[shanikaprakop]

Hello fellow BHPians and CB350 owners!

I bought home a CB350 Deluxe model last weekend and have completed 200 km.

I have an experience of owning and riding a Bajaj Avenger 220cc (2012 model) and a Royal Enfield Bullet Standard 350cc (2006 model).

I have not been able to find any advice on the run-in procedure for the vehicle in the manual or forum discussions.

According to my experience, the motorcycle does not require an upshift from fourth gear till 70 kmph. Upshifting to fifth at 60 kmph seems too early and the real time FE figures on the odo also drop by around 12 kmpl.

It is not possible to upshift in city traffic and I do not know whether speed of 70+ kmph would be advisable for the run-in of the vehicle.

Any advice from experts and experienced owners is appreciated!

[madrasmandayan]

Originally Posted by Nimz

But do take extended test drives of your shortlisted vehicles back to back if possible.

Nimz

Thanks for your inputs. Fortunately, we have RE, Honda BW, Honda and Suzuki showrooms right next to each other near my place.

We did a back to back test ride (10-12 mins each) of Highness, Burgman and Avenis. The wife and kid liked the Highness more. But I did feel it is an overkill for my limited usage and peak traffic riding experience. So I went ahead and booked the Avenis 125 (felt more fun and nimble than Burgman).

In terms of riding comfort and braking, the scooters were no match for the motorcycles. But they seem to offer more convenience (storage, CVT, easy ingress/egress and navigating heavy traffic).

[tchsvy]

Originally Posted by shanikaprakop

Hello fellow BHPians and CB350 owners!

I bought home a CB350 Deluxe model last weekend and have completed 200 km.

I have an experience of owning and riding a Bajaj Avenger 220cc (2012 model) and a Royal Enfield Bullet Standard 350cc (2006 model).

I have not been able to find any advice on the run-in procedure for the vehicle in the manual or forum discussions.

According to my experience, the motorcycle does not require an upshift from fourth gear till 70 kmph. Upshifting to fifth at 60 kmph seems too early and the real time FE figures on the odo also drop by around 12 kmpl.

It is not possible to upshift in city traffic and I do not know whether speed of 70+ kmph would be advisable for the run-in of the vehicle.

Any advice from experts and experienced owners is appreciated!

Congratulations on your bike, wish you many happy miles!



The user manual only tells you to avoid full throttle starts and sudden acceleration. If you gradually increase the speed to even 100 kmph, I don't think it will be a problem. IMHO, it is better to ride the bike across the rev band, but in a gradual manner. Just avoid sudden acceleration as mentioned in the user manual.

Regarding the fifth gear, it is an epitome of a overdrive gear. I mean I have seen a video on Youtube where the rider shifted to fifth gear at 140 kmph! You are not going to use it in the city for sure. You have to get hang of the gearing, and during the initial period it's really frustrating to ride the bike in second and third gear all day, once the engine opens up after say 1500-2000 kms then you can occasionally get it into fourth. I have had a CBR 250 before the CB and I am having great fun with the CB in the city, on the highway Ceeber is a different beast though.

Basically the CB350 is an oversized commuter, understand that and you will have fun with it in the city. Happy riding!

[shanikaprakop]

Thanks for the tips tchsvy! I have been shifting to gear 4 at around 50 kmph without any engine jerks due to the upshift. Despite what I have read on the forums, I am really liking the tall gearing on this motorcycle for commute purpose.

The LED headlamp on this motorcycle is disappointing though. The high beam range is a bit too short and for comfort. Wondering if I could switch to a Halogen lamp assembly.

[Nimz]

I have 750 + kms on the odo and I do find opportunities to ride in 5th gear in the city.

I just completed a 50 km round trip ride today morning inside the city and my observations are as follows:
- starting from standstill or near standstill - Gear 1
- slowing down for speed breakers or pot holes - Gear 2
- anything beyond - Gear 3 and Gear 4
- when speedo crosses 60 kmph - Gear 5 (below 60 and on inclines at 60 -65 I feel the engine struggle so i slot into 4th when I know I have to take a flyover or something).

On a different note -I have a spanner notification pop up on the dash. I have completed the first service a couple of weeks back. Is there a way to remove the spanner symbol at home itself?

Nimz

[rajeevsulu]

Originally Posted by Nimz

I have 750 + kms on the odo and I do find opportunities to ride in 5th gear in the city.

I just completed a 50 km round trip ride today morning inside the city and my observations are as follows:
- starting from standstill or near standstill - Gear 1
- slowing down for speed breakers or pot holes - Gear 2
- anything beyond - Gear 3 and Gear 4
- when speedo crosses 60 kmph - Gear 5 (below 60 and on inclines at 60 -65 I feel the engine struggle so i slot into 4th when I know I have to take a flyover or something).

On a different note -I have a spanner notification pop up on the dash. I have completed the first service a couple of weeks back. Is there a way to remove the spanner symbol at home itself?

Nimz

Press both the sel and set buttons together forva couple of seconds with the ignition off. Turn on the ignition with the buttons still pressed. Keep the buttons pressed for about 10 secs. Turn off the ignition and now turn it on. The spanner would have sisappeared. I think you got your bike serviced before the indication came on. Do the above step and you are good to go!

[mayank1988]

Advice on buying the CB350 in Delhi/NCR
Hi TeamBHP
This is my first post here and just want to say I am very excited and happy to be here (have been frequenting the website since months but made the account only recently).
I was thinking about buying the Honda CB350 Highness/350RS. I have been in love with it since I saw the bike parked in Khan Market (New Delhi) some weeks back. For my background info I am 25 years old , 5ft 10in in height and weigh around 85 KG, I have some experience of riding my friends Classic 350 and have been thinking about getting my own bike for quite some time now. I am confused between the Highness and the RS (with the RS having a slight edge in terms of looks in my mind)
The bike would be city use only with a once-in-a-blue-moon ride on the highway. Want your advice on whether it would be a good buying decision or not. And also if someone could share their experience of riding the bike and the showrooms in and around Delhi NCR. Have been watching a lot of youtube videos of the bike and reading up on reviews and have seen that people are in love with this bike. Also have seen a lot of youtubers saying there is a rusting problem in the coastal areas and/or the ECU issue, if anyone has faced such issue or anything similar in Delhi please let me know. It would help me make the decision.
Thanks in advance

[Nimz]

Originally Posted by mayank1988

Advice on buying the CB350 in Delhi/NCR
Hi TeamBHP
This is my first post here and just want to say I am very excited and happy to be here (have been frequenting the website since months but made the account only recently).
I was thinking about buying the Honda CB350 Highness/350RS. I have been in love with it since I saw the bike parked in Khan Market (New Delhi) some weeks back. For my background info I am 25 years old , 5ft 10in in height and weigh around 85 KG, I have some experience of riding my friends Classic 350 and have been thinking about getting my own bike for quite some time now. I am confused between the Highness and the RS (with the RS having a slight edge in terms of looks in my mind)
The bike would be city use only with a once-in-a-blue-moon ride on the highway. Want your advice on whether it would be a good buying decision or not. And also if someone could share their experience of riding the bike and the showrooms in and around Delhi NCR. Have been watching a lot of Youtube videos of the bike and reading up on reviews and have seen that people are in love with this bike. Also have seen a lot of Youtubers saying there is a rusting problem in the coastal areas and/or the ECU issue, if anyone has faced such issue or anything similar in Delhi please let me know. It would help me make the decision.
Thanks in advance

Welcome to the forum.

I do not live in Delhi so cannot comment on the Delhi part.

On your decision to buy a Honda - do take a long test ride of both vehicles back to back preferably in normal traffic conditions as you will be using it only in the city. If it is for a daily commute - you may want to check if the long gearing is ok for your kind of commute. If you would have a pillion more than 50% of the time do take them along for the test ride.

Between the RS and 350, apart from the tires, ride ergonomics, pillion and the use of chrome (CB350) vs fiber (RS), it is more or less the same. It's your call.

Logically for purely city commutes there may be other better options but then the heart wants what it wants.

[NEMatters]

Originally Posted by shanikaprakop

Thanks for the tips tchsvy!

The LED headlamp on this motorcycle is disappointing though. The high beam range is a bit too short and for comfort. Wondering if I could switch to a Halogen lamp assembly...

Adjust your headlamp throw, you can make it slightly up with a +screwdriver. There are instructions in the owners manual. It makes the low beam spread a bit better and the high beam will be further up. This can make the high beam a bit more useful. I did it and now it seems to be working for me.

Originally Posted by mayank1988

Advice on buying the CB350 in Delhi/NCR
Hi TeamBHP
This is my first post here and just want to say I am very excited and happy to be here ..

Welcome to TeamBHP buddy. Between RS and CB350 it is your decision
1. If you want a more comfortable riding position it is the Hness.
2. If you want a looker with sporty style it is RS
3. If you are thinking of long distance touring's - Hness is preferred for the luggage carrying options.
4. If you are concerned about pillion comfort, it is Hness.
5. Commuting short distances within the city would be okay on both of them
6. There is almost negligible difference in fuel efficiency, because of same engine, tuning and sprocket sizes.

Take your call Be advised, the gearing is tall on these bikes, you will have to shift frequently between 1st, 2nd and 3rd in city limits. Take a test ride and decide. If you want more tractable experience, RE 350 would be a better take. But again, Honda has its own advantages - reliability & efficiency should be better with Honda.

[Black_Star]

I am not a CB350 owner but always been interested in the bike ever since its launch. A while back I came across a CB350 RS with a unique carrier & backrest that fits the design seamlessly, and upon searching it I found its a part of Dominar touring accessories. I dont know how well it fits the CB350 RS, but I wanted to share this info with fellow enthusiast.

[ValkyrieAB]

Originally Posted by Nimz

Bike also seems peppier. Once the engine is warmed up, I rarely feel the need to go to 1st gear. 2nd and 3rd are pretty good enough for most city duties.

Just bought an RS and first service is due in a week. Looking forward to it way more now

I have heard this from multiple folks, but it left me wondering, what do they do in the first service that leads to such a drastic change? They change the engine oil, but is that a big enough factor?

[ValkyrieAB]

Would anyone be able to tell me if the TVS Ronin's Rear View Mirrors will fit the CB350?

[Nimz]

Originally Posted by ValkyrieAB

I have heard this from multiple folks, but it left me wondering, what do they do in the first service that leads to such a drastic change? They change the engine oil, but is that a big enough factor?

Congratulations on your RS.

I don't think they do anything drastic. It is more of the engine and other mechanical components setting in
+ the fresher oil + adjustments of the clutch tolerances + some lubrication etc. that make it feel a little better. And ofcourse a little bit of your mind playing tricks on you too.

Let us know what you felt about your bike post the first service

[shivkrishh]

Hi ,

Urgent help !!


Yesterday i have done 4th service to my 350RS after 10500 Kms and 18 Months from a bigwing service center in Bangalore. But somehow the bike got off while waiting at a traffic signal and i couldn't start for like another 15 mins. The battery level was showing below 12 . I thought it was the battery but the horn , lights , indicators everything was working though. Luckily after multiple tries , it got started and i was able to reach home luckily in the pouring rain . Th engine warning light was shown after that .

Today morning when i started the bike to take it to service center , there was no warning somehow and the bike got started instantly with normal battery level of 14+ . Thinking the issue was just random , i decided to take a chance and not go to service center and that turned out to be the stupidest decision .

Soon after 30 mins , whenever i applied clutch a strange sound started coming from the engine but while normal running there was no sound at all. And the sound got more intense as kms went by . Then while waiting at a signal in the infamous Banglorean traffic , the bike suddenly got shut off. I could see the battery count getting decrease to 7 or less before the display went out. Soon i parked the bike to the side and then i could see smoke coming out from the self motor above the engine. I waited for like 30 mins before tried starting the bike again .The display was getting on everytime the key was turned on but as soon as i pushed the ignition , the whole system shuts off.



When i called Honda Bigwing , they said they could not help as its a sunday and the service center is closed . They plainly said " We can't help you and get your bike to a local shop ". Also they werenot willing to come and check the bike since that's only applicable for RSA . As expected :( .

I then towed bike to Highlander garage in HSR and they said the issue is with the starter motor and it may have to be replaced. However they will run a detailed check tomorrow and confirm the damage in detail .

So my questions here are :

1. Could this be due to the new spark plug that was replaced yesterday during service ?
2. Can i get warranty on the motor ?
3. If they say this can be repaired without the motor being replaced , will that be suggested for the long run ?
4. Since this issue happened soon after the service and i firmly believe this has got something to do with it , can i ask the service center to resolve the issue free of cost ? The service center is like one hour drive from the city and its a headache to get the bike towed again that far . Really hoper they could send someone and fix it here if in that case :(
5. Is it normal to have this issue on a one half year new bike ?

[NEMatters]

Originally Posted by shivkrishh

Hi ,

Urgent help !!

1. Could this be due to the new spark plug that was replaced yesterday during service ?
2. Can i get warranty on the motor ?
3. If they say this can be repaired without the motor being replaced , will that be suggested for the long run ?
4. Since this issue happened soon after the service and i firmly believe this has got something to do with it , can i ask the service center to resolve the issue free of cost ?...
5. Is it normal to have this issue on a one half year new bike ?

Hello Shivkrishh,

Here is what I think.
1. I am not sure that the starter motor can go bad because of spark plug, I feel this may not be the cause.
2. Yes you should get the warranty, standard warranty is of 3 yrs and if you did all services on time/ on kms you should get it
3. Depends on the issue - in case if some wires are burnt because of loose contact or so maybe a new harness can do the job just fine. Once they open up the components we can get a better idea.
4. It might be possible, because of high pressure wash maybe. As I said this should be free of cost as per my understanding.
5. End of the day, the bike is nothing but a machine, assembled on line, quite possible to have some defects which are skipped during the checks. Or, parts may also fail because of various reasons.

My advice would be to relax and let them open up and check the components, accordingly corrective actions can be taken. I am guessing that your starter motor is gone and needs replacement, it might be drawing too much power because of which you are seeing no lights when you crank it.

I hope I am of some help here.