Royal Enfield Hunter 350 – This is not your typical RE.

The new Royal Enfield J platform of 350cc motorcycles has been on the market for two years, and the company claims to have sold over 500,000 of them. Existing customers have clearly welcomed the J platform bikes, but the new Classic 350 and Meteor 350 are very much ‘Royal Enfield‘ type bikes. With the new Hunter 350, the company is attempting to reach a newer, broader customer base.

The overall goal is to make this bike more accessible to non-RE fans and newer riders in general. In essence, this is a smaller, lighter, easier, and more modern Royal Enfield than we’re used to seeing.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350: comfort and capability on the road

When it comes to ease and accessibility, a few numbers are important. The first consideration is seat height, and with an 800mm seat (as well as a narrow section where the seat meets the fuel tank), the Hunter is suitable for shorter riders. On the other hand, I’m 6’1″ and fit perfectly on the bike.

Then there’s the weight, and at 181kg, this bike is 14 kilos lighter than the Classic 350 – but only on paper, and it feels even lighter when you ride it. That’s because Hunter’s chassis has undergone some significant changes. This is the first modern RE with 17-inch wheels on both ends, which adds a lot of agility. Furthermore, the wheelbase is 20mm shorter than on the Classic, and the steering rake angle has been increased to 25 degrees, which is quite aggressive for a 350cc Royal Enfield.

The base platform is identical to that of the Classic and Meteor, as is the front section of the chassis on all three bikes. However, the rear of the frame has been reduced in length, and a new subframe has been added. It also lacks the heavy, metal footpeg cradle underneath that usually holds the Meteor and Classic’s forward-set pegs.

As a result, the bike rides and handles almost identically to a standard 250cc naked bike. It’s strange at first to feel that torquey, slow-revving engine paired with such a light and agile motorcycle, but you quickly get used to it. We rode through all sorts of Bangkok roads, from jammed rush hour traffic to beautifully fast and open highways. The company even let us ride the bike around a go-kart track, which was a lot of fun.

When compared to the Meteor, the Hunter has one degree more available lean angle on each side (43 degrees left and 42 degrees right), which is nice, but you don’t have to try too hard before the footpegs start scraping. However, there is plenty of lean angles available in most real-world situations. This bike can also change direction much faster and with much less effort than any modern Enfield. That makes it enjoyable to drive, whether on a go-kart track or simply navigating through traffic.

The new Ceat tyres are also suitable for this application. The Hunter has a new front master cylinder, which gives it more feel and progression, but the rest of the braking system is the same as the Classic and Meteor. For emergency stops, these brakes, like their siblings, require a strong pull on the lever. The top Hunter Metro variant we’re riding comes standard with dual channel ABS.

In terms of suspension comfort, it’s difficult to predict how the Hunter will fare because Thailand has some stunning roads that put ours to shame. However, this suspension is firmer than either the Classic or the Meteor, particularly at the rear. From what we could tell, this bike will be firmer than its siblings, but not to the point of being uncomfortable. Still, we’ll have to wait until we can ride it on bad roads. The Hunter has less ground clearance than the Classic, but considering the firm rear shocks and shorter wheelbase, I don’t think this will be a major issue.

The riding position is comfortable, and it reminds me of the Interceptor 650 because the footpegs are now beneath you instead of in front of you. The handlebar is slightly stretched forward, similar to the Interceptor, and the footpegs are slightly rear-set. It has a much more connected riding position than the other 350s, which will appeal to a wide range of riders.

Engine and performance of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350

Overall, the chassis is agile and playful, but I wouldn’t call this a sporty motorcycle – it’s fun, but not sporty. The primary reason for this is the engine, which is nearly identical to that found in the Classic and Meteor.

While the power and torque figures are identical (20hp and 27Nm), RE claims that the engine has been mapped slightly differently. By doing so, they’ve already managed to differentiate the Classic and Meteor engines, and the Hunter will be no different. This motor feels more responsive, and the sound from the shorter exhaust is raspier.

Nonetheless, this is a very similar riding experience, and RE claims similar performance as well as fuel efficiency (a claimed 36.2kpl).

On the highway, the Hunter feels great at around 80kph and can easily hold a 100. Anything above that comes slowly, but even at its top speed of around 120kph, the engine feels smooth and free of vibration.

That kind of performance is nothing special, and if 0-100 times and top speeds are important to you, you should look elsewhere. However, if you enjoy riding at a leisurely pace, this is one of the most distinctive and enjoyable engines found on any Indian motorcycle. It’s all about enjoying the strong low- and mid-range torques, as well as the gentle beat that can be felt from the engine throughout the entire motorcycle, just like the Classic and Meteor. I’ve been having a great time commuting on our long-term Classic 350, and this lighter Hunter should be just as enjoyable while being easier to handle. The only drawback is that, like its siblings, the Hunter has a heavy clutch, which can be tiring when you’re stuck in traffic.

Design and features of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350

The Hunter is a fun bike to ride, and I think it looks good too. The difficulty with the typical modern retro roadster design is that you can’t do much with the overall silhouette and you have to have the standard stuff like a round headlamp, teardrop-shaped tank, and small side panel. However, Royal Enfield has managed to give this bike its own identity without doing anything strange or forced. That is evident in the unusually shaped knee recesses, the unique side panels, and the neatly finished rear. There are numerous well-designed accessories, and I believe that the flat seat and optional tail tidy help elevate this design.

This is unquestionably a more compact bike by RE standards, and it is physically smaller than the Classic in every way. But, at 180 kilogrammes, it’s not exactly small, and it can comfortably accommodate a pillion rider. Even though it rides on smaller 17-inch wheels, the Hunter has a nice set of proportions, and I believe the colour pattern plays a significant role. I like the Dapper Ash colour scheme on our bike because it allows you to see the lines on the tank more clearly – some of the other schemes on Metro models have a lot of bold lettering that is a little distracting to my eyes. In fact, the paint schemes on the lower Retro models are much simpler and cleaner.

The Hunter keeps things simple with no frills, but it’s not lacking in features. A neatly designed USB charging port comes standard, and the Tripper navigation display is optional. The Metro model also has hazard lights, and both models have a good halogen headlamp. Riding this bike reminds me that I’d rather have a good halogen bulb than a bad LED any day of the week.

The lower Hunter 350 Retro model is much simpler, with spoked wheels, slimmer tyres, a rear drum brake, single-channel ABS, simpler switchgear, a tubular rear grab handle, a halogen brake lamp, and old-school rectangular indicators. Despite its simplicity, the Retro is quite appealing, and some may prefer it to the Metro.