In an anticipatory thread for the RE Meteor, I marveled on how close its specs seems to be to the new Honda H'ness 350.
RE Meteor J 350 Honda H'ness CB350
349 cc, single-cylinder 348.36 cc, single-cylinder,
20.2 PS 21.0 PS
72 mm x 85.8 70.3 x 90
air / oil cooled air cooled
counterbalance shaft counterbalance shaft
5 speed trans 5 speed trans
Here the two are in some friendly competition, comparing roll-on acceleration in every gear. These two look very well matched to me, with the Honda having the advantage in 1-3, while its taller gearing in 4th and 5th seem to place it at somewhat of a disadvantage in the high gears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBzOyt9wjwI don't see much advantage to the existence of another ratio in these bikes. They both seem to run out of steam above around 100kph and top out about 120 - 125 kph, and taking quite some time to get there. With the torque band, starting low and continuing rather flatly right up until the limiter kicks in that I recall seeing, the presence of another, intermediate ratio wouldn't seem to serve much purpose. I wonder if it might not be possible to reach the power-limited top speed in 4th gear, without hitting the rev. limiter? I look forward to publication of the ratios, and illustrations and videos of the engine innards.
US riders would likely find this performance lacking, as the bulk of our expressway traffic in some areas will be traveling 120kph or faster. It does however, appear to be quite adequate for Indian highways. I cringe every time I see a U-tube video like this, with riders lingering stationary on the side of a highway, in what for americans would be the fast lane, or performing a "speed test" on a road with pedestrians and animals. On the other hand, I can't argue with what appears to be a lot of personal freedom. Do the police in India even have patrol cars?