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Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Ren stumbles into a test ride of the Honda GB350S. Can he get his head around a new way of riding? It's all very different in the world of low revs and heavy flywheels.
A Dodgy Hip, A Mesh Seat Cover, And Pants
In trying to reduce leakage in the rain our brave and heroic half-wit Ren has got himself a cunning and devious plan. However this idea is causing him issues because he's getting old now and the newness has worn off.
Bedfordshire Is Not In France
And they're off to France! Well Bedfordshire today, but they will get to France eventually... hopefully... maybe?
The Last Day Of A Big Ride
It's Andy's last day of an epic trip. Save for some wind (no not that kind of wind) it seems all rather mundane somehow. Anyhow he's home and safe after over 4,500 miles.
Home And Epilogue
Just a brief summary of the return leg from Much Wenlock and Ren's thoughts of the lovely little town.
A Holiday In Normandy - Prologue
France! Well northern France because our soft arsed lazy writers can't be bothered to go any further. It's time for excuses and explanations as to why The Dynamic Muppets are off on holiday and not an exciting expedition.
A Holiday In Normandy
Title page for A Holiday In Normandy
Rain In Northern France
Yep - the rain has returned, the temperature is colder, and the accommodation is below par. Andy must be getting closer to Blighty now, obviously.
Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy
It's probably best not to compare things, there's always something bigger faster smarter lighter neater more stylish etc etc etc... And yet we are a competitive species. Ren is trying to rationalise logic against feelings.
Bogger Back To Base
Just a few notes for His Boggerness on the final ride home. It's been a crazy, fun and yet somehow relaxing adventure. Go figure!
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Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
ROD¹ said :-
I have just watched a couple on YouTube travelling around Europe two up on a GB350S. I left a respectful comment pointing out the carrying capacity.
The comment was promptly deleted!!
02/08/2026 21:25:23 UTC
A Dodgy Hip, A Mesh Seat Cover, And Pants
nab301 said :-
I've an ancient pair of Berghaus over trousers which I purchased for hill walking originally but have found them invaluable in recent years on the bike , the full length zip allows an older less flexible body to step into them at the roadside....
Nigel
02/08/2026 18:11:30 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Occasional Lurker said :-
Some more chatter, and lot's of AI computer generated "guff" to be found on the net this afternoon, regards the possible new Honda GB500 ... One "You- Tuber" seemed to be seemed to be more of a journalist than all of the other "Dudes" .... So I watched him, and listened very carefully ...
He was very informative, sounded knowledgable, and pointed out that the new CB500 is being produced in India ... It is this platform that is expected to be the European GB500 ...
The differences for our market are, bigger fuel tank, redesigned bodywork, (hopefully slimmer side panels Ren )... A bigger / chunkier fuel tank, a proper rear mudguard, two different types of spoked wheels, and a twin plug cylinder head. Not forgetting better rear shock absorbers ...
BUT .... Best of all, a 17 inch rear wheel ... !! Now, all of that's got me seriously interested... I've sat astride a GB350, and my 29 inch inside legs, hated it. The offer of a test ride was gracefully declined ... I'm quite looking forward to the next offer ...
I will attempt to post a picture of a bike I sold a handful of years ago, It;s a CL400 ... 29BHP, a bit of a desert-sled / Steve McQueen kind of thing, 29 bhp ... A lovely ride, and I always thought a 500 engine would have made it an absolute joy ... Regards, Tony
02/08/2026 18:01:27 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
nab301 said :-
Ren , thanks for the write up, you're going to have to road test the Enfield now just for comparison.
I'm curious what mileage was on the test bike , all this talk of pinning it in 4th so you could select the overdrive 5th ! (Honda list it as a wide ration 5 speed which wouldn't be to my liking ) ( remind me not to purchase any ex demo bikes that you've ridden.) Interestingly it has the same bore and stroke (70x90) as the old ohv classic Bullet 350.
Are you considering the 350 as your main bike ? (you mention 3 services a year).
Nigel
02/08/2026 17:54:47 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Upt'North ¹ said :-
It looks like an updated Black Bomber to me Ian albeit it gained 100cc and lost a cylinder. Your comment sort of cements my thoughts, who's gonna buy it? It's Ed innit?
02/08/2026 13:06:26 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Ian Soady¹ said :-
It looks a bit ponderous to me - I wonder what it weighs? The 350 is 180 kg or so so I'd expect close on 200 kg which seems a lot. The back end of the 500 looks better - to me - than the 350. I suspect the market is people like me who like old bikes but not kickstarts, although I have no interest in it.
02/08/2026 12:59:14 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I think it looks more of a bike than the 350, a bit more grown up. Don't know why. Exhaust is way nicer, sub £5k in the UK and it should sell, although I still haven't got a clue who the market is?
Upt.
02/08/2026 12:51:20 UTC
Honda GB350S Test Ride Review
Martin said :-
Hi Ren,
Delighted you got round to road testing the GB350S, mainly because I think you regard a bike much as I do, not for tearing around at max revs regardless of fuel economy but rather as an economical means of travel while still being fun to ride? As I mentioned some weeks ago I had been considering either a GB350S or a CB125F as the replacement for my Z250SL. I have now bought a CB125 but I intend to live with the bike for a while to see whether I can be happy with the much reduced performance, my reasoning was that as a law abiding rider, usually observing speed limits it seemed to me that much of what I was doing with the Z250 could just as easily be done on the 125. The obvious exception being longer hill climbs. If I find that the great economy of the 125 does not offset it's lack of power then I will probably look out for a GB350S. I think Ian mentioned that other manufacturers were now developing similar bikes, I had not realised that, weill have to investigate. Thanks again for your thoughtful review.
31/07/2026 17:42:31 UTC
A Dodgy Hip, A Mesh Seat Cover, And Pants
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I daresay at that price Snod I might be giving them a shot!
31/07/2026 08:03:38 UTC
A Dodgy Hip, A Mesh Seat Cover, And Pants
Snod said :-
Surprisingly there actually are ones with a full leg zip, see the link. I can't personally vouch for these though, I've just used ones with elastic at the ends of the legs and the waist and keep them on top of my bike trousers for at least 10 months of the year because a) it normally rains all the time and b) they're good for keeping the cold off. So they last 6 years of commuting whilst being worn almost all the time. So because I just leave them on the trousers I'm not too fussed about how easy they are to get on and take off. In real rain I also still wear them under my one piece rain suit because of course the suit leaks and then has all the time it needs to try and soak into the crotch area..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165581078384...
30/07/2026 20:15:45 UTC
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nab301 said :-
Glyn , looking forward to seeing and hopefully hearing the fruits of your labours , will you be stripping the engine?
Nigel
26/06/2026 14:53:36 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Ooooh eeeee ouch! I'm glad you didn't post your gory sliced digit Glyn (Flyn). You can show us when it's healed a little and we can imagine the rest. As for the heat... Enough already but it won't be long until I'm griping about the rain/cold dagnammit. The nights are already drawing in.
26/06/2026 09:57:29 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I managed to slice a couple of mm off a finger with the angle grinder a couple of weeks ago removing the chain from the Herald*. I'm usually very cautious around them but a moment's inattention...... It's taken to now to heal up.
*And what's wrong with split links I ask you? Someone had gone to the length of fitting a continuous O ring chain at some time in the bike's 3,000 km life while studioudly ignoring the dreadful suspension units.
Goldie silencer arrived yesterday and it's in new condition. A bargain at just over £30. It does say pre 1985 bikes but this is invisible when fitted. Too hot for anything today.
25/06/2026 10:13:31 UTC
Glyn said :-
Oh no I’ve spelt my name wrong again. It’s these fat fingers I’m working with. Talking of fingers, I almost removed the top of my middle finger right hand in an incident with a sun lounger in Croatia 3 weeks ago. It took 5 stitches to reattach and weeks of dressings which I’m still doing. I’ve got some fairly gruesome pictures of aforesaid digit but I’m sure the Ed wouldn’t be impressed if I were to post one.
24/06/2026 20:54:01 UTC
Flyn said :-
Ian is right Up’t, not really my style to clear-coat it. I’ve decided to respray it colour number 8 in Elfenbein 732 which is a BMW ivory colour. Elfenbein is a direct German translation for “Elephants tusk”. It’s the colour that I painted the BMW K1100 2 years back. However, this time there will be no evidence of the colours that went before.
24/06/2026 20:48:49 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
It's like archaeology (or a time machine) when you get down through the layers like that, and as Upt' says it would be interesting to keep it. But I think that would offend your aesthetic sensibilities.
Re vinyl dye, the Steib came with a seat cover which is red and would clash with the BSA red so will probably dye that black as well. At the moment, the only passenger provision is a box full of pavers left over from a patio to keep the chair wheel down on left handers although this is scorned by some "experts". No idea why as an empty sidecar limits the speed round these bends. I can understand if a passenger is occasionally carried that you need to understand the handling in different configurations.
24/06/2026 10:17:29 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
I wondered where that screwdriver had gone, have you got my 10 mill socket too!
I'd smooth that off and lacquer it as a homage to rattle cans.
You're welcome.
Who'd have thought it, Glyn a screwdriver thief?
Upt.
24/06/2026 09:21:38 UTC
Glyn said :-
Sorry forgot the image
24/06/2026 07:52:40 UTC
Glyn said :-
That is a remarkable upgrade for £15 Ian. It looks brand new. Talking about unsuitable colours this is the rear section of the little Aprilia. It has had 14 owners and been 7 different colours.
24/06/2026 07:51:34 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Looking good fella, like Ren, I have little sense of style and taste but the brown and black bike did look a little daft.
Looking forward to your ride report.
Upt.
11/06/2026 10:06:12 UTC
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ROD¹ said :-
Ren, I am sorry to hear of the copyright problems.
I have looked for information online and it looks like a legal minefield!
Some of the suggestions to protect the site seem OK for a lager site generating income, but would not be practical in your case.
Sorry that I can't be of any help.
I hope you can find a way forward.
03/08/2026 20:30:00 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
No Ian not really. Google has a search for images same as function but in this case the image was from one of the big "Stock Photos" websites and that image may not have been "seen" by Google yet. Also imagine the image was from a very recent post on say MCN - "Oooh look there's a new Triumph out" and someone posts on here an image of the new Triumph, google might not have indexed that image by the time I check it.
"Well if it looks professional?" Yeah you can usually tell if it's a professional pic of a new bike versus a pic some punter took at the recent bike show. However - if the recent pic from the bike show was taken off someone else's blog or social media account...
03/08/2026 15:31:56 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I really hope you can continue Ren as this is one of the sanest and most useful bits of the WWW. If it's just images, is there some way of checking them for copyright before they're posted?
ps control enter doesn't work any more.....
03/08/2026 15:22:13 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
03/08/2026 12:56:12 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Thanks Upt'. Links apparently are fine!! However yeah I've been researching this and even if an image is edited, resized or trimmed it's still "IP", intellectual property. Heck even if you take a picture of a picture, or artwork, or seemingly whatever it can still be construed as IP.
It's really hard to know if an image posted is from the creator, ie yourself. What puzzles me is social media like FaceAche - loads of people will post a generic piccy of a bike from say Yamaha's web page with a comment like "this is my new bike". Do FB have people contacting them re IP hourly? Are they shelling out for this? Lord only knows.
I was advised I seek legal council then I looked at the costs of this. Yeah, easier and cheaper to cough up.
03/08/2026 12:56:47 UTC
Upt'North ¹ said :-
Sorry for your troubles Ed and hope you can work through it. Like Ian said if it was I then I would hopefully make amends somehow. I posted an image only yesterday that I found on the GB500S, I suspect it was probably from Honda India. I will stop posting anything but own pictures. Would this also apply to links to other sites, are these links copyright in any way?
Like I said I'm really sorry and hope the pain is minimal, we'd miss you if you weren't here. Honest.
Upt.
03/08/2026 12:44:02 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Now my first thinking is that when you make a comment and/or upload a picture the comment (and picture) DO NOT go live until I get to read and check them. The problem with this is I can't spend all day checking for new comments to allow access. It might be even a day before I can go through and check them. This does allow me to also check for rude/offensive comments. It would rather spoil the "flow" of the conversations.
Perhaps another option is to provide a login - logged in users get to see the comments and then when I've had time to check them they come out of the login into the public domain. Ideally I don't want to do this as it'd require a lot of coding and security and lots of people don't want to login.
Another option is to do away with the comments altogether! Right now the way I'm feeling about it all would be to throw in the towel altogether. I make no money from the site and with automation and AI it's getting far far too easy to be swamped with rubbish. The hosting ain't cheap and if I'm going to be threatened with litigation because of an image, or a review someone disapproves of, or a picture I took of in some foreign country upsets someone...
03/08/2026 11:33:39 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
It wasn't any of the regulars on here - a random one off poster. I'm wondering if it was intentional... But it was quite some time ago so maybe not.
03/08/2026 10:20:21 UTC
Ian Soady¹ said :-
I hope it wasn't one of mine. As far as I remember all I have posted are ones I've taken myself but who knows?
03/08/2026 10:03:55 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
RIGHT I HAVE A PROBLEM.
I've been given a copyright strike for an image posted up quite some time back (a couple of years). It's going to cost "quite a bit". I take great care to try and not use copyright images on the site for this very reason but I can't control the images other people post up.
At present I have removed the ability to post an image and temporarily removed all the images from the comments. I am thinking about the best way to manage this going forwards. I suspect any images you add will have to be strictly vetted by myself going forwards. Sorry folks but them's the rules I have to abide by.
02/08/2026 22:56:15 UTC
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