The Indian government has been particularly vocal about shifting to alternative fuels and they have already mandated the use of a higher percentage of ethanol mixed in the fuel and they are urging manufacturers to offer more products with flex fuel systems. Honda has in turn launched the CB300F Flex Fuel which has been priced at Rs 1,70,000 (ex-showroom).
The CB300F is identical to the regular petrol only CB300F but it can run of E85 blend which comprises of 85% of ethanol and 15% of regular petrol. The bikes has an indicator on its instrument cluster which will notify the rider if the ethanol blend exceeds 85%. It can adjust its mapping according to the amount of ethanol blend to provide the best performance.
Mechanically, it is identical and features the same 293.52cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled engine which produces 24.54 bhp and 25.9 Nm of torque. It is paired to a slick 6-speed gearbox with slipper clutch assist. Features include dual channel ABS, Honda’s Selectable Torque Control, Gold coloured upside down forks, a 5-step pre-load adjustable monoshock at the back and LED lights all round.
Bookings of the bike have already started and one can book it through Honda’s BigWing showrooms which cater to the more premium segment of motorcycles. The CB300F Flex Fuel is available in two colours which are Sports Red and Mat Axis Grey Metallic. The CB300F Flex Fuel doesn’t get the Mat Marvel Blue Metallic paint which is available on the regular CB300F. Surprisingly, according to Honda’s website, the Flex Fuel version is Rs 1 cheaper than the regular petrol version.
This is not the first Ethanol powered motorcycle in India. TVS sometime back launched an Apache which could run on E100 blend. This is although, the first 300cc motorcycle with Flex Fuel capabilities and a unique motorcycle in its respective segment.
