New retro Honda 350

[nwguy]

Really pretty bike. Too bad it's not available in the US (yet). Only $2,275 in India currently. How do you make, ship and sell a bike like this for that?

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/honda-cb350-special-edition/

[Kaladin]

The Honda 350 was my first bike.   When I see a photo of my blue bike I still get a thrill.

[MikeP996]

"Really pretty bike. Too bad it's not available in the US (yet). Only $2,275 in India currently. How do you make, ship and sell a bike like this for that?"

You make a single with 20HP.  ;) 

That's just a bit over half the power produced by a Honda 350 in 1969. I don't get it but it DOES seem to be popular in some parts of the world.

[Tkelly]

I bet you could find a nice cl350 for a lot less money.

[PeteS]

Not a bad looking bike. I suspect the low price might be party due to the fact its made in India. 20HP though  , my 1967 350 Yamaha made 36.

Pete

[nwguy]

I just thought it was pretty. 

My Yamaha RD400 in 1980 made 44 hp. But it was a 2 stroke.

[Bill W]

Ahh..the memories of my 1972 CB 350


 

[faffi]

The current CB and CG350 is about torque, allowing it to cruise at surprisingly low revs without struggling. Just as the Royal Enfield 350. They are also really frugal on fuel if you take advantage of their low end power. If you want high rpm power like that of days gone by, you can go for the Triumph 400 or Yamaha R3 etc. I think it is great we have choices.

[Stretch]

It IS a handsome machine!   

The US market is perceived, probably correctly, as constantly demanding more power.
Even 500 singles have a tough time selling here because of this. (Think SR500, SR400.)
We'll see how well Triumph's 400cc single does in this country.

Kawasaki's KLR650 seems to be able to soldier on, but it CAN run down the interstate
with traffic without the near certainty that it's rider becomes a hood ornament.

I read that 2024 was a record year for motorcycle sales worldwide, with 62.1 MILLION motorcycles sold.
That's a lotta bikes! Most of them are in what we'd describe as 3rd world countries, and most
of them are small-displacement machines.

The US market isn't driving design like it used to. Look at Royal Enfield and it's line of bikes
based on the 650 twin. It used to be that a 650 was considered a big bike, and in India it
still is. RE has been asked about building a bigger engine, but they've indicated that they're
just fine with the 650 for the markets that they've targeted. And the US isn't leading that
particular pack. (S&S makes an 850cc Big Bore kit for those wanting a bigger motor! )
I'm not sure how well their 350cc machine is selling in the US.

                                                                         -Stretch

[blu guzz]

One part of the smaller bike revolution that has not been discussed yet is the improvements to tires, frames, suspension and brakes in the last 40 to 50 years.  My first real bike as a Kawi 250CSR.  A single with a stepped seat and buckhorn bars meant to invoke the HD style.  The frame was about 7/8 size of a true motorcycle and flexible, the brakes were minimal, the tires were a joke, as for the suspension, its just a good thing I was young then. 
Having said all of that, I was thrilled because as so-so as it was, I was riding and that was all that mattered.
Now, you can get a small displacement bike where either those shortcomings are addressed from the factory or parts are available ( triumph 400 and that type).
We have already talked about the higher horsepower available at similar sized engines to the 250, 350, etc. of the past.
Good times indeed for riders looking for their last bike or, for entry level riders.

[Stretch]

.....I was riding and that was all that mattered.

Still the case!   

                                   -Stretch

[SIR REAL ED]

The current CB and CG350 is about torque, allowing it to cruise at surprisingly low revs without struggling. Just as the Royal Enfield 350. They are also really frugal on fuel if you take advantage of their low end power. If you want high rpm power like that of days gone by, you can go for the Triumph 400 or Yamaha R3 etc. I think it is great we have choices.

Yep!

Ride a Suzuki DR650 & a Suzuki DRZ400 back to back.  Both are 35 horsepower.  The DRZ will feel positively anemic.

[JJ]

I bet you could find a nice cl350 for a lot less money.

Actually, most of the *SOLD* Honda CB350's on BAT were 2-3 times MORE than these two...

[normzone]

I bet you could find a nice cl350 for a lot less money.

'72 CL 350 was my first bike, I can still feel the throttle under my hand at will, the muscle memory runs deep.

[guzziart]

Real Honda 350's





The new "retro" Honda 350 looks a Royal Enfield inspired design, imho.

[SIR REAL ED]

Real Honda 350's





The new "retro" Honda 350 looks a Royal Enfield inspired design, imho.

My thoughts exactly.  A "Honda" designed for the Indian market.

[JJ]

I agree with several others...a Royal Enfield styled single purely made for the markets in India and Asia!!   Of course, at only 20HP, you don't need to FAST anywhere on those roads!

[Dr. Enzo Toma]

Honda are marketing the same bike as a CB350 or GB350 depending on the region, and personally I think it falls in line with the GB series better than the CB. There's been a lot of enthusiasm for the GB350 in the Japanese market, especially the Classic trim.
https://www.honda.co.jp/GB350/
Honda's marketing line for it in Japan is: From everyday use to long-distance trips - The Honda Basic Roadster

For anyone interested in the perspectives of the developers of the CB350/GB350, here are some translated interviews.
"Royal Enfield has a large market share in India, so we decided to create an all-new bike targeting young riders. The 350cc engine displacement was also chosen with local tax regulations in mind."
https://www-autoby-jp.translate.goog/_ct/17457557?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
https://www-autoby-jp.translate.goog/_ct/17481387?_x_tr_sl=ja&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

If you ever wonder why Honda never went larger than 125cc for their very popular mini motos (Super Cub, Monkey, Grom, Trail, Wave, Innova, XRM, etc), it is also due to policy and cost in Japan as anything over 125cc leaves the small motorcycle designation (小型自動二輪車) and becomes a little more restrictive and expensive to own. Honda seem to be very good at building bikes for specific markets, and then having their success extend into other markets. It does lead to a lot of criticisms of those bikes from folks outside the intended market though, as it wasn't necessarily built to their regional needs. Right now the made in India Honda Navi sold in the USA is booming in popularity with Gen Z riders, though it was not made with the American market in mind. It came to the USA simply because it no longer met India's emissions requirements and the USA has more lax tailpipe emissions, so it being discontinued in its primary market pushed Honda to export it to North and South America where it's been a success as one of the cheapest name brand motorcycles/scooters one can buy new.

If that CB350 or GB350 were available in the USA I'd likely have a deposit on one now. I've ridden much of the Royal Enfield lineup, but a Honda is an easier sell for me as I've had a positive experience with their documentation, ease of finding parts, repairability, and quality control, even for bikes made outside Japan.

[Frulk]

A one lunger Honda 350 is a non-starter for me. I’m from the generation that if the bike is going to be carrying the CB designation it needs to have 4 cylinders.

Of course this will drive the price up but I’m not an entry level buyer. A 4 cylinder CB350 would really get my attention. 

Wishful thinking.

[faffi]

Honda has a new 500 inline four for 2026.

[huub]

a couple of weeks ago i spent three weeks riding in the himalayas, i actually saw a couple of these honda's.
i was riding a 500 bullet , and to be honest the honda looked like a cheap copy of the current bullet.
did not seem particularly popular.


i am quite at awe about the 500 bullet , we had rental bikes did 2500 km in 17 days,  3-400 km were done off road.
as they were rentals the bikes were thrashed, especially off road.
anything you would never do to your own bike bbecomes acceptale if you are on a rental at 19.000 foot altitude
washboard road surface becomes comfortable above 90 km/hour, but the bike suffers.
most our rental enfields had around 60.000 km on the odo, i would have expected a bike to desintegrate in a couple of thousand kilometer being treated like that. 
those bikes are amazingly tough.
out of 10 bikes the repairs were caused by flat tires (5x), clogged petrol filters (3x)  and crashes (2x)

anyway , had a great time , absolutely recommended if you want a once in a lifetime riding experience
the himalayas are by far the best motorcycle roads i have ridden

[Moparnut72]

When I was in the Army I worked 8-5. I had a night time, weekend job working in a motorcycle rental shop in Denver. I was a mechanic, my job mainly consisted of repairing thrashed and abused Hondas. The arc welder got a lot of use welding foot peg mounts back together. Our main clientele consisted of Zoomies from the nearby Airforce base.  Those kids could tear up anything. Those Hondas, 175s and 350s were as tough as nails.
kk

[Clifton]

......If that CB350 or GB350 were available in the USA I'd likely have a deposit on one now. I've ridden much of the Royal Enfield lineup, but a Honda is an easier sell for me as I've had a positive experience with their documentation, ease of finding parts, repairability, and quality control, even for bikes made outside Japan.

I like this bike a lot and have stated I'd likely buy one if it came to the US. But the more I think about it I'm worried it might be just a little too underpowered especially on hills at say 60 mph highway speed. I'd love to see it about the same weight but as a 450 or 500 with 30-33 hp and loads of torque. As I understand it though the GB 350 won't be coming here but we may get the GB 500 Twin.