Honda has replaced its popular XRE 300 with the new Sahara 300 in Brazil. The ADV doesn’t just revive the old monicker, but also brings quite a few new bits for the ever-growing small-capacity ADV market.
The Honda Sahara 300 is powered by a 293cc air-cooled engine that produces 25.2 bhp if running on ethanol and 24.8 bhp on petrol. Yup, the Sahara is E100 compatible. This engine is housed in a dual-cradle frame that’s suspended onto telescopic forks up front and a monoshock at the rear. Like one would expect from a bike like this, the Sahara runs on 21-inch and 18-inch wire-spoked rim setup. These are tubed ones, but with 245 mm of wheel travel at the front and 225 mm at the rear, coupled with a kerb weight of just 149 kg should make it an absolute hoot on the trails.
Aesthetically too it looks like it means business. The Sahara features long shrouds just like the other ADVs from Honda, along with bits like a high-mounted exhaust, crash guard and a luggage rack. On the features front, there isn’t much apart from dual-channel ABS and a type-C USB charger.
Honda currently has the CB200X as its entry-level ‘ADV’ offering in India, but the Sahara 300 could pose a big threat to the likes of the Hero XPulse and the Royal Enfield Himalayan if it was launched in India after heavy localisation. That said, the chances of that happening are very slim, so for now, if not the Himalayan, the upcoming KTM 390 Adventure should be worth the wait.
