- Honda working on a 300cc scrambler
- To share engine and hardware with the Rebel 300
- India launch is uncertain as of now
Honda has recently filed a trademark application for the name CL300 in Thailand. This will most likely be a retro scrambler based on the Rebel 300 cruiser that’s sold in many international markets. As of now, concrete details about the bike aren’t available but here’s what the speculations say.
Honda also filed an application to trademark the name CL500 which, considering the aforementioned scenario, will be based on the bigger Rebel 500 cruiser. In terms of styling, both these motorcycles could be inspired by Honda’s CL250 scrambler of the 1960s. So, we will probably see a round headlamp, boxy fuel tank, high-slung dual exhausts, and maybe a generous amount of chrome.
A majority of underpinnings of the CL300 are likely to be the same as the Rebel 300. Even if Honda retains the same frame, the sub-frame will have to be new to suit CL’s design and accommodate a different seat. Speculations suggest that the engine will also be borrowed from the Rebel 300 which is a 286cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder mill. In the Rebel, it churns out around 30bhp and 27.4Nm of peak torque.
The Honda CL300, along with the CL500, is likely to be launched by the end of this year as the 2023 model. The chances of these bikes coming to the Indian shores are slim at the moment.
