We race the Honda Highness CB350 and Royal Enfield Classic 350, and then compare their top speed and acceleration performance
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) recently introduced the Highness (H’ness CB350) in the Indian market. This retro-themed roadster serves as a rival to Jawa, Benelli Imperiale 400, and Royal Enfield Classic 350. The new Honda is also very well equipped, offering all-LED lights, a semi-digital instrument console, and even smartphone connectivity.
The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is the undeniable king of its segment, with a cult following among biking enthusiasts. The Classic is due for a generation change soon, expectedly by mid-2021. As for the current model, it quite an old-school machine, and compared to the Honda, it is sparsely equipped as well.
Here, we have a performance comparison between the Honda H’ness CB350 and the Royal Enfield Classic 350. Each motorcycle is powered by 350cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine, paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and on paper, this seems like a fair comparison. However, in the real world, we see a massive difference between the performance of these two bikes.
First, the Honda Highness and the Royal Enfield Classic compete in a simple drag race. As soon as the race begins, the Honda pulls ahead cleanly. The Royal Enfield, on the other hand, struggles all the way through and is easily defeated by its rival. The winner of round one was the Highness CB350.
Next, the top speed of both bikes was recorded. The Royal Enfield managed to achieve an indicated top speed figure of 120 kmph, which is quite modest. As for the H’ness, it managed to touch an indicated top speed of 132 kmph, which although better than the Classic, wasn’t too impressive either. Still, the Honda managed to win the second round as well.
After that, the motorcycles were subjected to acceleration runs. The Honda Highness manages to reach from a standstill to 60 kmph in just 4.62 seconds, while 80 kmph comes up in 7.58 seconds, and 100 kmph in 12.76 seconds. As for the Classic 350, it takes 5.84 seconds to reach from 0-60 kmph, while 0-80 kmph takes 9.41 seconds. The 0-100 kmph run is extremely lethargic, taking 20.78 seconds.
| Performance | Honda H’ness CB350 | RE Classic 350 |
| 0-60 km/h | 4.63 seconds | 5.84 seconds |
| 0-80 km/h | 7.58 seconds | 9.41 seconds |
| 0-100 km/h | 12.76 seconds | 20.78 seconds |
| Top Speed | 132 km/h | 120 km/h |
The Honda H’ness outshines the RE Classic in terms of performance, and that too by a significant margin. That said, the next-gen Classic will have a new engine (the same as on the recently-launched Meteor 350), and it will be much better in terms of performance. Will the results be different when the new Classic arrives? We’ll surely test it out next year!