Honda takes on Royal Enfield in epic battle

Why read this story?

Editor's note: It is not every day that the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer turns copycat. We’re talking about Honda. Present locally as Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), the No. 2 player in the Indian two-wheeler market on Wednesday revealed a 350 cc motorcycle—the H’ness CB350—its first ever cruiser.  Built from the ground up for the Indian market, it is aimed squarely at Royal Enfield’s Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird motorcycles, which have been thumping hits for the last decade in the classic/retro category. HMSI’s intentions are as clear as rain. They start with the name. The motorcycle is called H’ness (short for Highness). As direct a shot as possible at the “Royal” in Enfield. And unlike the other Hondas in the market which sport a ton of plastic, the H’ness borrows heavily from the classic looks of Royal Enfield bikes, generous in its use of chrome on the mudguards, exhaust, rear-view mirrors and the engine block. It will sport a similar sized engine and deliver nearly the same amount of power, albeit with a touch more refinement (that’s the claim).  At around …