Honda Bikes

Image – JerishHonda H’Ness CB350 competes against the likes of Royal Enfield Classic 350, Jawa Forty-Two and Benelli Imperiale
Automotive industry is like a house of dominos, one act of a price hike by a manufacturer may lead to other brands increasing prices of their products as well. Now, it’s the turn of Honda which is set to increase prices of H’Ness CB350. Dealers have revealed that the Japanese bikemaker is set to increase prices by Rs 5,500.
The new incremented price will take effect from April 1, 2020. Currently, prices of the retro-style classic motorcycle start at Rs 1,86,500 for the base DLX variant while the higher-spec DLX Pro trim is offered at a price of Rs 1,92,500. Since its launch late last year, this will be the second price hike for CB350.
Honda is yet to confirm any such development but it won’t come as a surprise since price increase of vehicles is a common practice at the start of a new financial year. Despite limited availability through Honda’s premium BigWing network of dealerships, CB350 has created a very strong buzz among motorcyclists in India.
Some of its strongest suits are its classic retro design, strong mid-range and low-range performance and exceptional refinement with a thumpy exhaust note. Since its launch last year, Honda has sold more than 13k units of the CB350. With the launch of CB350RS, Honda is expected to register even more sales in this segment.

Month
CB350 Sales

Oct
1,290

Nov
4,067

Dec
1,564

Jan
3,543

Feb
3,268

Total
13,732

Design & Features
Speaking of its design, some of the highlights include a round headlamp, a leather tan seat, a curvy fuel tank, and chrome-embellished fenders and exhaust. Presence of blacked-out components such as engine-gearbox assembly and alloy wheels gives it a contrasting appeal. Its equipment consists of modern features such as full-LED lighting, semi-digital console, Bluetooth connectivity and traction control.
Mechanical Specifications
The bike draws its energy from a 348.6cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that kicks out 20.5 bhp at 5,500rpm and a peak torque of 30 Nm at 3,000rpm. This unit is coupled with a 5-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch. Its hardware setup consists of a double cradle frame which is suspended on telescopic forks at front and dual shock absorbers at rear.
The motorcycle rides on 19-inch front and 18-inch rear alloy wheels while anchor duties are handled by a single disc brake at each end assisted by dual-channel ABS. It tips the weighing scales at 181 kg and can hold up to 15 litres of fuel.
Earlier this year, Honda also launched a scrambler version of CB350 called CB350 RS which is essentially the same bike with slightly sportier styling and ergonomics. We do not know yet whether the upcoming price revision will also involve CB350’s sportier sibling or not. More

Image – Emerald Honda
The two wheeler dealer had collected Road Tax from 29,175 buyers but failed to make payments to the concerned authorities
Emerald Honda, a Honda two wheeler dealership has been booked for cheating the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The dealership had been collecting road tax from each two wheeler buyer as per the standard norms but the amount was not paid to the concerned authorities.
This fraud came to light when one such buyer, a Bapunagar resident, Surendrakumar Agja received a notice from the AMC asking him to clear his road tax dues within 3 days. Agja had purchased a two wheeler from the Emerald Honda showroom in Shahibagh in 2016. He paid the one time road tax and even received a receipt for the same. Hence he was astounded to receive the notice in July 2020 citing unpaid dues.
Agja had approached the police on receipt of the notice in November 2020. An FIR was registered under IPC Section 406 (Punishment for Criminal Breach of Trust) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property). While this was initially thought to be a sole case, it then came to light that this was not so.
More Customers
The said dealership had collected road tax from 29,175 two wheeler buyers during the period January 1, 2016, and December 12, 2020, but not deposited the same with the said authorities. As per documents received, the dealer had not paid taxes to the tune of Rs.3.63 crores to AMC.
Image – Emerald Honda
Though the Police Inspector M B Barad of the Madhavpura Police Station stated in January that the non-payment of taxes was inadvertent and were cleared later, Agja came to learn from AMC that this was not the case and the dues were still pending.
Untimely Action by Cops
Agja states that no action was taken at that time. Had the authorities acted on his complaint, the owners could have been apprehended. Now it is noticed that the Honda Showroom has been shut and the owners are absconding while a list exists of over 8,000 two wheeler owners whose road tax has not been deposited with the AMC.
The aggrieved two wheeler owners have now decided to approach the Police Commissioner to take action against the Madhavpura Police personnel who obviously tried to protect the accused by not taking timely action.
Employees’ PF Also Siphoned Off
Not only were the two wheeler buyers cheated of their road tax dues by the said Honda Dealership, but the hapless employees have also found that their employers had been making deductions for Provident Fund from their salaries but not deposited the same into the PF account.
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Honda CB350RS Arriving At Dealer. Image – Motovin77
CB350 RS is Honda’s second locally manufactured motorcycle in India which is retailed through its premium chain of dealerships BigWing

Honda launched the roadster version of CB350 last year and now they have launched a more sporty variant called CB350RS. While most of the bike is identical to its classic sibling, it does feature some cosmetic variations that help distinguish itself as a sportier iteration of the former. Now, the Japanese bikemaker has commenced deliveries of RS to dealerships across the country.
Like its sibling, CB350 RS is exclusively retailed through the company’s premium chain of dealerships- BigWing which has limited footprints across India. The bike was launched in a single variant with two colour options at a price of Rs 1.96 lakh (ex-showroom) which makes it Rs 4,000 costlier than DLX Pro trim of H’Ness CB350.
Honda CB350 RS First Batch Delivery Starts
Cosmetic Differences
The bikemaker currently operates a total of only 32 BigWing dealerships in India currently- 6 BigWing Toplines and 26 standard BigWing dealerships. CB350 RS looks like a sportier version of H’Ness CB350 where RS stands for ‘Road Sailing’. It gets redesigned side panels and a revised tail section along with an all-black treatment on various body parts. Texture of the seat, as well as its cushioning, has been updated.
This iteration of CB350 also gets two separate grab rails for the pillion which are bolted to the rear fender unlike H’Ness which gets a single-piece grab rail. The footpegs are also a little rear-set with a slightly smaller handlebar which provides an aggressive lean forward riding posture.
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The frame, chassis, and other mechanical components are covered in a beautiful all-black theme that accentuates CB350 RS’s sporty nature. In addition, an engine bash plate and a wider rear tyre with a block pattern further distinguish the RS from H’Ness CB350.
Same Mechanicals
Both H’Ness CB350 and CB350 Rs share the same powertrain and hardware setup. They draw their power from a 348cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine which puts out 20.8 bhp at 5,500rpm with 30 Nm of peak torque at 3,000rpm. This unit is mated to a 5-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch.
Suspension setup consists of conventional telescopic forks at front and dual shock absorbers at rear. Braking is taken care of by disc brakes at both ends while safety net is provided by a dual-channel ABS.
Features on offer
In terms of dimensions, both motorcycles are identical to each other, however, CB350 RS is lighter by 2 kilos. Coming to its features, CB350 RS like its classic sibling also comes with Honda Selectable Torque Control System (HSTC) which is essentially Honda’s version of traction control. However, it misses out on Bluetooth connectivity as offered in H’Ness CB350. It is available in two paint schemes- a mono-tone Radiant Red Metallic and a dual-tone Black with Pearl Sports Yellow. The latter costs Rs 2000 more than the former. More

New Honda GROM
2022 Honda Grom will be made available in two trims- Standard and ABS and goes on sale in the US by May 2021

Honda has globally revealed an updated version of its mini bike Grom. The facelifted third generation Grom made its first international appearance back in October 2020 as a 2021 model in Europe. The Japanese automaker also announced that this new Grom will hit showrooms in the USA by May 2021.
Grom was introduced back in 2014 and since then has been a largely successful bike with over 7.5 lakh sales across the globe. The latest iteration of the mini moto will carry the same base price tag of USD 3,399 which translates to INR 2.49 lakh. Apart from the upgrade to Euro 5 compliance, 2022 Grom also receives subtle exterior redesign.
Styling & Feature Updates
The biggest highlight in the new Grom is its easily removable and swappable body panels that are held to its steel backbone frame by six fasteners. This has been done by Honda to provide extra flexibility to owners who wish to customise their bikes.
It features a clean-looking bodywork and gets a lot of sleeker and straighter lines. It will be offered in four paint options- Matte Black Metallic, Queen Bee Yellow, Pearl White and Candy Blue (only on ABS model) that can be mixed and matched according to the customer’s preference.
New Honda GROM
Apart from this, the buyer also gets an optional SP colour package which adds unique body graphics and a yellow-coloured mono-shock spring along with golden brake calipers, alloy wheels and front fork. The seat is also not flatter and firmer which provides better cushioning. There are no major changes on its equipment front, just its LCD instrument screen gets updated and now also shows a gear position indicator.
Mechanical Specs
Its hardware has also been left untouched with its suspension setup consisting of telescopic inverted forks at front and a mono-shock at rear. Braking is handled by single disc brakes of 220mm and 190mm at front and rear respectively. Its fuel tank capacity has also been increased from 6.6 litres to 7.23 litres. The major change lies at its heart.
2022 Grom is now powered by a Euro-5 compliant 124cc air-cooled single-cylinder which is now slightly more powerful due to an updated compression ratio of 10:1 against the previous iteration’s 9.3:1 ratio. In the process, it feels a little quicker and can now clock a top speed of 95 kmph which is 8 kmph quicker than the previous model. Honda has also made improvements in its rideability thanks to its 5-speed gearbox that offers a larger rear sprocket and a wider spread of gear ratios.
New Honda GROM
Grom in India?
The new Grom has been made available in two variants- standard and ABS while the latter being priced at a premium of USD 200 over the base variant. A couple of months, it was reported that Honda has indeed filed a patent for the latest iteration of Grom in India.
A few years ago, the automaker did the same but the bike did not reach our shores. Instead, the Indian market received a scooter-styled bike named Navi which did not find many takers and eventually got discontinued. We hope this time, Honda is seriously thinking of bringing it to India. More

Image – Gyani Enough
Honda reached sales milestone of 1.5 crore units in South India

Honda 2Wheelers India witnessed 7th straight month of positive YoY sales growth as it ended February 2021 with 30.54% growth in domestic sales compared to the same month last year. The domestic two wheeler market is projected to have a double digit growth this year owning to a low base BSVI transition last year but Honda is confident of outperforming the industry average.
Honda 2Wheelers February 2021 sales
Last month, the Japanese two wheeler giant dispatched 411,578 units in the domestic market which is 96,293 units more than what it managed in February 2020. The MoM figure dropped marginally by 1.23% but then February has 3 less days compared to the preceding month.
As far as export markets are concerned, Honda witnessed a 16% YoY growth as BSVI models started gaining traction in overseas markets as well. 31,118 units were shipped last month compared to 26,736 units in February 2020. Overall, Honda 2Wheelers India clocked 442,696 units last year, an increment of over 1 lakh units compared to the same month last year (YoY growth of 29.44%).
Key sales highlights in February 2021
In February 2021, Honda 2Wheelers India expanded its BigWings premium dealership footprint by inaugurating three new outlets in Thane, Siliguri and Vadodara. With this, Honda now has 18 BigWing outlets in addition to the 5 BigWing Topline (retails the brand’s entire range of 300+ cc models). More outlets are set to be added in due course as the company is looking to maximize the potential of its new Honda CB350 lineup.
Honda 2 Wheeler Sales Feb 2021
Speaking of the CB350, a sportier variant called the CB350RS was introduced last month. The retro-classic motorcycle which debuted in October 2020 also crossed its 10,000 sales milestone last month.
With first-in-segment features like assist and slipper clutch, and Honda Selectable Torque Control, the CB350 emerges as a very attractive proposition, especially at a starting price of INR 1.96 lakh (ex-showroom). The motorcycle is sitting on huge number of bookings and Honda is working to increase the production capacity and decrease the waiting period.
February 2021 also marks Honda’s achievement 1.5 crore sales milestone in South India which establishes it as the leading motorcycle brand in that part of the nation. The company also claims to have become the first choice of 70 lakh families in North India.
Upcoming launches
Buoyed by the success of its new 350 cc motorcycle, Honda is gearing up to augment its well priced premium motorcycle portfolio. Rumors suggest that the company is getting ready to introduce the Honda CB500X medium displacement adventure tourer in April 2021.
Likely to be imported a a CBU, the motorcycle will slot between the KTM 390 Adventure and Kawsaki Versys 650 with a final balance between performance, features and affordability. Based on its reception, rest of Honda’s popular 500 cc lineup could make it to our shores eventually. More