Royal Enfield Hunter 350 first ride review: A hunter or a prey?

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 review: With evolving preferences of bike customers in India (and worldwide), manufacturers are left with no choice but to advance into the newer segments, break their own rules, and push the envelope in order to stay competitive. While only recently TVS Motor rolled out its Ronin 225 urban cruiser/scrambler and now Royal Enfield introduced something that takes aim straight at the Ronin with a moto to 'hunt' it down along with other bikes in the newer, affordable cruising segment. The Chennai-based retro bike maker has made bold claims for the Hunter, declaring that it is what the newer class of riders - the gen-Z needs. A bike that's affordable and easy in every sense. But, is it?

Spyshots of the Hunter popped on the internet every now and then, and to everyone's surprise, Royal Enfield actually introduced the bike even ahead of the official launch. Perhaps, the marketing team figured out that if anyone leaks the bike this time ahead of the launch, it should be them. Pun intended! Anyways, I finally got the chance to test ride the new Hunter 350 in Bangkok. So, how does it feel to test ride the lightest Royal Enfield ever and does it have the right mix of everything to match your lifestyle? Let’s find that out.

The new royal Enfield Hunter 350 comes in two variants Retro and Metro. Well, the list of features is not too long and there is not something new that you have not seen on the other Royal Enfield Bikes. The instrument cluster is the same as before, which has all the necessary readouts like an analogue speedometer, digital fuel gauge, trip meter, odometer. This bike also features a gear position indicator, battery voltmeter, hazard switch, and engine start switch. The rear tail with a short fender makes it look sporty, and the taillight is LED on the top-spec variant. Headlights and turn indicators are offered with halogen bulbs. Royal Enfield is also offering an option of tripper navigation with one of the variants. When it comes to safety features it offers dual channel ABS. To keep your phones charged up there is USB charging point available to charge the devices on the go. There is a long list of accessories that Royal Enfield is offering for the Hunter 350. So as far as features are concerned, nothing over and above but exactly what can be offered in a bike with such price.

As far as its presence is concerned, Royal Enfield Hunter 350’s design has a mix of both retro and modern touches. It looks compact, nimble and above all, it does sound like a Royal Enfield. The Hunter 350 gets a newly designed chassis and the wheelbase is also shorter which helps in providing better ride quality and handling. The seat height is 790mm, which makes it accessible to a larger set of audience. It also gets alloy wheels with tubeless tyres. The overall build quality looks good and at first glance, the design of the bike looks appealing.

The Hunter 350 comes based on the same J-platform as the Meteor 350. This is the same 349 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that pushes out 20.2 bhp of maximum power at 6100 rpm and a peak torque of 27 Nm at 4000 rpm. This 350cc engine is mated with a 5-speed gearbox

Bangkok is a city where the traffic situation is somewhat similar to Delhi and one can see back-to-back red lights almost every 500 meters. So, the continuous stop-and-go situation was the area where Royal Enfield Hunter 350 really impressed me. The performance and the handling of the bike will make you ride it more than usual. It’s easy to handle, feels nimble and delivers enough power to let you make those quick overtakes in these conditions. Which really makes it fun to ride inside city limits. I almost felt like the bike is an extension of my body because it kept me engaged throughout while riding. But yes there are a few areas where I felt improvement is required. The highway performance is good but not satisfactory. The stock tyres offer good grip but a premium set of tyres with better grip could have been appreciated. Once I went past 80-90 km/h there were vibrations on the side mirror, instrument pod and fuel tank. However, on the flip side, the suspension set-up is a bit stiff but well balanced and the braking department is also sorted, no matter what the speed is. The riding stance is upright and comfortable which gives more confidence to ride it for longer durations.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 price:

Now, this is also one of those factors that will appeal to the commuter segment buyers. Yes, Rs 1.50 lakh(ex-showroom) for a 350cc Royal Enfield is really a sweet deal when it comes to Indian buyers. Price is something that is almost always on the top of the list when they go shopping. So, in this area, I believe that Royal Enfield has played their cards right. The other variants of the bike cost Rs 1.64 and Rs 1.69 lakh (both prices are ex-showroom).

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 verdict:

To sum it up, the new Royal Enfield hunter 350 is a motorcycle that I see as an upgrade for those buyers who wish to move from a 150 or 200 cc motorcycle. And they are also expecting the bike to have a comfortable stance, and provide an easy ride, handling with enough power for a regular commute. And, yes the price is not making not you dig deep into your pockets. If these are your requirements then I believe you can bet your money on the Royal Enfield Hunter 350.