Team-BHP - The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh
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Were the figures of 20 HP and 30 NM mentioned during launch?

Honda sites (bigwing or twowheeler) are not detailing anything about this bike.

Well, well, well! Honda taking the fight to RE!clap:

Not quite the CB I was hoping for but I will place all bets on this one to trump the RE Meteor 350 or whatever it's called.

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! stupid:)

The presenter crammed maximum royalty related words into every sentence to drive home the point... just in case you mistake the name H'ness for Hondaness or something.

Great styling. The rebel is special design. But this one's very good too even if it looks like a big splendor. Won't be surprised if this starts off a retromodern UJM trend here in india.

At the price, this package is amajingu as the japanese would say.

Autocar India's news report on H'ness give additional details like 181kg kerb weight and engine specifications.

Engine details:
The new Honda H’ness CB350 is powered by a 348.36cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 20.8hp at 5,500rpm and 30Nm of torque at 3,000rpm. The peak torque figure is produced rather low in the rev range and this should enable good initial performance off the line. The H’ness CB350 employs a 5-speed gearbox.

Chassis and features:
The H'ness CB350 uses a disc brake at either end – a 310mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear. Suspension is handled by a telescopic fork at the front and twin shock absorbers at the rear. Its tyres, meanwhile, measure 100/90-19 at the front and 130/70-18 at the rear. The H’ness CB350 has a 15-litre fuel tank and a kerb weight of 181kg.

Link: https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-ne...19-lakh-418760

Quote:

Originally Posted by Porschefire (Post 4897792)
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! stupid:)

They did have a graphic on the screen with 4 bikes, the first 3 looked like the CB500 series (X, R, F). I would've gone for this if it had a 500 cc engine(40Nm, 30+ bhp), but I'll wait for those. I think its going to be around 4-5L though

Bike is definitely a looker. But I think it is little underpowered and those 14spoke alloywheel doesn't gel with the overall design. IMHO they should have used 5 spoke wheels and bump up the power to 25bhp and that would have been a sweet deal.

Am still not sure whether to applaud or laugh at the "H'ness 350"

Rather than Honda's own "CB" Range, its is so obvious that it is the "RE 350" thats' the inspiration here.

I highly doubt that that the "H'ness" would replace the "BULLETS" from Instagram Posts of MUSCLE BODIED dudes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sebring (Post 4897731)
Road presence is ample and very evident. Someone sent me this pic and I'm sharing with you all

Wow, what a simple and elegant design! Love it. With the reliability of Honda, and reasonable pricing, I think this will find a lot of takers. :thumbs up

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-hondahighnesscb3501.jpg

From this spec sheet available on gaadiwaadi.com, Highness tips the scale at rather hefty 181 KGs. Tank capacity is 15 Liters, decent enough I think.

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-hondahighnesscb35013.jpg
The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-hondahighnesscb35014.jpg

Don't get the Spendlor reference. The CB lineup predates the Splendor itself which itself was also part of the CB or CD family.

Bookings are now open for the Hness CB350 for a token amount of Rs. 5000. Deliveries will begin by mid-October, 2020.

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-20200930_133355.jpg

https://twitter.com/carandbike/statu...603354624?s=19

+1

The biggest impact will be the new entrants into the retro segment who are in the nascent stages of market penetration eg. Imperiale, Jawa etc...

RE is an established player in the Indian market with a strong following and have new launches lined up. So RE is equipped for the fight, in military parlance they have the height advantage. If the impressive launch of the 650 twins is anything to go by, the new single cylinder platform should be able to resolve RE's biggest Achilles heel....Quality.

The likes of Benelli, Jawa on the other hand will struggle to compete with Honda's massive network, marketing prowess and brand presence. Expecting some decent discounts/offers to come up from Benelli and Jawa.


Quote:

Originally Posted by tchsvy (Post 4897747)
'1.9 lakh rupees around' is what I have heard, ex-showroom?

Not sure about Classic 350 but, this is a death spell for Imperiale 400, and the whole Jawa lineup.


Quote:

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M (Post 4897814)
Don't get the Spendlor reference. The CB lineup predates the Splendor itself which itself was also part of the CB or CD family.

Except we never had any of those bikes in our market to inform our impressions. What we had was the splendor, and what we see is a splendourusly hulked out splendor. lol:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nithesh_M (Post 4897814)
Don't get the Spendlor reference. The CB lineup predates the Splendor itself which itself was also part of the CB or CD family.

Mostly the aweful tank sticker is causing the Splendor/commuter feel. I felt the same initially too.

Without it - it surely feels like a baby CB. In fact, Honda should launch the CB1100 as a CBU unit and keep it in showrooms and remind everyone of this connection. Something RE can never attempt to match.

This had originally worked for them with the VFR styling of the old CBR 250F.

Honda has gone straight for the highest selling bike in 300 cc+ segment, the RE350, and at that price point along with Honda's legendary reliability it sure will sell like hotcakes!

Few points:
- Looks like it has a balancer shaft. Hopefully this should keep the long stroke engine smooth at high revs
- The standard version looks better to me without that stripe. The design reminds me of CD Dawn, Splendor and V150 mashup.
- It has selectable engine torque button. Seriously, for 30 NM? How hard is it to keep the throttle hand light in low traction
- Extremely flat torque curve, should be a gem in city traffic conditions
- The speedo console looks cheap, could have been better designed
- The engine power and torque numbers are bang on RE350 territory. Why didn't Honda go for more power, and possibly oil/ liquid cooling?
- 5 speed gearbox - they expect us to cruise at 80/90?
- Frame is relatively modern tech, and CoG is low as per the video. Could be a decent handler
- Strange obsession throughout the video with the exhaust note. Honestly, it just sounds like a RE, and we have been hearing that since ages now. IMHO Jawa twins have better exhaust note.

Instead of trying to improve upon, they have bang on targeted RE.

A 500 cc+ twin with oil / liquid cooling, 6 speed gearbox, <200 kgs and decent ergos is what the need of the hour. When will Honda wake up!

And the name, oh gosh! If I buy this, I would remove the H'Ness decal and simply keep CB350.

I am waiting for CB500x/ CB500. Hopefully, Honda prices them well.


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