Ready to take on Royal Enfield finally, Honda has revealed prices of the H’ness CB350 retro-styled motorcycle. Ushering in the festive season, the Honda H’ness-CB350 DLX retails at a special starting price of INR 1.85 lac (ex-showroom, Gurugram, Haryana).
Available in two variants, DLX and DLX Pro, the latter retails at INR 1.90 lakh (ex-showroom, Gurgaon). These prices are introductory and could be hiked in the future. The DLX version will be available in Precious Red Metallic, Pearl Night Star Black, and Matte Marshal Green Metallic. On the other hand, the Pro version will be available in dual-tone shades of Athletic Blue Metallic with Virtuous White, Pearl Night Star Black with Spear Silver Metallic, and Matte Steel Black Metallic with Matte Massive Grey Metallic.
The motorcycle is based on a Half-duplex cradle frame in steel pipe which is used for a soft steering feel. Load allocated to the front is optimized by mounting the engine at a low position to lower the centre of gravity, which impacts the overall riding feel and manoeuvrability of the motorcycle. The bike features a segment-first Engine Start/Stop Switch to start/stop the engine with the flick of the same switch. The CB350 also gets a hazard light switch. It gets a dual seat which promises comfortable seating and a fuel tank capacity of 15 litres.
At the heart of H’ness-CB350 is a 350cc, 4 stroke OHC single-cylinder engine equipped with PGM-FI technology. The air cooling system in the engine maintains highly dense air intake to improve efficiency and keeps the engine temperature within the ideal range. The piston cooling jet improves engines thermal efficiency which in return improves fuel efficiency. The motor cranks out a max torque of 30 Nm@3000 rpm and features a main shaft coaxial balancer placed on the cylinder to eliminate both primary & secondary vibrations. In terms of power, the engine develops 20.8 bhp at 5,500 rpm which is sent to the rear wheel via a 5-speed gearbox. The motorcycle tips the scales at 181 kg (kerb).
The Honda CB350 also comes equipped with Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) which can be switched ON/OFF through a switch on the left side of the meter. A ‘T’ indicator in the digital display flickers when the system is engaging. Another segment-first feature is the Honda Smartphone Voice Control system (HSVCS) which allows riders to connect his smartphone with the motorcycle via Bluetooth through HSVCS application and toggle between the features such as navigation, music playback, phone calls, incoming messages and weather updates using buttons on the left side of the handlebar. To facilitate complete concentration on riding the information accessed will be communicated from the helmet headset speaker which is not sold with the bike.
It also gets an Assist and Slipper Clutch and a heritage-inspired Digital-Analogue Speedometer which provides information about HSTC, ABS, Side stand indicator with engine inhibitor, ECO indicator, HSVCS, gear position indicator and battery voltage meter. Adding more to the whole riding experience are fuel efficiency details displayed in 3 modes – real-time mileage, average mileage and distance to empty. Segment First Full LED Setup (both front & back) allows the bike to mix retro and modern really well. The bike also gets 7-spoke alloy wheels where the 19″ front is wrapped in 100/90 tyre and the 18-inch rear gets a 130 section tyre. The specially designed exhaust system comes with a large tailpipe of 45mm that optimizes balance with the muffler capacity and the exhaust pipes are double skinned to prevent heat discolouration and maintain the visual appeal for long.
The bike gets Dual-channel ABS prevents and anchoring the motorcycle is a large 310mm disc brake up front and 240mm rear disc providing adequate braking performance. The chrome-plated dual horn system on the Pro version adds to the rider’s convenience and also amplifies the premium look. Bookings for the bike are now open for INR 5,000 and deliveries should commence in the second half of October. Honda is also offering a 3-year standard plus a 3-year additional warranty for an extra cost.