Honda H’ness CB350 First Look- Can It Take On Royal Enfield Or Jawa?

Will Honda H'Ness CB350 shake things up in its segment and give competition to Royal Enfield? Read out the exclusive review.

When you are talking about Royal Enfield, the name Classic 350 or Bullet comes to your mind. It has been a hugely popular bike and a cult classic with a few characteristics that all owners and fans love. The Classic 350 pretty much controls the retro modern classic motorcycle market with no one having managed to give it any kind of competition. However, Honda thinks otherwise. They have challenged the segment monopoly that Royal Enfield enjoys with their new H'Ness CB350. It is obvious where this bike is aimed at. The H'Ness CB350 has pretty much the same specification and it claims to have the same distinct sound as the Classic 350. Even when it comes to the name, H'Ness seems like a cheeky attempt to aim at the king or royalty of this segment which the Royal Enfield Classic 350 is at the moment. Honda, however, is bringing some method into this madness. It has developed features and comforts along with subtle tweaks that would make this modern classic something which you can ride everyday. As it is being developed for India, everything here is brand new right down to the engine, which is a 348 cc single cylinder air cooled motor which makes 20.8 bhp and 30Nm. The power figures are not massively different from competition except the fact that torque is more and available early- important for a relaxed cruiser like riding experience. The 5-speed gearbox has a slip and assist clutch while the bike is lighter than the Enfield Classic 350. What will make Royal Enfield lovers sit up and take notice is the sound of the bike which curiously has certain similarities. It is again no doubt who Honda wants to woo here but it remains to be seen how Royal Enfield fanatics will take to this! There are some features you would not expect but you get like LED lights and smartphone connectivity. Available on the top-end trim, the rider can pair his/her smartphone with the bike and access various functions. Guess what? You can play music via Bluetooth too. However with a bike like this, more than the features, the design along with look and feel is what matters. The Classic 350 Royal Enfield has a charm to it and that is where Honda needs to score with the H'Ness if it wants a large slice of the sales. Also READ: Top 5 New Cars That You Need To Put Your Money On The design is different with a retro vibe all right but it does have its own appeal. The look is clearly inspired by the old Honda CB bikes and follows a clean yet old-school design. There is chrome used on the bike and it is done right. We do like the LED round headlamp. Yet it does not blatantly copy or embrace the 'classic' wholeheartedly with some bits missing like classic wire spoke wheels which to some are very important for the look of them. The H'Ness has alloys and is also fitted with tubeless tyres- something a lot more practical then. There are two variants namely DLX and DLX Pro with prices starting at Rs 1.85 lakh. For the money, you get a good looking modern classic motorcycle with some modern features. The H'Ness is also lighter than competition and might be more nimble to ride. However, it would be tough to match or compete with the appeal of a Bullet or Classic 350 plus the reach of Royal Enfield is also higher with a bigger dealer network. That said, the H'Ness will surely shake things up in this segment and that's what Honda wanted in the first place.