Top 5 features of Royal Enfield Classic 350

Royal Enfield is on a roll. In the past three years alone, Royal Enfield has sold over 6.7 lakh motorcycles, with sales growing steadily at over 50 per cent every year. In 2014 alone, three lakh Royal Enfield motorcycles were sold.

In July 2015, Royal Enfield broke all historical sales records for the company, selling the most number of motorcycles in a single month at over 40,000 bikes. And by July 2015, Royal Enfield has already sold nearly two and a half lakh motorcycles in the calendar year.

The single largest selling Royal Enfield model today is the Classic 350, first launched in 2009. But what makes the Classic 350 so special? And indeed what is it about Royal Enfields that has made the company grow exponentially over the past few years? We take a look at some features of the Royal Enfield Classic 350…

Design and Styling:

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 follows the familiar design lines of the timeless Royal Enfield Bullet silhouette – a design and shape that has been a familiar British classic design of the pre-War and post-War era. The styling is in many ways almost identical to the original ‘Bullet’, but the Classic brought it with a little ‘premium –ness’ with brighter colours, split seats and an optional upswept exhaust and new taillight assembly.

For the first time in several years, the Royal Enfield got a makeover, although a subtle one and became attractive and grew beyond the traditional ‘Bullet’ look. The retro looks got a ‘cool’ treatment and the Classic 350 (together with the Classic 500) brought in a new breed of Royal Enfield fans.

Engine:

More than looks however, it is also the new Unit Construction Engine (UCE) which could be given credit for the Classic 350’s popularity. The same year when the Classic 350 and 500 were launched, the company decided to replace all models in its product range with the new UCE Twinspark engine platform. The advantage over the older engines is that clutch and gearbox in the new mill have been placed in the same unit and it also has lesser moving parts. This, Royal Enfield says, has improved efficiency as well as reliability.

In terms of numbers, the single-cylinder, air cooled, four stroke unit makes 20PS @ 5250rpm and maximum torque of 28Nm at 4000rpm. What the new engine offers is an integrated gearbox (compared to separate gearbox on the old cast iron engines and even the first lot of the AVL-designed engines). But more importantly, it also offered a left-side gear shifter, with a five speed gearbox. This gearbox though was introduced first on the Electra 5S with the cast-iron engine, and was the reason for Royal Enfield’s increasing popularity. Many riders shied away from Royal Enfield bikes up till the ‘90s just because they came with a rather unconventional right hand side gear shifter, a relic of the old post-war British bike design.

Performance and Handling:

The torquey single cylinder 350cc engine offers decent performance, and in sync with the old-school character. The power band is narrow, so the bike by no means like to be revved hard. Instead of fast paced acceleration, it is designed more for steady cruising and riding the low-end torque.

Power peaks at 5250rpm on paper, but in reality the 350cc engine offers its best performance between 2500 and 3500rpm. That is the sweet spot of the pushrod engine, and that is the bane as well. At higher revs, the engine feels stressed and vibrations start creeping in. So even if there is power on tap, the engine just doesn’t like being revved too much.

Ride quality is very good, and be it over broken roads, undulations and even over gravelly or rocky terrain, the Royal Enfield’s ride is steady and stable. And that is one reason why it has been popular for over 50 years in India, and is to be found in every nook and corner of the country, including remote villages. Handling is decent as long as there are no quick direction changes. Sweeping curves, the usual mountain twisties the Royal Enfield Classic 350 can handle with ease, but the 180kg kerb weight of the bike also makes the bike not so easy for quick directional changes.

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Price and Value:

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 offers value, for fans of the iconic brand. At Rs 1.25 lakh ex-showroom, the Classic 350 offers the old world charm, character and refreshed retro design. The new UCE engine offers efficiency and reliability seldom seen in earlier generation Royal Enfield bikes. Average fuel consumption figures for the Classic 350 hover between 40kmpl and 42kmpl, according to most user accounts, and that is quite respectable by Royal Enfield standards.

Sure, it’s got old school charm, retro character, great road presence and ride quality. And it’s popular for precisely those qualities and for the sense of belonging and camaraderie Royal Enfield riders share.

However, for the value conscious buyer, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 is by no means an affordable bike. Compared to far more efficient and reliable bikes from other manufacturers, with even smaller displacement engines, the Classic 350 at best can be termed an extravagance for value-conscious buyers.

Ownership Experience:

Reliability of Royal Enfield motorcycles has improved exponentially and so has efficiency. But the Royal Enfield Classic 350 still suffers from niggles –poor build quality, vibey engine and dodgy handling at high speeds.

But a robust suspension, great ride quality, even over broken roads and torquey engine make it a favourite touring tool. In fact, for many years, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 was the motorcycle of choice for long distance travel. And the Classic 350 is no different. Think Himalayas, think long distance travel, and there is no single brand which comes close to the numbers of Royal Enfield tourers.

And Royal Enfield owners swear by the brand; for many, nothing else would do. These bikes also display a sense of strength, stability and machoism which defines the brand and its products – including the Classic 350. For many owners, and prospective owners alike, Royal Enfields bring a sense of an iconic machine which has withstood the test of time. And it’s a brand characterised by a strong personality of motorcycles. That in itself is the biggest USP of the Royal Enfield Classic 350.