Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has indicated through a recent audio clip that it will launch a 300-400cc cruiser motorcycle for the domestic market on September 30. Since Honda already sells the Rebel 300 in international markets, we expect the India-spec cruiser to draw inspiration from it, if not be based on it. This bike will be sold under Honda’s Big Wing platform in our country as the entry level model alongside the CB300R.
To give you an idea of what to expect, the Rebel 300 packs a 286cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine, which makes 26.6bhp and 27Nm of twist. It has a six-speed transmission along with a slip-and-assist clutch. As for the chassis, it is a steel diamond frame while suspension duties are taken care of by 41mm telescopic forks up front and twin shocks at the rear. Brakes come in the form of a 296mm rotor up front and a 240mm disc out back with dual-channel ABS as standard. Lighting such as the indicators and tail lamp is LED. It sports a fully digital instrument cluster as well.
We expect this motorcycle to be priced around Rs 2.3-2.4 lakh ex-showroom, similar to the CB300R. When it arrives, it will compete with motorcycles such as the upcoming Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and the Benelli Imperiale 400. With this bike aimed at the entry-level cruiser market, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we also see HMSI launch a motorcycle similar to the Rebel 500 later in the year to compete in the big leagues.