Honda H’Ness CB350 India Launch Today - What To Expect From the Classic 350 Rival?

It will be Honda’s most important new bike for 2020

[UPDATE: Honda has launched the CB350 H'Ness (Highness) in India. Head here for the price and other details regarding the launch.]

Honda will launch the H’Ness CB350 cruiser bike in India today. The new Honda bike is the Japanese brand's attempt to compete against the almost iconic Royal Enfield Classic 350. While the official launch is a few hours away here are our expectations from the upcoming Honda cruiser motorcycle. 

Style Check:

One of the most intriguing aspects of the upcoming Honda cruiser is what direction will the Japanese brand take in terms of styling. While traditional cruiser examples are the Royal Enfield Thunderbird, Harley-Davidson Fatboy etc, Indian consumers label the Classic 350 as a cruiser, as opposed to a roadster. Not surprisingly, the leaked images indicate that Honda has designed the CB350 H'Ness to look like a proper retro roadster. You get a classic-styled round headlamp accompanied by bullet-style indicators. The simple yet elegant fuel tank is complemented by a bench seat, which should ensure a comfortable riding stance.  

Matter of the heart:

The leaked image has also given us a clear look at the engine. As we had guessed based on the exhaust note teased by Honda, it is indeed an air-cooled long-stroke motor, likely to displace around 350cc. Like the Royal Enfield Classic 350’s powerplant the Honda Highness' engine does have a throaty and thumpy exhaust note. Also the gearbox had a clunky feel and we are hopeful it’s a 6-speed gearbox for better cruisability. 

Underpinnings:

The single downtube chassis goes well with the retro characteristic of the bike. The Honda H’Ness CB350 employs a telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers at the rear, which is a norm in the segment. Braking duties are handled by disc brakes on either end and the tyres are wrapped around alloy wheels for better practicality.

Features:

Even though the bike looks retro, Honda has equipped it with modern bits like an all-LED lighting system and a semi-digital instrument cluster with bluetooth connectivity. A retro-styled bike with the reliability of a Honda engine looks like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it? The instrument cluster gets a small digital display on the lines of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. However, like upcoming Royal Enfield Meteor 350 the Honda Highness features smartphone connectivity with turn-by-turn navigation. The upcoming Honda cruiser could get a single-channel ABS as standard, while dual-channel ABS can be an optional extra to keep the pricing under check.

Pricing & rivals:

Honda has been particularly good when it comes to pricing for its motorcycles and the new Hornet 2.0 is a good example of it. We are hopeful that Honda might price the new cruiser for around Rs 1.90 lakh (ex-showroom). This will position the new Honda Highness CB350 in between the Royal Enfield Classic 350/Jawa and the Benelli Imperiale. The new Honda H’Ness will be sold exclusively through the Honda Big WIng dealerships and bookings are also expected to start today. Make sure you follow BikeDekho for all the latest updates on the new Honda bike.