[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by Peri_patetic99

@bravo82in, except maybe the interceptor, nothing defeats the cb350 in terms of exclusivity and road presence, i own one and it is a looker, and lots of people keep looking at it and enquire about it.

The interceptor has a little aggressive riding posture(imo), it might hurt your back a little, although it is also fairly comfortable.

Also, why aren't the adv 250 and 390 included?

CB350 is worth reconsidering however even for a test drive i need to travel 400kms to and fro. I was comfortable riding it, the ergonomics were sorted and every thing fell in place. I tried negotiating with the dealer to provide service in my city at an extra cost, he is non committal forget giving anything in writing. As with the looks sorry to say gentleman I still feel the same.

Thanks for suggesting Abhinav Bhatt's video on interceptor; of the 13 points he mentioned, some will bother on long rides which I don't intent, few can be modified like the handle bar reach and position of foot pegs and few I will be forced to live with. Interceptor is not a perfect bike, but worth a keeper and a looker too. With 47 ps on tap I will not itch for an upgrade. I am already sold.

Duke bikes are never my taste, I will prefer a classy bike over the aggressive looking 390. The only reason for considering the BWM G310R is the snob value of 'BMW' label.

[Peri_patetic99]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

CB350 is worth reconsidering however even for a test drive i need to travel 400kms to and fro. I was comfortable riding it, the ergonomics were sorted and every thing fell in place. I tried negotiating with the dealer to provide service in my city at an extra cost, he is non committal forget giving anything in writing. As with the looks sorry to say gentleman I still feel the same.

Thanks for suggesting Abhinav Bhatt's video on interceptor; of the 13 points he mentioned, some will bother on long rides which I don't intent, few can be modified like the handle bar reach and position of foot pegs and few I will be forced to live with. Interceptor is not a perfect bike, but worth a keeper and a looker too. With 47 ps on tap I will not itch for an upgrade. I am already sold.

Duke bikes are never my taste, I will prefer a classy bike over the aggressive looking 390. The only reason for considering the BWM G310R is the snob value of 'BMW' label.

Yes, the BMW badge value does appeal to everyone even if the bike is a tad bit overpriced and underwhelming in the performance department.

Also, agree with you that the CB350 doesn't appeal to everyone, it's just a matter of preference

And the interceptor should be a great bike if you can live with the shortcomings (very few to be honest) and looking from a longevity point of view it will be good because of servcieability and customisability( lots and lots of mods- for the engine and the exhaust as well as ergonomics i.e. body stuff). If you're not in a hurry though, Royal Enfield is launching the Shotgun 650 sometime next year ( according to rumours) and it is likely to be more comfortable than the interceptor and have even more road presence, I'd suggest you to wait for it( of course if you're not in a hurry).

[Electromotive]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

If waiting is possible the do wait for the Meteor 650, win win. Situation for you. Only problem is that no one knows when RE is going to launch this model.

+1 The Meteor 650 is worth waiting for.

BTW, any idea if a fully digital, third-party gauge cluster is available for RE bikes? I hate the OEM low quality analog-digital hybrids.

[rarkit]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

CB350 is worth reconsidering however even for a test drive i need to travel 400kms to and fro. I was comfortable riding it, the ergonomics were sorted and every thing fell in place. I tried negotiating with the dealer to provide service in my city at an extra cost, he is non committal forget giving anything in writing. As with the looks sorry to say gentleman I still feel the same.

I agree with distance for premium Honda bikes. I was going to suggest you wait for CB300R but that would create the same issues. However if you think CB350 look is so plain, have you tried CB350 RS. It is basically the same bike with a little more leaning forward riding stance which isn't necessarily bad and is much better looking in my opinion. But your distance problem will remain.

Another bike that you can try for exclusivity and trouble free ownership would be Husqvarna Svartpilen. It looks pretty good and you will rarely find any of them on the streets. I say trouble free ownership because it is basically 250 CC KTM bike under new design and branding. So lot of spare parts will always be readily available and servicing would be done at your regular KTM showrooms. The bike itself is pretty good and easy to handle. Seat is on the higher side but it should not be an issue for 175 cm.

[bravo82in]

Hi everyone, I had almost zeroed down to interceptor 650 and was waiting for the super meteor to launch, till I found a new Bigwing Honda opening up in my city. Now this brings me back to the same dilemma. Mind says Honda for peace of mind, premium Bigwing experience. Heart says RE for the endless customisation options. I did consider the Yezdi scrambler for a while then Honda CB350 RS seems to be a better choice ( tubeless tires and Honda’s smooth engines and reliability). Searched the Internet but could not find a single customised CB350 but with 650 twins the list is endless.

[Sebring]

You don't have to look far. I have owned the CB350 for two years and have heavily customized it, converting it into a fabulous cruiser instead of the sporty stance it originally came with. The seats are changed, added a box at the back, risers, the works. In two years there has not been a single missed beat, in terms of break down or errors. Honda is the best decision I made

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Heart says RE for the endless customisation options. I did consider the Yezdi scrambler for a while then Honda CB350 RS seems to be a better choice ( tubeless tires and Honda’s smooth engines and reliability). Searched the Internet but could not find a single customised CB350 but with 650 twins the list is endless.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by Sebring

I have owned the CB350 for two years and have heavily customized it, converting it into a fabulous cruiser instead of the sporty stance

Thanks for sharing the glimpse of those customised seats and the box. Looks really cool. May I request for a few more pics and details of customisations done?

[The_Medic]

Originally Posted by VW2010

I have a bullet and an RC390 and an L5-S1 issue. Guess which bike hardly gives me trouble and I love riding it? It is the RC390. I have issues every time I ride any bullet but the aggressive position of RC390 takes the point of impact from back to mostly knees and shoulders. I have done a 400km ride in a day in the RC390 and hardly felt any pain in the body while a 50 km errand on the 500 forced me to stretch.

A shot from the shoot.
Husky

People don't believe me when I say this but RC390 is a very reliable bike as long as periodic service is maintained. And a brilliant tourer when the roads are good or decent and you don't mind finding a fuel station every 150km (which is recommended for a small break anyway on any tour). The giggle factor per litre of fuel burnt is through the roof and when you see a bunch of corners, there is no other motorcycle withing range that comes close. The next best thing is the Ninja 400.

Which is my probable recommendation if you can manage to convince yourself with the expensive price tag. Extremely exclusive anywhere in India. Nice suspension. Japanese reliability. And power for days. Yes it is stupid expensive but again, exclusivity does come at a price.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Honda is the best decision I made

Just realised that your are the proud owner of the Smurfy, the celebrity bike of T-BHP. Your ownership thread is running into 25 pages in under two years. Your bike needs no introduction. Thanks for sharing
Regards

Originally Posted by The_Medic

People don't believe me when I say this but RC390 is a very reliable bike as long as periodic service is maintained…..

The next best thing is the Ninja 400.

Those sporty looking bikes are not really my cup of tea. At my age I will prefer a retro looking bike than a futuristic one. As with the riding stance I will definitely check the same.

Ninja 400 was in my charts but disqualified in first round due to non availability of near by service centre. The showroom and service centres are as rare as the bikes. Same with Honda till a new one came up in my city. Thanks for the recommendation though

Regards

[Sebring]

The CB 350 was the 'Bullet' from Honda that I had always dreamed about. So I'll always take care of it. Thank you for your high praise but it's the bike, really. Smurfy's behaving really well

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Just realised that your are the proud owner of the Smurfy, the celebrity bike of T-BHP. Your ownership thread is running into 25 pages in under two years. Your bike needs no introduction. Thanks for sharing

[darkLightning]

I was in the market recently looking for my new bike. I have checked a lot of options and finalised on CB350 primarily due to it's reliability, riding dynamics and it definitely is good enough to be the only bike in the garage. The bike is due to be delivered in April first week.

As far as customisations are concerned for CB350 what I have seen is that slowly but surely Honda is offering a number of customisations from their side as well as encouraging the dealerships to support providing after market customisations also to the customers (the Big Wing dealership I have purchased my bike from had a number of options for gears/ panels / fittings and what not including some of the stuff from Royal Enfield that can be retrofitted on CB350).

However their is another bike which I would recommend you to try our if possible, the Yezdi Scrambler, in my opinion it could fit your requirements quite nicely if pillion friendly-ness is not a criteria.

[FiatDiesel]

Originally Posted by bravo82in

Hi everyone, I had almost zeroed down to interceptor 650 and was waiting for the super meteor to launch, till I found a new Bigwing Honda opening up in my city. Now this brings me back to the same dilemma. Mind says Honda for peace of mind, premium Bigwing experience. Heart says RE for the endless customisation options. I did consider the Yezdi scrambler for a while then Honda CB350 RS seems to be a better choice ( tubeless tires and Honda’s smooth engines and reliability). Searched the Internet but could not find a single customised CB350 but with 650 twins the list is endless.

I was in same boat as yours few month ago. You won’t regret Interceptor. It will leave all 350’s way behind. Please note I own RE 350 Classic Reborn, while I am super happy with bike, absolutely zero niggles but when I went for group ride with 60+ RE enthusiasts, realised what Interceptor is capable off. You will be off the scene in matter of seconds on open roads if you are on Interceptor, any 350 cc bike won’t be able to keep up with it. It’s different beast altogether and would recommend to you.

Also one other key aspect for me to choose RE was availability of multiple service centre's within city and huge after market support which Honda BigWings doesn’t have. You can also check threads which highlights certain parts not being available outside ASC in case of Honda.

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by FiatDiesel

You won’t regret Interceptor. It’s different beast altogether and would recommend to you.

Agreed sir, there is no match between engine performance of CB350 and Interceptor. Somehow I feel every thing around the interceptor's engine is good not great. There are mess-up ergonomics, tubed tires, weak headlamp to name a few. Dealership experience is nothing to write about. To suit my likings I will need alloy wheels, tubeless tires, headlamp upgrade, relocated foot pegs, raised handle bar on day one. I am still not able to find a reliable set of alloy wheels for the bike. However, the after market support for customizations are endless. Being an international product and quite popular abroad, there are lots of quality accessories available outside India as well.
The Honda is a gem in its own way. Yes the customization options are limited. Few of the after market accessories I checked lacked quality.
For my limited and city usage the CB350 makes more sense.
I plan to take a test ride again, this time with my better half to decide between the two.

[Mach_1590]

Hello Bravo 82in, I was in the same dilemma before finalizing on Interceptor 650 in January 2022. I went to test ride Meteor and Himalayan, and I quite liked the Himalayan to be very honest for the practicality on offer. But then there was this shiny sunset strip INT650 parked right outside, calling for a test ride. Had a similar experience to what you described in one of your previous posts. I took one week convincing my brain to go with my heart. It was not the straight line speed which did it in for me, since my other bike is RC390, but it was about the retro looking modern bike delivering such amazing overall riding experience in 3.6 lakhs.

Another thing is, the bike being highly customizable, it gets adapted to the utility you are looking to extract out of it. Also, those customization options do not burn a hole in the pocket, are of good quality and reliable. To fix the lighting issue, I changed the headlamp to a LED unit and installed the Maddog aux lights, raised the handlebar with the pull-back risers, changed the seats, got the backrest(for wifey), Zana saddle stays, Puig windscreen, grip puppies and some more. The touring oriented modifications literally made the bike a very competitive tourer.

Again, having said all that, the bike is enjoyable in extra urban setting only, within the city, like any other big/heavy bike, its not much fun. The bike is best enjoyed when you use it as a lifestyle vehicle, for commuting and frequent urban rides, look elsewhere(read CB350). Also, about the backpain, I did 500 kms single day ride on RC390, and you know what bothered me the most? the limited tank range!! Forward leaning posture is great for long distance touring, you just need to get progressively used to it. A rider triangle where the weight is evenly distributed between wrist, shoulder and back, is best suited for longer stay on saddle. Cheers!

[bravo82in]

Originally Posted by Mach_1590

A rider triangle where the weight is evenly distributed between wrist, shoulder and back, is best suited for longer stay on saddle. Cheers!

Thank you Mach for the detailed post. Checked your beauty in another thread, looking really hot with those customisations.
Have you considered tubeless tyre conversion or alloys wheels? I am still not able to find a reliable set of alloy wheels. The meteor rear alloy is a direct fit but no reliable options for front wheel.
Can the OEM tires be converted to tubeless? Any leads?