Hi,
I have owned the Honda CB350RS (for the rest of the world its the GB350S) for about 3 years now. I bought mine in 2022. Its probably the only Honda CB/G350 RS/S which has been extensively modified within road legal parameters here in India. The laws are very strict here when it comes to modifying your vehicle and almost anything non-standard is illegal.
As for my final creation, I haven't come across anything similar in motorcycle forums elsewhere. I thought I'll post my creation to the larger/interested group here. It is an excellent platform to start building on and a very capable motorcycle.
Why did I buy the Honda CB350RS?
I was getting back into motorcycling after a 10 year hiatus. I wanted a classic/neo retro bike with all the mod cons. I wanted something for daily commuting from my residence to my workplace in very heavy traffic 5 days a week (15 km) and something for city riding during the weekends with occasional rides into the countryside. I am relatively well built (6 Ft 1 + 100 Kgs) and wanted a bike that was well proportioned for me.
I have never been a fan of Royal Enfield. They're poorly built and unreliable. I never went into the RE showroom and made a beeline for the Honda Showroom. In India, the bigger bikes from Honda 350 CC and above are sold by a separate dealership entity called Honda Bigwing.
The delivery was done in a week as I opted for the dual tone (black - yellow) which wasn't in stock at the dealership when I was there.
Why should you consider the Honda CB/GB350 RS/S?
- Much better build quality (although the paint quality is poor - can be easily remedied)
- Handles really well, relatively sharp in the corners
- Better braking than the other 350 CC neo/retro motorbikes
- Well proportioned and relatively larger in dimensions
- Insane levels of grip from the wider rear tyres (150/70 R17)
- Insanely refined and comfortable engine - doesn't heat up after 12 hours of non-stop riding
- Superior reliability - its a Honda!
- Super fun to ride and easy on the pocket to own!
Cons:
- Poor lights would be an understatement
- Stock brake pads wear out quickly
- The paint quality + rusting issues are ever present
- Aftermarket parts are difficult to find
Modding the motorbike:
I bought the motorbike with a clear plan in my mind of modifying it. I wanted to make it look like a scrambler and the fact that in India the parts required to modify a Honda aren't easily available especially for the 350 series made it a challenge.
When did I begin the modification process?
I wanted to run in the motorcycle properly. I earnestly began ordering parts in Aug/Sept 2023. There was a small trickle of aftermarket parts from various custom part makers which I began considering after running the motorcycle in stock condition for a year. The first set of mods were aesthetic.
What was done in Phase 1?
- Bracebar with cushions
- Engine/Valve tuning at the Honda Service Centre
- NGage Performance aftermarket air filter
- Handlebar wraps
- Rearview mirrors from a Honda CB300R which are functional. The circular stock ones are useless.
- Silencer Wrap
- Rope wrapped Leg guards
- Removed a few unnecessary parts to reduce weight
- Rubber Tank Grips
What was done in Phase 2?
This was the phase where major modification work began, in Nov Dec, 2023. This is when my pseudo scrambler build started.
- Vesrah Ceramic brake pads (front and back wheels) - this is a must to improve the braking over the stock set provided by Honda. Makes a massive improvement.
- Dismotech custom built tubeless spoked rims (the tubeless bit was a joke. I had to install CEAT tubes from a Himalayan 450)
- Replaced the Handlebar and weights from Honda
- Handlebar risers from Carbon Racing
- Braided Brake cables/lines
What was done in Phase 3
This phase was executed over a period of 3 months starting in Aug 2024 to Oct 2024. There were issues with rusting and paint quality on the fuel tank. I opted for a Special/Limited edition tank for the Honda CB350 H'ness (sold as the G350 globally). It has gold/silver flecks and comes in glossy black. The Honda service center offered it as a free replacement. There was a lot of fine tuning done by Honda to ensure everything worked properly. Usually Honda Service centers in India do not entertain modifications and tuning of after market parts but the one in my city, Mumbai had a very supportive team and they did all the work, often at no extra cost for me.
- Mototech Scrambler Handlebar with risers tuned for a more upright riding condition. This made riding a lot more comfortable
- A clutch cable swap from a Himalayan and later a CB350F due to the raised handlebar + risers
- Domino Racing Performance Rubber Grips
- Route 99 soft rubber grip/handlebar wraps
- Auxillary Lights from Maddog (the stock lights aren't very bright)
- Rolon Chain + Sprocket upgrade kit (gives faster acceleration over the stock set)
- Spark plug upgrade with the NGK Twin head spark plug
- Seat cover with extra foam padding from Honda (makes a world of difference for riding over extended durations and on bad roads/gravel)
All this put together made me finish my Scrambleresque build. I am very happy with the final build. Almost all the modifications were done at the Honda Service centre (Bigwing Andheri Mumbai).
Cost of the build over Phases 1/2/3 in GBP:
- Dismotech Spoke wheels (GBP 400)
- CEAT Tyre Tubes (GBP 30) + installation
- Vesrah Ceramic brake pads (GBP 30 for the whole set)
- Scrambler sytle handlebar (GBP 20 + fitting)
- Maddog scout auxiliary lights (GBP 80)
- Rolon chain + sprocket upgrade (GBP 20)
- BMC air filter (GBP 40)
- Spark plug upgrade (ngk twin head spark plug GBP 8)
- Mototorque tank pads (GBP 20)
- Domino racing handlebar grips (GBP 30)
- Route99 foam grips for comfort (GBP 7)
- RE Himalayan 452 Clutch cable changed to accomodate the raised handlebar (GBP 5)
- Carbon racing handlebar risers (GBP 18)
- Honda Cb300f orvms (GBP 7)
- Renthal Bracepad (GBP 10)
- Silencer wrap (GBP 5)
- Honda Hness Aventurine limited edition tank (FREE - this was from Honda for free after my orignal tank had some rust after 2.5 years of ownership)
- Retro Racing Decals (GBP 25)
The next upgrade will be the tyres from Reise which will be done at 12.5 k km (done about 10k on the ODO). Its a brilliant motorbike and have had a whole lot of fun modding it over countless cups of tea with the guys at Honda.
How have these modifications improved the motorcycle?
- Much improved braking over bad/poor gravel/tarmac with decent bite thanks to the ceramic brake pads + the dual channel ABS really helps
- Faster acceleration and better top speed (achieved 145 KMPH on a highway)
- Sounds so much better now thanks to all the tuning done by Honda. Sounds very different from the stock motorbike.
- Handles really well (this was always the best handling motorcycle in the 350 cc category)
- Insanely comfortable due to the handlebar risers and the scrambler style handlebar along with the Domino racing grips and foam covers.
Pictures of the build post Phase 1 + 2
Pictures of the build post Phase 3
Pictures of the final/current state
Thanks for reading!
