[broke_enthu27]

Congrats on the bike and for sharing your experience.

My two wheeler garage consisted of a 9 year old Honda Activa 3G with 62k kms on the odo. I had this intense itch to get a bike and I my options kept ping ponging from one bike to the other.

I wanted something easy and fast. CB300R felt like the best option. Fast and light. I got married at the rear end of 2024 and CB300R flew out of the window because its just not practical with a wife and kids in the future. I also considered my fathers age. We generally go around in the Honda City but the parking spaces in Hyderabad are shrinking one inch a day. So a two wheeler was definitely a necessity, especially because the Activa was being used as a daily commuter by my little brother.

With two Honda's already in the family, I was looking to consider adding a new Honda Shine/SP160. Then I thought lets pay a lakh more and get a classic/retro bike. Triumph T4/400 were instant choices. I wanted something more reliable and easy to maintain. Also the rear seat felt a little high for my father to climb onto. Didn't consider Jawa/Yezdi altogether because I had my d

So we test rode the following bikes. This was my first time riding a bike in my life:

CB350 H'ness: Felt lifeless at lower rpms. It was easy to ride. But it didn't feel exciting or anything. Even though, it had more power on paper than all the RE's in the segment, it felt too calm and too slow. But for some reason, wife was keen on this bike only since she felt the rear seat to be very comfortable.

CB350 RS: The Base model costed as much as the top model of the Highness. The handle was an instant plus point. I felt 10 years younger when I rode this bike. The pickup was better in the lower rpms. But there was no dual horn and the rear seat felt a little small for my father or mother. That was the only point against it. My heart still longs for an RS. The exhaust was slightly louder and the acceleration felt a little quicker than the H'ness.

RE Buller/Classic 350: I now understand when they talk about the RE "feel". The bike feels more torquey due to all the vibrations right from the lower rpms. I liked the feel but the attitude of the showroom folks felt too unapproachable. There were no discounts being offered even for 3 month old inventory. And the bike felt too slow during acceleration and vibrated after 80-90 speeds.

This experience pushed me away from the RE's. Now I was left with the Hondas. I researched a bit and saw this guy on youtube called Strell. He said that the bike loves to be revved to its mid range and likes to be ridden more like a street bike than a classic. I test drove the CB 350's again. This time I changed the gears slowly and that is when I the unlocked the power in these bikes. They ofcourse aren't as fast the Jawas/Yezdi's but they are quicker than all the RE's in the segment. The Honda felt easier to handle and the power to weight ratio helped handle all king of roads with ease. The only thing I am looking to upgrade on the H'ness is changing the stock MRF Zappers to the block pattern tyres of the CB 350 RS.

I bought the H'ness and had it delivered the same day. Its been a month now and I love the bike to bits.

[FueledbyFury]

Back on the Bike (Ouch!)

So, after 3 months of the bike being Dad's errand runner, I had this bright idea during my break. A solo ride to college apart from the usual train journey. Exciting, right? but "back to college" part kind of killed the vibe, and I ended up hitting the road half an hour late, around 5:30 am.

The highway was pretty chill early on, so I was cruising at a good 70-80 kmph. In the middle Google Maps had its own ideas and threw in some scenic rural detours. Around the 70km mark, I started thinking "break time!", but you know how it is... every nice spot I saw, I was just too lazy to double back. Rookie mistake! My shoulder started to whine a bit, so I finally pulled over for some water and stretches.

70 km break!

Got to my room eventually after 3 hours of riding, feeling pretty good about the ride... until the serious upper back pain kicked in. Apparently, going 140km in a single stop isn't the smartest move, especially after a long break in riding. I figured a good night's sleep would sort it out, but nope. The next day was all about trying to rub away the agony with some pain relief cream. It helped a little, but the deep ache was back with a vengeance the morning after. Seriously, upper back pain at 22? Not cool! So, I spent the next day tried sleeping on my bed with straight posture on my bed, no pillows allowed. Forget about it, pure torture. Definitely think my riding posture wasn't helping either.

It took a whole three days for that pain to finally ease up. And then the big question hit me: how on earth was I going to ride back home? Clearly, a better plan was needed. Hourly breaks became the golden rule.

Redemption Ride!

Friday morning felt way different than that Monday drag. Going home? Now that's motivation! I was up at 3:30 am and out of my room before the sun really thought about rising.

This time, I was a break-taking machine. First hour down, fuel stop! Then, a proper chai break at a little local tea shop, soaking in those moments. And finally, spotted a Nayara pump. Heard good things about their washrooms online, and they weren't kidding – seriously well-maintained. Quick hydration stop there, and then the final push home. By 7:00 am, I was back, feeling tired but definitely not broken.

Lesson learned: breaks are your best friend on a long ride!