Replacing the CB300F for 2019, the CB300R is a breath of “neo-sports cafe” styling, along with some much-needed performance and handling updates. Photos by Drew Ruiz.
If you?re a new rider, downsizing or just looking to add something small and fun to your fleet, times are good. Small bikes are no longer tragically un-hip, parts bin afterthoughts, and unlike the year 2000 when I bought my first brand new motorcycle, there?s something out there for everyone. Even the Honda Rebel is cool. Good times, indeed.
And if what you?re looking for is something easy to handle, lightweight and capable of cruising at 75 mph all day, with today?s trendy neo-retro look and a sub-$5,000 price tag, make your way to your local Honda dealer (there are more than 1,200 nationwide) and ask to see the 2019 CB300R. The CB300R’s round headlight actually houses two strips of horizontal LEDs, along with DRL top and bottom.
The CB300R replaces the CB300F for the 2019 model year, and as far as I can tell it?s a better bike in every way. The F?s sporty naked-bike styling was getting a little stale in my eyes, but the R?s improvements go a long way past a restyle. The new bike is smaller, lighter and tighter, with a new chassis and suspension and available IMU-based 2-channel ABS.
The LCD display can be a little difficult to read in direct sunlight, but it has useful information like a tachometer, fuel gauge, fuel economy figures and a side stand indicator. We wish it also had a gear indi...