Royal Enfield Classic 350 Old vs New: Photo Comparison

We tell you how different the most “modern” Classic 350 is from its older self

In the last few months, the 2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350 has gathered a lot of headlines, thanks to many spy shots, speculations, and teasers. Now, the bike has finally been launched with plenty of subtle changes (and some big ones too), which make the 2021 Classic 350 its best self yet. Wondering what all’s different from the outgoing model? Well, allow our photo comparison to explain:

At a glance, the new Classic 350 looks pretty similar to the outgoing model, primarily because the overall silhouette of the motorcycle has remained untouched. It’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Classic’s design has always been one of its USPs.

Up front, the fascia is identical. You continue to get a round halogen headlamp, round indicators, and a tall mudguard. The nacelles are different, though, and the headlamp gets a clear lens mirror instead of the prismatic one in the older model.

The iconic teardrop tank shape has also been retained, but the tank capacity has decreased to 13 litres from 13.5 litres.

What is new here are the seats. Both the rider and pillion seats are shaped differently and get thicker padding to improve comfort. In some variants, the seats are finished in a dark brown shade, which looks quite premium. However, we do think the older spring-aided rider seat (now offered only as an accessory) lent a more old-school charm to the bike. 

At the rear, the new Classic gets a reworked tail light setup and the rear fender also gets better support.

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While the overall design is more or less the same, Royal Enfield has thrown in new colour variants and fresh new graphics, which make the new Classic stand out. We personally like the Halcyon Black finish which comes with red and golden graphics.

Also new for 2021 are the alloy wheels. These get thicker spokes and appear more old-school compared to the older alloys.

Additionally, the new Classic 350 gets wider 100/90 front and 120/80 rear tyres as opposed to 90-section front and 110-section rear (spoke) / 120-section rear (alloy) in the 2020 model. The rim sizes remain unchanged, though.

Coming to the more influential changes, we have the all-new semi-digital instrument cluster. The information isn’t vast as the digital readout only shows the fuel level, odometer, dual tripmeters, voltage, timeand eco mode, but it is certainly a step up from the dated analogue unit from the older model, which only showed the odometer, speed, low fuel warning, and voltage. Additionally, the switchgear is new as well and looks more in line with the classic appeal. 

While the new setup is offered as standard, costlier variants of the 2021 Classic 350 also get the Tripper navigation pod, adding even more functionality to the instrument cluster. Meanwhile, it is also offered as an accessory for lower variants.

By far the most crucial change, though, is the Classic 350’s new counterbalanced 349cc engine borrowed from the Meteor 350. Putting out 20.2PS and 27Nm, the motor comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. 

And housing the new engine is a new twin downtube chassis sprung on a beefier 41mm telescopic fork and 6-step adjustable dual shock absorbers. In comparison, the outgoing model featured a single downtube frame with a 35mm fork.

The 2021 Classic 350 has improved anchors too. You get a 300mm disc up front and a 270mm disc at the rear, which is considerably bigger than the previous setup comprising a 280mm front and 240mm rear disc.

All this has been achieved while keeping the weight in check as the Classic still tips the scale at 195kg. To increase practicality, RE has also bumped up the new Classic’s ground clearance by 35mm to 170mm.

Coming to prices, the new Classic 350’s starts from Rs 1,84,374 going up to Rs 2,15,118 (ex-showroom Delhi). This makes the new Classic Rs 4,592 pricier than the outgoing model. But we feel this is mostly justified considering the work RE has done. The main question, however, is how does it all stack up in real life. Curious to find out? Well, lucky for you, here’s our road test review of the 2021 Classic 350.