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There’s no denying… when it comes to classic motorcycles in India, the name Royal Enfield Classic 350 absolutely rules the roost. More recently though, the Classic 350’s reign has been challenged by the likes of the Benelli Imperiale 400, the Jawa and the Honda H’ness CB350. Royal Enfield’s answer to this growing competition is the all-new Meteor 350 - a replacement for the Thunderbird 350 X built on a completely new, and modern platform. So while we will have a full-blown comparison coming up soon, it’s interesting to see how the new Meteor stacks up against all of these bikes... on paper!

Engine & Performance:

Specifications

Royal Enfield Meteor 350

Honda H’ness CB350

Jawa BS6

Imperiale 400 BS6

Engine

349cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, counterbalanced engine

348cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, counterbalanced engine

293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled

374cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled

Power

20.48PS @ 6100rpm

21PS @ 5500rpm

26.51PS

21PS @ 6000rpm

Torque

27Nm @ 4000rpm

30Nm @ 3000rpm

27.05Nm

29Nm @ 3500rpm

Gearbox

5-speed

5-speed + slipper clutch

6-speed

5-speed

The Jawa is the only bike here using a short-stroke, performance-oriented engine with a 6-speed transmission. Sure it’s fast, but it lacks the retro laidback charm of an under square engine, something we think is crucial for a buyer in this segment.  

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 vs rivals comparo -3

Honda, on the other hand, makes the best of both worlds, it’s not only powerful but also has a 3Nm torque advantage over all its rivals. Not to mention, it’s the second lightest bike here after the BS6 Jawa. All here, except the Jawa, run long stroke motors, with an even spread of torque throughout the rev range -- so they manage just fine with 5-speed transmissions.

While both the CB350 and Meteor sport counterbalanced engines for better refinement, the winner here based on specs alone would have to be the CB350 with its true retro charm and loads of bottom-end torque.

 

Underpinnings:

Specifications

Royal Enfield Meteor 350

Honda H’ness CB350

Jawa BS6

Imperiale 400 BS6

Frame

Double cradle frame

Half duplex cradle

Double cradle frame

Double cradle frame

Front suspension

Telescopic fork

Telescopic fork

Telescopic fork

41mm Telescopic

Rear suspension

Twin shock

Twin shock

Gas-charged twin shocks

Twin shock

Front brake

300mm disc with 2-piston caliper

310mm disc with 2-piston caliper

280mm disc with 2-piston caliper

300mm with 2-piston caliper

Rear brake

270mm disc with 1-piston caliper

240mm disc with 1-piston caliper

240mm disc with 1-piston caliper

240mm with 1-piston caliper

Front tyre

100/90 - 19

100/90 - 19

90/90-18

100/90-19

Rear tyre

140/70 - 17

130/70 - 18

120/80-17

130/80-18

There isn't much that sets these bikes apart in terms of their underpinnings. Except for the Classic, all bikes here are running a double cradle frame or at least a version of it. Same goes for the suspension setup across all bikes which is pretty much the same, with the only difference being their suspension tune. 

Larger front wheels are pretty much a norm on such motorcycles, but the Jawa’s 18-17 wheel combination makes it the most agile of the lot. Simply put, there’s very little between all these bikes when it comes to their underlying hardware.

 

Dimensions:

Specifications

Royal Enfield Meteor 350

Honda H’ness CB350

Jawa BS6

Imperiale 400 BS6

Wheelbase

1380mm

1,441mm

1369mm

1440mm

Ground clearance

160mm

166mm

-

165mm

Fuel tank capacity

15-litres

15-litres

14-litre

12-litres

Seat height

765mm

800mm

765mm

780mm

Kerb weight

191kg

181kg

172kg

205kg

In terms of outright dimensions, the H’ness and the Imperiale are the biggest bikes here, although the Imperiale ‘feels’ even bigger in terms of proportions and weight.

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 vs rivals comparo -6

The Jawa, in contrast, feels distinctly compact and is lightest in this company, which might appeal to some people. What also works in its favour is an accessible low seat height of 765mm -- same as the Meteor 350.

The Meteor though, offers a larger 15-litre fuel tank, which will keep you on the road a lot longer, just like the CB350. Having said that, it still weighs in at 191kg which is 19kg and 10kg heavier than the Jawa and CB350 respectively.

 

Features:

Specifications

Honda H’ness CB350

Royal Enfield Meteor 350

Jawa BS6

Imperiale 400 BS6

Traction control

Yes

No

No

No

LED lighting

All systems

DRL and Taillight

No

No

USB Charger

Yes

Yes

No

No

Smartphone connectivity

Only DLX Pro model

Yes

No

No

Navigation

Only DLX Pro model

Yes

No

No

 

Let's face it, modern features aren’t an absolute must on classic motorcycles, but it's certainly a welcomed addition to say the least. Sure the DLX Pro variant on the CB350 is the most feature packed bike here. However, the inclusion of traction control feels a bit gimmicky in our opinion. Also, how practical the feature is, is all down to its real world usage. 

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 vs rivals -comparo- 8

On the contrary, the Meteor packs similar connectivity features with a larger digital display that is a lot easier to read at a glance. These features also come standard across the range which means you don’t have to shell out more money, as is the case with the CB350. 

To add to this, Honda’s additional Bluetooth connectivity features are pretty much redundant unless you invest in a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

 

Price & Verdict:

Pricing

Honda H’ness CB350

Royal Enfield Meteor 350

Jawa BS6

Imperiale 400 BS6

 

DLX - Rs 1.85 lakh

DLX Pro - Rs 1.90 lakh

Fireball - Rs 1,75,825

Stellar - Rs 1,81,342

Supernova - Rs 1,90,536

Single Channel ABS - 1,74,228

Dual Channel ABS - Rs 1,83,170

Silver - Rs 1,99,000

Red - Rs 2,10,900

Black - Rs 2,10,900

*Ex-showroom Prices

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 vs

When it comes to the spec sheet, there's no denying that the CB350 comes out on top, with the Meteor a close second. But that notion soon changes when you consider the Meteor's price features list. So when it comes to value proposition, Royal Enfield’s latest offering makes more sense, especially over the previous-gen Thunderbird 350X.

But what about real-world performance and usability differences between the H’ness and the Meteor? Well, you’ll have to be a bit more patient for that, so stay tuned to ZigWheels.



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