3 Retro Roadsters Battle It Out!

Harley-Davidson recently gave us its most affordable bike, the X440, and with that, the American manufacturer looks to compete with the evergreen Royal Enfield Classic 350 as well as the Honda H’ness CB350. But will it really be able to do so? Here’s how the three bikes fare against each other on paper:

Engine

The X440 is a bit of a clear winner here, isn’t it? Along with a respectable 27.4PS, there’s a colossal 38Nm on tap, and the bike makes it at just 4000rpm! Pottering around in the city in higher gears at lower speeds should be quite easy. Plus, it’s the only bike among the three to get a sixth gear, meaning it should ideally be the best highway tourer among the three as well. 

The Royal Enfield Classic 350’s riding experience is something we already know. It’s torquey and easy-going and that complemented with the thump makes commuting a truly zen affair. The H’ness CB350, meanwhile, is a bit confusing. It makes its peak torque at 3000rpm and the long-stroke engine configuration might make you think it has a grunty bottom-end, but that’s not the case. It’s quite sluggish down the rev range and you will have to make frequent gear changes to keep it rolling at slower speeds.

Underpinnings

This is also an aspect where the X440 pulls further ahead of its competition. It’s the only one to get an inverted fork and gas-charged monoshock and that ideally should result in a much more sophisticated ride quality and handling. Even the disc brakes are from ByBre and have large rotors.  

The Classic 350 and the H’ness CB350, both have enough stopping power. What we wouldn’t recommend though, is going for the spoke-wheel variant of the X440 and the Classic 350. Our long-termer Classic 350 went through multiple punctures and thanks to its tubed tyres, it was quite a pain to get those repaired. So in our opinion, while the spokes might bring the retro charm, they’re just not worth the hassle.

Dimensions

All three bikes are quite closely specced in terms of their dimensions. In typical retro roadster fashion, they all have long wheelbases, decent ground clearances, accessible seat heights and reasonably large fuel tanks. 

Where they differ, though, is their kerb weights. The H’ness CB350 is light on paper and it feels so too. Its handling is easy and neutral, requiring minimal effort to steer. The Classic 350, despite being the heaviest, is quite a good handler as well as it’s nice and pliant, whatever you put it through. 

The X440, though, despite packing the largest engine and more premium kit, tips the scales at 190.5kg only. And its better power-to-weight ratio might sway some Classic 350 owners/prospective buyers to the X440. 

Features

Another place where the X440 dominates the other two is features. Being the only one with a TFT console, it packs Bluetooth connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, call & SMS alerts and a lot more. The top-spec S variant of the X440 gets 4G connectivity features as well. All of this without looking too cluttered. 

Both Royal Enfield and Honda have taken a more old-school approach here. The Classic 350’s semi-digital console shows speed, fuel level, odometer, time, an Eco indicator along with two tripmeters. Turn-by-turn navigation, meanwhile, is optional via the Tripper Pod. The H’ness’s semi-digital console too has Bluetooth connectivity as standard. But if you don’t have a Bluetooth headset, the bike’s Bluetooth functionality cannot be explored.

Price & Verdict

(all prices ex-showroom)

And the bike that stands out the most is… the H’ness CB350, because of its absurd pricing. The Rs 2.39 lakh price tag means it’s priced on par with more powerful bikes like the 250s from KTM. 

And that leaves us with the X440 and the Classic 350. For about Rs 30,000 more than the Classic, the X440 promises to provide a more sophisticated and performance-oriented riding experience, while retaining the old-school charm. We think those who love the Classic 350 but find it a tad bit underpowered will really like it.

How the bikes are like in the real world, though, is something that only a proper comparo will tell us. And we do have a bunch of interesting things in the pipeline for you guys. So stay tuned to our website and ZigWheels’ YouTube channel for it.