The styling tweaks include black accents instead of chrome, a new tailpiece, and colour themes
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) took its time to develop a Royal Enfield challenger in the form of H’ness CB350 but is now already gearing up to spawn a variant extension. The Honda CB350 Cafe Racer has been teased once again in a build up to its unveil on February 16th.
Honda CB350 Cafe Racer
The H’ness CB350’s simple roadster body style with minimalist styling is a perfect to spawn an array of variants to cater to different tastes. The Cafe Racer with design tweaks would be targeting younger audience with a sportier appeal.
From what can be seen from the teasers, the upcoming variant of the medium displacement retro-classic motorcycle features a new cantilevered tailpiece with compact LED taillight and mudguard mounted license plate and indicators.
While the regular Honda CB350 embraces chrome appointments, Cafe Racer adopts black finish for the front and rear fenders, exhaust canister, rear shock absorber springs and the front fork. The new handlebar makes for a slightly sportier riding posture to suit the Cafe Racer styling. All other elements are shared with the regular model.
The Name – Honda CB350RS
Honda has revealed a new teaser today, and also launched a dedicated web-page on their official website of Big Wing. After taking a look at the page source of this new teaser website, you will notice that the name CB350RS is seen multiple times in the site’s coding as well as in the URL.
This indicates that the name of the CB350 based new motorcycle is likely going to be christened as CB350RS or CB 350 RS or CB350 RS. Whatever is the official name, it will be revealed on 16th Feb 2021, at the time of launch.
Honda CB350RS Specifications
The Honda CB350RS is powered by a 348 cc single-cylinder, air-cooled engine which is expected to be carried forward without any changes. The motor produces 21 hp and 30 Nm of torque, and is paired with a 5-speed gearbox. The frame and suspension setup, wheels and braking system remain the same but the tyres adopt different buttons to suit the new variant’s character. To recap, the motorcycle is equipped with front and rear disc brakes with standard dual-channel ABS system.
The digi-analog instrument panel has been retained, and just like its sibling, the Honda CB350RS Cafe Racer will sport turn-by-turn navigation, music and telephone control supported by Bluetooth connectivity, and Honda Selectable Torque Control. Other noteworthy features include smartphone voice control, side stand engine cut-off, and battery health indicator.
Honda BigWing
The Honda CB350 RS Cafe Racer will be retailed exclusively through the brand’s BigWing premium dealership network. While this approach restricts its territorial coverage when compared to Royal Enfield motorcycles, Honda is working on significantly expanding its BigWing network across the country. Premium ownership experience is a part of the motorcycle’s appeal and BigWing goes a long way in ensuring that.
More India-specific models on the way?
At the time of launching the CB350, Honda hinted that a bigger thump is coming. While there are no specifics as of now, it is rumoured that a CB500 could be in the works. With heavy localization, a bigger engined Honda motorcycle with retro-classic styling would emerge as a compelling alternative to Royal Enfield’s ever-expanding twin-cylinder portfolio.