Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. announced the entry of its entry-level premium motorcycle in the mid-size 350cc to 500cc segment in the Indian market with the Honda H’ness CB 350. The Honda H’ness CB 350 will be sold through the brand’s premium vertical the ‘Big Wing’ and is the third BS6 compliant offering following the Honda CRF 1100 Africa Twin and the Honda CBR1000 RR-R Fireblade. While we have already covered key details on the H’ness CB 350, the latest in the legendary CB brand which has its roots as far as the 1950s, the H’ness CB 350 offers neo-retro styling and is positioned as a direct competitor to the Royal Enfield’s hot cake, the Classic 350. Lets deep dive into the technical specifications and see what equipment do both the mid-size modern-classic motorcycles have to offer. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 which was unrivalled for quite some time in the Indian market, also comes with rich heritage roots and both the H’ness CB 350 and the Classic 350 come with retro styling and a comparable silhouette, looks can be subjective though.
But, in terms of the electronics package, the Honda H’ness CB 350 offers LED lighting, semi-digital instruments cluster with Bluetooth connectivity integrated with Honda Smartphone Voice Control System, Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) a traction control system that limits the rear wheel slip, side-stand indicator with engine inhibitor, gear position indicator, battery-charge level indicator, ECO indicator, mileage features such as – real-time mileage, average mileage and distance to empty and a dual-channel ABS setup for safety.
On the other hand, the Royal Enfield comes with a halogen headlamp and tail lamp setup, analogue speedometer with analogue odometer, analogue battery charge indicator and a dual-channel ABS setup. The brand though is likely to soon upgrade the instruments cluster to its upcoming Meteor 350 which is likely to lock horns with the H’ness CB 350 and is rumoured to come with Bluetooth connectivity, semi-digital instrumentation and a lot more. The new technology is also expected to trickle down to the next-generation Classic 350 which will enable the Classic 350 to better compete with the H’ness CB 350.
In the engine department, all the Royal Enfield’s 350cc motorcycles are powered by a BS6 compliant 346cc air-cooled single-cylinder, 4-stroke, twin-spark motor with a 70mm x 90mm bore and stroke and fuel-injection that delivers 19.1 Bhp of power @ 5250 RPM and 28 Nm of torque @ 4000 RPM matched to a 5-speed constant mesh gearbox. The Honda H’ness CB 350 is powered by a BS6 compliant air-cooled single-cylinder, with PGM-FI (fuel-injection) that produces 20.8 Bhp of power at 5,500rpm and 30 Nm of torque @3000 rpm matched to a 5-speed gearbox and Assist & Slipper Clutch.
But finally everything boils down to the price. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is priced starting at INR 1.70 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi and the Honda H’ness CB 350 is expected to be launched starting INR 1.90 lakh ex-showroom.
