The Royal Enfiled Hunter 350 was launched at the NADA Auto Show 2023 by Royal Enfield. After doing well in the Indian market after its launch in August 2022, the Hunter 350 is all set to hit the roads in Nepal as well.
The Hunter 350 is a modern compact roadster that is very well capable of city and highway rides. Primarily built for urban settings, it also boasts a stylish exterior that complements its performance.
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 shares the same award-winning J-series engine used in the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Meteor 350. The bike is well-loved in the Indian and European markets.
What is good is that the motorbike is competitively priced and poised to challenge other bikes in its segment, including the Yamaha MT15, Triumph 400x, Triumph Scrambler 400, and KTM Duke 200.
Specifications of Royal Enfield Hunter 350
| Dimensions | Length: 2,055 mm Height: 1,055 mm Width: 800 mm | |
| Wheelbase | 1,370 mm | |
| Seat height | 790mm | |
| Ground clearance | 150 mm | |
| Kerb Weight | 177 kg | |
| Engine capacity | 349 cc | |
| Engine type | Single Cylinder, 4 Stroke, Air & Oil Cooled, Fuel Injected | |
| Maximum power | 20.4 PS @ 6,100 rpm | |
| Maximum torque | 27 Nm @ 4,000 rpm | |
| Bore x Stroke | 72 mm x 85.5 mm | |
| Frame | Twin Downtube Spine Frame | |
| Suspension | Front: Telescopic fork, 41 mm diameter, 130 mm travel Rear: Twin tube Emulsion shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable preload. Travel 102mm | |
| Brakes | Retro Front: 300 mm disc Rear: 153 mm drum Metro Front: 300 mm disc Rear: 270 mm disc | |
| ABS | No ABS | |
| Rim size | Retro Spoke wheels Metro 17-inch alloy | |
| Tyre size | Retro Front: 100/80-17 Rear: 120/80-17 Metro Front: 110/70-R17 Rear: 140/70-R17 | |
| Gearbox | 5 Speed Constant Mesh | |
| Top speed | 114 km/h | |
| Colours | Retro Factory Black | Factory Silver Metro Dapper White | Dapper Ash | Dapper Grey | Rebel Black | Rebel Blue | Rebel Red | |
| Price | Retro Rs 459,000 (Factory Black | Factory Silver) Metro Rs 475,000 (Dapper White | Dapper Ash | Dapper Grey) Rs 479,000 (Rebel Black | Rebel Blue | Rebel Red) | |
Design and build
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is a roadster motorcycle with a neo-retro design. Royal Enfield has launched the Retro and Metro versions in Nepal. The bike has a fresh, simple and clean design. The exhaust is shorter than the other bikes in the same lineup Royal Enfield sells like the Classic 350 and the Meteor 350. It is not bulky and big in size, but rather a compact roadster for the city.
The indicator shape on the bike differs according to the option. The Metro option has the classic rounded-shaped indicator whereas the Retro has a rectangular-shaped indicator on both the rear and front.
The Royal Enfield badging on the Hunter 350 differs according to the colour option. The switches on the handlebar are buttons and not sliders like those in the new Classic 350 Rebornn. There is also a USB Port to charge your mobile or other devices.
The headlight on the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is halogen whereas the taillight is LED. It has a digital-analogue instrument cluster that displays the odometer, trip meter, gear indicator, fuel graph bar with low fuel warning and clock. It is also compatible with Royal Enfield’s Tripper TBT navigation which when connected to the mobile app shows the directions and other information.
The two options Retro and Metro differ on the tyre and wheels. In the Retro variant, it features the classic look with spoke wheels which are matched with tyres of 100/80-17 for the front and 120/80-17 for the rear. The Metro variant delivers a more modern look, featuring 17-inch alloy wheels which are accompanied by larger tyres—110/70-R17 for the front and 140/70-R17 for the rear.
The frame of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is the Twin downtube spine frame which is also shared by the Royal Enfield Classic 350 and the Royal Enfield Meteor 350. The pillion is lower in the Hunter 350 than the other Royal Enfield bikes. It is quite comfortable with a retro-modern design and stripes.
Performance
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 delivers a powerful and torquey performance with the award-winning J-series engine. It shares the same 349cc engine as the Classic 350 and the Meteor 350 with some tunes. It features a single-cylinder, 4-stroke, air and oil-cooled engine with fuel injection. The engine delivers a maximum power of 20.4 PS at 6,100 rpm and a maximum torque of 27 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
The bore and stroke dimensions of 72 mm x 85.5 mm optimize the engine’s performance. It is combined with a 5-speed constant mesh gearbox. It has a top speed of 114 km/h with a mileage of about 36 km/l.
Brakes and suspension
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 features a telescopic fork at the front with a 41 mm diameter and 130 mm travel. The rear suspension comprises twin tube Emulsion shock absorbers with 6-step adjustable preload and 102 mm travel. The suspension is pretty good got the city roads.
As for the brakes, they vary between the two variants. In the Retro variant, the bike is equipped with a 300 mm disc brake at the front and a 153 mm drum brake at the rear. On the other hand, the Metro variant gets an upgraded braking system, featuring a 300 mm disc brake at the front and a larger 270 mm disc brake at the rear. However, neither of the variants is equipped with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) which is the major con in this bike.
Features
List of the features of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350:
- Neo-retro design
- Compact and lightweight
- Twin downtube spine frame
- 349cc, single-cylinder engine
- Five-speed gearbox
- Telescopic forks and twin shock absorbers
- Single-piston disc brakes with single-channel ABS
- Tripper navigation pod (optional)
- USB charging port
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is available in eight different colour options. Out of the eight, two colour options Factory Black and Factory Silver are available in the Retro Variant whereas the remaining six colour options Dapper White, Dapper Ash, Dapper Grey, Rebel Black, Rebel Blue and Rebel Red are available in the Metro Variant.
As for the pricing, the Retro variant is priced at Rs 459,000 for Factory Black and Factory Silver colour options. On the other hand, the Metro variant is available at Rs 475,000 for Dapper White, Dapper Ash, and Dapper Grey colour options, and Rs 479,000 for Rebel Black, Rebel Blue, and Rebel Red colour options.
Verdict
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is very different from the other lineups of bikes Royal Enfield sells. This addition is mainly focused on young riders. The looks, design, features and power performance on the bike are really good.
The only major drawback is the lack of ABS. Not even single-channel ABS is available in the Nepali version of these bikes. Dual Channel ABS and Single Channel ABS are available in India and other countries. This would make this an almost perfect bike. The addition of ABS however would have increased the price but is an important safety feature. Except this, the bike is a new way Royal Enfield has presented itself in the market.
