[aaggoswami]

Voted for Honda H’ness CB350.
Simply put, the bike straightaway hit sort of Royal Enfield's monopoly. May be this would have pulled attention of even non enthusiasts. Added advantage of H'ness CB350 is reliability and expectedly better service center/after sales and service quality. One complain many Royal Enfield owners have is poor after sales and service. The other being rust issues or rather poor quality control. Honda is likely to avoid all that and provide a better ownership experience. Only two negatives : Price and name, I mean H'ness doesn't sound that exciting.

Last but not the least. This product will push Royal Enfield to improve Quality Control and get it away from complacency. Guess it did with Meteor 350.

[maddy42]

Glad to see a lot of folks agree with the points i thought before voting. Honda CB350 is a good winner here. Caters to a segment which cannot live with the Enfield niggles and also does fit all riders unlike the Adventure 390 which i priced high and also wants riders to be Tall!

Honda has plans of selling CB 350 in a different dealership, think if they could get some production lines in india for the Africa and the other big bikes they will get a bigger pie of the market in the premium segment.

Hero please note the Xtreme may sell due to Kohli but the electric scooters from Bajaj and TVS has more votes than you.

Lastly Triumph please open a factory in india.

Maddy

[Shumi_21]

Disclaimer: I haven't ridden any of the contenders in the fray for Team BHP's bike of the year, so my thoughts are an arm chair perspective at best.

TL;DR: Voted for the Adventure 390 because it's the only one in the list I'd put my money on. The CB350 is a close second on my list.


Xtreme 160R:
Finally a potentially worthy successor to the legendary CBZ Extreme. This seems to be the bike that will give Hero the elusive foothold in the premium commuter segment. Most reviews too, agree this is the best <160cc bike (personally I think the MT-15/R15 maybe better). I'm hoping the good sales the Xtreme 160R & Xpulse are doing would nudge Hero to resurrect their HX250R concept as sell it as the new Karizma!





Bajaj Chetak Electric:
An iconic name with an iconic design, but that seems about it. Ather still seems to be the one to beat in the electric scooter niche.

TVS iQube:
Ummmm okay?!


RE Meteor 350:
This motorcycle seems to address the legacy pain points of everything with the RE badge (with exception of the 650's of course): Poor build quality and vibrations. Hope the long term reliability issues are also sorted with their new J platform. I like the blacked out looks of the Fireball Variant especially the red one here:




As always, RE have done a fabulous job with the marketing, and the option to customize from the factory is also a great idea! Hope more manufacturers offer this factory customization option too. I'd still pick the CB350 over the Meteor 350 though.


Husqvarna Vitpilen/Svartpilen 250
My first thought is that both of these are exponentially better looking Duke 250's. And it will be a mouthful to say Hoos-k-warna S-vart-pee-len when a random guy on the road asks you which bike are you riding if you own one of these. I'll probably say it's better Duke 250 instead!



Honda CB350.
Why did Honda have to name this the Highness?! Apart from the name, everything about the bike is super. Honda have been developing the CB350 since 2017, according to this article.

The ideation, and preparation for the 350 cc thump, started in 2017. Throughout the year, R&D engineers from the Tokyo headquarters of Honda Motor Co made multiple visits to a few cities in north and south India to get consumer feedback, and prepare a comprehensive blueprint.

And I have a feeling, this knowledge was the wake up call for RE to improve. Something which is visible with the Meteor 350. The CB350 has therefore forced the segment leader to pull up their socks after years (centuries!?) of churing out the same old same old, which is monumental in itself!!!

I hope Honda seriously gives some thought to a cafe racer version CB350. Pull in the rake angle a little, slap on a pair of 17" radial tyres, clip-ons+ rear sets and a headlight cowl. You'd have a terrifically agile handler! Do a red and white paint job and call it the CB350RS



The CB350 will help the bottom line for Honda's big wing dealerships too. Which will pave the way for more >250cc motorcycles from Honda for us enthusiasts. It will be interesting to see Honda's next move, they have tried the CKD route successfully with the CB300R and they have absolutely hit it out of the park with their made for India CB350. Maybe the H'ness would be the bike that finally forces Big Red to take the enthusiast seriously. This would have been my pick, if her H'ness were 20kg lighter or had 10 hp more.


KTM 390 Adventure
This one was a long time coming. And all that anticipation made us build an image of what the Adv "should have been". Unsurprisingly, the bike has polarised motorcyclists' opinions. Despite the T-A-L-L seat height and assorted niggles characteristic of KTM, I still believe this is the perfect do-it-all bike for India. Personally, the Adv 390 potentially solves a lot of problems for me.

Commute on crater filled roads: Check

Maintain a triple digit crusing speed on the highway without worrying that a sudden bad patch on the road will bust a fork seal: Check

Manage to be fun in the corners despite the long travel suspension: Check

Ability to go off the beaten path every once in a while to explore: Check

Safety net of ABS, Cornering ABS & Traction Control: Check

I also think that the ADV 390 has more ability in all situations than I have skills at the moment. And this will be true even after a few years of ownership. So I won't get bored of the bike anytime soon.

For all the above reasons, my vote goes to the 390 ADV.


BMW F900 XR:
An adventure bike that can lean into corners, Nuff said! If I had the money and the skills, I'd choose this one.


Triumph Tiger 900:
Seems okay to me, but I'd be more interested in the Street Triple RS or Trident if I wanted a Triumph.


Honda Africa Twin:
Ambivalent towards this one, it maybe awesome but I don't care.


BMW R18:
Not a fan of crusiers. Period.

[gopaneel]

I'm still a Newbie, so I can't vote. Even if I could, I cannot make up my mind between the Meteor and the CB350, even though either is not the kind of motorcycle I would like to own.

But I am seriously impressed with both the products, based on the reviews I have seen so far. Both the companies seem to have done their homework and brought out very competent products. And unlike most other motorcycles, where budget seems to be the main criteria, Honda and RE seemed to have kept usability in mind.

Before these two products were launched, in this particular segment, the Benelli Imperiale seemed to have been the winner over the REs and the Jawas. Now since these two have been launched, the Benelli seems to be far behind. Makes me happy that the Indian customer is getting better choices now.

Between the two, forced to make a choice, I would probably select the Meteor considering the large number of stores and service centres. Hope Honda Big Wing catches up there as well.

[ManneAtWheelz]

Got my voting eligibility just in time and my BOTY 2020 vote goes to none other than Royal Enfield Meteor 350 due to it's impressive looks, pricing and more number of ASS centers availability.

[rajeshkmoorthy]

Even though I cannot vote as I am a "newbie" I would like to vote for Meteor 350 for the bike of the year.

Why?
RE has taken note of all its pain points and made a bike sans those. Now we have an almost perfect cruiser that's almost vibration free, excellent build quality (thanks to European markets), now possible three digit cruising speeds, good quality fit and finish, retro styled and yet with some modern elements.

One might point out the lack of gadgets and gizmos but IMHO, RE has provided just the right stuff that's required for a tourer, just because they are the target market.

Agree that there are no switchable ABS, Rev counters etc but as far as I see, this bike is a tourer and do not need these. During my time with the bike (I own one), it seems to satisfy the tourer in me and that's what I want and so does RE.

Only thing that I would have liked better is that even though the bike is a corner craver, its banking angle is limited by the footpegs. I would like a better banking angle when I am on the twisties.

Overall, I would vote for Meteor 350 with my eyes closed.

[sunejarahul]

Voted for the 390 ADV. I believe the 250 ADV would have been a good inclusion to the list as well. It brings the goodies of the ADV to a more affordable price tag. I wonder why the BS6 beamers were left out of this list. The price drop over the BS4 variants is a HUGE bonus this year.

The KTM is a super comfy touring bike (if not a proper off-roader), much needed in the budget touring segment dominated by the Dominars, Himalayans and Thunderbirds. The power figures and the equipment on offer are unmatched around the 300k bracket (except the D390, which isn't a tourer). All this coming from the owner of a BS6 RE Himalayan.

My runners up, if I may, has to be the Meteor 350 instead of the CB350. Reasons for this being that the TBX has evolved in almost every aspect when coming to the Meteor. The engine now has a 4V setup instead of the old 2V and the addition of a balancer shaft has made all the difference in making the bike vibration free. It's a new chassis and can cruise at 100+ km/h without vibrating which was the TBX's Achilles' heel. A welcome move from RE, shows they're willing to work on the shortcomings. Can't wait for the new 350cc engine to hit the Classics and Bullets.

About the CB350, it's great to see the competition willing to challenge RE in a segment they have dominated for decades. I hope it triggers more brands to come up with a "modern-classic" offering. I had high hopes with Jawa previously but it didn't succeed in getting the numbers.

IMHO, the F900XR and the Tiger 900 are excellent products. Anticipating much more action in the ADV sports segment in the coming years!

[groom]

Voted for CB350!

Booked a CB350!

Paid full down today for CB350!

Will ride the likely Bike of the year CB350 in seven days time!

[TorqueMonster]

I am a newbie with no voting eligibility, but given a choice, I would vote for the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. As an owner of the erstwhile Thunderbird Twinspark, it is great to see an almost perfect Enfield, with great fit and finish with modern elements, along with the ability to cruise triple digit speeds. Along with RE's pan India Service coverage, this bike easily beats out competition from the equally good H'ness CB350 in my books.

[ButterRider 7]

Voted for Royal Enfield Meteor 350. With this motorcycle, Royal Enfield hasn’t thrown out the rule book, and the Meteor doesn’t pull any shock surprises. It still looks, feels and rides as you’d expect from a Royal Enfield, but it does so with the finesse and sophistication that was sorely lacking all these years. Buying into the charm no longer includes dragging a sack full of compromises, and the Meteor is good enough to consider even if you’ve never owned a Royal Enfield before. It’s also good enough if you want to upgrade from a current 350.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Grabbing 41.6 % of the votes on this poll, the Honda H'ness CB350 is the Team-BHP 2-Wheeler of the Year, 2020!

The top three contenders for this year included the KTM 390 Adventure and the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. However, BHPians clearly appreciate this bold move from Honda; finally a mainstream challenger in a segment that has been dominated by Royal Enfield for decades.

H'ness CB350 has hit a home run with its classic CB-series styling, smooth performance, deep exhaust note and the promise of reliable, fuss-free ownership. The retro-classic 350cc segment has remained the most aspirational segment in the country for long now - and no one is better placed to take on RE in this segment than Honda, a brand synonymous with reliable motorcycling across the nation. This is a product built from the ground up for the Indian market, and it shows!

Where Honda could have done better is with the "H'ness" branding as well as the Big Wing strategy of limited dealerships.

Even better news is that the CB350 is only the start of Honda's plans with this platform. As per various news sources, there are a lot more developments in the pipeline - including scrambler and cafe racer variants to be introduced in time for the launch in the Japanese market next summer, a bigger displacement version rumoured to be either a big single or a twin, etc. CB350 has also given a boost to the Honda BigWing network which has almost doubled in numbers over the last two months.

Well deserved, Honda! Looking forward to more action in the coming days!



(Pic Source - BHPian Sebring's ownership report)

[Sebring]

This is fantastic, and truly well deserved. The CB350 is a simple all-rounder with scope for loads of pesonalisations. Enjoying every moment with the Honda. And, icing on the cake is that gorgeous picture

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Grabbing 41.6 % of the votes on this poll, the Honda H'ness CB350 is the Team-BHP 2-Wheeler of the Year, 2020!

[dkaile]

This is surprising! I am not sure how many of us actually test ride the bike before voting. I realise that test riding many of the big super bikes is literally impossible for most of the voters. However having had a detailed test ride of the CB350 two days back, I came back quite disappointed. I have also mentioned the same on the dedicated CB350 thread. However as many of us may/will be guided just by the verdict pronounced by a esteemed forum like TeamBhp, I would urge prospective buyers to test ride any bike that they propose to buy before placing their hard earned money.

Like I mentioned elsewhere, I really cannot fully comprehend what the hype was for. The gear lever position was quite haywire and needs adjustment or getting used to. My 16 year old Karizma felt smoother and better accelerating than this bike. It may be a refined Bullet Classic 350 but in today's day and age I expected so much more from Honda. They have really played it safe and it shows. Not worth the 2 lac plus price tag they are asking.

Cheers...

[Mafia]

I suppose it is the 2-wheeler of the year considering how impactful the produce is upon launch.

This is the first time someone has taken on RE and come out on top as far as I know.

I also think it is wise to review how Team BHP's choices from previous years have fared.

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by dkaile

The gear lever position was quite haywire and needs adjustment or getting used to.

Getting used to thing would be there in almost every case, be it bike, car or a phone, never will there be everything just like our existing product.

Originally Posted by dkaile

They have really played it safe and it shows. Not worth the 2 lac plus price tag they are asking.

Agree they have played it safe but on price, REs also cost same/similar amount and they sell in real big numbers every month, don't see why Honda would price a much refined and supposedly more reliable product any less.