Honda CB350RS launched at Rs 1.96 lakh

Honda has again expanded its CB range of motorcycles in India with the all-new CB350RS that has been launched at Rs 1.96 lakh, ex-showroom. At this price, the CB350RS is priced roughly Rs 10,000 more than its modern classic sibling, the H’ness CB350, bringing to the table plenty of contemporary style and modern features.

The smoothly sculpted tank is reminiscent of the H’ness and so is the all LED lighting, with the round headlamp with a ring design being very distinctive. What brings a lot of visual oomph is the ‘tuck and roll’ seat, typical of scramblers and the upswept exhaust. Chrome is kept to a minimum and the engine and the exhaust are both blacked-out.

The CB350RS shares its chassis with the H’ness CB350, meaning it gets the half duplex cradle frame. Suspension duties are carried out by telescopic forks upfront and twin hydraulic shocks at the rear while dual channel ABS is standard, just like its sibling. Another distinctive element are the wide pattern tyres wrapped around 19-inch alloys upfront and 18-inch ones at the rear

In terms of engine, the CB350RS sports the same powertrain as the H’ness, a 350cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine that produces 20.7bhp and 30Nm of twist. The engine uses an offset cylinder position to reduce the sliding friction and asymmetrical connecting rod for minimum combustion energy losses.

There’s no direct rival to the CB350RS for now and the motorcycle will join the H’ness CB350 in helping Honda expand its footprint in the 350cc space. It’s sibling meanwhile goes up against the Royal Enfield Meteor 350, Benelli Imperiale 400 and the Jawa twins.