From hating bikes to buying my own: My Honda H'ness 350 ownership

I’ve been majorly happy with the bike so far, and hope that the Honda experience stays.

BHPian krankstter recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A quick small intro about myself, I’m a 2020 Mechanical Engineer graduate and was part of three different student teams which built an E-ATV, IC-ATV and the Advanced Efficycle (for three independent different student competitions) where I primarily indulged in the design and manufacturing phases. Throughout my childhood, I’ve taken an intense interest in automobiles and that was only strengthened during my bachelor days. All my close relatives still remind me how I used to name every automobile make and model on the road as a 3-4 y.o. kid (there weren’t those many models on road back then, XD). I’m currently in IT (no particular reason why, pandemic batch, can’t really complain, I’m doing fine and completely happy with this choice as well) and I’ve somehow managed to keep this interest afloat as a hobby by reading/watching both relevant and irrelevant videos, posts, reviews and threads across various forums and YouTube channels (TopGear, Autocar, Powerdrift, FK are some of my favourites). A recent addition to this list is MotorInc. It’s absolutely wonderful to hear two passionate auto enthusiasts share their honest opinions in the form of a podcast or a discussion. Ep-18 especially was really good, do check that out whenever free.

I’ve almost always hated bikes (with the exception of the Kawasaki Ninja – it was a dream bike for many of my classmates as well back during the 8th-12th classes). My earliest memory with a bike was with my Dad’s old green Kawasaki Caliber 115. This was the one on which I learnt how to ride a bike. I started learning clutch handling and gear shifting after some basic riding experience on my Mom’s TVS Scooty which I used for local market runs within the colony (too young for a license and that Scooty was barely better than a bicycle back then). I’ve never really appreciated or understood the clutch and gear mechanics of bikes especially since a Scooty does it all with neither of those. All this hassle somehow managed to suppress the Ninja admirer in me and I’ve gradually lost interest in sports bikes as well. I’ve learnt how to ride a bike and that’s it, never really practised or used a bike up until we had to exchange the Caliber (disastrous mileage and clunky gear shifts owing to its age) for a 110cc Honda dream neo. I very distinctly remember the conversation held within the fam as to why they had to downgrade the displacement under the assumption that a lower displacement bike would be better off for a beginner rider (in case I decide to ride the bike at some point). To date, I’ve been highly vocal about my disapproval of this decision. The dream neo was a really smooth bike up to 40 km/h, anything above that struggles. We’ve procured an Access 125 somewhere along our journey and I’ve only used the dream neo extremely rarely when I had to go out immediately and if Dad took the access.

Something that adds to this hatred is a mishap in May 2019 which happened while on the dream neo. Fate’s really funny, the one time I decide not to use a helmet is when I get into a crash. I had to drop off the bike to my dad at a hospital (mom and grandma were also there for some checkups) and return with the car since he had a meeting. I had to take a right turn at a T-junction (2-lane with a concrete divider, a few 100m from the hospital where my family was) and there was a big SUV parked on the right corner which blocked my view of the incoming traffic. Adding to this, my habit of not having breakfast came to bite me later on that scorchingly sunny afternoon in Vijayawada, I was not at my best focus level. Somehow in that blind spot, a biker managed to sneak in at 60+ km/h without slowing down at the junction (no-traffic lights or anything it was just a small junction). Lo and behold, we naturally crash, even after I managed to bring my vehicle to a complete halt (I was only at 10kmph since I had to take a turn). The guy on the bike however, hadn’t noticed me until it was too late (blind spot for him as well because of that huge SUV in the corner) and couldn’t really slow down in time. I remember not losing my footing even as we crash but managed to fall down because of the concussion I received from him flying over from his bike to mine and hitting me. His forehead hit my right temple causing my pair of specs to give me a deep gash across my right eyebrow (not noticeable as much today thanks to a job well done by the surgeon).

I blacked out for a couple of seconds immediately after this (low blood sugar since the last meal was had the night before and extremely hot ambient temps). The silencer gave me a spot quick 3-second burn on my right lower leg during this blackout and I got up thanks to all the support from a shopkeeper and people nearby. As I get up, I remember asking the guy who hit me why he was speeding that much on a small road at a junction. He had minor bleeding on his forehead as well but managed to pick up his bike and leave within the next 5 seconds (not sure why or how, he just left). This boosted my confidence slightly, I could feel something was off in my head but I assumed I’d probably be able to do the same since he was strong enough to leave. I then got on my bike (even as the people around told me not to) and managed to somehow almost fall down the second time, after a second quick millisecond blackout. They asked me to sit down and gave me some water. After a couple of minutes, I called my dad who was in the hospital (literally 50m away from the collision spot) and asked him to come there. He reached, briefly panicked and managed to support me (along with another gentleman who I couldn’t thank because I wasn’t fully in my senses yet) as we walked to the hospital. This 50m walk felt like an eternity. I remember asking to sit down for a bit as we entered the hospital but wasn’t really granted that pleasure since we were already at the massive hospital gate. The moment I stepped foot into the airconditioned lobby of the hospital, I regained all my senses (all my senses probably decided to take a mini-sabbatical thanks to the heat) and saw my mom and grandmother waiting for me at a bed. The hospital staff promptly arranged for a nurse to clean my wound and recommended that I be taken to a plastic surgeon to fix the gash stitched up instead of getting the regular stitches that would probably leave a huge mark. And the rest is history, I recovered, and dad got rid of the bike (got it repaired to brand new and sold it dirt cheap to someone we know thanks to the Indian family sentiments about accident stuff).

Starting from June 2019, I somehow always hesitated to get on a two-wheeler until almost the end of December. By the time I regained confidence, our only two-wheeler in the house (Access 125) started showing its age. Tons of problems, but we got rid of that as well and bought a new BS6 Access 125 in Jan 2020 which has remained the primary means of commute till 2022 March. Every time Dad was away and I had to get a chore done, I had to take either of our cars (will hold up this conversation for another thread/story), even for a short distance. This slowly started planting seeds in my mind to get another two-wheeler. I didn’t want a scooter/scooty and I hated bikes, so I kept postponing this thought almost till the Hness was launched. I remember seeing a few reviews and thinking to myself how good the bike looked but didn’t really consider getting one because of my aversion to bikes. With the CB350 RS launch, however, I fell in love with it. The way that bike screamed of retro neo classic just somehow managed to connect strings inside that I never knew existed. I started asking my dad to get a test drive done (wanted him to ride it since he was much more experienced and I was a newbie, also, I was under the impression that I was going to gift him the bike and not for me) after learning that a Bigwing showroom had recently opened up in Vijayawada. He was adamant about not getting the Hness since all his friends who owned the Classics or the Bullets felt that they were too impractical and heavy with a ton of maintenance issues (Hness sort of looked like a Classic at first glance to him, First impressions last). My argument was that the Hness and RS were almost 20kgs lighter than the Classic/Metor and that almost all the 7928 reviews that I read/watched on youtube were praising the way they handled (hypothetical number, since I remember going through tons of Hness/RS content for over 6 months at that point). In March 2022 however, I somehow managed to finally convince him on a Sunday to get a test drive alone and that it doesn’t mean that I’ll purchase the bike. We then test-drove the Hness (skipped RS because no saree guard/footrest for women, when in desperation, you can’t ask your future gf/wife to wear something compatible enough to get behind on a bike, she must be able to sit comfortably even when wearing a saree, jokes apart, it was for my mom, a year since the purchase now, the bike has been my only partner to date, I’m sadly or happily still single). Dad thought the bike was nothing like the classics/bullets his friends owned (older generation enfields) and loved it. However, he made it extremely clear that he’s still going to use the Access for daily runs since he has a left knee problem, both our cars are automatic as well so almost nil left-leg usage. We still wanted to give the Meteor 350 a benefit of the doubt and immediately requested a test drive at the next-door RE showroom. I remember feeling that the Meteor was nothing like the Hness and that it felt heavier and harder to turn owing to the footpeg position. Went home, had a quick discussion, and unaware that the anniversary edition had just launched, almost booked the blue dlx pro. The website showed me the green anniversary edition and I instantly booked it with the dealer.

The H’ness has somehow managed to completely eliminate any hatred I had for bikes. The fact that I instantly booked it after a test drive just shows it. Also, I was under the assumption that coming from a 110cc ride, I probably wouldn’t be able to handle this heavy machine. The test drive proved me wrong.

Had a waiting period of 2-3 weeks before the bike finally arrived at the dealership. Took almost all packages offered by Bigwing except the helmet, bought a white Axor helmet even before taking delivery, just so I could ride with a cool helmet to the temple. Got the puja done and visited a couple of temples to induct the bike as a member of the fam. Has been a great companion so far.

The bike has been ceramic coated at The Detailing Mafia, Vijayawada after a month of ownership. I wrapped handle grips with trip machine co. leather ones. They’re decent, have nothing to write home about, get the job done, and fit my hand slightly better.

Since then, our family has relocated to Chennai, Dad’s a lecturer and had been postponing his move to Chennai for almost 15 years now. All the stars somehow aligned, soon after we purchased the bike. The transfer to Chennai had already been put into motion with my dad leaving Vijayawada in April. The access was with me in Vijayawada for that duration and I rarely touched the bike. The bike’s odo was at 1100 km when the bike reached Chennai via a transport truck in July 2022. I’ve managed to cover only 400kms from then till December thanks to my laziness.

As of 25th March 2023, the bike has turned one year old with just 4000 km on the odo whose breakup is as follows,

First 500 km, First weeks after delivery, Final week in March and First week of April.

Next 1000 km, spread across the next 10 months.

Final 2500 km, 3 days a week office runs, last couple of months (was WFH up until then), 50 kms up and down, total 100 km per instance minimum.

Last month, I’ve successfully managed to re-register the bike to the TN state RTA with a new HSRP installed as well. Please let me know if I should document this process (AP to TN), later on in this or a separate thread. I’ve had an agent who helped me out with this as well but is aware of most of the stuff needed for this.

I’ll try and consolidate the bike review as much as possible. These pros and cons are what I view subjectively and this doesn’t mean it would match with

Pros:

1. Absolutely smooth and vibration-free experience
2. The bike’s a looker
3. Power on demand
4. Well-balanced and easy to ride. I’ve experimented with settings 1-5 on the rear suspension, and haven’t noticed any major difference. Currently rides in 2, handles great as usual.
5. The clutch is pinky-finger smooth. You only need one finger to operate. No other competitor at this price point and class offers the same.
6. Fuel Efficiency, if someone like my dad rides (45kmpl for sure minimum on highways), if it’s me, then drops to 30kmpl, which is still acceptable
7. Exhaust note, sweet and subtle on highways, roars when in the city.
8. The horn is super loud. You could make someone go deaf if honked in close vicinity to their ears.

Cons:

1. Could have been more powerful. (I got used to the bike so quickly that my assumption that I thought I’d not be able to handle a big machine was proven wrong. I now have a slight tingling sensation inside which want to upgrade. No worthy options yet in the market, hope Honda launches a 650 tourer).
2. At high speeds, when trying to throttle, the throttle suddenly becomes ghostly light with no inputs being forwarded to the engine. Nothing changes. Not sure if this is an issue or if that’s just how all bikes are.
3. The bike gets dirty very easily. All bikes do, and I still hate this about them. Would’ve been absolutely awesome if we had some sort of a magic solution that vanishes all mud from the bike overnight and just keeps it spot clean.
4. Extreme heat from the engine when at a standstill, is fine in winters but if for some reason you’re wearing shorts and riding in summer (cuz you’re insane), like me in the pic above, tandoori.
5. Bike feels slightly weird when the tank is full. It’s very subtle but manageable. Since this is the only big bike I’ve ridden for this long, not sure if that’s the same with all other bikes.
6. Rear passenger comfort is debatable. My mom thinks it’s great, my brother thinks it’s okay, and Dad thinks it’s funny because his back hurts. I personally don’t prefer sitting on the back of this bike either, the Access 125 has spoiled us all. It’s a terrible comparison I know, but just throwing it out there.
7. Small corrosion like breakage on the chrome exhaust finishing where it exits the engine, not sure if this is something to be worried about, I pressure wash the bike regularly, at least once a month (might be because of the rapid cooling during wash, please let me know).

However, I have a few points to add to this. Almost 40 km out of the 100km office runs, I’m constantly at a speed of 100 km/h or higher. The bike is absolutely blissful to ride with a nice subtle note which is not too evident thanks to my helmet. Throughout this 4000 km, I’ve never once filled the tank with regular fuel but have experimented quite a bit with the premium offerings of various brands such as HP’s power, BP’s speed, Shell’s V-Power and Indian Oil’s XP95. I have not noticed much of a difference with the first three but XP95 was the one which made the engine noticeably smoother. The bike is now much happier to be ridden at higher RPMs. I’ve hit almost 130kph with the following gear speed,

• 1st till 20,
• 2nd till 50,
• 3rd till 90,
• 4th till 120
• 5th to 130 (painfully slow but I did it)

I’d been able to hit the same with different fuels as well but the best experience I’ve had was with the XP95. It’s just smoother. Owing to my high average speeds above 60 (there are sections of traffic that are absolutely slow moving in between, which cuts down the average by a lot), I reach the office 50 minutes after I start from home (50 km away). Considering all this in mind, with the performance on offer, I’m extremely happy with the 30kmpl mileage I get, since I push the engine quite a bit. I don’t accelerate quickly, but I stay at high RPMs all the time (4th gear).

Lugging the bike drains fuel like crazy, almost as if a dry state had been given unlimited liquor access. I agree with people complaining about the frequent gear shifts as well in the city, but since this has been my first and only geared only-wheeler which I’ve passionately ridden, it didn’t trouble me much.

The only thing I wish I had was the front windscreen (like the Meteor since I’m at high speeds on an open highway, lots of wind), the bike’s look completely changes (I didn’t like it much from the pics).

I’m also planning for some good quality bar end weights, haven’t found great products yet, leaning towards the carbon racing ones. The stock plastic ones are ugly and not evenly settling in.

I’ve used up all three free services (the first one in Vijayawada, Rest in Chennai Bigwing North) and had a great experience. Added fork boots in the second service which made the bike look more badass.

I’ve been majorly happy with the bike so far, and hope that the Honda experience stays. Thanks for reaching through to the end of this journey. I greatly appreciate all the time and effort spent in reading this and apologize if the visualization of the mishap was a bit too painful.

Keyword: From hating bikes to buying my own: My Honda H'ness 350 ownership