It's the second week of September, and Honda's already thinking about next month. For anyone who's a fan of the GB350 line, that's good news.
The long-awaited Honda GB350C is coming soon to fans in Japan, as the official release date was just announced as coming on October 10th. The company estimates that it will sell around 2,000 of this model a year, but of course, it remains to be seen how closely actual sales figures reflect that estimate.
To start, the new GB350C will be available in two colorways in Japan: Puko Blue and Gunmetal Black Metallic. Both come with color-matched fork shrouds, as well as headlight covers, two-piece retro-look saddles, and a muffler design that goes straight back for an elegant, classic line.
The GB350C, like the other members of the GB350 lineup, is powered by a 348cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine that makes a claimed 20 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 21 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm. This engine is mated to a five-speed gearbox.
It gets a standard telescopic front fork and swingarm, disc brakes, and rolls on a 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear wheel. The fuel tank holds 15 liters of fuel, which is just over 3.9 gallons.
Honda Japan's suggested retail price for the GB350C is ¥ 668,800, including Japan's 10 percent consumption tax. At the time of writing, that converts to about US $4,695, which we reckon most fans of this style of bike would probably find reasonable. Without that consumption tax, the price is an even more appealing ¥ 608,000, or about US $4,268.
For those keeping track at home, that's only a couple of hundred dollars more than the current US price of a Honda Monkey. Now, clearly, a number of factors go into pricing things in different markets, not the least of which are shipping costs to get the bikes to different markets. But with pricing like that, it seems like it's still worth mentioning.
As always, we'll note that this information only applies to the Honda GB350C as it will be sold in Japan. If and when it's announced for other markets, the information (including paint schemes) will likely be different. We'll be sure to keep you updated about it if and when that happens, though.
