Honda showcased its latest small capacity sportsbike in the form of the CBR 300R, at a motorcycle show in Chongqing, China. The CBR 300R, a direct competitor of the Ninja 300R, comes with a 300 cc single cylinder, liquid cooled and fuel injected petrol engine. The 300 cc motor of the CBR 300R is an upsized version of the CBR 250R's engine.

While the bore dimension remains unchanged at 76 mm, the stroke increases from 55 mm to 63 mm. The longer stroke gives the CBR 300R's motor its 286 cc displacement. In that light, the CBR 300R, despite its name suggesting a 300 cc displacement, manages a 286 cc displacement.

While the longer stroke could mean a more relaxed demeanour for the bigger engined CBR 300R in comparison with the CBR 250R, the torque coming higher up the rev range indicates otherwise. All these details have been leaked through the official spec-sheet of the motorcycle that has surfaced onto Moto-Choice.

The motorcycle now outputs a peak power of 30.4 Bhp at 8,500 rpm and a peak torque of 27 Nm at 7,250 rpm (compared to the CBR 250R's 26 Bhp-22.9 Nm). The gearbox is the familiar 6 speed manual unit while the kerb weight has gone up marginally, over that of the CBR 250R's 162 kilograms, to 164 kilograms.

The cycle parts seem unchanged, with telescopic front forks and a rear monoshock unit being carried over. Also, the wheels, tyres, braking system and the C-ABS system are carried over to the CBR 300R from the CBR 250R. Visually though, the CBR 300R takes cues from larger capacity CBR motorcycles such as the CBR 400R and the CBR 500R.

Twin slat headlamps, revised muffler design and a revamped tail section are few of the visual changes that the CBR 300R features. The motorcycle is likely to go into production at Thailand from the end of this year. Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI) hasn't announced whether the CBR 300R would make it to Indian shores in the near future.

While rumours suggest that the Honda CBR 300R would replace the CBR 250R in the Indian sportsbike market, pricing would be key as the CBR 250R, at its current price levels in India, seems over priced in comparison to the KTM Duke 390, a motorcycle that offers significantly more performance at a price tag that undercuts that of the CBR 250R. Currently, Honda produces the CBR 250R in India, with a significant amount of localization, a strategy that is likely to continue with the CBR 300R if the latter is introduced here.