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2013 GTS 300. See the pic.
Dislikes About Your 300
201 - 220 of 220 Posts
The stand: As you park, momentarily pull the bike to the left and weight will go into the stand and the bike will rise on its suspension. I do this as I swing my leg over and off - one motion having put the stand down while in the saddle.
Vibration: This is in fact a thumper, albeit a counter-balanced one that feels like it ought to be as turbine-like as a twin, but of course all the reciprocating mass is moving at the same time. My F has a sweet spot right about 70mph where the throttle is not cracked very far and all the harmonics merge to a smooth drone. I think it could go up a tooth on the front sprocket. No complaints here though.
Foot pegs: That wiggly rubber does not feel secure. I'll take any vibration that comes through when I replace them.
Aesthetics: Why buy a bike and complain how it looks? The short answer is that it looks nice enough but could be better. I chose the bike for it's overall package over the competition and not only because it looked good. As example - those fairing pieces that I do not think do much functionally but to my eye makes the bike look front-bulky and hides the attractive engine and frame.
Fender: I am doing an eliminator (Yoshi) and hope the resulting shorter projection and license plate will still interrupt filthy-wet stuff landing on the bike. Experience will determine. Stock, it appears to be very heavy and I have read it acts as a drag-chute.
Gas cap: I set mine right on top of the clutch cable behind (towards me) of the LCD display panel. I do not like the filler splattin back at me. I find myself just trickling the gas from the nozzle and taking my time.
Power and torque: Exceeds my expectations. This is a big 250 - only 36cc added. Compare to something like an air-cooled TU for example. If I had wanted something really potent, I would be way outside the budget price of my F. Nonetheless, I do find myself thinking how awesome if this engine had been, say, a 400 single.
The 12+ lb silencer. Yes - heavy and ugly. I have a Two Brothers Tarmac on and it not only looks cool, it allows me to more easily ride as I do - by sound. Probably too loud but very nice sounds, especially when rolling off the throttle.
Turn signals on stalks: Bike is begging for flush-mounted up front and integrated-sequential in back. With the bars, mirrors, and signals in front, I feel like I'm looking out over the head of a big bug. Maybe bar-end mirrors.
Finding neutral: Are we kidding? This is one of the best I have encountered for slipping out of either 1st or 2nd into neutral. I would guess it is technique if a CB seems reluctant because mine is great. If we know we are stopping in neutral, maybe find it out of 2nd while still rolling. Easing it in or out of gear as opposed to stomping it.
My wish list on instrumentation would be a temp gage and gear indicator - plus a way to calibrate the speedo for accuracy or for re-sprocketing. Spoil me Honda.
Vibration: This is in fact a thumper, albeit a counter-balanced one that feels like it ought to be as turbine-like as a twin, but of course all the reciprocating mass is moving at the same time. My F has a sweet spot right about 70mph where the throttle is not cracked very far and all the harmonics merge to a smooth drone. I think it could go up a tooth on the front sprocket. No complaints here though.
Foot pegs: That wiggly rubber does not feel secure. I'll take any vibration that comes through when I replace them.
Aesthetics: Why buy a bike and complain how it looks? The short answer is that it looks nice enough but could be better. I chose the bike for it's overall package over the competition and not only because it looked good. As example - those fairing pieces that I do not think do much functionally but to my eye makes the bike look front-bulky and hides the attractive engine and frame.
Fender: I am doing an eliminator (Yoshi) and hope the resulting shorter projection and license plate will still interrupt filthy-wet stuff landing on the bike. Experience will determine. Stock, it appears to be very heavy and I have read it acts as a drag-chute.
Gas cap: I set mine right on top of the clutch cable behind (towards me) of the LCD display panel. I do not like the filler splattin back at me. I find myself just trickling the gas from the nozzle and taking my time.
Power and torque: Exceeds my expectations. This is a big 250 - only 36cc added. Compare to something like an air-cooled TU for example. If I had wanted something really potent, I would be way outside the budget price of my F. Nonetheless, I do find myself thinking how awesome if this engine had been, say, a 400 single.
The 12+ lb silencer. Yes - heavy and ugly. I have a Two Brothers Tarmac on and it not only looks cool, it allows me to more easily ride as I do - by sound. Probably too loud but very nice sounds, especially when rolling off the throttle.
Turn signals on stalks: Bike is begging for flush-mounted up front and integrated-sequential in back. With the bars, mirrors, and signals in front, I feel like I'm looking out over the head of a big bug. Maybe bar-end mirrors.
Finding neutral: Are we kidding? This is one of the best I have encountered for slipping out of either 1st or 2nd into neutral. I would guess it is technique if a CB seems reluctant because mine is great. If we know we are stopping in neutral, maybe find it out of 2nd while still rolling. Easing it in or out of gear as opposed to stomping it.
My wish list on instrumentation would be a temp gage and gear indicator - plus a way to calibrate the speedo for accuracy or for re-sprocketing. Spoil me Honda.
I like the 300 F a lot. Issues have solved themselves as I put more miles on the bike (vibration is completely a non-issue now, but made my left hand and foot numb during 2+ hour rides at first). For the first 2,000 km's it was an issue, then it went away on it's own.
-Having a fuel gauge is nice, but it would be better if the HUD said how many kilometres I had left in a tank. I don't know what "2 Bars" means so I end up being paranoid and filling up more often than I probably need to; if I'm planning on leaving the city. I think a flashing "1 Bar" means a particular amount of distance left (as per the owner's manual) but I can't recall exactly how far. 25 kilometres or something I believe. It's better than having to go into the reserve tank but it could be more informative than what it is.
- The tiny tires can get stuck in ruts in the pavement. Not a huge deal but it's always a bit awkward to ride it out or actively try to navigate out of a rut with cars all around me.
- The kick stand leaves the bike sitting up too high. I've read stories of 300's being blown over by the wind.
- I feel that I'm on the upper end of how tall one should be to ride this bike (179 cm); I wouldn't mind a slightly beefier bike for aesthetic reasons.
- 300 F remains a great bike for the money but I'd like to have 20 or more additional horsepower so that puts the 500 class Honda's in my sights. I don't want a super sport but a little more head room and a bit more acceleration would be just what the doctor ordered. I'm seeing a couple 500 F's on the used market for a good price so I may pull the trigger next year.
-Having a fuel gauge is nice, but it would be better if the HUD said how many kilometres I had left in a tank. I don't know what "2 Bars" means so I end up being paranoid and filling up more often than I probably need to; if I'm planning on leaving the city. I think a flashing "1 Bar" means a particular amount of distance left (as per the owner's manual) but I can't recall exactly how far. 25 kilometres or something I believe. It's better than having to go into the reserve tank but it could be more informative than what it is.
- The tiny tires can get stuck in ruts in the pavement. Not a huge deal but it's always a bit awkward to ride it out or actively try to navigate out of a rut with cars all around me.
- The kick stand leaves the bike sitting up too high. I've read stories of 300's being blown over by the wind.
- I feel that I'm on the upper end of how tall one should be to ride this bike (179 cm); I wouldn't mind a slightly beefier bike for aesthetic reasons.
- 300 F remains a great bike for the money but I'd like to have 20 or more additional horsepower so that puts the 500 class Honda's in my sights. I don't want a super sport but a little more head room and a bit more acceleration would be just what the doctor ordered. I'm seeing a couple 500 F's on the used market for a good price so I may pull the trigger next year.
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Its more like 50km on the open road. For this reason I normally dont fill up until she starts flashing. Once you drop from 4 bars down to three then you've got half a tank left as you start off with six bars when full. It seems reasonably accurate.
Agreed. At it's brand new purchase price here in Canada ($6,500 + tax and fees) it's way too expensive IMO and the 300 F becomes a no-brainer. The 500 is apparently only a small step-up in power and weight from the 300 anyway.
On the used market the 500 F's are starting to show up with low miles for less than $5,000; people probably are upgrading quickly to something bigger which makes me wonder if a 500 would be worth getting. I think my ideal would be to keep the 300 and have a second bike that was a 650 or something a bit bigger. If I can swap my 300 for a 500 (and not have to throw in too much extra cash to make the trade) I might stick with the 500 for a long time as it probably has just enough of everything to keep me happy without being a heavy weight, guzzling fuel and costing a lot for insurance.
Good to know. I have a GPS phone mount but I often intentionally keep it at home so I can "get lost"; I like navigating when on the bike but I'd like to know realistically when I should be finding a gas station or whether I shouldn't go down a particular road if it's more distance to the next town than I have left in my tank.
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I have never completely trusted the fuel gauges on bikes and so one of the first things I do with a new bike is zero the trip every time I fill up and figure out what the typical range on a full tank is, then use that as my guide. Obviously, you have to zero the trip every time you fill up and assumes you have ridden the bike in your usual fashion. If your last tank full included an unusually long, mad blast or a track day, it won't help, but for most days, it works.
I tried to do this, but on one day I'd be in the city and the next I'd be going on a 300 KM cruise for a few hours so I didn't want to ride out of the city with a quarter of a tank not knowing when the next station would be. So after 4,500 KM's I never actually drained a tank (I'd fill up before the trip) to see how many KM's I got out of it.
There is a lot to like about these bikes...cost, adequate power for the highway, light, good mileage, looks good, easy to find a dealer for most, seems dependable, low seat ht. for us shorter riders, comfortable riding position. It's ideal for me because of these things.
I've had a ton of bikes and just to mention some things I never liked about them...race bikes...I tend to get into trouble speeding. (No I don't want to talk about that); 250 cc and below...not enough power for the highway, especially all the 150's and below I've had; water-cooled...air cooled doesn't work very well here in Texas in the summer; seat ht. and weight turn out to be critical issues for me. I've had bikes that were a bit too heavy and/or a bit too tall and that got old. Having a local dealer just provides a sense of security just in case something happens, even though the bike hasn't had issues other than the recall. I like the relative simplicity and easy maintenance too.
I've had a ton of bikes and just to mention some things I never liked about them...race bikes...I tend to get into trouble speeding. (No I don't want to talk about that); 250 cc and below...not enough power for the highway, especially all the 150's and below I've had; water-cooled...air cooled doesn't work very well here in Texas in the summer; seat ht. and weight turn out to be critical issues for me. I've had bikes that were a bit too heavy and/or a bit too tall and that got old. Having a local dealer just provides a sense of security just in case something happens, even though the bike hasn't had issues other than the recall. I like the relative simplicity and easy maintenance too.
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Not me! The smaller displacement bikes seem to get turned over fairly regularly.
I’ve been working with my 3D printer on making a bellow to fit into the fuel tank inlet to prevent the gas splashing when filling up. I’ll upload pics once I get it to work right…
I have a 150 Suzuki FXR too. I´m in love with the CBR300R. My only complaints are:
1) side stand _(yes like all ...)
2) Horn (repeating)
3) EXHAUST: the position / size is really bad. Not in stetics way, I´m talking about HEAT !. I got my Ankle burned twice with this f****in Muffler ! (one month suffering) . When you let your leg lean back in the street ... my ankle touch the muffler and got burn. It´s really hot and hace no protection ! I think is very very dangerous.
1) side stand _(yes like all ...)
2) Horn (repeating)
3) EXHAUST: the position / size is really bad. Not in stetics way, I´m talking about HEAT !. I got my Ankle burned twice with this f****in Muffler ! (one month suffering) . When you let your leg lean back in the street ... my ankle touch the muffler and got burn. It´s really hot and hace no protection ! I think is very very dangerous.
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any other replies of people who sold the 300 to move up in displacement? i am a experienced rider and am looking at the 300 because it hits all my needs. dont need to go much faster that 70 mph.
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I gor a CBR300R then the CB300R because at 83 I'm moving down.
Now, I normally don't feel comfortable starting negative topics, but when I think about it, this can be more positive than anything else.
I think we can agree that our 300 is a superb bike overall, especially if one can appreciate it for what it is. It has tons more to like about it than to dislike.
Just to share our views and opinions as to what we can find to nitpick about, what do you not like about your 300R/F?
Few things that I can think of:
1) When I fuel up the bike to full, it shows a max of 6 bars. The 6th bar comes & goes off / on... And then disappears very quickly after a few miles of riding... So I'm left with 5 bars most of the time. I suppose the bike doesn't fuel up to the absolute max because it's tilted on the stand while at the fuel up. Also, the decrease and increase of a bar happens frequently as I progress with riding throughout the tank's fuel range.
I had no idea that there were 6 bars on that fuel gauge. I’ve always used the trip odometer as my fuel gauge. It would be nice if fuel injected bikes had some sort of “reserve fuel valve” like the old carbonated bikes. That was ALWAYS my indicator for the “where’s the next gas station?” moment.
2) The exhaust canister is prone to attracting stains from the rubber soles on my shoes... Especially since the canister is large in size, and gets so hot and attracts to melting the rubber with even the slightest touch or rub from the sole.
My bike has over 10,000 miles and it has earned more than its fare share of stains and road nicks. To me, these are like valor medals and scars of battle... I wear them with pride for the road miles left behind!
3) The bike's motor takes a very long time to warm up, especially when it's below 30 - 40 degrees outside (less than comfortable, I know
I live in the Appalachian mountains and also ride year-round. The dry winter days are my favorite time to ride. Leaving the garage in sub 30 degree weather is just the precursor to an afternoon ride in the 50’s. Heated grips, heated vest and Hippo hand covers help greatly toward enjoying the ride.
As long as you use 5w-30 oil, you need not to worry about warming up your engine. The computer takes care of managing your combustion for you, unlike the old time carburated bikes. If it starts, you can ride away!
Just nitpicking... Some of these are just the nature of how motorcycles are, so probably no biggie. If I think of anything else, I'll be sure to post it up here.
* FYI, I have about 1,500 miles at the time of forming this thread.
Having to take the fairing off to do an oil filter change, plain old SUCKS!
Not having a dedicated spot to place the fuel cap while fueling the bike, SUCKS!!
Not having enough meat on my ass cheeks to to keep my sit bones from aching after a few hours on that saddle, really SUCKS!!!
And FINALLY, the forward leaning angle of that saddle, which somehow means that I end up sitting on my jewels during those aggressive downhill braking-into-the-turn moments, really really SUCKS!!!
EVERYTHING else is just PERFECT on these bikes 🤣😂😇😎
Not having a dedicated spot to place the fuel cap while fueling the bike, SUCKS!!
Not having enough meat on my ass cheeks to to keep my sit bones from aching after a few hours on that saddle, really SUCKS!!!
And FINALLY, the forward leaning angle of that saddle, which somehow means that I end up sitting on my jewels during those aggressive downhill braking-into-the-turn moments, really really SUCKS!!!
EVERYTHING else is just PERFECT on these bikes 🤣😂😇😎
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