Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) may be planning to disrupt the Indian adventure motorcycle segment. The Japanese brand’s XRE 300’s spy shot has surfaced online in the past. And now, the motorcycle was spotted again. Thus, hinting that the brand may be planning a launch sometime in 2023. Before the launch, Honda could showcase the adventure motorcycle at the upcoming Auto Expo 2023.
The adventure motorcycle from Honda was spotted alongside the KTM 390 Adventure and the BMW G310 GS. This gives us an idea about what the brand is benchmarking it against. The model in the spy shot has no camouflage whatsoever. We can see the adventure motorcycle in a silver paint scheme with red highlights.
According to sources, the XRE 300 is undergoing its initial phase of testing somewhere in South India. Thus, there are high chances that Honda is benchmarking it against popular options from the adventure motorcycle segment at the Big Rock dirt park.
Firstly, considering the fact that Honda is benchmarking the XRE 300 against European rivals such as the KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G310 GS, it is likely Honda will price it in the same price range. Thus, we can expect an ex-showroom price of around INR 3 lakh. Also, there’s no confirmation if Honda will manufacture the bike in India or bring it as a CKD.
That said, the XRE 300 is a proper dual-sport motorcycle, which will set it apart from its competition. Unlike the KTM 390 Adventure and BMW G310 GS, which are more road-biased, the XRE 300 comes with wire-spoke wheels, knobby tires and long-travel suspension.
Powering the Honda XRE 300 is a 291cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, which puts out 25.5 BHP at 7,500 rpm and 27 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. As for the gearbox, it gets a 5-speed unit. The output figures hint that Honda has tuned the XRE 300’s engine for low- and mid-range performance. And though the output figures look modest, the low dry weight of 148 kg could work in its favour.
As for cycle parts, it comes with telescopic forks at the front and a Pro-Link monoshock at the rear. The front suspension gets 245mm of travel, while the rear gets 225mm. The XRE 300 rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wire-spoke wheels. The Brazilian-spec XRE 300 comes with Metzeler Enduro 3 Sahara tyres.
As for the features, it gets full-LED lighting, a digital instrument cluster and Dual-Channel ABS. The XRE 300 has a fuel tank capacity of 13.8 litres. It also comes with a luggage rack as a standard fitment.
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