Somehow I totally missed Honda sneaking out the GB350S over in the UK on November the 5th, something I’ve been saying they should do since the original H’ness. Honda for a long time seems not to have cared about the UK market, is this a change for the better?
I’m about to jump on my Enfield for an hour, so frankly I have no time to check the social media reactions, which is probably just as well as the usual offenders usually just leave me annoyed and confused. I can imagine though, the usual influencer bullshitters will describe this as a “big attack” on RE. 🥱
It’s priced at just shy of £4000 in the UK, which I find mildly ironic as the reality is that it’s Honda trying to break into a market they essentially abandoned 4 years ago and has been monopolised by RE and (more recently) the Bajaj/Triumph 400’s. This model replaces what was commonly known as the H’ness that was first introduced to the Asian market in 2020. It doesn’t traditionally compete with Royal Enfield in any of those markets, but has it’s own niche of loyal fans (much like the Benelli Imperiale) within them.
The price point especially is going to be bone of contention for many, excluding the current dumping of cheap J Platform bikes by MotoGB, this bike is more expensive than the Hunter 350 and pretty much on price for the Meteor, despite having none of technological advantages (such as Tripper). Adding further insult to injury, as of today (12/11/24) Honda have added it to their website, but not to the ‘street’ brochure should you wish for further details.
I’m not deliberately trying to disrupt the social media narrative here, but these are the facts we find ourselves confronted with. This is a very half-cocked attempt by a Japanese bike manufacturer to claw back a few sales in an area they have been absent for a long time.
What it actually does do….
The message it does do rather well though is to reiterate the point that small CC bikes are a continuously growing segment of the market as the overall dynamic of road travel begins it’s slow metamorphosis into something, I suspect some of our older riders may remember.
Is this some form of attack? Lol no, it’s not even close.
Valheru Rides! 
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