The market is so saturated with vintage and classically-styled motorcycles that it’s almost getting, well, old. There’s no denying the Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer or the Kawasaki Z900RS are pretty bikes, but the design that’s defining the current era of motorcycles doesn’t even belong to this decade. Honda seems to be the only brand bucking the trend and the company is doubling down with the 2019 CB300R.

Originally unveiled at EICMA late last year, the CB300R is billed by Honda as a “Neo-Sports Café,” but that’s just a fancy name for the bike into which the original cafe racer evolved. All the trappings of a great, small-engine city bike are there; the CB300R tips the scales at 317 lbs, has a low 31-inch seat height and a 286cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that is sure to return ridiculous mpg.

Don’t expect much in the way of groundbreaking tech, however. The CB300R, like its bigger sibling the CB1000R, is a pretty pared down ride. You’ll get an LCD gauges and full LED lighting… and that’s about it. But the ABS model will only run you back $4,949 (the non-ABS costs $4,649). In a world where old is the new ‘new,’ it’s good to see Honda committing to styling that is new and selling it for a bargain.

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