Honda will likely launch the Rebel 300 cruiser first and later could possibly introduce the bigger 500 variant in India as well
Honda two-wheelers will be launching the Rebel 300 in India in the year 2020. This will be Honda’s first big move to enter the growing cruiser segment of the country. What fuelled the Rebel launch speculation was a report which stated that Honda will be making a mid-sized global motorcycle in India in the near future.
The motorcycle will be built locally and will be priced aggressively. If Honda sticks to their plan and launches the Rebel cruiser here then it will rival the likes of Royal Enfield and the recently introduced UM Renegade. The Honda Rebel was designed and built keeping the US market in mind where it targeted mainly the new riders.
The Rebel is a typical cruiser which is available with two different engine options. There is a smaller 300 cc unit which is powered by a 286 cc, liquid-cooled, single cylinder engine capable of producing about 27.3 PS of peak power and 27 Nm of torque. The engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox.
Honda will most probably introduce the 300 cc motorcycle in India first which will then later be followed by the more powerful Rebel 500. The Rebel 500, on the other hand, gets a 471cc parallel-twin four-stroke engine which generates about 45.9 Bhp of peak power and an equally impressive torque amount.
Like the 300 this too is paired to a 6-speed gearbox. Both the motorcycle uses 296mm front disc with twin callipers and 240mm rear disc with single calliper setup. Honda also offers an optional dual-channel ABS with the Cruiser.
As far as the styling is concerned the Rebel Cruiser looks clean and has minimalistic and retro kind of a styling approach to it. Honda even gives the owners an opportunity to customize the motorcycle according to their own need.
The updated models get plenty of colour options while the overall blacked out theme adds a bold statement to the motorcycle. The best part of the Rebel Cruiser is definitely its lower seat height which will allow almost all kind of riders enjoy riding this motorcycle. The wide handlebars, low slung seats definitely will help to manoeuvre the motorcycle on busy roads.
The Honda Rebel 300, when launched, will take on the Royal Enfield Classic and Thunderbird 350 and the recently introduced UM Renegade Cruisers. As far as the prices are concerned Honda will most probably price the Rebel 300 in the same range as that of the RE and the recently introduced UM Renegade Cruisers.