Louis's 2015 Honda CB300F thread
 

As stated in another post, I have traded the 2014 "Will" 200cc Dual Sport in and purchased a brand new 2015 Honda CB300F.

Here is my initial thoughts after a few rides around town:
If one is looking for a motorcycle that floats down the road like a Goldwing, the CB300F is not for you.
If one is looking for a motorcycle that goes from 0 to 60 MPH in sub 6 seconds, the CB300F is not for you.
If one is looking for a motorcycle that goes 100+ MPH, the CB300F is not for you.
However, if you are looking for a bike that is extremely nimble, lightweight, very low center of gravity, handles like it is on rails, and can blast you from
0 to a speeding ticket in town in 2.7 seconds (don't ask) then this IS an awesome choice! It is illegal here to split lanes, however I could not imagine a cycle with any better precision and slim width to do this with than a CB300F. To me, it just handles better in the city or through heavy traffic than the Ninja 300 I rode for 30 min. around town. And has very noticeable more low end ( 2000-6000RPM) grunt than a Ninja 300. Now, if you are a Ninja lover, please understand, I am not a Ninja hater!!! I love them too! It is apples to apples. You simply CAN'T go wrong with the Yamaha R3, the Honda CB300F / CBR300R, or the Ninja 300. ALL are great bikes! But they each have their own uniqueness about them. All out flat out 0 to anything power goes to the YamahaR3, screaming high speed / high RPM blasting through fast hard corners or cruising long distance at 80+ MPH goes to theNinja, and most comfortable most nimble in town easiest to handle, can and does go 80+ with the greatest of ease, with lightest weight, lowest center of gravity, Honda CB300F/CBR300R. And this statement is made with many professional's backing up my own opinion. Just watch the You Tube reviews. Don't put much faith in ones from individuals like myself. Watch the ones made by the true professional Motorcycle reviewers. ( I love the guys at Motorcycle.com. They seem unbiased and honest, albet, they favor the 600+ cc "big bikes" )

Will update as updates worthy to report come along. ;)

Thanks for posting the thread on your new Honda CB300F. If I hadn't purchased my Zongshen RX3, I would seriously consider buying this motorcycle. :) I have been watching these Honda bikes for a while; I started a thread on the CB300R/CB300F almost a year ago. ;)

http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=13845

When you have time, please post photos of your bike in it's native habitat. We love photos. :)

You're such a humble guy, Louis. I'd sooner listen to your review than a "professional."

Thanks for an awesome write-up. X2 on pics. I'm also in love with that bike.

:-D Thanks guys.
As to the "photos of your bike in it's native habitat", well today
(and the entire weekend if the meteorologist is correct) is a raining washout, so it's native habitat at the moment is cuddling up to my
wife's Genuine Roughhouse50 :lmao:

I did manage to squeeze in a 1 hour ride down to the KY Lake and back yesterday evening, getting back home just before sundown.

.

At least it'll stay warm and dry. Perhaps you should get it a blanket, just to be sure. :D That's a beautiful bike.

What is a Genuine Roughhouse 50? Is that a China scoot?

The bike looks good in the garage, also. ;) Thanks for posting the photos. :)

Thanks to you both. And no, the Genuine Scooter Co. is the same as Vespa. Or let me rephrase that, same owners. clicky thingy ----> http://www.genuinescooters.com/ However, the Genuine is mfg. in Taiwan. I would rate the quality of build 100% equal to Yamaha and Honda. VERY reliable. The thing is built like a tank everywhere that it counts. Probably
the most well known of the Genuine scooters is the "Stella". and a close tie 2nd would be the "Buddy". You see Buddy's everywhere at scooter rental places, again, because of the price, several hundreds less than Yamaha & Honda, and the before mentioned superb reliability and build quality.
There is a large aftermarket support for these as well. I already have a 72cc overbore kit, high performance CVT clutch parts, and a aftermarket exhaust pipe (Called a "Stage 2 Kit" for this scoot sitting in my garage. Purchased here ---> http://www.scooterworks.com/performa...8#.VWkiLO9FDIU
Just lack the time to install it.
Yeah. $350 (after shipping) is a bit rough on the pocketbook. But it makes these things a rip-snarling blast to fly around town in. Were talking EASYYYYYY 55+ mph! On 10" Rims! 0_0 :-D
Also have a beautiful big windscreen as well, again, no time to install.
Between work, work after work, and housework, well, , , , , , , , , , , you get the picture. :lol:

SOMEDAY!!!!!! Someday I will get around to actually doing my own things! Till then, , , , , I just ride what I don't have to work on. :-D

As a side note, I ordered some dress up goodies for the CB300F. Carbon fiber LOOKING tank guard thingy, and a carbon fiber Looking chain guard, as well as a rear O.E.M. Honda storage bag that goes where the passenger seat is. Got to have some way to haul my breakfast sandwich and 20oz MtnDew from the gas station to work. :-D Those will go on in a matter of minutes, so pics will come when they come in. :)

The Stella is a beautiful scooter. I can certainly see the Vespa inspiration.

Honda 'Clause
 

Honda Clause came to see me today! :-D
Installed the tail bag, tank guard, and MUCH better looking carbon fiber
looking rear chain guard / splash guard this afternoon. :clap:

Just a few more pictures
 

In the pic of the bag open is a XL Bulky sweatshirt and a 20oz "Infuse" (Generic Gatorade) bottle. As you can see, still lots of room to spare. last pic is overall with the 3 items installed.
I have on order a short smoke tinted windscreen from, , , , , , , , , I forgot the brand! LOL ( something from Amazon). Also, someone on this forum put me onto a company named Dennis Kirk. Man that place is awesome!!! I ordered a rear fender eliminator kit from them ------> https://www.denniskirk.com/yoshimura...rd/4901312.sku
and a K&N air filter kit. Other than a gel pad seat cushion, this will be the end of my mods for a while. Going to put better tires on it somewhere around the 4000 mile mark, but not sure exactly what brand at the moment. Plenty of time to research that between now and 4000 miles. :-D

Those are nice items, and they look good on your CB300F. :tup:

thanks!

For Spud, that would at least a whole week.

One of the first things I noticed about that bike was the chain guard; it seemed to not "fit" the bike to me. The carbon fiber look suits it well.

Looking forward to more pics when you get your new windscreen and fender eliminator.

Wow that is a nice bike! I wonder how this compares to a two cylinder? It is very clear that they can get an excellent engine with one cylinder, but why are so many using two even at 250 cc?

It appears you would buy it again, but I had to ask?

the 2 cylinder engines have better high rpm top end power.
The singles have much better low end torque. Now, stop and think for a moment. For a commuter bike riding through town, where are your RPM's going to be most of the time? ----> Down low! lol
The Ninja300 has a better engine if freeway blasting or high speed canyon carving is where you will spend most of your time. I use mine like one would a car. To work & back and cruising many the gorgeous back roads here in the Kentucky lake region. So the sub 10,000 RPM powerband is just fine and dandy with me.
Also, and this is nothing but my own personal opinion, but I have a feeling that if one was to buy, say, a Ninja300 (For example) and have to constantly run it at well over 9000RPM's just to keep up with traffic or have any real power, I just have my doubts as to how long the little motors will hold up.

Now, you asked, if I understood you right, that if given the opportunity to do so, I would buy this bike again. The answer to that is a resounding NO.
No, I would not. The reason has nothing to do with any flaw of the bike itself. You see, in August of 2010 I suffered from a very severe DVT (blood clot) in the left leg. The internal damage was so severe it has left me with Post Thrombotic Syndrome. PTS makes ones life a living hell at times. Leg cramps, hard burning stabbing pain on the inside of the left thigh, and a weakened leg muscle is my new normal.
The doc prescribed compression stockings, and I have many. Do I wear them? No! LOL I HATE wearing them! Hot, itchy, and always sliding down to my knee. I do wear compression socks a lot. They suck too! Just not as bad. ANYWHOOOOOOOO,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I have learned after my 106 mile ride yesterday that the CB300F (or ANY bike with the sport bike riding position for that matter) puts me in severe pain after about 30 min. Witch SUCKS, because I am wanting to ride across the state and ride the "Dragons Tail" among other places. No, the little CB will not be with me much longer I fear. Almost want to cry over it. :lmao:
It does do a SUPERB job of getting me to work & back. That is only a 15 min. long ride each way, so no issues there.
Now, want to know something seriously sad, my old "WILL 200 Dual Sport" that I traded in on this new Honda I could, and did!, take on a 2+ hour ride, with NO leg pan at all.
Damn my luck. :ohno:

I am going to try something before I depart with this bike. IF, IF it works, I will post it here. If not, I will say nothing more about it. Simply because it is a wild silly concept I have and must try, but will require building myself. I am going to take my rear passenger pegs off, just the pegs, and fabricate a bracket to mount them up in front of the engine. I have spent over an hour with a tape measure, pen and paper, and head scratching :hmm: and am making a place to mount the pegs out in front of the crankcase at the main frame. Thereby giving my legs a set of pegs to stretch out cruiser style and rest on for longer straight line trips. The pegs will fold back when not in use, and everything will be black and almost hidden when not in use. After a bit of internet searching, to my knowledge, I can not find anywhere where anyone has done this before. Cruiser style pegs setup on a sport bike. May be a dumb idea! MIGHT work like a charm! --- shrugs --- Never the less, time will tell. :-D

Good luck, Louis. We await your updates. :)

Sorry to hear about DVT-related issues. That's gotta suck.

I understand your need to mod your bike to suit your needs. I hope it works out for you.

Used Honda Rebel test ride
 

WOW, we have such a great Honda dealership here!

OK, so after work today -- I work 9 to 3 Mon - Fri. -- I rode over to the dealership. I explained how the CB was making my leg hurt so bad. Was not looking for sympathy, just telling them how it was for me.
Both Bruce and Linda (the owners / sales team) were very kind and gave me an old 1999 Honda 'Reb to ride for 2 or 3 days. I was at first VERY hesitant because the 'Reb looks so tiny! And I hear on you tube about how grossly underpowered and lethargic and slow these bikes are.
I owned one back eons ago, but back then I just rode back roads, no insurance, no license even! I grew up in a rural farm community. Times were very different back then!!! Back in 1990, my 85 Reb seemed like a big bike. Not anymore! LMAO!
I figured "what the heck!", they said with all seriousness that I was in no way obligated to take this or a new one. The entire reason I am riding this one is to see if I wanted to buy a NEW one.
This '99 model has saddle bags and a chrome engine guard, and has almost 7000 miles on it.
On to my own personal "review":
First things first, I can not fathom why on earth people talk shit about the little Reb. Sure, you are not going to win any stoplight drag races with anything faster than your basic economy car, BUT, tis is in all reality, an economy bike! My own 0-60 time after 4 runs was about 12 seconds each time. 0 to 45 seemed very peppy! It was the 45 to 60 part where it started to slow the increase of speed. So in town, it was perfectly suited.
Remembering the WILL200 fell on it's face at anything above 50 GPS MPH, I took off down the 4 lane to the Kentucky Lake / LBL area. The posted speed limit is 65MPH on this road, with several 3% to 4% hills that are in the 1/4 to 1/2 mile long from bottom to top. So I got it up to 75 MPH with the greatest of ease (expecting to be doing about 60 MPH at the top of the hill).
Nope! 75 at the bottom, 75 at the top! 0_0
Make no mistake, the CB300 could have done it at 90 MPH.
Still, "Rebels are slow. Rebels are Slow. REBELS ARE SLOWWWW!!!" kept echoing through my mind. Oh, really? 75 MPH up a 4% hill is NOT SLOW in my book!!!! ;)
So after a continuous multi road test ride over the course of nearly 2 hours and almost 80 miles, it brought up the BIG issue with me. Comfort!!!
The bike, for the lack of a better example, rides like a Mercedes. I have a 2004 S class, so trust me, I have a long term sound knowledge base to compare this to!!!!
The seat COULD use just a wee bit more padding. Initially as soon as my but hit the seat it was like "Oh yeah!!!" Nearly 2 hors later the thick padding had flattened out a bit and was just at the beginning of feeling more hard than plush.
Now, keep in mind, this is on a 16 year old, 7000 mile used bike.
I would dare to speculate that the seat has lost at least some of its original firmness since 1999. The still new but never sold 2014 model in the showroom did feel just a tiny bit firmer when I plopped down on it before taking the used one out the door.

Having said all that, I know Yamaha makes the V-star 250.
And it sounds like a 600. Somehow, some way, it just does. The V-Star just flat out sounds great! But there is no Yamaha dealer here anymore. Closest one is over an hour away.
And I have heard from many folks that if oyu walk in with cash, they are fine. But try to trade anything at all in, even a Yama bought from them, and they just have no desire to deal with you at all. And it is not just one or 2 that have told me that. I have heard it MANY times over the years.

SO, my Cb sits in the shop getting a 300 mile checkup & oil change,
and the used Reb is in my garage.
In 2 days I will know the outcome of if I trade or not.
Oddly, the new Reb is $4300.00, where as my new CB300F, a much newer design high tec EFI 6-speed transmission, digital dash bike was only $3999. And they have been building the Reb, virtually unchanged, since 1985!!!! And the NEW Reb still uses a Carburetor!!!!! :hmm:

Now, I will not go into detail about my personal feelings of "Carb Vs. EFI"
I will just answer with: I prefer carb(s).
Maybe because you don't have to be a ITT Tec grad with a fancy computer to work on them! LOL Or have a bike shut down on mile 233 of a 350 mile ride and leave you stranded because ONE of the 9 sensors went "What?" HAHAHAHA!!!!

And oh lord don't get me started on the new EPA Tier4 diesel engine troubles!!!!

Andywhoooooooooo, back to my story,
,
,
,
,
,
,
ummmmmmm, "that is all I have to say about that" --- Gump

Oh, and one VERY important thing I left off! Like, the entire reason for even test riding this bike!!! hahaha!
My leg pain problems!
After 2 hours, NO ISSUES! Just like when I rode the Will200.
:-D

And thank you Weld & Spud. You guys are great!

I like carbs too. FI is really cool, and I'm not opposed to it, but I like carbs.

It seems that the Rebel is worth the price. The first thing I was going to ask was about your leg pain. I'm glad to hear the bike is comfortable for you.

Got pics?

Sounds like the reb is right. For the life of me I can not understand why the manufacturers for the most part have gone backwards with bike design. Most have super low seats and cramped riding positions compared to the old school bikes. This site does not have all the bikes but does have enough to be worth while checking out. You can see the difference in different bike seating.
http://cycle-ergo.com/

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed riding the Rebel. I am even more pleased to know you rode it for two hours without any leg pain. :tup:

Yesterdays Rebel pic
 

the Rebel I was test driving yesterday

What I TRADED for Today!
 

And today, I went to a different dealership (Kawasaki dealer) in Murray KY because they advertised a used V-Star and went to check it out.
Got there and it was a 650! Not a 250! LOL
Never the less, they let me take it for a test ride, and that is all it took!!!!
Yamaha V-Star Silverado "Fully Dressed" , used, with brand new tires and complete top to bottom service and anything that looked like it might be worn was replaced. These are shaft drive so no chain or belt to worry with. I think the seat had been reupholstered at some point. It looks to be just a tiny wee bit blacker than the rear seat. But only marginally. There is one scratch anout 2" long on the rear fender, no rust, did not break though the paint, but def. got through the clear coat. The right exhaust pipe at the head has a "print" on it like someone had places a boot on the hot exhaust. And as far as I can tell, that is the only flaws. Windscreen is brand new. Tires are brand new. They even gave me a full to the cap tank of NON Ethanol gas! :-D
So far have only rode for just over an hour, but it is Goooooooooood!!!!! :-D

Congrats on the new bike.



/

Awesome! So glad you found that bike; I'm sure you'll enjoy it more over the long term than the Rebel.

I had the same thing happen to the right muffler on my old XS650S, and the only way to remove it was to ride the bike and heat up the pipe. Once it was hot, a few careful and quick wipes with a rag, and it was gone.

Congratulations! I'm sure you will enjoy your new ride. :tup: