Honda CB300R

[YZEtc]

I didn't see a thread for this little Neo-Sports Café motorcycle, so here it is.

I bought one of these, a blue 2020 model, on October 19th, and I have a little over 600 miles so far.

My only gripe with the bike was the front brake felt very weak in stock spec., but switching to EBC HH pads took care of that, the result being a good front brake just with the pad swap.

It's a good-looking, light-weight, sporty little motorcycle, and it feels very much like a smaller version of my FZ-07 - just what I was after.

If you want to know anything specific about the CB300R, just ask as we're settling into winter-like weather over here.

[bornagainbiker]

I really like the look of this bike.  Now, if it had the 500 twin engine, that would be perfect.  Maybe it's time for Honda to update the 500F to a 500R.

 

[YZEtc]

Sure, if Honda had a twin-cylindered 500 with their Neo-Sports Café styling, then that would go a step further in expanding this family of bikes they have.

However, for myself, I would have felt the 500 was just too close in displacement to the FZ-07 for my downsizing mission, so that's why I went with a bike that was considerably smaller in displacement.

So far, I've adapted to it pretty well.

Edited December 9, 2019 by YZEtc

[firstyammerha]

I have an appointment to ride one tomorrow if the weather holds up. I test rode a 2018 KTM Duke 390 Saturday but it struck me as being really coarse. Sitting on the CB300 inside had a good feel to it. My last experience with a CB300 was an 'F' model in 2014. It pulled nicely and would've worked for me as an around town bike. But since I still rode interstates back then, I bought a CB500F. That was a good bike too but swapped it for a Suzuki SFV 650 Gladius six months later. Then the FZ09 for awhile before deciding I didn't need that much power.FZ07 next. Now four years down the road, I'm thinking of the CB300R but hoping word of a neo sport CB500 will appear in the biking news. But as mentioned, the weight of the FZ07 will be tough to beat with the FZ07 weighing around 380lbs. Knocking 50lbs. off the CB500 will be a trick.   

[kylerhsm]

3 hours ago, firstyammerha said:

Knocking 50lbs. off the CB500 will be a trick.   

They managed to knock a fair whack off the CB300F (15kg) turning it into the CB300R so maybe they could do the same with the 500. In Australia we have the CB650R which is a stunning looking bike using their 650 4-cyl engine, but the idiots at Honda Australia decided we should only have a learner restricted 35kw version. WHAT IS THE POINT OF A HIGH REVVING 4-CYL SPORTS BIKE MOTOR THAT HAS IT'S POWER CUT OFF AT HIGH REVS???

A CB500R makes a lot more sense, and if they could get it to the weight of the MT07 I'd consider the swap. I'm a Honda man at heart, but Honda has nothing for me that is close to what the MT07 delivers. So a Yamaha I ride.

[YZEtc]

6 hours ago, firstyammerha said:

I have an appointment to ride one tomorrow if the weather holds up.

I'm curious to read what you thought about it after your ride.

[firstyammerha]

well I got the ride in before we were hit with a deluge. I really liked the overall feel of the bike but I think the 2014 CB300F had more 'oomph'. Honda reduced the weight of the new bike but I thought the older heavier bike was more sprightly. Maybe there's some gearing changes between then and now. The test bike had a maladjusted rear brake pedal that completely rendered the rear brake useless. The pedal was almost vertical before I could feel any bite from the brake.This was no problem though because the front brake felt very strong and it covered me on the five or six mile loop around the shop on paved two and four lane roads getting up to 45 mph. It only had three miles on the odo so I didn't go past 6000 rpm.The suspension was nice and probably wouldn't need mods right away. Now if Honda can pump the engine up another 10-15 h.p. ,I believe we'd have something. But for now, there's nothing out there that has the blend of attributes that the FZ07 has.

[YZEtc]

Thank you for posting your thoughts on the bike.

[firstyammerha]

I checked out a Kawasaki Z-400 a few days ago but I'll create another posting for it on this page.

[Bigturbomax]

On 12/9/2019 at 6:59 AM, YZEtc said:

Sure, if Honda had a twin-cylindered 500 with their Neo-Sports Café styling, then that would go a step further in expanding this family of bikes they have.

However, for myself, I would have felt the 500 was just too close in displacement to the FZ-07 for my downsizing mission, so that's why I went with a bike that was considerably smaller in displacement.

So far, I've adapted to it pretty well.

Are you still riding your FZ07?

[YZEtc]

6 hours ago, Bigturbomax said:

Are you still riding your FZ07?

No, that was decided to be sold before I bought the CB300R. I bought the CB300R on October 19th, and the FZ-07 was sold a few weeks later in November. The FZ-07 was, and still is, the most fun-to-ride street bike I've ever owned, and that's saying something. I simply listened to my conscience telling me to get a smaller-displacing bike.

However, there's a new development with my CB300R:

My local Yamaha salesman told me one week ago that he would love to take my CB300R in trade toward a 2020 Yamaha MT-03, the bike I would have bought in October if it had been available at the time.

That is very likely what I'm gon'na do.

[DewMan]

5 hours ago, YZEtc said:

My local Yamaha salesman told me one week ago that he would love to take my CB300R in trade toward a 2020 Yamaha MT-03,

He's a sales guy. He'd probably say the same if you offered up a Honda Civic.

[mossrider]

5 hours ago, YZEtc said:

30 minutes ago, DewMan said:

He's a sales guy. He'd probably say the same if you offered up a Honda Civic. "

My local Yamaha salesman told me one week ago that he would love to take my CB300R in trade toward a 2020 Yamaha MT-03, the bike I would have bought in October if it had been available at the time.

That is very likely what I'm gon'na do.

Then he'll upgrade you to an MT07...

[kylerhsm]

4 hours ago, mossrider said:

Then he'll upgrade you to an MT07...

And then convince you to get something smaller like a CB300R.

And then sell you back the CB300R for a profit, even though you still own it.

[YZEtc]

That all may be, but I'll keep you posted on what happens next month when the MT-03 arrives at the dealership.

[cornerslider]

3 hours ago, YZEtc said:

That all may be, but I'll keep you posted on what happens next month when the MT-03 arrives at the dealership.

I saw on in person last weekend @ the IMS show in Minneapolis... VERY sharp looking bike!!! I looks better in person than it did online. Yamaha is gonna sell a ton of these. If it didn't come standard with ABS, I would probably buy one myself 

[YZEtc]

I'm glad to read that's how you feel about the bike. I hope it looks better to me in person, too, as the photos look so-so to me, styling-wise.

I agree about the ABS as I'd rather not have it, either. Never felt a need for it and still don't.

Edited February 7, 2020 by YZEtc

[kylerhsm]

As a previous owner of an R3, take note of the following when you test ride. There were a couple of things about the bike that I just couldn't live with and frustrated me to no end.

The on/off fuelling. You think the MT07 is bad? Hah. My MT07 is silky smooth compared to the horrid fuelling my R3 had. It has injector cut above 3500rpm on closed throttle, and then on opening the throttle it kicks in to about 5% throttle. There's no in between. What this means is that on downhill slopes, especially long ones, you're either speeding up rapidly because the throttle is open or decelerating rapidly because of the injector cut and heavy engine braking. There's no in between and so it's a constant faster...slower...faster...slower... battle all the way down the hill. You can't just hold the throttle open a fraction, because it's like this fraction doesn't exist and is more like 0% straight up to 5%. I HATED it and swore at the bike every time I went down a hill. I am sensative to this stuff though as I've owned a lot of bike, most of them carb'd, and I've done quite a bit of tuning.

Secondly, the clutch engagement. Mine wouldn't slip properly. It would slip...slip...slip...then bite hard causing a shudder. Every. Single. Time. Doing commuting in stop/start traffic, this was really frustrating and took the pleasure out of using the bike. Not noticable on the open road.

Other than the above, a great little bike with great handling, strong power and a nice note to the engine. But the above pissed me off too much for me to keep it. I was the second owner and it had 4,000km on the clock so it was in very good condition and well looked after. Although Like the MT07, this bike is painted on the cheap. The front fairing bracket was covered in rust spots which had come right through the black paint. There was also rust developing on a lot of the nuts and bolts.

Overall, the MT07 is smoother, stronger, nicer to ride, not that much heavier, and in my opinion a far far far better bike.

[MrGym10]

Absolutely love the looks of the cb300r’s, especially in the blue. 

[YZEtc]

13 hours ago, kylerhsm said:

As a previous owner of an R3, take note of the following when you test ride. There were a couple of things about the bike that I just couldn't live with and frustrated me to no end.

The on/off fuelling. You think the MT07 is bad? Hah. My MT07 is silky smooth compared to the horrid fuelling my R3 had. It has injector cut above 3500rpm on closed throttle, and then on opening the throttle it kicks in to about 5% throttle. There's no in between. What this means is that on downhill slopes, especially long ones, you're either speeding up rapidly because the throttle is open or decelerating rapidly because of the injector cut and heavy engine braking. There's no in between and so it's a constant faster...slower...faster...slower... battle all the way down the hill. You can't just hold the throttle open a fraction, because it's like this fraction doesn't exist and is more like 0% straight up to 5%. I HATED it and swore at the bike every time I went down a hill. I am sensative to this stuff though as I've owned a lot of bike, most of them carb'd, and I've done quite a bit of tuning.

Secondly, the clutch engagement. Mine wouldn't slip properly. It would slip...slip...slip...then bite hard causing a shudder. Every. Single. Time. Doing commuting in stop/start traffic, this was really frustrating and took the pleasure out of using the bike. Not noticable on the open road.

Other than the above, a great little bike with great handling, strong power and a nice note to the engine. But the above pissed me off too much for me to keep it. I was the second owner and it had 4,000km on the clock so it was in very good condition and well looked after. Although Like the MT07, this bike is painted on the cheap. The front fairing bracket was covered in rust spots which had come right through the black paint. There was also rust developing on a lot of the nuts and bolts.

Overall, the MT07 is smoother, stronger, nicer to ride, not that much heavier, and in my opinion a far far far better bike.

Thank you for your report on your YZF-R3.

I've been in the same boat numerous times over the years, dealing with annoying details that no test ride article or video will mention about the bike being tested. One of these with my 2020 CB300R is the lousy front brake as it comes off the showroom floor. Talk about weak and disappointing, although the ride review articles and videos make the front brake sound fabulous. Thankfully, EBC HH brake pads brought it all the way up to pretty good.

I'll let you know what the 2020 MT-03 is like for me to ride.

I agree that the FZ-07 I recently sold was a fantastic street bike. But, no matter how great a bike it is, eventually, I will have my fill with it and sell it/trade it in toward another machine. It's a hobby. Plus, the idea in my mind was that I should also get a street bike with a smaller engine in an effort to downsize, and the MT-03 seemed the best size for me. The CB300R is acceptable, and I was ready and willing to keep it for all the 2020 riding season, but my local Yamaha dealer changed that with his offer.

Edited February 10, 2020 by YZEtc

[YZEtc]

7 hours ago, MrGym10 said:

Absolutely love the looks of the cb300r’s, especially in the blue. 

I agree, and the styling of the CB300R is one of it's big positives:

It looks very good and everyone seems to agree on that.

[MrGym10]

I was verrry close to getting one. I really wanted a CB650R but I don’t love the red and the price was just too high right now. I ended up with my MT-07, which I love, but I do see myself on a CB in a few years when the prices come down on the used market. 

[YZEtc]

Update:

After a mere 704 miles on the CB300R, I traded it toward a 2020 MT-03 in the black color scheme.

Although I liked the CB300R and was prepared to ride that bike for the whole 2020 season, I was offered to trade the CB300R toward the MT-03. Since the MT-03 was the bike that was actually first on my list but did not hit the showroom until now, I went for it.

Once I get the MT-03 home and get some rides on it, I'll post my thoughts on how these two bikes compare.

[cornerslider]

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!!!! I was in the same boat, and bought a 2019 R3 instead. I know the MT-03 was a better fit for me personally. I just couldn't accept the "looks" of the MT-03....... I love the whole "naked bike" movement. I totally love my 2016 FZ-07 on track. When I street ride it though, I tend to make "bad choices". I knew I needed a smaller displacement bike for the street. I still don't know if I made the right choice with the R3??? Look ing forward to hearing what you think-

[jimstu47]

I've got 20,000 miles on my FZ-07, and have always loved it.  Best bike I ever owned.  That said, I'm getting a bit older now and am thinking of downsizing the displacement.  

Years ago, I had the original Honda CBR250R, and it was a great little bike.  Two issues however:  first, the CBR250R had - at least for me - a bit of forward lean when you rode it.  After an hour or two I'd get a 'crick' in my neck from continually having to look slightly up.   My FZ07 has me sitting much straighter up, which makes it much easier to do longer rides.  

Question:  for those of you who own a CB300R, or have ridden one, could you please tell me how 'standard' or upright your seating position is?  Are you leaning forward?  

Second issue:  I'm wondering at 200lbs if I'm just too big for the CB300R.   thanks in advance for the advice!