RE Classic 350, Standard Jawa and Jawa 350 are the rivals to Honda CB350 and upcoming Scrambler version will take on Yezdi Scrambler and upcoming Hunter 450
Where classic and neo-retro motorcycles are concerned, the market has a massive shift in gravity in favour of Royal Enfield. Honda is expanding its lineup CB350 lineup to incorporate a new Scrambler and an ADV to rival Royal Enfield offerings as seen from patent designs. We rendered what Honda’s 350c Scrambler could look like based on patents.
Honda CB350 Scrambler Rendered
One must be wondering Honda already offers a Scrambler-ish offering based on the CB350 platform. Yes, we’re talking about CB350 RS which is also on sale in Japan as GB350 S. This CB350 RS gets unique and sporty front and rear fenders along with a slightly different seat design over H’ness CB350.
However, the latest design patents filed by Honda show many more changes than what we saw between H’ness CB350 and CB350 RS. So, this motorcycle might be positioned as a whole new product, rather than just a variant of CB350. Rendering artist Pratyush Rout has penned down these differences into photo-realistic renders.
For starters, Honda’s latest patents show an all-new fuel tank that is much larger than what the company currently offer. It is taller too and has more cuts and creases to achieve a chiseled look. There are decently designed knee recesses on the fuel tank, enabling the rider to grip the motorcycle more efficiently.
Fuel tank has an exposed frame which could be used to expand practicality. With the frame, Honda will not only increase luggage carrying capacity, it also increase versatility by allowing it to carry jerry cans for extra fuel for long escapades into the wilderness. Other notable changes seen in our render that reflect Honda’s design patents are a smaller side body panel and a much lower seat height.
In keeping with Honda’s current theme we went with a single-piece ribbed pattern seat design while patent design had split seats. Other than that, our render has almost similar componentry between them and the same 348.36 cc engine that generates around 21 bhp and 30 Nm, mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
Honda’s strategy with 350cc Scrambler and ADV
Royal Enfield currently dominates the classic and neo-retro motorcycle genre in India. They even have a massive market share in the ADV segment with New Himalayan. However, most of RE’s sales come from 350cc motorcycles. Over 60K 350cc REs were sold last month accounting for 93% of RE’s total market share.
But Royal Enfield’s 350cc portfolio lacks lifestyle vehicles like Scramblers and ADVs. For those, you need to go to 450cc segment which can cost up to Rs. 4 lakh (on road, Karnataka). Honda is tackling Royal Enfield with lifestyle vehicles in the lower 350cc segment that should be less pricey. Yezdi is doing something similar with their portfolio too.
Also read – Honda CB 350 ADV rendered.
