The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is an city prowler, designed to discover the concrete jungle with grace and agility. We examined this new roadster in and round San Diego to see if it actually excels within the metropolis as supposed and if it has sufficient mojo to maintain tempo out of city as nicely.
Royal Enfield has been in steady manufacturing since 1901, and the model excels within the small- to mid-sized bike phase. It additionally excels in honoring its British heritage with a classic-meets-modern aesthetic, making for bikes that catch your eye and take you again to easier instances.
Whereas Royal Enfields are plentiful in India, the place the bikes are produced and smaller-displacement bikes are the norm reasonably than the exception, the model has been making sturdy headway in North America the previous few years as nicely. Ron Luttrell, VP of gross sales and seller growth, reported that Royal Enfield has seen a 317% development in U.S. gross sales since 2019 and that they’ve not too long ago reached their purpose of 10,000 models bought in North America. Not too shabby. With the introduction of the Hunter 350, it’s clear Royal Enfield is seeking to maintain onto that ahead momentum.
Commercial
Subsequent-Gen Geometry
Royal Enfield’s Hunter 350 shares the identical 349cc J-series Single because the Basic 350 and Meteor 350. Once we examined the 2021 Meteor 350, the engine put out 18 hp and 18 lb-ft of torque on the rear wheel on Jett Tuning’s dyno. Whereas the engine has been tuned for relaxed city using, what actually makes the Hunter 350 stand other than its stablemates is its chassis geometry. With a shorter wheelbase and a steeper rake, in addition to a decrease curb weight, the Hunter supplies a extra accessible, nimble using expertise than what you would possibly discover on the Basic or the Meteor. That, coupled with a gorgeous and youthful styling, will permit the Hunter 350 to draw and fill the wants of a distinct rider demographic.
Associated: 2022 Royal Enfield Basic 350 | First Experience Evaluate
Associated: 2021 Royal Enfield Meteor 350 | Street Check Evaluate
On the U.S. press launch in San Diego, the Hunter’s MSRP, which had been stored hush-hush till that second, was revealed. The bike will begin at $3,999, with some coloration choices including $200. When the value went up on the massive display screen, the journalists expressed their shock, adopted by applause. This low value, coupled with the bike’s youthful model and smaller measurement, is certain to herald new and younger riders.
The variety of coloration choices can be positive to please riders on the hunt for a motorbike that matches their model. The Dapper White, Dapper Ash, and Dapper Gray can be priced on the decrease $3,999, whereas the two-toned Insurgent Black, Insurgent Blue, and Insurgent Crimson colorways retail for $4,199. All six coloration choices have been out there for our check journey, and I instantly claimed the Insurgent Crimson earlier than anybody else might take it.
Swinging a leg over the bike within the lodge car parking zone, I instantly felt relaxed. The upright seating place was comfortable, and the contoured seat was plush however supportive. With a 31.1-inch seat top, the Hunter 350 had me tip-toeing, however I used to be the one journalist on the launch who couldn’t flat-foot on it (I’m 5-foot-1). Even with my brief legs, I had no hassle reaching every part I wanted to achieve.
Associated: 2023 Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 | First Experience Evaluate
The uncluttered and easy design added to the at-ease really feel of the bike. A single spherical digital and analog instrument show was straightforward to learn and didn’t provide too many choices or data to distract me from the easy pleasure of using. There’s one thing to be mentioned for having a customizable show with all of the bells and whistles, however typically these issues get in the way in which of a pure motorcycling expertise.
After getting acquainted with our mounts, we rolled out onto the road, and that’s when the true enjoyable started.
Good Occasions
We began the primary half of the day using via San Diego, from neighborhoods to downtown, together with shop-lined streets and beach-side roads. I’ve by no means ridden a motorbike that feels so at dwelling within the metropolis. This bike made me really feel like I used to be a lot better at slow-speed turns than I’m. It’s sufficiently small to squeeze into tight areas and wheel round with out hassle.
The maneuverability of this bike is generally because of its chassis geometry, one thing Royal Enfield mentioned it put a whole lot of effort into getting excellent for this kind of using surroundings. The Hunter has a 25-degree rake and a wheelbase of simply 53.9 inches utilizing 17-inch entrance and rear wheels. It’s lighter than the opposite Royal Enfield fashions with the 350 engine, with a claimed curb weight of 400 lb (the Meteor 350 and Basic 350 have curb weights of 421 lb and 430 lb, respectively). All of those traits give the Hunter an agility that took stress out of using via busy metropolis streets.
The Hunter’s styling actually belongs within the retro-inspired Royal Enfield household, nevertheless it appears to be like just like the cool teenage cousin who simply flew in from the town for a household vacation, the one all the opposite youngsters are jealous of. The bike has a youthful character, in each using expertise and persona, that may make anybody really feel younger once more.
Associated: 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 | First Experience Evaluate
For braking, the Hunter 350 comes with a 300mm disc with a twin piston ByBre caliper up entrance, a 270mm disc with a single piston ByBre caliper within the rear, and ABS. I discovered braking energy to be dialed in nicely for the sudden and frequent stopping of metropolis using. The suspension consists of a nonadjustable 41mm fork with 5.1 inches of journey and twin rear shocks with six-step adjustable preload and 4.8 inches of journey. The suspension additionally felt well-suited for its supposed function. None of those parts are state-of-the-art, however they did their job nicely for a motorbike with a price ticket of about $4K, which is all I might ask of them.
Far and Extensive
After experiencing how well-suited the Hunter 350 is to an city surroundings, I used to be curious to seek out out if it might maintain its personal outdoors of city. Would that slow-speed agility have an effect on the bike’s stability at greater speeds? To my delight, there was no compromise to be discovered. On the twisty roads up Otay Mountain, we pushed the Hunter 350 to its restrict.
There’s one thing thrilling about experiencing the complete vary of a motorbike’s capabilities, from a sluggish roll round site visitors to a full-out sprint via the hills. Royal Enfield hit the candy spot between granting the Hunter sufficient energy to maintain up with freeway speeds whereas sustaining the bike’s tight stance and agility.
GEAR UP
That being mentioned, in the event you’re commuting on the interstate every single day, this won’t be the best journey for you. With a high pace of about 75 mph, we have been using full-out on the freeway to get again to the lodge. The Hunter 350 held that pace easily and comfortably, however it could be preferable to have somewhat energy on reserve in case I must dart away from a harmful scenario, and the Hunter 350 didn’t have that. However I appreciated how steadily it might maintain its high pace with out feeling too harassed or overworked.
All Good Issues…
All too quickly, our using day had come to an finish. A testomony to the Hunter 350 is that, after a full day of using on quite a lot of roads, I used to be able to maintain going. Taller riders would possibly really feel fatigued extra rapidly by the Hunter’s smaller stature, however this mannequin match me so nicely and was so stress-free to journey that I noticed no cause to get off it. If it weren’t for my rumbling abdomen calling for the taco bar and the truth that I’d be fully misplaced in San Diego with no information, I’d have been tempted to roll proper on previous the lodge’s car parking zone and maintain going.
This proabably isn’t the bike that your Harley-or-nothing leather-clad uncle goes to purchase, however for riders on the lookout for a enjoyable, agile, and inexpensive possibility, the Hunter 350 hits the nail on the top. I like to see extra inexpensive bikes coming into the market, and I consider that is an possibility that may make proudly owning a motorbike and experiencing the rides all of us love somewhat extra attainable for a brand new era of motorcyclists.
2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Specs
Base Value: $3,999
Web site: RoyalEnfield.com
Guarantee: 3 yrs., unltd. miles w/ roadside help
Engine Sort: Air/oil-cooled Single, SOHC w/ 2 valves
Displacement: 349cc
Bore x Stroke: 72.0 x 85.8mm
Horsepower: 18.0 @ 6,200 rpm (rear-wheel dyno, 2021 Meteor 350)
Torque: 18.2 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm (rear-wheel dyno, 2021 Meteor 350)
Transmission: 5-speed, cable-actuated moist clutch
Last Drive: Chain
Wheelbase: 53.9 inches
Rake/Path: 25 levels/3.7 in.
Seat Peak: 31.1 in.
Moist Weight: 400 lb (manufacturing unit declare w/ 90% gas)
Gas Capability: 3.4 gal.
