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

texmonster · 18th November 2020, 22:22

Autocar India's First ride review of CB350 is out!

They say the review is late as no media bike was provided by Honda:

Quote:

(But, before we go any further, we'd like to point out that the reason we're late with this review is because Honda India appears to have stopped issuing test bikes to the media. This review has become possible thanks to one of our readers who was kind enough to lend us his Honda H'ness CB350)

Their first ride verdict:

Quote:

Honda H'ness CB350: Conclusion
The Honda H'ness CB350 is a result of carefully studying the competition while trying to trump them by offering more features. Add the refined engine, planted dynamics and the prestige of the Honda badge and this motorcycle appears as a well-rounded product.

Link:
https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-re...st-ride-419221

neil.jericho · 19th November 2020, 15:11

Close on the heels of the smart ads from Tata that took a dig at its competition for their poor GNCAP scores, now its Honda's turn to take to Twitter to pass a snide comment at its competitor, Royal Enfield.

The thing is, this look an ad made by a Royal Enfield fan and Honda seems to have not picked up on the apparent irony in the picture. Do I even have to mention that we have far better pictures of the CB350 on this forum than the photoshopped picture from this advert.

Sorry Honda, I really like what you have done with the CB350 launch and your long term Big Wing strategy, but this is a comprehensive failure in advertising

.

Twitter link.

ebonho · 19th November 2020, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Sorry Honda, I really like what you have done with the CB350 launch and your long term Big Wing strategy, but this is a comprehensive failure in advertising

.

No harm at all in the fight getting dirty I say. More entertainment for us in Covid times.

I loved the elephant spoofs on RE bikes and their pot bellied bearded over armored riders.

It hit very close to home for someone who has seen the club scene morph from the early days to what it is now.

Cheers, Doc

neil.jericho · 19th November 2020, 15:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebonho

No harm at all in the fight getting dirty I say. More entertainment for us in Covid times.

I loved the elephant spoofs on RE bikes and their pot bellied bearded over armored riders.

It hit very close to home for someone who has seen the club scene morph from the early days to what it is now.

Cheers, Doc

Doc, Im all for a good dig here and fair insult there, as you said its good entertainment. But Honda seems to have picked up a a spoof of itself, in this advertisement. Classic case of scoring an own goal, at least in my eyes!

ebonho · 19th November 2020, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Doc, Im all for a good dig here and fair insult there, as you said its good entertainment. But Honda seems to have picked up a a spoof of itself, in this advertisement. Classic case of scoring an own goal, at least in my eyes!

Probably done by the local team. Trying for a segue to the classic line "You meet the nicest people on a Honda."

Which screams "boring" to me, but that's what they are known for globally.

This effort comes across as a tad ... vernacular.

Cheers, Doc

P.S. Just looked at the ad again. Its not even Honda man. Its BigWing. Possibly some overenthusiastic franchisee methinks. It could well be pulled super quick once the Japlas see it. lol

Venkatesh · 19th November 2020, 15:53

1290 units of Honda H’ness CB350 were sold in October 2020.

https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto...766638163.html

srini1785 · 19th November 2020, 16:11

Quote:

Imitation doesn’t work, Eicher’s Lal to rivals

As Royal Enfield (RE) faces competition from rivals, their message is clear :

" We are ahead and it does not matter"

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/a...campaign=cppst

tharian · 19th November 2020, 19:41

Rode the CB350 today for a very short distance. The test ride was hardly couple of kms long.

But, I felt it was a much nicer bike overall compared the Meteor which I rode for almost 200 kms just few days back. Loved the exhaust note especially when on the move. The torque was less than the Meteor and I couldn't check the power or acceleration due to traffic and a showroom guy sitting behind, which was after a long time since the last few test rides from other makes, was just me.
My mind was set on the Interceptor, but kept postponing it due to many reasons, and now this came along.

tchsvy · 19th November 2020, 21:00

I called the Autofin Honda customer care today and came to know they were offering TDs at their Himayathmagar branch. Went there at 6:30 PM today and had a horrible experience. I was offered a DLX Pro in blue shade and I didn't even cover 500 meters when I realised the fuel tank was empty, I was on the busy Narayanguda flyover by then, had to push it for few hundred meters and called the showroom people, they took almost half an hour to come to my rescue.

The bike though felt very comfortable to ride, I was surprised how nimble it felt to ride and manouver. I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but as I ride CBR 250R, here are my observations. The turning radius is far less, the bike was butter smooth, in gear acceleration was not as good as CBR though, brakes are good, suspension is a little on the stiffer side. But one thing that hit me right off the bat was how comfortable it felt just to sit on it compared to my ceeber. I am 5'11" btw.

As it is a theme now, I visited the nearby RE showroom to enquire about the Meteor, but they were closing for the day and didn't offer me a TD, I got to start it up and as some one has already mentioned here, there is some tappet noise coming from the engine.

In perfect world, I would like to keep both my CBR and the CB but I can't do that for many reasons. Attaching few pics of the bikes from the showroom and the on road price details.

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-img_20201119_205307.jpg

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-img_20201119_182302.jpg

The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh-img_20201119_1822112.jpg

NH08 · 19th November 2020, 21:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchsvy

Attaching few pics of the bikes from the showroom and the on road price details.

Why side stand is add on? It is a standard thing.

I went to Gurgaon Big Wing today apparently to check CB350 allotted to me but also took a very brief test ride. I felt very comfortable, being 5'5'' and weighing 63 kg. It looks and feels impressive.

Hoping to get it delivered within a day or two now.

tchsvy · 19th November 2020, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by NH08

Why side stand is add on? It is a standard thing.

It is indeed a standard fitment, as per the SA it was included in the add ons list 'by mistake'.

Sebring · 19th November 2020, 22:09

This one will be a stronger & 'chromed' side stand. For looks. If anyone noticed, the side-stand that this bike came with is pretty feeble

Quote:

Originally Posted by tchsvy

It is indeed a standard fitment, as per the SA it was included in the add ons list 'by mistake'.

abhinav.s · 19th November 2020, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by tharian

Rode the CB350 today for a very short distance. The test ride was hardly couple of kms long.
The torque was less than the Meteor......

Actually IIRC, the CB has more torque than Meteor on paper. How was the comfort on the Meteor? Have read and seen that the Meteor has a better tuned suspension than the CB for our Indian roads - the broken or patchy kind mainly. I know you were unable to test the CB fully and on different road surfaces but at the outset did it feel stiffly sprung ?

tharian · 20th November 2020, 06:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Actually IIRC, the CB has more torque than Meteor on paper. How was the comfort on the Meteor? Have read and seen that the Meteor has a better tuned suspension than the CB for our Indian roads - the broken or patchy kind mainly. I know you were unable to test the CB fully and on different road surfaces but at the outset did it feel stiffly sprung ?

Yes, it has more torque at a lower rpm compared to the Meteor. But the gearing is taller on the CB.

Meteor is a comfortable bike for long durations. The only ache in my body was around my tail bone and that was after 2 hours of riding. The seats have good cushioning too.
It did well on patchy roads without having to slow down a lot. I was able to do some decent speeds over rough patches which didn't upset the bike. Overall I would say it is tuned well.
Coming to the CB, the ride was too short to feel anything. It didn't feel very stiff though. But straight off, I felt very comfortable with the riding posture compared to the Meteor.
I am trying to get a rental CB for a few hours to ride, but seems they are already booked for the weekends.

jaganm · 20th November 2020, 06:54

I recall hearing on one of the reviews of the CB350 that a bike like the Highness does better with a 5 speed rather than a 6 speed gearbox.

Any idea of the thinking behind this? I've always felt that more gears is better than less. Even on this, we've seen that the 5th gear is way too tall and a gear in between 4th and 5th would've been useful isnt it?

19th November 2020, 15:11	#602
neil.jericho Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Cochin Posts: 3,810 Thanked: 19,328 Times	Re: The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh (page 6) Close on the heels of the smart ads from Tata that took a dig at its competition for their poor GNCAP scores, now its Honda's turn to take to Twitter to pass a snide comment at its competitor, Royal Enfield. The thing is, this look an ad made by a Royal Enfield fan and Honda seems to have not picked up on the apparent irony in the picture. Do I even have to mention that we have far better pictures of the CB350 on this forum than the photoshopped picture from this advert. Sorry Honda, I really like what you have done with the CB350 launch and your long term Big Wing strategy, but this is a comprehensive failure in advertising . Twitter link.
	(4) Thanks

19th November 2020, 15:53	#606
Venkatesh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 8,292 Thanked: 43,827 Times	Re: The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh (page 6) 1290 units of Honda H’ness CB350 were sold in October 2020. https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto...766638163.html
	() Thanks

19th November 2020, 19:41	#608
tharian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SBC Posts: 3,986 Thanked: 8,039 Times View My Garage	Re: The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh (page 6) Rode the CB350 today for a very short distance. The test ride was hardly couple of kms long. But, I felt it was a much nicer bike overall compared the Meteor which I rode for almost 200 kms just few days back. Loved the exhaust note especially when on the move. The torque was less than the Meteor and I couldn't check the power or acceleration due to traffic and a showroom guy sitting behind, which was after a long time since the last few test rides from other makes, was just me. My mind was set on the Interceptor, but kept postponing it due to many reasons, and now this came along.
	(3) Thanks

19th November 2020, 21:00	#609
tchsvy BHPian Join Date: May 2018 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 237 Thanked: 739 Times	Re: The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh (page 6) I called the Autofin Honda customer care today and came to know they were offering TDs at their Himayathmagar branch. Went there at 6:30 PM today and had a horrible experience. I was offered a DLX Pro in blue shade and I didn't even cover 500 meters when I realised the fuel tank was empty, I was on the busy Narayanguda flyover by then, had to push it for few hundred meters and called the showroom people, they took almost half an hour to come to my rescue. The bike though felt very comfortable to ride, I was surprised how nimble it felt to ride and manouver. I know I am comparing apples to oranges, but as I ride CBR 250R, here are my observations. The turning radius is far less, the bike was butter smooth, in gear acceleration was not as good as CBR though, brakes are good, suspension is a little on the stiffer side. But one thing that hit me right off the bat was how comfortable it felt just to sit on it compared to my ceeber. I am 5'11" btw. As it is a theme now, I visited the nearby RE showroom to enquire about the Meteor, but they were closing for the day and didn't offer me a TD, I got to start it up and as some one has already mentioned here, there is some tappet noise coming from the engine. In perfect world, I would like to keep both my CBR and the CB but I can't do that for many reasons. Attaching few pics of the bikes from the showroom and the on road price details.
	(5) Thanks

20th November 2020, 06:54	#615
jaganm BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 372 Thanked: 426 Times	Re: The Honda H'ness CB350, priced at Rs. 1.90 lakh (page 6) I recall hearing on one of the reviews of the CB350 that a bike like the Highness does better with a 5 speed rather than a 6 speed gearbox. Any idea of the thinking behind this? I've always felt that more gears is better than less. Even on this, we've seen that the 5th gear is way too tall and a gear in between 4th and 5th would've been useful isnt it?
	(1) Thanks