Honda has rolled in a brand new nep-retro cruiser in India to rival the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and here we will tell you everything you need to know about the H’ness CB350.
Honda launched the brand-new H’ness CB350 in India a couple of days ago and it has already impressed all motorcycle enthusiasts with its stunning looks. Meant to rival the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350, Jawa and Benelli, Imperiale 400, the Honda CB350 is certainly the most good looking of the lot. With this new CB350, Honda will be looking to create a strong base in the lucrative mid-capacity retro segment in India. Let’s find out in detail what the Honda H’ness CB350 is all about. But first, a little bit of history lesson.
The Honda H’ness CB350 revives Honda’s iconic CB design language and there are clearly design influences from the Honda Cb350 from the 1970s and the stunning CB1100 EX. The silhouette of the motorcycle is almost identical even 40 years later but obviously there are updates to keep the keep the design modern and give the H’ness CB350 its own unique identity. The full circular LED headlight and tail light along with multi-spoke alloy wheels, a semi-digital instrument cluster and modern electronics add to the ‘neo’ element on this neo-retro motorcycle.
What’s powering the new CB350 is also particularly interesting. This new Honda is powered by a brand new 348.36cc counter-balanced single-cylinder air-cooled long-stroke engine that develops 21PS at 5500rpm and 30Nm at 3000rpm. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed transmission with a slip and assist clutch. The highlight of this engine is its 30Nm of peak torque, making it the torquiest motorcycle in its class. In comparison to the Classic 350 which is also powered by a 346cc single-cylinder long-stroke engine, the Honda produces 1.64PS and 2Nm more.
It’s however worth pointing out that this engine isn’t the most powerful in its class, as that tag is taken by the Jawa and by quite a margin at 27PS. Honda has also equipped the CB350 with Honda Selectable Torque Control, or in easier words, traction control. Now that’s a segment first feature and also the most affordable motorcycle in the country to comer with one. Apart from that, it also gets a start/stop switch, a side-stand cut-off switch and hazard lamps.
It however does make up for that by being significantly modern under the skin than any of its counterparts. There are a few segment first features, like the semi-digital info cluster with a tiny digital inset. Although the screen is really small, it packs in a ton of information like battery health monitor, two trip meters, an odometer, a fuel gauge, a clock, average/real-time fuel efficiency, distance to empty and thankfully, a gear position indicator.
The top-spec DLX pro variant even comes with smartphone connectivity via Bluetooth which further allows turn-by-turn navigation, call/music controls, and weather updates which could be relayed to the rider via Honda’s Smartphone Voice Control system. You even get a USB charging port on the instrument console and navigation keys on the switchgear.
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As for its underpinnings, the H’ness CB350 is based on a half-duplex cradle frame and is suspended by telescopic forks at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. For braking, the motorcycle gets a 310mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear with dual-channel ABS as standard. The motorcycle rides on 100/90-19 section tyre at the front and a 130/70-18 section tyre at the rear. The fuel tank capacity stands at 15 liters and curb weight of the motorcycle is 181kg, 14 kg lighter than the Classic 350.
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The Honda H’Ness CB350 will be available in two trims – DLX and DLX Pro. The base DLX variant misses out on features such as Bluetooth connectivity, dual-tone finish and double horn unit. Bookings have already commenced for a token amount of Rs 5,000. Although Honda hasn’t revealed the exact price, they have hinted the starting price will be around Rs 1.9 lakh and it will be announced in the coming weeks. It will be slightly more expensive than the RE Classic 350 but we believe it will be well worth it.
