Honda CB350RS Review

In May of 2023, an idea popped up in my head - I should buy a new motorcycle. This would be my first own motorcycle. I had used my cousin’s Honda Shine 125 for a few years in and after college and loved it. Early in 2023, my cousin needed it back, so I was left motorcycle-less. After riding my family’s Honda Activa around for a few weeks, I absolutely detested its ride quality and the idea of buying a new motorcycle started gaining more and more traction.

Traditional wisdom suggested I buy a motorcycle after the monsoon so I wouldn’t have to keep it parked away, because of the weather, and so that I could keep it clean. It meant I had to delay my purchase to October. Another common suggestion is to avoid buying a vehicle near the end of the year. Waiting a little and buying at the start of the next year would mean a newer model year, which would help with the resale value. I chose to ignore the second argument as I had no plans of selling this motorcycle. The first argument soon tuned invalid too as I thought about my plans with this new motorcycle. I wanted to tour. That was the whole point of this motorcycle. I didn’t actually need a new motorcycle. I wanted one. And I wanted it so bad that it became a need but I digress. I had this rough idea in my head where I wanted to ride my motorcycle to Bangalore. I wanted to travel after the monsoon, to avoid the bad weather and to travel through some lush green mountains and meadows in the western ghats. This would mean I would have to travel sometime in October. So I would need my motorcycle before that. Not only that but I would need my motorcycle to be broken in by October. Which meant I had to get it at least af few months before October. And with waiting times of a few weeks on some motorcycles, it was almost the correct time to buy one, or at least start the process of selection. I had to do my research, choose a motorcycle and save up for it. All of this was would take some time so without any further ado, I dove head first into the world of motorcycles.

Choosing a motorcycle

Key considerations during my bike selection process

• Reliability - As my primary purpose for this bike was touring, reliability was of upmost importance.
• Longevity - I intended to keep this bike around for as long as possible.
• Budget - I had set a budget of around 2-3 lakhs.
• Handling - I was gonna spend a lot of time on the saddle - I needed it to be fun!
• Mileage - I did want decent fuel economy but it wasn’t on the top of my list. Bikes these days are pretty fuel efficient anyway. I have no daily commute, so no daily traffic killing my fuel economy.
• Power - Again, not on the top of my list since I don’t plan on riding at speeds higher than 100 kmph and pretty much all bikes can comfortably reach these speeds.
• Posture - This was important. I needed a bike with an upright posture as I intended to sit on it for hours on end.

With these points in mind, I started my research on YouTube and Reddit. After numerous videos, posts and comments on reddit, I had developed a keen interest in the Honda CB350 Hness, especially the custom tourer variant. Other bikes I liked were the RE Scram 411 and the KTM 250 Adventure. Now it was time for test rides. I had never had a good sales/service experience with any vehicle from any brand. The salesmen were always arrogant, rude and pushy. At least for sales, I only had to interact with them while I bought a bike. With low expectations for a showroom experience, I went ahead with taking test rides. First up, Royal Enfield. To my surprise, the showroom experience was not bad. The salesman was polite although, his attitude did change a bit when he found out I wasn’t intending on buy a bike immediately. I test rode everything from the Hunter 350 to the Interceptor 650. Although it is a little heavy, the Interceptor has insane acceleration. I did also like the ride quality of the Scram 411. The new Royal Enfields have gotten much better but still online reviews and word of mouth did not give me the confidence. One pro of Royal Enfield was their service network. It is widely available and with the number of bikes they sell, spare parts availability shouldn’t be an issue. Next was Honda so I headed to the only BigWing showroom in Vadodara where Honda sells its premium bikes. The showroom experience was not great. The salesman was pushy and kinda arrogant. The bike on the other hand, excellent. I rode both the CB350 Hness and the CB350RS. While they’re almost the same bike, the RS’ posture is slightly leaned forward but still upright, it has a wider rear tyre and in my opinion better styling. There was a little confusion in my head but I liked the RS much better. The ride quality was incredible. It was torquey, powerful and smooth. Vibrations were minimal. The bike was nimble and handled amazingly well. You couldn’t feel the weight. Being a Honda, I had good confidence in its reliability and longevity. The Japanese aren’t known for making unreliable bikes. An under-stressed Honda like this would last me forever. I had made up my mind. Few days later, ignoring all the financial advice I had read on the internet and my account balance, I put down my deposit of 5000 rupees. I still didn’t have enough money to buy the bike but I thought with a waiting period of around 1 month, I would get one more paycheck which would push my account balance just above what I needed for the bike. I was still wondering about the KTM though. I hadn’t been able to take a test ride since they didn’t have one in stock. For peace of mind, I went to the showroom again and asked for a test ride of the Duke 250. It has the same engine as the 250 Adventure. The ride was underwhelming and the showroom experience was terrible. The salesman was the worst by far. He was rude, arrogant and just seemed uninterested. I did check out the 390 Adventure as well in the showroom and it is massive. I was now confident about my choice. Some reasons I chose the CB350RS over other bikes were - ride quality, reliability, tubeless tyres, slipper and assist clutch, traction control and a clean timeless design.

Taking delivery

It was Friday, July the 7th - M.S Dhoni’s birthday, when I got the call. My bike was here. I logged off from work early, went to the showroom and there it was, in matt grey, looking absolutely gorgeous. I could take delivery the same day. I went around the bike, checked some things here and there and ticked off stuff from the PDI list that I made. I took a test ride and it was perfect. Except that the speedometer wasn’t working. I asked the salesman upon my return and he said something along the lines of disconnecting the sensor so the bike stays at 0 kms. It’s a shady practice. I did notice one more thing. The ignition was acting weird when turing right and the bike would turn off if I pushed the key too far right. This shouldn’t be like this. I showed it to the salesman and he said just don’t push it that far. This was a stupid and unsatisfactory response. I tried it a few more times and the problem seemed to go away. There were also some tiny surface level rust spots on the frame of the bike. I confronted the salesman about them and they said it’s like that on all bikes, which it was. They spray painted some tiny spots before I took delivery and reassured me if I find more, they will be fix them in the first service. They even made me do a Google Maps review of the showroom right there which is not the way it works. Overall the showroom experience was luke warm at best. I paid the full amount, completed all the formalities and headed home. The weather that evening was perfect - cloudy with some light rain. The ride back home was incredible.

This is the first picture I took of my new bike the day I got her.

Living with my new Honda

For me, this bike is as close to perfect as it gets. It has just enough power for me. It can cruise at 80-100 kmph all day without breaking a sweat, all the while giving me great fuel economy. I get anywhere from 33 to 42 kmpl. If I ride sanely at 70/80 kmph on highways, I can easily get 40+ kmpl. In the city I usually get around 36 kmpl if I ride calmly. And if I thrash it, which I do do sometimes cause it’s fun, it goes as low as 33.

You need to learn how to ride this bike to get the most out of it. It is geared really tall and its engine is not as tractable as say a Classic 350. You need to understand its characteristics and its power band to use its full potential. The power lies in the mid to high rpms I feel. There’s no tachometer so I don’t know the exact numbers. If you just ride it like any other bike, you’ll feel a lack of power. But open the throttle and rev it up a little - you feel the torque, the rush. The bike goes to 100 kmph in the 3rd gear and the fun is pushing it from 70 up. The 4th gear takes it to 120 kmph and the 5th gear is basically overdrive for the highway. It maxes out at 135 kmph but it a slow rise after 120. If you ride in the right gear at the right speed, vibrations are minimal. Once you reach close to the redline, there are some vibrations, but nothing that bothers me. There’s an ECO indicator to help you get good mileage. If I ride in the 4th gear at 80kmph with just a little bit of throttle, the ECO indicator stays on and I can easily get 38+ kmph.

The clutch in this bike is something else. It has a slipper and assist clutch which is as light as a feather and as smooth as butter. Braking is great as well. The posture is just ever so slightly bent forward which is great. It’s upright and comfortable for long rides but just as fun when you want to ride a little aggressive. The seat is slightly on the firm side which I’ve heard is what you want for long rides. My butt does hurt a little after a long day of riding, usually during the last 20% of the day’s ride, but it’s not a big problem. Lately I’ve been using padded cycling shorts from Decathlon and they’ve been working well for me.

The heat management is pretty good. The only time I’ve felt heat coming off of the engine is when I’m riding in traffic in the summers. And even then, I just feel a little heat on my legs. Not really anything to worry about.

Another small detail I like is that if you’re a pillion, there’s a small foot rest for your heel behind the pillion foot peg. This way you don’t have to rest your foot on the exhaust.

Not everything is perfect though. The headlight is atrocious. The throw is bad and it’s not bright enough. It looks good since its an LED unit but its not as useful. The suspension is not plush. It’s meant to be a road bike so I understand but some more ability to tackle pothole would have been nice. I have yet to adjust the rear suspension so this might improve. The mirrors are not good. Almost half the view is blocked by my shoulder. The service experience is passable at best. And some sort of visual navigation aid would have been nice. The front fender is basically useless. Even a little bit of water on the road will dirty your legs form the knee down, not to mention specks of sand and tiny rocks hitting you in your shin. There is no rear tyre guard which is not a big issue in dry weather but if you ride fast in the water, get ready to feel it on your back. The paint quality and the welds on the frame could have been better as well. Another downside is that this bike isn’t very pillion friendly. The pillion seat is small and not really comfortable. The grab rails aren’t great as well.

Service 1

I got my first service 24 days into buying my motorcycle. It had run 770 kms and I got billed for 1850 rupees including the oil change.

A few days into buying the bike, I noticed the chain had some rust on it. I contacted the service center about it and they shrugged it off a saying it must have happened due to the weather. I didn’t think that was it, because it had been less than a week since I got her. Again, an unsatisfactory response from Honda. I should have check this when I got the bike. It was okay though since it was just surface level rust I think. I regularly clean and lube my bike’s chain every 500-700kms and so it soon became spotless.

The ignition issue was back though. Rather it never went away. I talked to the service center and they said it’s just loose and they’ll put in some lube and it’ll be okay. It doesn’t make sense. How can lube tighten the lock? I asked them to replace it under warranty since it was faulty right from the showroom. The service center employees told me they can’t do anything right now as it works. If it stops working they can replace it. And they assured me that it will go bad and then they will replace it. This was such a stupid solution. I had to wait for my bike to break down. What if it had happened in the middle of nowhere? I was frustrated with this experience but didn’t wanna make a big scene because this is where I was going to get my bike serviced for the foreseeable future. Honda should make better policies. It was still functional and it didn’t act up until I wanted it to. But it was worrying me a little as it could go bad any moment and it could put a damper on my trip. I mentioned all the issues I just listed. Most of them were shrugged off. The did spray paint some tiny rust spots.

I got a mud flap installed on the engine side just in front of the rear tyre. Without it the rear tyre would just fling mud all over the insides of the motorcycle. I also got a front fender extender installed which I got online from Carbon Racing. The mud flap and the fender extender installation cost me around 150 rupees.

Checkup 1

I was about to go on my first long tour exploring the Konkan. Before leaving, I got my bike checked at the service center. My bike had run 2763 km by now. There were no other issues with the bike expect the ignition thing. I was billed for a total of 1727 rupees. This included some spare parts for my upcoming trip. I bought a spare mirror and extra clutch and throttle levers. I also got a seat cover.

I went on a 4000 km solo motorcycle trip through the Konkan after this. You can read more about it here - Exploring the Konkan Coast. Here’s a picture from the trip.

Service 2

Midway through my trip I was staying in Bangalore for a week. My motorcycle had a total of 5216 kms on the odometer and it was almost time for my second service. I got it done at the BigWing Service center in Halasuru. This was by far the best service experience. Big shout out to the manager Mr. John. Honda denied my request to change the ignition here as well but Mr. John pushed my case forward and eventually got it approved. I got the whole ignition and lock set replaced under warranty. The issue was resolved. The entire staff there was polite and helpful. I had almost made up my mind to get all my services done here even though it was literally over a thousand kms away from home. I got billed a total of 2317 rupees including the oil change. I finally had peace of mind knowing my ignition issues were solved.

Service 3

I had my third service done at 10442 kms, right before my trip to Saurashtra. The front fender, which is non-metal, was cracked because of the screws that held together the extender. I got the entire fender replaced with a longer metal one, with an extender already attached. I assume this one is for the Hness. I also got the brake lever replaced as it had bent from when I dropped the bike back in my Kutch trip. I had parked the bike on some uneven ground on the Road to Heaven in Kutch. I was trying to get to some luggage and in the process dropped the bike. The only damage was the brake lever getting bent and a few minor scratches on the leg guard. The total including the oil change came out to 5623 rupees.

I went on a trip to Saurashtra after this. You can read about it here - Chasing Horizons in Saurashtra. Here’s a picture from the trip.

Checkup 2

During my Saurashtra trip, my bike suddenly started losing power and mileage had clearly dropped. For the first time ever, the mileage dropped below 30. At one point it dropped to as low as 24. The bike had a noticeable power drop as well. I was able to complete my trip though so that was good. Upon my return, I got my bike checked at the service center. They cleaned the air filter, checked the spark plug and some other things. The bike was again back to normal. There was some black sludge that dropped near the center stand but I assume that was just some extra grease that had dripped down so I cleaned it up myself and it didn’t happen again.

Honda Special Checkup

There was a special checkup organised by BigWing where Engineers were gonna come down from Delhi to check some bikes. My bike was selected for this and I got it checked. I also gave a lot of feedback to the team. It lasted for an hour or so. The bike was even smoother than before.

Power and Mileage dropped again

I was on a trip to Maheshwar & Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, when I faced the mileage issue again. It wasn’t as bad as the last time and power didn’t take as big of a hit. The mileage was down though. During the first 2 hours of the trip, I got a mileage of 42 kmpl, my best ever. After that it dropped. It still wasn’t as bad as last time but there was something wrong. There was a small drop in power as well. I contacted the service center upon my return and they said it could be an issue of bad petrol. They suggested I use up as much of it as I can and then refuel my bike with fresh petrol. I did the same and the issue has almost disappeared. Mileage and power are back up but I still feel it is not as good as before. It’s almost there, maybe at 95%. I will test it some more and get it checked at the service center if needed. I’ve also noticed that the bike is slightly veering left so I need to get that checked as well.

As I’m writing this, I’ve done over 13,000 kilometres in a little over 9 months and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every moment. The bike rides just as smooth as day one. Even though I don’t have a commute, I take her out almost daily. I’ve done 4 long tours on it and I’m planning to explore the entire country on my Honda.

Service Costs

	Cost	Notes
Service 1	2299	oil change, front fender extender, rear mudflap
Checkup 1	1727	seat cover, spare levers and spare mirror
Service 2	2317	oil change, lock set replaced(under warranty)
Service 3	5623	oil change, spare clutch cable, front fender & brake lever replaced

Extras

I’ve had 3 small mishaps with the bike. The first one was when a guy riding an Activa read ended me in Ahmedabad. I was on my bike standing still in a lot of traffic and he was trying to cut through it by riding into any space that he could find. He didn’t even acknowledge it, just looked at me for a second, and ran away cutting through the stagnant traffic. The second one happened the day I left Bangalore on my Konkan trip to come back home. A guy was constantly looking at his phone while riding an Activa. When I usually see people like these, I just avoid them and ride far away from them. I did the same this time and overtook him. A few minutes later, I was stopped on the road due to traffic and suddenly the same guy crashed into my bike. When I confronted him, he said he was looking at the map on his phone. I let it go and went on my way. The entire front right of his Activa was mangled and my bike didn’t even get a scratch. It was saved by the saree guard and to think of it I almost removed it before this trip. Things have a weird way of working out. The third time I had my bike parked on some uneven ground on the Road to Heaven in Kutch. I got something out of my bag in the back and turned around while accidentally dropping the bike. The front brake lever got bent and there were some minor scratches on the leg guard. Thankfully there was no major damage and I got the brake lever replaced in the next service.