Honda recently revealed their EV roadmap for India along with the news. That a new motorbike based on the CB350 chassis will be available by the end of the year. This platform was created to compete with the 350cc lineup from Royal Enfield. Also, Honda already possesses the H’ness necessary to compete against the Classic 350 and the CB350RS. Which is marketed as a scrambler, we anticipate that this new bike will resemble a cruiser and challenge the Meteor 350. (350cc Honda)
Cruisers are undoubtedly a niche market, but the Meteor has been working to try to alter that by adding almost 8,000 units to RE’s monthly sales numbers. Our guess is that Honda is attempting to take a slice of this market for itself. And if so, it may redesign the H’ness CB350 to do so. The core frame and the air-cooled 348cc single-cylinder engine would likely remain the same if Honda decides to build a cruiser on the H’ness’s platform, according to platform engineering history. (350cc Honda)
Nonetheless, the excessive garnishing is probably more in keeping with cruiser appearance. And Honda may take cues from a vehicle similar to its own Rebel 300 cruiser that is offered outside. To provide a more raked-out front end and have the bike ride lower to the ground. As is customary with cruisers, the suspension set-up may also be modified. Honda might experiment with gearing and sprocketing to try to make up for the fact that this engine doesn’t necessarily produce the bottom-end oomph you would expect from a cruiser.
The new bike must be priced similarly to the Meteor. If it wants to compete with it in terms of sales. So, you may anticipate it to be between Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 2.2 lakh (ex-showroom). Honda claims that the bike will arrive in our country by November. Although a debut around the holiday season is likely.
The ideas Honda has for its petrol engines this year don’t end there. A new 160cc motorbike and 125cc scooter are also planned for release in FY24. In order to compete with the likes of the TVS NTorq and Suzuki Avenis, the former is expected to share its foundations with the Activa 125 and potentially wear a sportier outfit. There are no hints as to the strategy Honda will use with this bike. However it is predicted that it will use the X-blade and Unicorn’s engine. We could observe an ADV-like appearance. Similar to what Honda accomplished with the CB200X, which is based on the Hornet 2.0.
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