Benelli Leoncino 250 vs Honda CB300R- Competition Check

Benelli recently launched the Leoncino 250 in India.  The retro-styled motorcycle competes against another neo-retro inspired motorcycle, the Honda CB300R in the country. We find out how the two fare against each other. 

Styling

The Benelli Leoncino 250 and the Honda CB300R’s styling is inspired by retro motorcycles with modern touches to help them stay relevant. While the Honda gets a retro appeal thanks to its round full-LED headlamp, the Benelli sports a tear-drop shaped fuel-tank and cropped rear section that adds to its character. The latter also sports an oval-shaped, full-LED headlamp. 

Engine

The Honda CB300R comes powered by a 286cc, single-cylinder, fuel-injected motor with liquid-cooling. This motor puts out 30bhp of power and 27.4Nm of torque and comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. 

On the other hand, the Leoncino 250 uses a 249cc, single-cylinder engine that produces 25.1bhp of power and 21Nm of torque. It also comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. 

Cycle Parts

The Leoncino 250 rides on 17-inch wheels that are suspended by 41mm inverted forks up front and a preload-adjustable monoshock at the rear. Meanwhile, braking is done by a 280mm petal disc for the front wheel and a 240mm petal disc at the rear.  

While the wheel size and suspension setup are similar on the CB300R, it uses slightly bigger brakes at the front and Showa front forks. The front end gets a 296mm disc and the rear uses a 220mm disc. 

The CB300R’s fuel tank holds 10 litres, and the bike has a kerb weight of 143kg. Meanwhile, the Leoncino gets a bigger 12.5-litre fuel tank and a higher kerb weight of 162kg. 

Features

Both motorcycles come with similar features like LED lighting and LCD instrument clusters.  However, the CB300R is equipped with an IMU-based, dual-channel cornering ABS; a feature that is usually offered on bigger capacity motorcycles. Meanwhile, the Leoncino 250 comes equipped with standard dual-channel ABS. 

Pricing

Benelli has pegged the Leoncino 250 at Rs 2.5 lakhs while the CB300R costs Rs 2.41 lakhs. This pricing makes the Honda a better value for money product as it offers top-quality components and features like the Showa suspension and cornering ABS. Furthermore, it also comes with a more refined and powerful engine as compared to the Leoncino 250.