Moto Strada, the official Philippine distributor of CF Moto motorcycles in the country has taken the covers off the new 300SR – the newest sportbike from the Hangzhou, China-based motorcycle manufacturer.
The new 300SR is powered by a single cylinder, water cooled 292cc DOHC engine that is claimed to produce almost 30 Ps of power at 8750 rpm, and 25 Nm of torque at 7250 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.
The SR – which stands for “Sport Racing” – is claimed by CF Moto to be one of the company’s “high-value products”, and will be offering riders a “unique and sophisticated design, combined with excellent handling and agility”.
The new 300SR engine also boasts of a fuel management system by Bosch, a dual-coated piston that improves efficiency by minimizing friction loss and a built-in balancer shaft to reduce vibration. Stopping power is provided by a single 292mm disc for the front, with a single piston floating caliper, while the rear has a 220mm disc (also with a single piston caliper), both equipped with Anti-lock Breaking System or ABS.
These are complemented by the 300SR's sporty lines, CNC fuel cap, all-LED lighting and a fully-digital TFT panel screen.
Perhaps the biggest question would be the 300SR’s suggested retail price. According to Joanne Lu, marketing head for Moto Strada, the 300SR’s SRP is PhP165,000 only. Now, this is very attractive compared to Yamaha R3’s PhP259,000 and Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 of PhP280,000 (when available). Take note, however, that the R3 and the Ninja 300 are both powered by twin-cylinder engines. Still, CFMoto's 300SR hopes to make a compelling proposition.
The new CF Moto 300SR’s price could be considered a steal if we include Honda’s CBR 150R and Yamaha’s R15 – both of which are only 150cc bikes – on the equation. The CBR 150R, has an SRP of PhP152,900 (our review here), with the MotoGP-inspired, ABS-equipped Repsol variant costing a whopping PhP165,000 for a 150cc motorcycle. On the other hand, Yamaha’s R15 would set buyers back PhP164,000 and it is not yet ABS-equipped.
