We have some news from Honda 2 Wheelers India. The Japanese motorcycle maker has announced that they will bring in a new product. This will have its inspiration from the CB350 and also share the same platform. We expect Honda to bring in this new motorcycle by the end of this year. With this new product, Honda aims at taking on the mighty Royal Enfield’s 350cc line-up. As it stands, Honda H’ness is the answer to Royal Enfield’s Classic 350. Meanwhile, the Honda CB350RS is a scrambler. Thus we assume this new motorcycle will take the shape of a cruiser, and go head-to-head with the Meteor 350.
No doubt that cruisers are certainly a niche. Thus appealing to a limited section of the audience. But with the Royal Enfield Meteor, things are changing quickly and fast. While contributing around 8,000 units to RE’s sales figures on average. Thus we expect Honda’s upcoming Meteor 350 competitor will get a fair share of this pie. Now we wait to see if Honda does end up using the basis of the H’ness to create a cruiser. This is because, from the platform-engineering history, we understand chances are high that the mainframe will remain the same, as will the air-cooled 348cc single-cylinder engine.
Thus Honda will have to do a lot with the design and styling. The motorcycle will likely get a more cruiser-type styling. Thus Honda could look at its own Rebel 300 cruiser sold overseas for some inspiration. In terms of hardware as well, the suspension setup might get some changes. This is to offer a more raked-out front end and make the motorcycle ride lower to the ground. This is exactly what a cruiser does. Coming to the price, to take on the Meteor. Honda has to put on a similar price tag. And hence we are betting a price range of INR 2 lakh to 2.2 lakh mark (ex-showroom).
Also Read: Honda launches OBD2 compliant Activa 125 in India at INR 78,920.