Honda CB350 H'ness

[pdedse]

Well this sure is a cutie...

I've likely mentioned that upon retirement, the Mrs. and I will be spending lengthy portions of each year in her native Costa Rica. I bought a Suzuki DR650 two years ago specifically to import to CR thinking it would be a great dual purpose bike to have there. Then I discovered the import tax on it would be around $4,500. Ouch. I started thinking maybe it would be better to use that money and simply buy something in CR and keep the DR650 Stateside. So I've been looking the last year for some possibilities.

Because the area where we will live has lots of rock-dirt-gravel roads, these two bikes are the front runners:

Honda XR150L at $3,300

The slighty larger Honda XR190CT at $3850

But then tonight I came across the Honda CB350 H'ness--it could be a kid brother to the CB1100:

I think it looks gorgeous! Wouldn't handle the jungle terrain like the others, but maybe I don't care!

I'm actually heading to CR in Jan of '25 to take a group of students from our college on a study abroad trip. I've done it 4 times before and I've either owned a Honda CGL125 or used a loaned Honda Tornado 250 as my transportation. So while I was planning on buying there when I retire, maybe I go ahead and buy now so I can use it for the upcoming trip and then it will be there for future trips.

Hmmm...What to do!?

 

[peterbaron]

I wouldn't want a single cylinder bike, regardless of its cc, a 350cc 2 cylinder would be fine for me.

 

[pdedse]

Ah, man! PB...you're gonna rain on my little Honda parade that quickly?! What's wrong with a single?

:biker:

I wouldn't want a single cylinder bike, regardless of its cc, a 350cc 2 cylinder would be fine for me.

 

[the Ferret]

One would think the XR 150 would be plenty. I wouldn't want to ride the street-oriented CB350 on rough roads personally.

Never been to CR so don't know what speeds are generally ridden

 

[peterbaron]

Ah, man! PB...you're gonna rain on my little Honda parade that quickly?! What's wrong with a single?

:biker:

I wouldn't want a single cylinder bike, regardless of its cc, a 350cc 2 cylinder would be fine for me.

I had a few single cylinder bikes as s teenage, so don’t want them any more

 

[pdedse]

One would think the XR 150 would be plenty. I wouldn't want to ride the street-oriented CB350 on rough roads personally.

Never been to CR so don't know what speeds are generally ridden

It would be; the 190 might have a little more grunt, comes with knobby tires, a rear rack and a 21" front rim vs. the 150's 19", so either would work well, but I'm leaning towards the 190.

One would think the XR 150 would be plenty. I wouldn't want to ride the street-oriented CB350 on rough roads personally.

Never been to CR so don't know what speeds are generally ridden

Not too fast. The main hiways have lots of traffic, 60mph is plenty fast. The main paved road I would travel most frequently is between San Isidro del General at 700m down to coastal Dominical. It's 35 kilometers of up and down constant hair-pin turns, lots of fun to ride, speeds at 15-45mph. Branch off either side of this two lane road and it's all unpaved, so the CB350 makes no real sense...but it's just neat looking!

We have a 1 kilometer unpaved road (earth and rock hard-packed) leading to our neighborhood...this is it:

That's my old CGL125 that I gave to the landscaper/guard in exchange for some work on our house. After 12 years in the jungle, it's still running strong, albeit rusted out some.

Ah, man! PB...you're gonna rain on my little Honda parade that quickly?! What's wrong with a single?

:biker:

I wouldn't want a single cylinder bike, regardless of its cc, a 350cc 2 cylinder would be fine for me.

I had a few single cylinder bikes as s teenage, so don’t want them any more

But they would allow you to recover some of your youth! : )

 

[the Ferret]

190 sounds like a wise choice (didn't notice the 150 didn't have knobbies ..but they both have rear racks). A little extra grunt never hurts.

 

[pdedse]

i have an xr150l, it s great bike, the 200 cyl made it even better... but think im going to trade up to a new DR650S. If i were in your shoes, the 190 is the better choice if its available.

The 190 is likely the one; it's $600-700 more, but the extra umph is nice for passing when you ride along the coast where there are long straight sections.

A new DR650? I like mine well enough. Mine's a '23, the white one. Suzuki's color offerings have been the same the last few years: white w/ blue trim or black w/ orange. Are you leaning one way or another? If there ever was a bike that has aftermarket support of everything imagineable, it's the DR650. If you've been looking at them, you have probably come across procycle; if not, it's worth looking at:

https://procycle.us/

 

[Ollie]

Of the three I'd do the 190 for sure, but a 250-300cc would be even better on hills if they offer one.

 

[Cormanus]

I think you should have what you want, pdedse. You could always put knobbies on the CB350. Weight might be a consideration though.

 

[pdedse]

yeah i looked at them 3 years ago & test rode one. the one i'll go with is the black/orange/gray one. The dealer i'll prob buy from has agreed to throw int he factory lowering side stand/seat thing an N/C, which is a big plus.

Pricing was all over the place, from 7900 otd, 8200, and 8950. lol. the 7900 one is great but a 5 hour round trip. the 8200 one is a LOT closer and agreed to throw int he lowering setup, so thats good.


as far as the 190, i think it will be the best fit for use. 0.02

Sweet! Looks like you've done all the leg work and are ready to go. I think mine was $8,000 OTD, but that was 2 years ago and Suzuki has raised msrp by $100 either once or 2x since, so you're right there. I thought about the black one, but I was coming off 14 years riding a silver and black KLR650, so the white/blue is a nice change.

I hope it works out for you and would love to hear what you think if you buy.

I think you should have what you want, pdedse. You could always put knobbies on the CB350. Weight might be a consideration though.

I'm gonna print that on a T-shirt and wear it around my wife.

 

[the Ferret]

:rofl:

 

[Cormanus]

yeah i looked at them 3 years ago & test rode one. the one i'll go with is the black/orange/gray one. The dealer i'll prob buy from has agreed to throw int he factory lowering side stand/seat thing an N/C, which is a big plus.

Pricing was all over the place, from 7900 otd, 8200, and 8950. lol. the 7900 one is great but a 5 hour round trip. the 8200 one is a LOT closer and agreed to throw int he lowering setup, so thats good.


as far as the 190, i think it will be the best fit for use. 0.02

Sweet! Looks like you've done all the leg work and are ready to go. I think mine was $8,000 OTD, but that was 2 years ago and Suzuki has raised msrp by $100 either once or 2x since, so you're right there. I thought about the black one, but I was coming off 14 years riding a silver and black KLR650, so the white/blue is a nice change.

I hope it works out for you and would love to hear what you think if you buy.

I think you should have what you want, pdedse. You could always put knobbies on the CB350. Weight might be a consideration though.

I'm gonna print that on a T-shirt and wear it around my wife.

I'm gonna print that on a T-shirt and wear it around my wife.
When you do, make sure you’re wearing all terrain runners so you can hightail it in any direction…

 

[cooldrum_imp]

If I were riding in CR on those roads I'd opt for either of the dual sports. Reminds me when I rode a friend's KLR in Ensenada, it was so perfect riding on those village roads with plenty of suspension to make the experience enjoyable.
Didn't know about the import tax, ouch!

 

[pdedse]

those xr's in various forms are prolific worldwide, so parts and service should be a breeze anywhere 0.02

Honda brand is big in CR with a good dealer in the nearest town of size to me. The service area is pretty low key, just a small lot behind the main building with a covered area where they do their work and house their tools. Everytime I go take my bike there for whatever reason there are just 2 young guys in their early 20s who will let you ask all the questions you want, will show you what they're doing. It's a good vibe.

If I took my Suzuki DR650 there, I would probably still go to these guys to have anything done.

 

[Tev62]

Just to make all you North Americans jealous

GB350S confirmed for Europe 2025. (Highness name not used).

A nice little 5 speed 20.7BHP 2-valve air-cooled long stroke single with 29NM of Torque at 3,000 RPM. The focus is on low to mid range oomph!

178kg, 19" front and 17" rear. That will give the Royal Enfield 350's a run for their money if priced right.

Maybe it will make its way to the big continent, anyone hear over there?










and a few more

 

[Cormanus]

Now available down under as the GB350 in blue or black for a dollar or two under AU$8,000.

 

[pdedse]

The one advertised in CR was $4500, but it's msrp is $4900, so Australian 8,000 (5308 US) isn't too far off.

My '14 standard was the only black bike I've owned. Prefer colors overall. The grey-blue is a decent attempt at providing a new look,
but so far I like the red one I see available in CR--and I hate red.

 

[Tev62]

Now available down under as the GB350 in blue or black for a dollar or two under AU$8,000.

Excellent. The only dodgy photo in that lot is the aux light switch on the handlebars, whoa!

 

[Frulk_imp]

Looking at the posted pics of the roads in CR I’d opt for a TW200. Suspension will be the Hondas weakness.