Check Out The Lightest Royal Enfield In Action

Coming on the back of its success with the new Classic 350, Royal Enfield did something that the brand hasn’t done much since it went Indian: build ‘starter bikes.’ The ones that don’t intimidate or scare you with its heft, size or performance. But as far as starter bikes go, how good is the Hunter 350?

There’s no denying the Hunter is a handsome looking motorcycle. It’s compact and quite tiny. Riders of all sexes, heights and hefts don’t feel a sense of hesitation approaching the bike the same way they might towards the Classic or the Meteor 350.

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And there are some really attractive colours on offer. The pictured Rebel Blue shade does bring out its youthful intent well. Personally, the simpler Dapper White shade’s cleaner and ‘Ride’ graphics does the trick.

There’s a rather simpler variant of the Hunter 350 too. Called the ‘Retro,’ it does live up to its tag with wire-spoke rims, rear drum brake, single-channel ABS and a less fancy console.

Hop on the Hunter and the sense of approachability heightens as everything is within near reach of compactly built riders. 790mm seat height is 15mm lower than the Classic’s. 181kg kerb weight is again 15kg less than the Classic. Overall, it does come across as a lighter Royal Enfield than a light motorcycle.

Royal Enfield has worked upon making the Hunter as corner happy as they come. So, the chassis is tweaked with a slightly sharper rake, the wheelbase is smaller and it gets 17-inch wheels at both ends. So, instantaneously it feels more agile and lithe than any other Royal Enfield that is currently on sale and that includes the 650 twins.

The 17-inch wheels at both ends is a first for Royal Enfield in modern times. The smaller wheels are complemented with Ceat tyres that are also relatively slim, making sure that agility doesn’t take a hit. While we cannot comment on the grip levels on offer yet, we feel that if in the future you do want to upgrade to something grippier, there are a plethora of options for 17-inchers, something that wasn’t quite the case earlier.

For a young sporty bike, the engine’s chill mannerisms come as a bit disappointing. Yes, like the Classic and Meteor, the Hunter too has small internal revisions for a spirited riding experience. However, you have to temper your expectations as it doesn’t have enough oomph to keep rev happy teens smiling for long.

Borrowing the Classic’s braking hardware also doesn’t seem like the ideal thing to do. We would’ve liked it if the Hunter had something more potent and sharper to match the handling credentials.

Considering that it is built to a price, the Hunter doesn’t really get many modern touches. Royal Enfield’s Tripper pod was obviously not going to be standard, as it was removed from some other bikes and offered as an accessory on those as well. And there’s no LED lighting on the bike at all, not even for the position lamps.

The Hunter 350 comes across as a very modern representation of the Classic 350. It is a bike that will bring many new riders to the brand. However, will it keep them hooked for long? That is a question we intend to find out soon in time.