Honda unveils H'ness CB350 motorcycle to take on Royal Enfield's Classic 350

Honda enters the cruiser market with a 350cc roadster

honda-cb350

India’s middleweight motorcycle segment has for over two decades been dominated by Royal Enfield with the likes of the Classic 350cc, one of the preferred choices in that segment for retro styling and cruising enthusiasts. But, it will soon have a new competitor, from the formidable Honda.

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, on Tuesday globally unveiled the H’ness (pronounced highness) CB350, which it hopes will not only attract existing Honda motorcycle customers to upgrade but also attract new customers, those who want to use it for their daily drive and others who love cruising and long drives.

The H’ness CB350 carries ahead the roadster legacy of yesteryears and will take on other cruiser motorcycles like the Classic 350 and the Jawa head on. But, at prices set to be around Rs 1.90 lakh ex-showroom at launch, the CB350 H’ness will be slightly more expensive than some of its competitors.  

The H’ness is making its debut first in India and will also be made in India at Manesar in Haryana, which was HMSI’s first plant when it set up its independent shop in the country almost two decades ago. It will only be sold through Honda’s exclusive premium bike stores BigWing.

Considering that the bike will be made in India and has been designed keeping the Indian consumer in mind, it will also have a high level of localisation at 90 per cent and it should go up further once new variants are introduced in future.

The H’ness CB350 is powered by a 350cc, air cooled 4 stroke single-cylinder engine equipped with programmed fuel injection technology. Honda claims several segment first features in the motorcycle, including a smartphone voice control system, selectable torque control, a full LED setup at the front and the back among other things.

The bike also gets dual-channel anti-lock braking system, engine start/stop switch, a 15 litre fuel tank, apart from many other features.

“Globally, CB series of motorcycles symbolise Honda's history of challenges. For more than 60 years, Honda has consistently given the prefix "CB" to models representing on-road sports. Also, the riders have always been the focus in the evolution of the CB. It was once again the Indian riders who motivated the development of H’ness CB350,” said Atsushi Ogata, MD and CEO of HMSI.

HMSI, which is the largest scooter maker in the country and leads the market by a huge margin, hasn’t been able to overtake its former partner Hero in the motorcycle space. In the sports bike segment, its Bajaj Auto that leads the race.

Honda is looking to scale up the big bike business in the country, and the launch of H’ness CB350 is another step in that direction.

“With a long history of big bike business worldwide, Honda has been expanding the big bike business in Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. As a next move, Honda will expand its big bike premium sales network to further enhance our big bike business in India,” said Noriaki Abe, managing officer, Honda Motor Co and chief officer, motorcycle operations, Honda Motor Co.

Honda debuted the premium bike network BigWing in India in 2019, and already sells six models through through these outlets—CB300R, CBR650R, CB1000R, CB1000RR, Africa Twin and the Gold Wing. The H’ness will be the latest to join them and the company has planned a few more launches as it looks to scale up its presence in the big bike segment. The BigWing sales network is also being expanded.

“By the end of March next year, 50 (BigWing outlets) will be there to provide sales and after-sales service. Moving forward, not only will we provide the immersive service to the customers, but also going closer to the customer with a wider product range,” said YS Guleria, director, sales and marketing at HMSI.

There are a couple of more products lined up, Guleria added, without sharing any specific details.

“With the expansion of the product line up, the expansion of the network will also be aligned in terms of the sales and after-sales service along with accessories and parts, to be closer to the customer base,” he said.

Honda is not the only one looking to make deeper inroads in the middle weight motorcycle segment. Back in 2017, homegrown Bajaj Auto and British bike maker Triumph had joined hands with plans to make 200-750cc motorcycles for India and other emerging markets. The first of these bikes are expected to debut in 2022.

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