Remember a couple of years ago, when Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India first released the H’Ness CB350, and everybody promptly lost their minds? (OK, maybe not everybody, but certainly more than a few of us.) It’s a good-looking little naked bike, and for those of us who love its aesthetic vein, it seemed like a tidy little package.
Honda, happy to strike while the iron was hot, wasted exactly no time in bringing the H’Ness CB350 to Japanese shores. It may have changed name to GB350, but it was still the same design that so many people around the world had first oohed and aahed over upon its Indian debut. Japan also got a GB350 S version to up the sportiness of the look just a little.
Fast-forward to 2022, and aftermarket parts and accessories specialist Moriwaki Engineering has transformed a GB350 S into a full-on race bike. Now, like many a good aftermarket parts maker, Moriwaki is no stranger to dressing up a bike in all the cool stuff it makes to fit that bike, just for fun. However, in this case, Moriwaki had a deeper purpose in mind. What was it? A one-make GB350 race, to be held on May 1, 2022 at Honda Safety and Riding Plaza Kyushu in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. (Did Kumamon show up? WE HOPE SO.)
Gallery: Moriwaki Honda GB350 Racer
Moriwaki’s Project Tetsuuma (that’s “iron horse,” if you read the kanji) is a stunning, svelte little modern café racer of a bike, and it sounds SO GOOD. Seriously, put on some headphones and listen to the Facebook video embedded here from race day, where racer Misuzu Kaneko took first place in the challenge on the Moriwaki-built machine.
Although Moriwaki already makes a number of parts for the GB350 S that eager enthusiasts can buy, that body kit isn’t available yet (although perhaps it might be in the future). Among the many modifications done to get this bike ready for the track, Moriwaki went from the stock 19-inch front wheel down to a 17-inch unit for improved handling as a wicked track weapon. The blue and yellow paint scheme represents Moriwaki colors, but the way the color gradient flows from tank to tail has to be even cooler to see in person.
Congratulations to Moriwaki Engineering and Misuzu Kaneko on their win!
