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Honda CB350 ownership review: My dad's long-awaited dream comes true

19th March 2024, 12:36 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

He always preferred motorcycles with a good amount of torque. We also test-rode the Royal Enfield Hunter 350, Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 X.

BHPian FueledbyFury recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

"A Man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams" -John Barrymore

Hondas, especially the classics, have been the best motorcycles of all time. The debate on whether these bikes make sense or not has been forever, even though you may find yourself on either side of the fence. But you cannot deny the fact that Honda has managed to create a legacy of not just selling bikes but selling dreams. This is the story of the Honda CB 350 in Mat Marshal Green Metallic - a long-term dream of my dad that came to fruition.

Honda CB 350 Pros:

Definitely a looker with an iconic classic retro design with minimal chrome elements.
Build quality, fit and finish are the best in the segment.
Honda's refined 348.36cc engine has a sweet linear power delivery for its highway cruising capabilities.
The mileage figures don't burn a hole in your wallet.
Honda service rates are so affordable, it's as if they've declared war on expensive repairs and launched a full-scale invasion of savings.
Large riders will appreciate the roomier ergonomics for long-distance touring.

Honda CB 350 Cons:

Service interval of 6 months/5000km will make you well known at the SVC.
Low-end torque is not adequate, which is reflected with a lag of 0.5 seconds.
Headlights are not the best, throw is wide thus the intensity is a bit off track.
The small digital infotainment cluster is cluttered with info as it's hard to read at a glance.

For about two decades my dad has been fond of Royal Enfields and has always wanted to own one. Ever since I had grown to understand things in life, I remember every time my dad saw a Royal Enfield on the streets he used to point at them and say to me "This is the bike". He owned a Suzuki Max 100 back then and I never understood his obsession with the Royal Enfield. But being the man of the house, there were a lot of important things to think and worry about (Medical expenses, school fees, monthly bills and all) than an expensive toy that gives you nothing but joy.

Years passed, and responsibilities came after others the long-lost extravagant dream was not even close to being a priority until when he reignited his dream when I turned 18. With a quick TR, the vibrations in RE were a concerning factor for my dad to bite the bullet. I turned down the dream of owning an RE as he was working in a distant region and only comes hometown on a weekly basis. Now that my dad will retire on March 24 at this point in life the long-awaited dream of my dad has come into reality. Below is how a Royal Enfield fan was hooked by the classic retro design with Honda reliability.

With the help of Bhpians, the bikes needed to be TR were shortlisted and below were the observations.

Honda Highness CB 350: Agile, easy to manoeuvre in city traffic, good posture, good build quality, and a sweet-sounding exhaust.
RE Hunter 350: Agile, compact bike, upright posture, hard clutch, small vibrations at lower rpms (drove it after riding Honda), and there was always room for improvement for RE.
Triumph Speed 400: good torque and power figures, slightly leaned, street-friendly, good posture, and excellent build.
Triumph 400X: Height issues(tip-toeing), a bit larger turning radius, and need to take a wide U-turn in roads which he finds a bit difficult for city rides.
Honda CB 350: Torque engine, good seating comfort, adequate power, upright riding posture, exhaust not sweet as highness and offers good build quality.

Dad always preferred a bike with a good amount of torque and power figure for sedate driving, seating comfort, upright posture, and a big bike feel that must be reliable. As I have stated previously Honda CB 350 won the heart of my dad at the launch itself and it's still strong. Thank you to Bhpians for mentioning the weight of the motorcycle and the issues related to the aspect of age. He found the weight of the motorcycle to be quite balanced and was easy to manoeuvre in the city on our 2nd test ride just as with the highness.

Finally, it always comes down to the preference of the rider and he chose the Honda CB 350!

BigWing Muvatupuzha is the nearest one to my place and the SE was very hospitable and explained the specifications, and accessories of the bike. While entering the showroom the most eye catchy thing is the history of Honda Motorcycles from the 50's.

The Evolution of Honda!

They offered a test ride of the CB 350 multiple times and we were satisfied with their approach. After the test ride, the magic sauce hit my dad with the feeling of "This is the Bike!" Now, it was only a question of what color to pick. Honda's offering was with five color schemes and my dad focused only on matt colors as he was not much of a fan of glossy schemes.

The options were:

Mat Marshal Green Metallic
Mat Dune Brown
Mat Crust Metallic

The advertisements were filled with the posters of CB 350 in Mat Dune Brown but the color scheme doesn't appeal in real life. This goes the same with the Mat Crust Metallic and we strike it off. There wasn't any display piece of CB 350 in Mat Marshal Green Metallic and with the experience with the Dune Brown, we were in a dilemma whether to book the bike. Finally, we went for it and the instincts were too good to be true. It was a looker when it arrived in the showroom the following week.

Honda CB 350 comes with 2.15 lakh (ex-showroom) for DLX and 2.18 lakh (ex-showroom) for DLX Pro Honda offers DLX and DLX Pro varients for CB 350 which only comes with a price difference of 3K. DLX Pro comes with Bluetooth connectivity (Honda Smartphone Voice Control system), a chrome element in the headlight cover, body-colored fenders, and a brown seat color. While DLX doesn't have any connectivity features, silver paint scheme in the headlight covers, and both blacked fenders and seat.

We have gone for CB 350 DLX Pro in Mat Marshal Green Metallic for 2.70 Lakh OTR price with special discounts of 12.8k.

Miles to go before I sleep.

Design and styling

Simply delicious!

The Honda classic design is clear in every aspect even though you see a huge chunk of inspiration from the competitor. When you walk around the bike you should appreciate the level of detail put into making it. The bike is extremely proportioned and well-built stands offer a big bike feel as compared with its siblings. Honda CB 350 weighs 187Kg which sits on par with the competition in the market with a reasonable seat height of 800 mm. It comes with a ground clearance of 165 mm which is good for usual broken roads and the 15.2L fuel tank capacity helps to reduce fueling stops during long-distance touring.

The body dimensions are here as below:

It is difficult to differentiate CB 350 from its sibling (Highness) at a glance as the major update is given to the rear fender and it catches the eye. The front indicator lamp also functions as a DRL which helps to convey it's a bike at night. The stock guardrails don't give much protection to the rear portion of the bike. Highness is much peppier and has an identity to the sound of the exhaust while CB 350 is primarily for sedate driving, with mile-munching capabilities with room for ergonomics. The exhaust note of CB 350 is mild in comparison with the siblings.

Build Quality, Fit & Finish

Best in the segment with the build quality. Every component is built up to the cost and has a finer level of detailing in all areas. The manoeuvrability of the switch gears comes with the competitors. Wiring is organized standardly and no other visual elements of wiring are in plain sight. There is a little bit of crowded dressing of wire in the handlebar region which is not a deal breaker.

Features and Instrumentations

The bike comes with all the basic features, Dual channel ABS, Assist slipper clutch, Emergency stop signal (ESS), and traction control. It does not come with any riding modes but has a switchable traction control (Either being in ON or OFF). The switch gear comes with immaculate quality as with the typical Honda. The only throw-off is the integrated kill switch and start, which I am personally not a fan of. The instrument cluster shows the important data which can be toggled through two trip meters, real-time FE, average FE, distance to empty (DTE), and battery voltage.

There is always a miss of a tachometer in the cluster and it would be much more appealing if they had gone with the twin dial setup. With the analogue semi-digital setup honda has incorporated Bluetooth connectivity (Honda Smartphone Voice Control system) which works seamlessly with the help of toggle switches.

The fuel tank capacity is 15.2 litres and assuming fuel efficiency is in the spectrum of 36 – 38km/l, this should be good for about 480 – 520 km before the bike requires a refill. Slightly frugal highway riding might help it nudge closer to the 42 km/l mark.

Wheels & Tyres

The bike comes with a 7-spoke black alloy which tremendously enhances the aesthetic. The front wheel is equipped with 100/90-19M/C 57H and disc brakes of 310 mm. The rear comes with 30/70-18M/C 63H with disc brakes of 240 mm. With the initial miles of 1500km, I am satisfied with the performance of the tires, and have adequate braking in all road conditions.

Front tire section

Rear tire section

Tire pressure information

Ergonimics and Comfort

The bike comes with a seat height of 800 mm with a roomier seat for the rider that helps in mile munching and touring capabilities. The riding posture is upright and doesn't give strain to any shoulder muscles or lower back. The kerb weight is 187 Kg which feels balanced throughout the bike, once it starts moving it's quite agile in city traffic. There are no stock wind protection visors available but they do come with good after-market options.

Rider and pillion seats

Riding the Honda CB 350

Country roads!

The engine remains the same as its siblings with slight tuning to meet the dynamics of the bike. It comes with a 4-stroke, 348.36cc, SI engine which produces a max engine output of 15.5kW @5500 rpm and max torque of 29.4 Nm @ 3000 rpm. The bore stroke ratio is 70 mm X 90.519 mm producing a linear torque curve with a compression ratio of 9.5:1 from the engine. There is a small lag in the lower rpm, it can be removed by replacing the stock air filter (experts say so).

With the specs on the sheet, it is truly a highway mile muncher, by delivering adequate torque, and the engine is not stressed out in higher RPMs. The bike comes with a transmission having the clutch type of Multiplate Wet Clutch with a 5-gear system. Most of the city riding is with 3rd and 4th gears whereas the 5th gear is strictly for cruising. It has a Half Duplex Cradle frame front Honda with telescopic front suspension and Twin hydraulic rear suspension. The suspension comfort is rightly in the middle of not being too tight and soft, offering moderate comfort in usual unpaved roads.

Looks good in chrome!

Front with DRL headlights and Indicators

The motorcycle is equipped with dual-channel ABS. The brakes are from Nissin and offer good adequate braking.

It's pretty Big!

It comes with an integrated Ignition and start switch which I'm not a fan of. It comes with pretty good quality switches.

The up-down arrows help fiddle through the instrument cluster. ENT and backward switches are used when one is paired with Bluetooth connectivity. And then comes a typical Honda indicator and horn switches!

I hope this ownership review assists at least one forum member or reader in making an informed decision and shortlisting or possibly eliminating, the Honda CB 350 from his/her shopping list. I have planned to do a long-term ownership with the steed.