The newest Honda H’ness CB350 will soon see a new rival in the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 tomorrow. Here we have compared the dimensions, specifications, and features of the two newest retro roadsters/cruisers in town.
Honda dropped a brand new motorcycle last month in the H’ness CB350 and it has already been received very positively. This neo-retro roadster brings a touch of modernity to the segment of old-school roadsters in our country. That includes the likes of the Royal Enfield Classic 350, the Jawa Classic and the Benelli Imperiale 400. There’s however another new Royal Enfield launching tomorrow and that truly will be the CB350’s main rival. The RE Meteor 350 is no secret and even before its launch, most details have been leaked on the internet. So here we are going to comparing the Honda H’ness CB350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350.
Honda H’ness CB350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Dimensions
| Motorcycle | Honda H’ness CB 350 | Royal Enfield Meteor 350 |
| Length | 2163 mm | 2140 mm |
| Width | 800 mm | NA |
| Seat Height | 800 mm | 780 mm |
| Wheelbase | 1441 mm | 1400 mm |
| Ground Clearance | 166 mm | 170 mm |
| Weight | 181 kg | NA |
The Honda H’ness is a retro roadster and so it measures longer than the RE Meteor 350 along with a longer wheelbase. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 on the other hand is a cruiser and thus has a more accessible seat height of 780mm. That does not however mean that the Honda’s 800mm seat height is particularly high. The Meteor 350 also has a tad bit higher ground clearance than the Honda. While the H’ness CB350 tips the scale at 181kg (kerb), we are still yet to find out the weight of the new Meteor 350.
Honda H’ness CB350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Engine Specifications
| Specifications | Honda H’ness CB350 | Royal Enfield Meteor 350 |
| Engine | 348.36 cc, single-cylinder, air cooled, fuel-injected motor | 349 cc, single-cylinder, air-oil cooled, fuel-injected motor |
| Power | 20.8bhp | 20.2bhp |
| Torque | 30Nm | 27Nm |
| Transmission | 5-speed | 6-speed |
Looking at the technical details, both the motorcycles are powered by engines of relatively the same configuration. Both engines are almost of identical displacement single-cylinder units with air cooling and fuel injection. The Honda engine however has the upper hand in terms of numbers. While its marginally more powerful than the Meteor 350, it has 3m of additional torque and that can make noticeable difference in acceleration. While the Honda CB350 gets a 5-speed gearbox, the Meteor 350 gets an additional 6th gear and that could make it a great highway cruiser. Royal Enfield is however yet to confirm the exact gearbox specification.
Also Read : The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is however expected to have the price advantage over the Honda.
Honda H’ness CB350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Features
Both the motorcycles are quite evenly matched in this regard. The Honda H’ness CB350 is available in two variants – DLX and DLX Pro. The DLX Pro variant gets features such as all-LED lighting, dual-tone paint job, alloy wheels, a semi-digital instrument cluster, smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, and a slipper clutch.
The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 meanwhile will be available in three variants – Fireball, Stellar and Supernova. Just like the Honda, the top-spec Supernova variant of the Meteor 350 will also come equipped a dual-tone paint scheme, a windscreen, a digi-analogue instrument cluster, Bluetooth connectivity, tripper navigation, alloy wheels and a round LED DRL integrated in the headlamp. It however misses out on all-LED lighting and a slipper clutch that the Honda gets.
Also Read : TVS Apache RTR 200 4V Now Gets Riding Modes and Adjustable Suspenion!
Honda H’ness CB350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350 – Pricing
The Honda H’ness CB 350 is available in two variants -DLX and DLX Pro – which are priced at Rs 1.85 lakh and Rs 1.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively. Meanwhile, prices for the Meteor 350 are expected to start from about Rs 1.60 lakh mark and go up to Rs 1.80 lakh. The Meteor 350 thus clearly might have the price advantage. Moreover, the Honda CB350 is being sold through Honda’s BigWing premium dealerships and thus availability is currently only limited to Tier I and Tier II cities. Royal Enfield on the other hand will be widely accessible throughout the country. While competition is neck and neck, the real comparison will be when we get the ride the motorcycles side by side. Stay tuned.
