Indian CB300R BSVI vs Euro5 – How Different Are They??

BS6 vs Euro5 CB300R differences list includes suspension, engine, color shades and other spec changes. Here we list them all..

The Honda CB300R has garnered a lot of admirers and fans since it was first introduced in the European market in 2018. It enjoyed a fair bit of attention when it entered the Indian market in February 2019. 

Disappointment came when on 1st of April 2020, the Indian Government initiated the BSVI norms which meant every new vehicle sold after this date had to pass the BSVI emission requirements and hence many motorcycles were discontinued from the market. Among the victims was the 2019 CB300R as well since Honda did not have an engine that could comply with the updated emission norms anywhere in the world. 

Then came the current year 2022, and making a comeback is the BSVI compliant CB300R which was launched on 12th of January. It was followed by the Euro5 compliant version of the retro-naked which was unveiled 12 days later.

So, let us quickly But, how different are the BSVI version and the Euro5 version??

Design – 

Visually, both the variants are absolutely identical. The only difference that exists between the Indian variant and the European variant is the color palette. The Indian CB300R gets two colour options while the European spec gets four colour schemes.

Variant Colour Options
IndianPearl Spartan Red & Matte Steel Black

European
Matte Gunpowder Black Metallic, Pearl Dusk Yellow, Matte Pearl Agile Blue & Candy Chromosphere Red

Engine – 

Surprisingly, the India-spec CB300R is slightly more powerful than the older version. It churns equal amount of power and torque as compared to its Euro5 counterpart, however, the peak power is achieved 500 rpm earlier in the European version.

Variant PowerTorque
Indian31 BHP @ 9000 RPM27.5 Nm @ 7500 RPM
European31 BHP @ 8500 RPM27.5 Nm @ 7500 RPM

Chassis – 

Both variants are built around a diamond frame. However, the front suspension is where the European version gets a superior setup. The Euro-spec CBR300 gets 41 mm Showa Separate Fork Function – Big Piston (SFF-BP) USD forks which appears to be lifted from its bigger sibling – CB650R. The Indian version has to make do with standard USD forks at the front (This is our assumption since Honda India hasn’t specified the make of the suspension).

However, the Indian version has a slightly higher Ground Clearance that may have been a resultant of the road conditions here. There are minor differences in the seat height as well.

CriteriaIndian VariantEuropean Variant
Front SuspensionStandard USDShowa SFF-BP USD
Ground Clearance157 mm 151 mm
Seat Height801 mm799 mm
bs6 vs euro5 cb300r

Kerb Weight and Fuel Capacity – 

Another pointer that surprised us was that the BS6 300R turned out to be 1 kilo lighter than the BS4 trim. Despite the reduction in weight, the 2022 CB300R Is 3 kilos heavier than the European model. There is a 0.7 liter fuel tank capacity deficit as well.

CriteriaIndian VersionEuropean Version
Kerb Weight146 kg143 kg
Fuel Capacity9.3 L10 L

2022 Honda CBR650R Launched at 9.35 Lac; Whopping 48K Hike!

Price – 

It is obvious that the European version will be expensive when compared to our version. And the better suspension is obviously going to demand a higher price. However, the pricing of the Indian version is an anomaly in itself. At Rs. 2.77 Lakh, the CB300R is hovering very close to the KTM 390 Duke which is one of the most powerful single-cylinder bikes in our country and is heavily loaded with latest technology. 

Indian Price European Price
Rs. 2.77 Lakh£4899 (approx. Rs. 4.95 Lakh)

The question that arises is – What is the resultant of the increased localisation in manufacturing of the CB300R? Why has Honda not passed on the savings to the end customer, specially when we have the various Dukes available at close price points.