Honda CB300R has been launched in India on 8th February. Here are some reasons why it can trouble the sales of KTM Duke 390.
Honda CB300R will be the brand’s latest premium offering in India. The bike has been launched in India at a price of Rs 2.41 Lakhs (ex-showroom Pan-India).
HMSI had earlier given us an idea of its expected pricing range. Now, Honda has applied a strategic pricing for the bike, so that it gives a stiff competition. Most of the 200-300cc motorcycles are priced between Rs 1.5 Lakhs to Rs 3 Lakhs.
Honda CB300R will compete with the likes of KTM Duke 390, Royal Enfield 650 Twins and BMW G 310 R. The BMW motorcycle will compete on the basis of engine specifications, which are identical.
Also Read: Honda CB300R fully revealed in these spy shots; launch on 8th February
We expect the Honda motorcycle to affect the sales of KTM Duke 390 to a bit. The RE 650 Twins are much more powerful for that segment, but they are completely different in shape and styling.
Currently, Duke 390 is one of the most popular bikes between Rs 2 Lakhs to Rs 3 Lakhs. However, for the past 9-10 months, it sales have been declining rapidly. For the month of December 2018, it barely made 106 units. Often, the figures went over 1000 units a month.
The very first reason that Honda CB300R has an advantage is because of the brand’s reliability and good sales network. Most of the customer reviews about Honda products state that the brand is dependable.
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KTM Duke 390 uses a more powerful 373cc engine, however because of its short gearing ratio, the city travelling becomes a bit difficult. You have to constantly change the gears to prevent it from stalling.
On the other hand, CB300R uses a less powerful 286cc liquid-cooled engine that puts out 32 BHP and 27.5 Nm of peak torque. That’s nearly 10 horses less than Duke.
However, the performance of the engine can only be said once we get to lay our hands on the bike.
Also Read: BMW G 310 R Vs KTM Duke 390 – Specifications Comparison
The bike has been booked for the next 3 months and the deliveries are scheduled to begin in the third week of March 2019.
