[Sabertooth93]

I don't own a CB350 RS. But I have a Ninja 300 on which I changed the front brake pad to Vesrah ones. Hence, I am posting it here.

After, changing them I pressed the lever multiple times to reduce the play to normal. [ No brake bleeding]

However, after riding for 50 kilometers the brakes still feels spongy. So, can anybody describe how does the Vesrah brake pads feels in person? [Like no initial response in the beginning and then sudden bite?]

I did feel the stock brake pads to be more engaging than the ceramic ones. So, what exactly needs to be done to get the maximum performance from these ceramic pads?

[abhishek272010]

I have had my Honda CB350RS since Aug 2022. I have done 5k odd km since I got it. I use it to commute to work most days and do some weekend riding around Mumbai. I haven't done any long distance rides.

The lack of accessories for the Honda CB350RS can be frustrating. I tried my hand at modifying it with whatever I could find.

The result:





Modifications done:
-Performance air filter NGage Performace Parts
-Vesrah Ceramic brake pads (front and back)
-Dismotech tubeless spoked rims (the tubeless bit was a joke. I had to install CEAT tubes)
-Replaced the Handlebar and weights from Honda
-Handlebar risers from Carbon Racing
-Silencer Wrap
-Rear view Mirrors from a Honda CBR300
-Bracebar
-Bracebar Pad (incoming leather bracebar pad from Saharaseats)
-Leather Handlebar wraps
-Grabrail for pillion HTExhausts covered with a rope

Pending work:
-Braided Brake cables/lines
-Modfying the pillion grab rail to make it more aesthetically appealing (going to cut a Honda Hness grab rail from Honda ASC and weld it to the HTexhaust mounting I have right now)
-Tail Tidy kit

[Mr.Sleeper]

Must say that's a good looking bike. The black and yellow combo looks even better with the blacked out engine and silencer bits. Those spoked rims look sweeet! How much did they cost and how's the quality?

[mr_punks]

That is one of the most good looking Cb350 RS I have come across in a while. That spoke wheels look insane on that. Kudos to you. As a fellow cb350 owner, just had the curiosity to know - What is the response of the brake pads and how drastic of a change does the handlebar have on the riding?

[abhishek272010]

The spoke wheels were from Dismotech - the quality is good but there are some major issues with the tall claims of Dismotech making them tubeless - it just doesn't work. You need a tube - i got a pair of CEAT tubes and had them put into my tyres. The tyres are stock.
The rims cost me 38k and it took 3 months of constant follow up with Dismotech to have them delivered.

I used Carbon Racing Handlebar Risers - they are quite good and really help me deal with the wrist pain I used to get earlier. They are a must if you're tall (I am 6Ft 1 and it has helped me a lot). It offers a more relaxed and comfortable riding position.

I used Vesrah ceramic pads at the front and CRANK ceramic brake pads in the rear. The brakes offer excellent bite now and are much more responsive once the Pads heat up.

[Mr.Sleeper]

Rear Tire Downsizing

The 150/70 R17 MRF Zapper Kurve stock rear tire had worn out @ 13,215kms. These block pattern tires offer decent performance in both on road and off road riding, but don't excel at either. Since I don't ride off road a lot I decided to go with road biased tires to improve grip levels while riding on tarmac.

The CB350 H'ness and RS make the same amount of power and torque but the H'ness uses a 130/70 R18 rear tire compared to the RS's 150/70 R17. The fat tires do makes the bike look badass but were a bit of an overkill for the RS's power figures. A narrower tire will weigh less, be more agile on the road and should make the bike faster off the line.

After some searching bought the MRF Nylogrip Zapper S1 140/70 R17 for Rs.3500. These are road biased and provide greater grip and confidence compared to the stock block pattern ones. The bike also requires less effort while turning into corners, not sure if its due to the road bias nature or the narrower width of the tires. Didn't notice major improvements in acceleration and fuel efficiency though.

The 150 vs 140 width is not instantly noticeable and since its thicker than the tire found in the H'ness, the rear still looks butch. Overall happy with the change as it makes the bike feel more sorted and grippy during spirited tarmac riding.

[Mr.Sleeper]

NGK Dual Head Spark Plug

Installed NGK Dual Head Spark Plug @ 14,106kms after watching a YouTube video on the same topic by Raj ka Garage. He owns a H'ness 350 and makes well explained videos on various aspects of CB350 ownership. Anyone with a CB350 must check him out.

The stock spark plugs and NGK Iridium Plugs are single tip ground electrode type spark plugs. According to research and explanation by said youtuber, Dual Head Plugs are better than Single Head ones as the spark created in a dual head plug moves in a direction which does not obstruct the flow of gases in the engine cylinder. This is supposed to result in smoother engine operation. They are also significantly cheaper than Iridium Spark Plugs. I've attached the link to his video if my explanation on the matter was not satisfactory enough.

Model No: CR7EK
Price: Rs.185

https://youtu.be/7w5UAjmraUw

[Mr.Sleeper]

Chain and Sprocket Replacement

The stock set had worn out at 12,200kms. Opted for Rolon Brass Coated Chain and Sprocket set as the brass-plated rollers and pins is rust resistant (if maintained well) and the kit costs less than the OEM chain sprocket set. The set is of good quality and the goldish look of the chain adds to the visual appeal. I purchased and installed these at LRL motors, Edapally, Kochi and though the workmanship is good, the labor charges are too high in my opinion. The link is attached in case anyone is interested in purchasing.

https://lrlmotors.com/products/honda...n-and-sprocket

Model: Rolon Brass Chain and Sprocket Kit for CB350
Price: Rs.2400

[Mr.Sleeper]

Photo Dump!

[Mr.Sleeper]

13T Front Sprocket Swap!

This was a time intensive mod due to the researching and trail and error that went into it but was worth it as it could be a possible fix to an issue lot of CB350 owners face. This issue wasn't discussed much on team-bhp or YouTube either so I'm excited to share my findings.

I live in a hill station currently and riding the CB in hilly roads with its tall gearing is really annoying. The higher gears are rarely useful and you have to really push the bike to make quick overtakes. It is almost impossible to cruise sedately at low revs in uphill or city sections. Better low end power would mean easier riding on uphill roads and quicker initial acceleration. I was checking out possible fixes to make the bike more tractable and read about changing the sprockets to alter the gear ratios.

The basic rule of Thumb is
More teeth at Rear (or) Less teeth at Front = more torque at wheel, quicker acceleration, reduced top speed
Less teeth at Rear (or) More teeth at Front = higher top speed, better mileage, reduced pick-up

There was very little information related to gear ratio altering of the CB online. Came across a thread on CB350 Owners Facebook Group where few owners had experimented with various sprocket combinations to improve tractability. After going through the entire thread this is the summary:

Stock: Front 14T, Rear 35T, Chain Link 104

Combination 1: Front 13T, Rear 35T, Chain Link 104

+ Stock chain and rear sprocket can be used
+ Only front sprocket needs replacement
+ Noticeable improvement in low end power
+ Easier to ride in city or hilly roads, less gear shifts needed
+ Cost Effective

- Top speed drops noticeably, while the bike can reach 120, it seems strained, Vibration free cruising speed has come down to 90-100 km/hr
- Mod not suitable for owners who do a lot of highway riding as the bike seems little strained while maintaining speeds above 100 km/hr

Combination 2: Front 15T, Rear 41T, Chain Link 105

+ According to owners feedback this combination provides good rideability at low speeds without greatly reducing the top speed
+ A more complete mod as it makes the bike tractable in a variety of riding situations
+ Does not compromise highway riding capability of the bike

- Expensive as it needs replacement of both front and rear sprockets
- Custom 15T front sprocket must be purchased (Rs.1500 from GP Racing Chennai)
- Rear sprocket is from the CB500X (Rs.1805 from Honda Genuine Parts)
- Extra link must be added to the chain which requires a skilled mechanic

As my primary usage was city and hilly sections where I rarely cross speeds of 100 km/hr, I chose to go with Combination 1 as it was cost effective and met most of my requirements.

Approach 1:

A Mumbai based CB rider shared on Facebook that he used the front sprocket of Suzuki Gixxer 250 which is 13T. It was not a direct fit as it does not have the screw holes of OEM sprocket and he had to use two 24mm outer circlips and a 25mm big dollar washer to lock the sprocket into place. According to the rider the jugaad works fine and he has been using this setup for quite some time. The Suzuki sprocket costed just Rs.270 therefore I decided to give this jugaad a shot.

The Suzuki sprocket does not have the OEM specification screw holes and thus cannot be screwed into place, uses circlips and washers to lock into place

My mechanic warned me during installation itself that fitting a sprocket this way could be very risky since it is a part that receives significant torque. I contacted the rider who had done this mod and he assured me that it should work fine. Used the washers and spacers to lock the sprocket into place. The mod worked and the desired gearing changes were observed. However under high revs there was a loud and noticeable clatter from the front sprocket area. Also the gear shifting felt completely crude with the gear shifts requiring a lot of effort to slot into place. Overall even though the jugaad worked and the low end torque issue was solved, it didn't feel like a refined and permanent fix and there was always a fear that it would all break and come loose anytime.


Approach 2:

Unhappy with the earlier fix started searching for more permanent solutions. Came across GP Racing, Chennai (9841059988), they make custom performance parts for Indian market motorcycles. They make 13T and 15T front sprockets for the CB which are of OEM specifications and a perfect fit. Contacted Mr. Ganesh who was very kind and helpful with the ordering and shipping process. The sprocket costed Rs.1500 and was delivered within a week. The sprocket was well made and had two screw holes just like the OEM sprocket and therefore could be screwed into place perfectly. No more loud clatter or vibrations at higher revs and gear shifts felt precise again. I would strongly suggest anyone looking into a sprocket swap to avoid the jugaad and go for this approach as it provides a better sense of safety and satisfaction.

GP Racing 13T sprocket on the left, Stock 14T sprocket on the right, the locking piece above, notice OEM screw holes on both sprockets which were missing on the Gixxer 13T Sprocket




Locks Perfectly into Place

Observations after 13T Swap:

+ Noticeable improvement in acceleration at low revs, Quick overtakes are easier
+ Can ride at higher gears in uphill sections
+ Bike can start off from 2nd gear quite easily, shows improvement of low end torque at the wheel
+ Bike can maintain city speeds at 3rd gear effortlessly, used to experience lugging earlier on stock setup
+ Minimum speed for 4th gear is 40 km/hr
+ 5th gear has finally found it's purpose, minimum speed of 60 km/hr, after which you can cruise effortlessly without any hint of engine lugging
+ Improved milage at lower speeds

- Top speed has dropped by around 10 - 15 km/hr (speedo indicated 120 km/hr is the new top speed)
- Engine is strained after crossing 100-105 km/hr
- Reduced milage at higher speeds
- Possibility of speedo error (TBhpians I am not sure of this, someone please explain if possible)

I know people who like the tall gearing of the CB claiming that it gives the bike a completely unique character in the segment. I myself enjoyed the stock gearing when driving
thru empty roads and highways. Unfortunately for my use case it just wasn't suitable. Many owners and Automotive reviews complain about the gearing claiming it requires lot of shifting when
driving thru busy traffic. I have even read about a few owners selling their CB after getting fed up due to this!

The sprocket change has definitely improved the tractability and peppiness of the bike. I am extremely happy with the results and would recommend this mod to owners facing the same issues as me.

[sreejithkk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Sleeper

13T Front Sprocket Swap!

Many owners and Automotive reviews complain about the gearing claiming it requires lot of shifting when
driving thru busy traffic.
The sprocket change has definitely improved the tractability and peppiness of the bike. I am extremely happy with the results and would recommend this mod to owners facing the same issues as me.

Thanks for the detailed post. And really wanted to make similar modification on my H'ness.
Could you please let me know what is the minimum speed in 3rd gear after the sprocket change? (during my city rides, I need to consistently shift between 2 and 3 as in the 3rd gear it feels like lugging below 32 kmph in stock setup)
Also I am located at Kochi. Could you please let me know from which workshop you got this front sprocket swap done?

[Mr.Sleeper]

Originally Posted by sreejithkk

Thanks for the detailed post. And really wanted to make similar modification on my H'ness.
Could you please let me know what is the minimum speed in 3rd gear after the sprocket change? (during my city rides, I need to consistently shift between 2 and 3 as in the 3rd gear it feels like lugging below 32 kmph in stock setup)
Also I am located at Kochi. Could you please let me know from which workshop you got this front sprocket swap done?

Hey Bro, the minimum speed in 3rd Gear now is around 20-25 km/hr.

You can get the swap done at LRL Motors Edapally, you will be satisfied with their workmanship but the labour charges are too much to be honest.

[JessieS]

We should be changing gears looking at the RPM, not at the speed. Following this rule, I never found the CB350 to be intractable. If you notice, because of its taller gearing, the RPM in the CB350 doesn't increase like other similar bikes, when on lower gears. Therefore, no need to go to a higher gear immediately on a CB350. Practice this and you should be fine.

[mpp1]

I just don't understand how Honda's engineers missed the trick of the low end torque loved by Indians when they decided to copy the Bullet?

[R.Daroga]

Anybody tried a 150/60-17 rear tyre like the Apollo Alpha H1 or Eurogrip?