[raghu.bramha]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

For now, I will hold my INR 3L for the upcoming CB500EX/CB500RS twin with CB1100esq styling, 40PS, 40NM that will take on the INT650 head on. (wishful thinking of course! )

This is what i am awaiting too. The CB1100x is a thing of beauty, i was hoping for Honda to bring a 600-700cc variant of that gorgeous beauty to Indian market and price it bit closer to Royal Enfield 650 twins. Although, it is difficult for any other manufacturer to price their product like Royal Enfield does, but at least pricing should be competitive.

Honda CB350 looks alright, although you can easily make out the Thailand design influence. Might not impress the enthusiasts but sure they will sell a lot of these for sure. All the best Honda!

[texmonster]

Is this engine entirely new from ground-up? Or based on some Honda engine sold elsewhere?

Regarding this being a competitor to Classic 350- I doubt it will sell in huge numbers like Classic. With sales and service through BigWing only, even Honda is accepting this fact.

I think CB350 would sell around 5K copies a month and would happily coexist with Classic, giving a choice and variety to us customers. An established player with (what it seems on paper) a competent product would only urge Royal Enfield to improve their offerings too. Meteor pricing will give us a hint how much RE thinks CB350 as a threat.

On other note- it's surprising that the BigWing website's CB350 test ride request page lists Erode and Tirunelveli besides Coimbatore as BigWing dealership locations in Tamilnadu! I have requested a test ride at Erode, let's see how it goes.

EDIT: Forgot to add that CB350 high quality brochure (9MB) is available at BigWing website and downloading without errors since this morning!

[hellraizer]

Originally Posted by Beast_of_Burden

There is no inspiration from any past Honda CB, this is a straight up copy of the classic 350 right down to wheel sizes and bore x stroke, including the thump. Imagine the uproar if an Indian company had copied to this degree. Honda would have sued. See the Thar thread. Honda is not trolling RE, it is trolling the Indian public. This is not a CB, that's why the CB350 in small print. H'ness what a stupid name. Was expecting more than a copycat product from Honda. I will lump Honda alongside the Chinese brands from here on.

This is such an overreaction. Honda on its own has such a rich biking legacy and their product range in the 2W market across the globe is second to none. To dismiss this bike as a mere copy of the Classic 350 is gross injustice to Honda and it’s designers. In no way does this bike resemble a classic 350. Just because it has a long stroke engine and a good thump, (probably even better than the current classic 350), it cannot be a copy.

The comparison of “Thar vs Wrangler” is indeed far fetched.

I am in fact finally happy that Honda has launched something like this. I hope Honda continues with bigger and better bikes. The proposition of a CB650 and CB500x at around 4-5L is indeed mouth watering.

Come on Honda !

[Beast_of_Burden]

Originally Posted by hellraizer

This is such an overreaction. Honda on its own has such a rich biking legacy...Just because it has a long stroke engine and a good thump, (probably even better than the current classic 350), it cannot be a copy.

The comparison of “Thar vs Wrangler” is indeed far fetched.

Come on Honda !

My point, at this point the Japanese have a deeper legacy in classic motorcycles than the Brits, although the creative foundation for singles was laid by them. The bore x stroke is within a millimeter of the bullet classic engine, even RE thinks such a long stroke is outdated. This is not a coincidence.

[drt_rdr]

It's only a copy if it copies all the flaws too. Let's see how the engine turns out to be. For all you know, it could become a schooling for RE on how long strokes are done.

[starter]

Every manufacturer is here to make money.
Honda did bring in the CB300 (a bike sold worldwide) and we all have seen how it fared.
Most people buying the classic 350 today is for the looks or the thump.
If Classic 350 is what sells, they have got one to compete.

[buntee90]

Originally Posted by Akash.D

But the engine is something that is not as tried and tested as the RE 350. Let's wait and see.

Yeah sure its tried and tested, but not in a good way! Its far from reliable, has far too many niggles.
Looking forward to TD of the latest Honda!

[Sebring]

Someone in my family owns the Honda Rebel 300 in the UAE, and I can swear by its reliability. It performs well in that extreme heat. On the home-front my younger brother has a 2006 Unicorn, (right now it needs some maintenance, but overall a good bike). We also have the 2003 Activa in stock condition (though that's no comparison here). So yeah, there is no reason to doubt Honda's reliability for now.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

Besides, this "Honda reliability" thing seems like a myth and marketing propaganda. Is Honda really that much more reliable over Suzuki or Yamaha? Of course I've never directly owned a Honda motorcycle but I do have a honda design\product of the honda legacy in a heromotocorp motorcycle, and that one is quite well made but not really what you'd call bulletproof. It depends on how you use it I guess.

[hellraizer]

I was one of those folks who never considered an RE for a long time. Every time I test rode the Classic-350, I hated it even more. I don't think the long stroke is outdated, its just that RE's 350 engines that are truly outdated. The new ones coming on the Meteors hopefully should be a lot better and will definitely replace the ones doing duty on the Classic 350.
I am no RE hater by the way; I own an Interceptor 650 and this is a terrific bike. I am so in love with this bike and it just plasters a huge smile every time I ride it and I just keep wondering, "How in hell did RE come up with such an engine?". Again, this bike is reminiscent of the Bonnies, but the whole world is ok with it and I too think the Interceptor for its history and what it's worth, stands on it's own.

Originally Posted by Beast_of_Burden

My point, at this point the Japanese have a deeper legacy in classic motorcycles than the Brits, although the creative foundation for singles was laid by them. The bore x stroke is within a millimeter of the bullet classic engine, even RE thinks such a long stroke is outdated. This is not a coincidence.

Originally Posted by drt_rdr

It's only a copy if it copies all the flaws too. Let's see how the engine turns out to be. For all you know, it could become a schooling for RE on how long strokes are done.

drt_rdr has the answer for you. I don't think the engine size/bore dimension is such a big deal. So many cars/bikes have it similar and yet are so different. A good bike is so much more than just the engine. I am sure you'll agree to that. Honda engines and their (bikes in general) world-wide including India are known for their reliability and stress free maintenance. Who doesn't want that.

Let's hope that this CB350 will be the first of their many products to come. As a bike and car enthusiast, I cannot be happier and I wish Honda a grand success in their 2.0 run. With this hopefully, RE can get better.

Hail Competition !

[kamilharis]

I would be happy if this doesn't sell as much as the RE bikes. That would give some real exclusivity.

I don't need my bike to be the one among 1000s plying around in a small town like the RE these days.

[SAMUDRA]

Being owner of TB 350 AVL (2007) and CBR250 (2016). I was looking forward at Rebel 300 being launched.
This would have helped me replace both my bike's with just 1 bike, by providing me with the comfort and solid nature of TB and smoothness, long service intervals and all day 100+ speeds without much fuss of my CBR250.
now with the launch of Hness. all my calculations have gone bonkers.

[srini1785]

RE is no longer an Indian company per se . Its appeal is now global and its no longer that entity called Southern Motors which churned out the old 350cc mill which used literally the same tooling left behind by the British brand in their Chennai plant. With a change in management and perfect brand positioning it is now a global player. Honda may see it as a possible threat and try to undermine its position not only in India but also globally through such releases.

While RE may not have the rich racing stripes like Honda, In terms of brand positioning and VFM motorcycles its not a push over. The Japs are now wary of the Indian market players who not so long ago were vying for partnerships and are now becoming a threat to them after going it alone. Take anyone TVS, Hero, Bajaj etc. In that respect i must admit RE certainly held its honor.

[unni246]

Originally Posted by adwaith

I was looking forward to the rebel. I like the looks better and I'm not a fan of the name 'Hiness' either.

Agree, neither liked the name H'ness and the decal for the same.
They could definitely have called it something else.

The bike overall does look absolute classic (almost like an old RD350, and I do mean 'almost' )

Tech wise looks good again, and would definitely be a good competitor against RE atleast reliability wise. But it would still be hard for Honda to break into hardcore RE fans who has it in their blood!

[adwaith]

Originally Posted by unni246

Agree, neither liked the name H'ness and the decal for the same.
They could definitely have called it something else.

The bike overall does look absolute classic (almost like an old RD350, and I do mean 'almost' )

Tech wise looks good again, and would definitely be a good competitor against RE atleast reliability wise. But it would still be hard for Honda to break into hardcore RE fans who has it in their blood!

Hard core fans would never leave but they can make an impression on the rest. The meteor's tech is going to be important.

As an Interceptor owner 2 things I would've liked would be a gear position indicator and a clock. They messed up the fuel gauge itself so gear position indicator may be asking too much.

Except for the name, the bike seems to have wide appeal and that can help Honda out a lot.

[swiftnfurious]

A puny 20bhp from a 350cc engine !!! Now that's taking the fight to RE at their own yard. Honda - seriously??? My 250cc CBR makes more power. While I have never been a fan of such bikes, am happy to see an Adv silhouette in the 'coming soon' picture. How soon is what am thinking.

Am quite interested to see a side by side comparo pic of RE with this. If this doesnt have the macho presence, not sure how many RE fans will get converted.