The Honda Forza 350 features additional features compared to the Forza 300 and a new motor
Following a reasonable number of pre-booking for its premium Forza 300 maxi-scooter, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) delivered the first few (4 units to be precise) examples in February this year although there was no public price announcement. Then, the pandemic hit us and things pretty much came to a stand still for a few months.
One would expect HMSI to make a proper introduction of its premium scooter in the country in its BS6 avatar sometime later this year. Meanwhile, the Japanese automaker has just debuted a slightly bigger-engined Forza 350 in Thailand market (at the 2020 Bangkok Motor Show). The Honda Forza 350 is supposed to be the 300’s successor with more power and improved emission performance. So, the question is will HMSI bring the latest Forza 350 to India or come up with a BS6 version of the Forza 300?
We would put our money on the new Honda Forza 350 coming to India as it complies with latest emission norms in international markets, and hence, should be BS6 ready already. That said, HMSI has not made any official announcements regarding the Forza 350. Anyway, we will which way the company leans in the comings months.
The 2020 Honda Forza 350 not only gets a bigger motor compared to its predecessor but also features visual changes and additional equipment. The premium automatic scooter continues to subscribe to the maxi-scooter design language with a prominent front fascia, generously proportioned stepped seats, large wheels and meaty tyres.
Salient features include LED headlamps, emergency stop lights (taillight blinks rapidly under panic brake situations to warn the following motorists), LED turn indicators integrated into rear view mirror housings, electrically adjustable windscreen which has a range of 150 mm, digi-analog instrument console, USB charging port, keyless ignition and so on. Being a touring friendly scooter, the Honda Forza 350 has enough underseat storage space to store two full face helmets in addition to compartments on the front apron.
Power comes from a 329.6 cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine whose performance figures are not made public yet. For reference, the existing Forza 300’s 279 cc motor produces 24.8 hp. One can expect a bump in power by a few horses. Transmission continues to be a CVT.
The Honda Forza 350 is priced from 173,500 TBT (around INR 4.14 lakh). The scooter emerges as a viable alternative to medium displacement cruisers and tourers. It would be interest to see how well a medium displacement premium automatic scooter will be received in India.
