[Samba]

Voted for the Honda H’ness CB350.

A refined, reliable machine from Honda to challenge the undisputed market of Royal Enfield. This bike was a pleasant surprise for me & Honda didn't disappoint either.

The strong low-end torque, the smooth engine, the reliable Honda motor underneath, good pricing, definitely made this an appealing product.

The only downer is the availability of this bike from limited showrooms! This is a buyers market, if people do not get it, they always have the Royal Enfields as an alternative. Still at Kolkata this bike is not been sold from any Honda showrooms! Honda should fix it, before its too late!

[KarthikK]

I was closing in on the Honda CB 350. It is indeed a great effort from Honda, and finally someone has started competing with Royal Enfield at their own game (retro classics), and the product has been priced well for what it offers. I always felt that to properly compete with RE's classic 350 series, they should have made it available across all showrooms, rather than trying to make it 'premium' and restricting the access to a 20bhp bike only to big wing dealerships, which are minuscule in number right now and limit the visibility in the bigger picture. In hindsight, they might have hit a self goal and allowed the Meteor an easy win. Over to my other option.

After such a long wait and so much of pre-launch hype, many people were expecting KTM to give some more goodies like the adjustable suspension, etc when they brought the Adventure 390. The end product turned out to be a tarmac biased tourer rather than adventure biased, disappointing many. Pillion ergonomics were so-so, powerparts (KTM's OE Accessories) were not available quickly, aftermarket support was slow and the bike turned out more like a taller duke, with no change in engine and gearing, niggles to accompany the rider for the first few months, etc.

But still, as a package the bike is unique in the base adventure tourer segment. It seems to tick most boxes for solo touring, able to hold high average speeds and offer reasonable amount of fun on tarmac. For those who always considered the Duke for touring but wanted something more comfortable, this hits the sweet spot. It also brought in a whole lot of electronics into the ~3L (ex showroom) segment - quickshifter, traction control, IMU based cornering abs, etc, encouraging other manufacturers to up the game on the safety and gizmos aspect in future. For someone who wants a reasonable amount of performance and gizmos but doesn't want to blow up too much money on expensive Adv bikes, there is nothing close to this product in allrounder capability until the Versys / V-Strom, which are both more than twice the price of this.

As for the Meteor, I didn't see anything fascinating over the previous gen Thunderbird 350s, same stellar ergonomics, similar performance levels, and of course improved engine. Some gizmos added here and there, and better fit and finish levels, yes. I wasn't expecting an ocean of difference with respect to the retired Thunderbird series, and it was known that RE would be laughing all the way to the bank after improvising on old gaps, given their network and reputation. I'll pass.

So, choosing between these two products (CB 350 and Adv 390), Honda brought in a great RE-like product with minimal visibility and availability, while KTM tried to bring in something new to the table by strengthening the budget adventure tourer segment and carving an entirely new space in the 3.5-4L segment. Which one had more impact in my mind for 2020? I'll go with the Adventure 390 on this one.

[Eshan Joshi]

My vote goes to the KTM adventure 390.

Its just a impressive adventure bike for its price. Its also the most versatile in its price bracket. I have always wanted a KTM adventure bike (since I'm 13) for it's capabilities and legacy in the Dakar rally. Good that they bought it here.

I wanted to vote for the Husqvarna for Its unique design , but I fell that the KTM adventure 390 is just better deal in our market this year just for its price, versatilities, capabilities and legacy.

I also want to announce the RE Meteor as my runner up.

[CARDEEP]

Voted for Honda H'Ness

It's a breadth of fresh air... Something that you can ride in town & on highways. Bassy yet smooth operator, it's Honda's perfect entry, a la Activa 2 decades ago.

[Balaji31582]

Any reasons for hornet 2.0 missing out in the options? I was thinking it can get into all new bike as it got different engine, suspension, etc.

[Muski]

Voted for Honda H’ness CB350

Primary reason is that they have changed the market now and upset the undisputed king of the segment. Even with less showrooms, Honda quality will sell like hot cakes. This will lead to better products at more competitive prices for us consumers, thanks to end of monopoly of Royal Enfield and they will now have to get their act together and fast.

Good days ahead

[himanshugoswami]

why no BMW 310s? the BS6 versions are different enough from the BS4 to qualify as a new bike

[SoumenD]

With the new found relevance because of the reduced pricing BMW 310GS facelift is my Bike of the year. Most of the issues with previous bike were sorted & now its placed where it belongs price wise. Even the RR310 has been given a wonderful facelift. These facelifts are much more than just headlight/tail-light redesigns IMO.

Having said that how come KTM 250 adventure didn’t make it to the list? Its a brand new offering released recently?

[ynike99]

My vote goes out to H'ness. Its a almost a no brainer, just wished Honda would've sold it through their regular channels instead of keeping it a Bigwing exclusive.

[SourabhSuresh]

Shouldn't Ather 450/ 450X be one of the options for this years list? Might not win, but a definite contender with its power, top speed, range, it being a genuine "SMART" scooter and finally the charging ecosystem?
Any reason why it didn't make it to the final list of contenders?

[giri1.8]

Voted for the Honda CB350, simply because there is no better alternative. Looks like 2020 hasn't been a good year for us bikers. Endless price hikes, bs6 norms making bikes lose few bhps and mere face-lift from auto makers like Bajaj who usually have tons of new products lined up.

P.S: haven't seen even a single Chetak Electric on the road yet!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Personally, I expected a very close fight between the H'ness CB350, Meteor 350 and 390 Adventure. But with 225 votes completed - it looks like the Honda has taken a clear lead over the others!

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

BMW 310s

Originally Posted by SourabhSuresh

Ather 450/ 450X

310R/GS and Ather 450 were both part of the 2018 poll as new products. Both get incremental updates in 2020, but are not new products nevertheless.

Originally Posted by SoumenD

KTM 250 adventure

The more relevant 390 Adventure, launched first in the market and well received, has been included in the poll.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

P.S: haven't seen even a single Chetak Electric on the road yet!

Should be because production planned for electric scooters are in small numbers and even then - only in specific cities. I haven't seen the iQube either!

[AdityaDeane]

Voted for Honda CB350 myself, being a Honda Unicorn owner I have a soft spot for the brand. And that seems like a popular choice of many BHP-ians as well, so my vote goes for the Honda.

[Axe77]

I am torn between the Meteor 350 and the Tiger 900 and would have put the Street Triple R in this bucket too if it had been in the list.

Let me start by why NOT some other notables:

1. Highness: It’s a great attempt by Honda but it still isn’t quite there and if you do a straight on comparison with the Meteor the Meteor is actually a better product for most part. Package the Meteor in Highness style (naked) and it will definitely have the better of the Honda.

2. Chetak: I was very positive about the Nexon EV and but for the Thar it would have had my vote. I would have had the same generous enthusiasm for the Chetak but in reality, it has turned out to be a damp squib of a launch, limited to 2 cities, 1000 units or less and even that has disappeared into oblivion. It is definitely a credible EV effort, beautifully styled with delicious retro looks (think Vespa like) and bringing back a massively evocative Chetak brand name in a classy package. But somehow it seems like Bajaj did not put enough weight and commitment behind it in launch terms.

My vote from above goes to the Tiger 900, despite my being really annoyed at some of the very aspects that make it brilliant - the twin like character triple engine.

The Tiger is now definitely the undisputed king of the hottest ADV segment - that sweet spot middle weight (800/900 cc segment). I was speaking to Vijay Parmar and even he admitted that the 900 absolutely eats the GS and other mid range ADVs for breakfast. It’s streets ahead in every respect.

An already brilliant product has moved forward by leaps and bounds in this iteration and in my books it definitely deserves the BOTY. Add to that the fact that they have also kept pretty close to the last gen pricing - additional kudos for that.

[bf1983]

I voted for the Meteor. Why? Because I am not a fan of RE bikes at all. But their new Meteor is so good that it actually makes more sense than something like the Honda CB350 which is a huge achievement for a company like RE. Their new engine is so smooth for a single cylinder engine and more un RE in refinement.