Modern Buddy

MotorcycleDaily.com has a pic of what is supposedly the upcoming Honda CBR300R. They say it's the same bike with a bored-out cylinder, which sounds very plausible. A 300cc version of the small Honda is good news IMHO, because it will be better suited to US riding conditions.

The big shock in the article is a spy photo of an alleged test mule for the Triumph single. Please note that this is a TEST MULE not a finished product. That crazy lighting setup was just added from the Triumph parts bin.

i like the styling of the honda cbr300. its much improved imo. seems most of the focus is going to its sportier nose but taking a good look at the bike you can see a sportier edge in its details overall. its not as smooth (bland) as the 250 and has more sharp lines and creases. imo it doesn't look like a street bike with sporty faring slapped on as the 250 does, it looks like a real sport bike

a budget sport bike, yes. and those cues remain. but for what it is it looks like a nice improvement over the outgoing bike. will it steal away any potential Ninja 300 riders? sure, why not? if its performance can keep reasonable pace. for whatever thats worth in this segment

but as a "starter" bike or for a smaller person or just anyone who wants a small bike for its own purposes, i would think the honda has now become more interesting

It will be interesting to see the CBR 300 compete with the Ninja 300. As with the 250s, the Ninja will be faster and the CBR will be lighter and more agile. SSDD. I hope Suzuki follows suit with a 300cc version of the naked GW250.

I just want the CB1100… as a 650cc.

Here's a review of the Suzuki GW250.

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/235/17281 ... eview.aspx

ericalm wrote:I just want the CB1100… as a 650cc.

I'd buy that six ways to Sunday.

KTM RC390 thumper will likely be my next bike if my local Aprilia dealer becomes a dealership for KTM. Apparently it will be cheaper than the Ninja 300 and considerably lighter with more power. It looks good too. http://principalbikes.wordpress.com/201 ... -for-2014/

A 375cc thumper sportbike? Nice.

Same dealer here as will have the Burgman 200 once it arrives.

2014 is going to be interesting for small-bike fans.

ericalm wrote:I just want the CB1100… as a 650cc.

i take it Kawasaki is too sport bike oriented in the states to bring the W650 over? i mean, they could sell some i would think. i'd like one, myself. not sure they make 'em anymore or if they ever tried selling them here before? but now would be a good time to get some here, most likely. they'd sell some now

JHScoot wrote:

ericalm wrote:I just want the CB1100… as a 650cc.

i take it Kawasaki is too sport bike oriented in the states to bring the W650 over? i mean, they could sell some i would think. i'd like one, myself. not sure they make 'em anymore or if they ever tried selling them here before? but now would be a good time to get some here, most likely. they'd sell some now

Kawasaki USA brought the W650 over before in 2000/2001 and it was a sales fiasco for them. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to risk that happening again. I agree with you that now would be the right moment to bring that bike in, but I wouldn't bet on it. I do think we're going to see that retro Yamaha SR400, though. If I were KawaUSA corporate, I'd be watching sales of the SR.

If you want a bike that looks like a Bonneville, why wouldn't you just get a Bonneville? It's available in the US.

bigger, heavier, poor fuel mileage, perhaps? a bit lacking in refinement on the road for some folks? pricier?

just some guesses

jrsjr wrote:Kawasaki USA brought the W650 over before in 2000/2001 and it was a sales fiasco for them. I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to risk that happening again. I agree with you that now would be the right moment to bring that bike in, but I wouldn't bet on it. I do think we're going to see that retro Yamaha SR400, though. If I were KawaUSA corporate, I'd be watching sales of the SR.

That's kind of sad, really -- they did a better job of making a "retro-Triumph" than Triumph itself did.

I'd definitely like to see a SR400, but my Robot Rainbow Unicorn thumper is the (1986) SRX 600. Or perhaps the ('01-'05) BMW F650CS, depending on how modern I feel at the time.