Honda’s Latest GB350 Special Edition Looks Even More Vintage

The Honda GB350 is one of the coolest little bikes in the company’s global lineup. A resurrection in spirit of the CB350, the GB is a compact, simple little bike that harkens back to motorcycle styling and engineering of the late ’60s and ’70s. But, while the GB350 can be had in Japan, Australia, and the UK, India gets a version that’s even more special: This CB350C, a custom variant meant to look even older. 

The GB350 is known as the CB350 in India, reviving the moniker of that classic Honda two-cylinder, but the Custom variant — as the C suffix traditionally denotes in Honda bikes — ditches the one-piece seat and compact fenders to travel even further back in time. The forks get paint-matched covers, the fenders extend down the sides of the tires, and the bike gets a truly vintage-looking peashooter exhaust. Accent pinstriping completes the package, making the CB350C look like a bike truly ripped from history — until you notice the disk brakes and ABS ring, at least. 

The CB350C inherits its engineering from the GB350, which gives the bike some true classic cred. Rather than using any kind of modern frame design, with the engine acting as an integral structural element (called a “stressed member”), the Honda 350s use a traditional double-cradle setup — two loops of metal form an opening for the engine to sit in, rather than simply having the frame bolt to the motor at the top and back. A stressed member will often be the better performer on a twisty canyon road, but modern frames are the reason vintage-modern bikes like the Yamaha XSR series never quite achieve that perfect retro look. The engine nestled in the GB350’s frame is even air-cooled, so there’s no need to hide a radiator.

Of course, enthusiasts who know the Indian motorcycle market will immediately note that an air-cooled 350cc double-cradle bike with fenders that continue down the sides of the tire sounds mighty familiar. It’s the same recipe as the Royal Enfield Bullet 350, a bike that’s been a mainstay of the Enfield lineup and of Indian roads for decades. Honda would like a piece of Enfield’s vintage-styled pie, it seems, and the CB350C seems a perfect way to do it. Now, if only we could get the GB350 here in the States.