2014 Honda CBR300R First Look

Honda has decided to follow suit with what Kawasaki has done with its Ninja 300R this year, boosting the displacement of its CBR250R (see the Honda CBR300R Announced article). In Europe and other international markets the entry-level CBR will be known as the CBR300R.

Its new designation stems from the 37cc engine displacement increase from 249cc to 286cc. The update was made to give motorcyclists improved acceleration performance and allow it to better keep pace with traffic in modern cities.

The extra muscle comes in the form of an 8mm longer stroke with the rest of the engine’s internals unchanged aside from the fitment of a weightier counter-balancer to help negate the extra vibrations generated. The engine mounts in the steel frame were also beefed up to cope with the extra torque.

As before the Honda will continue to be both liquid-cooled and fuel-injected, and will sip gas from a generous sized 3.4-gallon tank. Although the extra power will put a dent in fuel mileage, we still expect a real world range of almost 200 miles.

Along with the bigger engine the CBR gets an fresh look in-line with the CBR1000RR. Twin head lamps replace this year’s solo unit and the bodywork shares similar lines to the superbike. The 300 will also get ABS as standard on its simple but effective front and rear disc brakes (non-linked).

Although American Honda hasn’t announced the CBR300R as an American model expect to see it in U.S. dealers next spring priced a few hundred dollars above its current $4509 asking price (including $310 destination charge).