Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has registered the XRE 300 design in India. This entry level adventure motorcycle is currently on sale in Brazil, along with its smaller sibling – the XRE 190.
There has been a growing interest in small adventure bikes in India over the last few years. Currently, the Royal Enfield Himalayan is the only adventure motorcycle which is at the affordable end, but we know that KTM is developing a new adventure bike using its 373cc motor and BMW is ready with its G310 GS. Honda too is looking at this segment very keenly and registering the design of the XRE 300 is the first step towards it.
Although the Japanese manufacturer does have the option of bringing the XRE 300 to India, we think that it won’t work because of the height of its seat. The XRE 300 gets a seat height of 860mm, which is quite tall for the average Indian buyer. The Hero Impulse failed in India because of its 835mm seat height, even though it was a fantastic motorcycle for daily and off-road use.
Honda has confirmed that it is developing a motorcycle that will compete with one of the Royal Enfield models. The company might develop an adventure version as well, and make sure it this one has an accessible seat - low enough for the Indian consumers. It is likely that Honda might install the 300cc single-cylinder motor into this bike. This tailor-made adventure motorcycle might get the overall design of the XRE 300 and maybe that’s why Honda has registered the XRE 300 design with India’s patent office.
We’re following this development very closely. Stay tuned to BikeWale as we get you more details on Honda’s upcoming adventure bike.
