The new Honda H’ness CB 350 made its global debut in India. The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 rival was launched in September 2020 and has created quite a fan base in a short span. Now, it seems that it's time for the CB 350 to impress enthusiasts in other countries. A new media report claims that the retro-modern motorcycle is expected to be launched in Japan soon and would go by the moniker Honda GB 350.
There is no official statement from Honda
regarding the launch of the CB 350 in Japan. The company has also not commented
on the report that it is going to name the motorcycle as Honda GB 350 in the
Land of the Rising Sun. We are expecting to learn more about this in the near
future.
In India, the Honda H’ness CB 350 price
starts at INR 1.86 lakh (ex-showroom) after a recent hike. This converts to JPY
264,959. In Japan, earlier reports claimed that the CB 350 would fall in the
JPY 550,000 to JPY 600,000 range. However, new
development suggests that the upcoming motorcycle could be launched at an even
more affordable price tag of JPY 499,000.
Several reasons have been stated behind
this reduced figure. For example, the CB 350 in India already complies with the
BS6 emission regulations which are equivalent to the Euro 5 norms. Thus, Honda
would not need to make any changes to meet the Japanese emission standards.
Also, since the motorcycle comes with ABS as standard in the Indian market, the
company would not need to add it for the customers in Japan. Perhaps, there
would be only a single variant of the so-called Honda GB 350 in the brand's
home country.
As for the specs, they are likely to
remain more or less the same - a 350cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine
capable of putting out 21 hp of max power at 5500 rpm and 30 Nm of peak torque
at 3000 rpm. Telescopic forks upfront and dual shock absorbers at the rear for
the suspension duties. Braking would come from disc brakes at both the ends.
