New Honda CB350
New Honda CB350
Hot on the heels of its India launch, Honda Japan has announced that the new CB350 retro-styled motorcycle will go on sale in its home market. The new Honda CB350 has been christened as the new ‘GB350 C’ in Japan and will also get new colour options in the land of the rising sun. The new CB350 was launched earlier this month and comes closer than ever to challenging the Royal Enfield Classic 350 in the segment.
The new Honda CB350 has been developed by Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) and will be exported to Japan among other markets. Honda already exports the CB350 H’ness to Japan, which is badged as the GB350, while the CB350RS is sold as the GB350 S with slightly different ergonomics and colours.
Honda Japan has not revealed details on the GB350 C but the retro roadster is expected to be similar to the Indian version. Power will come from the same 348.36 cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine tuned for 20.7 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 29.4 Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm. The motor is paired with a 5-speed gearbox and a slip-and-assist clutch. The retro styling comes from significant design changes over the CB350 H’ness including the extended metal fenders, colour-matched metal fork covers, a peashooter-styled exhaust and brown split seats. Compared to the H’ness, the new CB350 weighs 6 kg more.
The bike also retains all the modernities including an LED headlamp and indicators, an analogue instrument console with a digital display, Honda Smartphone Voice Control System (HSVCS), and an Emergency Stop Signal (ESS). The bike rides on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear alloy wheels. Suspension duties are handled by telescopic forks at the front and gas-charged twin shocks at the rear. The bike is equipped with 310 mm front and 240 mm rear disc brakes with dual-channel ABS.
The new Honda CB350 is priced at ₹2 lakh for the DLX variant, while the top-spec DLX Pro is priced at ₹2.18 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The company is also offering a 10-year warranty comprising the three-year warranty as standard and seven years of extended warranty as an option.
