Honda has patented a new motorcycle in India that takes a neo-retro Roadster approach. Going by Honda’s past patenting exercises, one would think that this is just a global vehicle and that the company is protecting its IP here in India. However, this looks like an affordable motorcycle that the company might launch in India.
2025 Honda CB300R Patented?
One look at this patent design, anyone would dismiss it as a CB300R with a slightly updated design to make it more neo-retro than it already is. This could be true as well. However, there seems to be more about this patent design than what meets the eye. On closer inspection, one can see that it has an air-cooled engine.
For context, Honda CB300R has a liquid-cooled engine, which doesn’t have fins on the engine block for air-cooling. That said, liquid-cooled engines on Jawa and Yezdi motorcycles get these fins just for aesthetic purposes, which is great attention to detail. We can expect Honda to do something similar with 2025 CB300R.
If this is true, we might be looking at the new CB300R with an updated design it desperately needs. It gets a new LED headlight, almost identical to the one seen on global 2025 CB300R. There’s a new fuel tank with less clutter and simpler tank shrouds. There’s a beefier belly pan and more muscular body panels on rear subframe.
Turn indicators are now circular and so are the instrument cluster and ORVMs. The main change can be seen at the rear where we get a new design with a tail tidy. Wheels and tyres look the same and the brakes seem to be carried over too. Exhaust end-can looks the same as current CB300R, with a new heat shield. USD front forks and rear mono-shock are carried over as well.
Is this a Neo-Retro Hornet 2.0?
There’s a good probability that Honda might be carving a new version of Hornet 2.0 that takes a neo-retro roadster design. Yamaha has used this formula and has created FZ-X, based on FZ street bike. If this is true, we can see the same 184.4cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that generates 17.3 bhp and 15.9 Nm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
Given the higher performance ceiling, this new Honda Roadster motorcycle will rival the likes of TVS Ronin and Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Honda could achieve an excellent power-to-weight ratio, similar to CB300F and CB300R. For context, RE Hunter 350 delivers 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm but weighs up to 181 kg. We can expect it to launch by the end of 2025.
