Japanese two-wheeler maker Honda says the H’ness CB350 is off to a great start, challenging Royal Enfield’s Bullet. Honda 2-Wheelers India has announced that it has delivered 1000 units of the recently launched H’ness CB350 in just 20 days in the country. The majority of the sales have come from urban towns, tier I, and II cities. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) estimates that this is a good start for the newcomer to the premium motorcycle market. The H’ness competes with the Royal Enfield’s Meteor 350 motorcycle and the Java range of classic legends. The Highness base variant, the DLX, is priced at Rs.1.85 lakh and the premium Highness DLX Pro has priced at Rs.1.90 lakh in Delhi.
The bike’s 348.36 ccs, air-cooled, OHC, single-cylinder engine can produce up to 21 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 30 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. It is paired with a five-speed transmission, while a slipper and assist clutch is offered as a standard fitment. Inspired by the old ‘CB’ range, the H’ness CB350′ follows a modern design style.
The bike comes with a Neo-Classic LED headlight along with a daytime running lamp, black alloy wheels and a 15-liter storage tank. Depending on the variant, the fuel tank is available in single and double colors. The bike also has a single seat suitable for long-distance travel. There is also a touch of chromium on the fender, dual horn, exhaust, mirror and engine for visibility.
The CB350 DLX Pro comes with a Honda smartphone voice control system that allows the rider to connect the smartphone to the motorcycle via Bluetooth.
Phone calls can be received using the controller attached to the handlebar when the phone is connected. Navigation, music playback, and reading messages are also possible on the motorcycle. The bike’s semi-digital instrumentation includes trailing fuel mileage, live efficiency, time and trip information, ABS, traction control, gear position indicator, and battery voltage meter. The bike also has a hazard lamp, ignition single switch and side stand ignition cut off. HMSI Director (Sales and Marketing) YS Guleria claims that a large audience seeks the Highness CB350. All the people between the ages of 18 and 70 are attracted by this bike. He added that with a limited BigWing network, they had achieved this milestone of 1000 customer deliveries in such a short period. Guleria also said that they could serve our customers better by this initial response and we are revisiting our plan for a faster Honda BigWing network expansion.
