Royal Enfield Hunter 350 vs Royal Enfield Meteor 350: A Detailed Comparison

It can be quite confusing to pick between the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 and the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. Both bikes are based on the same platform, but are meant for completely different purposes. Here’s how to choose the best bike for yourself: 

Price & Variants

*(all prices ex-showroom Chennai)

• In this category, just from the affordability point of view, the Hunter 350 is the cheaper option since it is about Rs 30,000 more affordable than the lowest variant of the Meteor 350. Here’s an on-road pricing explainer of the Hunter 350 in the top 5 cities.

• Both offer different riding experiences and are made for riders with different requirements.

• The Hunter 350 is Royal Enfield’s more compact and youthful offering, designed primarily for city riding and aimed at first-time Royal Enfield buyers. 

• On the other hand, the Meteor 350 is a cruiser with a more relaxed riding posture.

• For both bikes, prices vary according to the colour schemes on offer. If you don’t want to buy the Hunter and are looking for any other two-wheeler, check out our same-price alternatives list, of its base variant. 

Dimensions & Design

• The Hunter 350’s shorter wheelbase should make it feel more manageable and easier to ride, especially in tight city conditions.

• On the other hand, the Meteor 350’s higher ground clearance gives it an advantage on rough or broken roads, helping it tackle bad patches while touring with more confidence. Since the Hunter 350 is focused on urban use, its slightly lower ground clearance is still sufficient enough for dealing with everyday road conditions.

• The Meteor 350’s bigger fuel tank gives it a higher range, making it more suitable for long distance rides.

• The Meteor’s lower seat height combined with the relaxed ergonomics makes it more comfortable to ride the Meteor 350 over long distances.

• The Hunter 350’s riding posture is comparatively more committed and combined with the lighter kerb weight, it makes the bike fun to ride in the city.

• The Meteor 350’s heavier kerb weight is not that noticeable at cruising speeds on the highway.

• When it comes to styling, the Hunter 350 blends retro cues with a youthful, agile character. Design elements like the round headlamp and mirrors keep the classic Royal Enfield flavour intact, while its compact dimensions give it a fun and modern appeal.

• The Meteor 350 has the traditional butch appearance of a Royal Enfield bike while the low seat height gives it that cruiser appeal.

• The Hunter 350’s Factory Black comes with a clean black finish, highlighted by orange Royal Enfield branding for a subtle contrast.

• Rio White gives the bike a much fresher appeal, with blue, green and yellow accents on the wheels adding a splash of fun to the overall design.

• The Dapper Grey colour scheme, as the name suggests, makes the bike look quite ‘dapper’.

• Rebel Blue brings a bright, refreshing contrast, while the London Red colour option stands out with its black graphics on the fuel tank, giving the Hunter a slightly funky character.

• The Tokyo Black colour scheme adds a bit of flair to the styling, and Graphite Grey gives the bike a more stealthy, understated look.

• On the Meteor 350, the Fireball Grey and Fireball Orange colour schemes give the bike a colourful look with the right amount of pop while the red and orange highlights on the alloy wheels compliment the colour scheme really well.

• The Stellar Matt Grey and Stellar Marine Blue colour schemes give a minimalistic appeal to the bike and the chrome elements give the overall design an added zing.

• The Aurora Red and the Aurora Retro Green colour schemes are the most gorgeous paint schemes on offer for the bike. The pastel scheme strikes the perfect balance between subtle and glamorous and the chromed out engine components and spoke wheels compliment the overall look perfectly.

• The Supernova Black gives a stealth look to the bike but is well balanced by the combination of blacked-out engine components and the chrome peashooter exhaust.

• The Sundowner Orange is the most glamorous paint scheme on offer and makes the bike look like something out of the ‘70s. It will be suitable for someone who likes to flaunt their bike’s design and paint scheme.

Underpinnings

• The suspension setup on both bikes is the same which means that the overall ride quality feels plush. But over bad road conditions and potholes, the rear suspension’s comparatively stiffer setup can be felt on the backside. 

• On both bikes, the brakes offer a progressive bite which helps in better modulating the stopping power in city traffic conditions. But on the mountain twisties or on the highway, a sharper bite would have been appreciated.

• The Hunter 350’s shorter 17-inch wheel setup should make it more agile while riding through traffic or on mountain twisties.

• Out on the straight open road, the Meteor 350’s bigger 19-inch wheel setup should make the bike feel more stable and confidence inspiring when ridden at higher speeds. 

Features

• Both the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (top variant) and the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 have the same round, semi-digital instrument console with an analogue speedometer and an LCD inset at the middle of the console that shows fuel gauge, gear position indicator and trip meter readouts. To know more about all the features of the Hunter 350, read our features explainer.

• Bluetooth connectivity with navigation is available through the Tripper navigation pod. Along with USB charging, the features list on both bikes is adequate for a retro roadster and cruiser.

• But the Meteor 350 takes the edge in this category with full-LED lighting, which makes it the more modern bike in this comparison in this respect.
  

Performance

• Both bikes are powered by the same J-series engine that offers ample amount of low and mid-range grunt, which means riding at low speeds in 3rd or 4th gear is not an issue.

• On the highway, they can handle speeds of 80-90kmph easily. Also, the power delivery is smooth and predictable.

• The Hunter 350 gets a slip and assist clutch as standard. As such, the light clutch action makes city riding effortless.

• The slipper clutch is a miss in the Meteor 350, but if you mainly use it for long-distance riding on the highways, then you’ll get used to the heavier clutch action over time.

Verdict

As we have seen till now, both bikes are different bikes meant for different use cases. So, if you are looking for a retro roadster with funky looks, agile handling characteristics and a compact bike for a smooth transition from your 150-200cc bike, then the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is the one for you. It directly rivals the Yamaha XSR 155 with its pricing, and here’s a detailed pricing explainer.

On the other hand, if you are in the market for a sub-400cc cruiser that offers beautiful looks, relaxed ergonomics and a features list that’s modern enough for a retro cruiser, then you should consider the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. To help you make this decision, we have listed down the top 5 differences between these bikes.

Comparisons With Other Rivals

• When compared with the Yamaha XSR155, the Hunter 350 is a relatively more easy-going bike.
• The TVS Ronin is another roadster that's cheaper, has somewhat similar looks but gets a longer list of useful features. 
• The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is a lot more retro-looking bike than the Hunter 350, and its engine also has a slightly different tune.
• A more funky version of the Classic 350 is the Goan Classic 350. When compared to the Hunter 350, this one definitely has a design that turns heads.  
• Another macho alternative to the Hunter 350 is the Bullet 350. It continues with the legendary design, but has been thoroughly modernised underneath.
• The Speed 400 has a much more powerful engine than the Hunter 350, but it is also a lot costlier, while having a somewhat similar design. 
• If you can extend your budget a bit, you can also take a look at the Triumph Speed T4. It's got a more powerful engine, while also staying true to neo-retro roadster roots.