as the Haojue DR300 reeks of quality. A closer look of the motorcycle at the Chongqing Mobo Fair reveals fit and finish levels on par with a Suzuki motorcycle. It gets an aggressive streetfighter stance like the BMW G 310 R but has a more premium looking LED headlamp (the BMW G 310 R too will get one as part of its BS6 update). Other features include an LED tail lamp, LED turn indicators, a digital instrument console and a USB charging port.  

The Haojue DR300 gets a new 298cc motor, essentially a rebored version of the Inazuma’s 250cc parallel-twin unit. This liquid-cooled motor now delivers 29PS at 8500rpm and 27.8Nm at 6500rpm. Like the Inazuma, it gets a 6-speed gearbox.  

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It gets premium KYB suspension in the form of a gold-finished upside-down fork and monoshock. The 17-inch alloy wheels come shod with premium 110-section front and 140-section rear Pirelli Diablo Rosso 3 radials. Braking is via petal discs at both ends with dual-channel ABS. It gets a 16-litre fuel tank and weighs 177kg.  

The Haojue DR300 is expected to be priced around 35,000 Yuan (Rs 3.77 lakh) in China. If Suzuki does go ahead and rebrand the DR300 as the GSX-S300 to sell it overseas, the motorcycle would go up against the Kawasaki Z400 and Yamaha MT-03. The GSX-S300 is unlikely to come to India as Suzuki already offers the Gixxer 250 here. 

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