ATTN HIPSTERS: Honda CL300 on the Way

Will Honda’s CL250 be the inspiration for the new CL300 that the company has filed patents and naming rights for?

Back in May, we revealed Honda’s plan to launch a new CL500 scrambler based on the engine and chassis structure of the Rebel 500, and now new evidence has emerged to prove both its existence and that a smaller CL300 will be offered alongside it.

The CL500 has been rumored in Japan for some time, but it was only earlier this year that Honda essentially confirmed it by filing for new rights over the “CL500″ trademark. That filing matched up with patents filed back in 2019, that showed how the Rebel 500′s frame and engine could be adapted for an scrambler-style machine, specifically requiring some innovative engineering around the repositioned footpeg brackets and the rear brake master cylinder to suit the scrambler look.

The same Japanese rumors of the CL500 also suggest that a smaller CL250 is on the way, essentially performing the same trick on the single-cylinder Rebel 250—an Asian-market model that’s sold with a larger engine as the Rebel 300 in the US. At the time of our last story, there was no hard evidence to support these rumors. Now the evidence has emerged, and it’s good news for Western markets, as Honda’s plans are to build a CL300 based on the Rebel 300, likely meaning it’s intended for the West rather than just Asia (where a 250cc version will no doubt be offered to suit local motorcycle licence rules).

Recent patent drawings for the CL500 are likely to be very similar to the layout for the CL300.

The smoking-gun proof of the CL300′s existence comes once again in the form of a trademark application, filed by Honda in Thailand for rights to the “CL300″ name. Why Thailand? Probably because that’s where the Rebel 300 and Rebel 500 are manufactured. At the same time as the Thai trademark application for the “CL300″ name, Honda also applied for “CL500″ naming rights in several countries including Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand, suggesting that both machines will be launched simultaneously later this year.

We can be pretty confident that the CL300 will use the same 286cc liquid-cooled single that powers the Rebel 300, and it’s likely to share essentially the same chassis, albeit with a taller seat and subframe to suit its retro scrambler styling. Like the Rebel, it’s expected to have a twin-shock layout and simple, conventional right-way-up fork. In terms of styling, expect something pretty traditional—the inspiration is the 1960s CL250—but not an out-and-out retro throwback. For starters, the water-cooled single doesn’t look anything like the air-cooled SOHC twin of the old CL250, and Honda is likely to use the Rebel’s alloy wheels instead of wire-spoke wheels that would probably add to the bike’s price.

Both the CL500 and CL300 look likely to get launched later this year as 2023 models, part of a thrust from Honda to revisit past successes, since the firm is also due to bring back the Hornet name on a new 750 twin-cylinder streetbike, and expected to follow that with a reborn Transalp before reviving the NX (Dominator) name on an upcoming CB500X-based NX500.

Stay tuned here, we'll let you know when/if the CL300 is announced by Honda officially. In the meantime, browse our new Honda inventory.