Royal Enfield Hunter 350

Overview

The Hunter 350 is Royal Enfield’s shot at trying to create a street-focused motorcycle for a younger audience using its J-series platform.

Talking about Royal Enfield, what comes to mind are retro motorcycles, often associated with a greater legacy which represents classic British style motorcycles. The Hunter 350 is a change from this pattern and is an attempt to appeal to a younger audience who do not necessarily relate to a brand that represents legacy like Royal Enfield does.

Design

The design of the Hunter 350 is one that incorporates things that are often associated with classic motorcycles. Bits such as the round headlight, chopped mudguards, fork gaiters, and retro style taillight are all combined with the matte finish on its engine and exhaust, and colour schemes that add in a blend of modernity and youthfulness. All this gives the Hunter a neo-retro vibe.

The overall design looks similar to that of the Triumph Bonneville line, giving it a unique British character in a compact package, and one that is inviting to riders of all sizes.

 Engine, Mileage & Performance

The motorcycle is powered by the same 349cc air-cooled engine as the Classic 350 and Meteor 350 and outputs max power 20.4PS @ 6100rpm and max torque of 27Nm @ 4000rpm. The bike is able to deliver a mileage of 36kmpl. The engine offers peppy acceleration, but overall the powertrain isn’t impressive for a motorcycle that is so agile and nimble. This becomes all the more obvious when trying to accelerate out of corners, and leads to a riding experience that isn’t as exciting as one would hope for.  

Handling & Ride Quality

When it comes to handling, the Hunter is the most accessible motorcycle from Royal Enfield The smaller 17-inch wheels, and 120-section tyre in the front and 140-section tyre at the rear, makes the motorcycle more agile and nimble when compared to the other Royal Enfield models. This translates into better handling when riding in city traffic.

The suspension is set on the firmer side, and this has both advantages and disadvantages when riding in the city. While the advantage is better stability, the disadvantage is poor riding experience over bad roads.

The Hunter 350 offers a smooth ride quality at around 60-80kmph. However, around and above the 100kmph mark things start to get really vibey, especially on the handlebars and rear view mirrors. Another thing is that the clutch on the Hunter 350 is quite heavy, so navigating through city traffic is not the smoothest experience.

Comfort

The riding posture is a bit towards the sportier side, which suits the urban character of the motorcycle. The low seat height of 790mm makes it easy to handle and quite comfortable in the urban environment where frequent stoppages in traffic will be the norm.

The seat is quite large and spacious with very soft padding. The riding comfort when going on short journeys through the city is quite good too, but the rider will experience pain in the glutes when going for longer journeys, which is a deal breaker for those who might intend to go on longer rides on the weekends.

Features

The motorcycle comes in 2 variants, Metro and Retro. The Metro variant features alloy wheels and dual-channel ABS, while the Retro variant features spoked wheels and drum brakes in the rear, which leaves the bike with single-channel ABS. Both variants come with the option of adding Royal Enfield’s tripper navigation module.

 Should you buy the Hunter 350?

The answer to this question depends on what you are looking for. If you want a retro-style riding experience in a package that looks more modern than classic and is accessible too, then the Hunter is perfect for you. But if you’re a die-hard Royal Enfield fan and like your classic bikes to stay classic, then stay away from the Hunter.