The Royal Enfield Classic 350 Meets Its Competition...

Published September 1, 2021
Views : 15024
5 min read

… on paper

Royal Enfield has delivered well with the pricing of the new Classic 350, although the premium colour models do feel rather pricey. However, do its specs feel a bit underwhelming when compared to the competition? Or has Royal Enfield done enough to fend off the likes of the Jawa and the Honda CB350 H’ness? Here’s how the spec sheets stack up:

ENGINE

Specifications	2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350	Honda CB350 H’ness	Jawa
Engine	349cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, 2-valve engine	348.36cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, 2-valve engine	293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-valve engine
Power	20.48PS @ 6100rpm	21PS @ 5500rpm	27.33PS
Torque	27Nm @ 4000rpm	30Nm @ 3000rpm	27.02Nm
Gearbox	5-speed	5-speed	6-speed

There’s no debating the Jawa’s sporty genes. It has a slightly more sophisticated short-stroke engine that likes to be revved. Recently, the motor got the same set of updates that we saw on the Jawa 42 2.1, which made it a bit more usable and tractable.

Having said that, the Honda has the torquiest engine here. Its power figures might just be a bit more than the Classic’s, but with better bottom-end torque, it should be the quicker bike. Having tested the new J1-349 mill on the Meteor 350, we expect the new RE engine to be tractable and pretty sprightly. Yes, the Classic will not be as quick as the other two but what might work in its favour is its gearbox, or rather the gear ratios. The Jawa’s closely stacked six-speed ‘box will have you working the cogs a fair bit in the city and the tall ratios on the Honda don’t do it much favours when you want to ride in a chilled manner.

UNDERPINNINGS

Specifications	2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350	Honda CB350 H’ness	Jawa
Frame	Dual-cradle frame	Half duplex cradle	Double cradle frame
Front suspension	Telescopic fork	Telescopic fork	Telescopic fork
Rear suspension	Twin shocks	Twin shocks	Gas-charged twin shocks
Front brake	300mm disc with 2-piston caliper	310mm disc with 2-piston caliper	280mm disc with 2-piston caliper
Rear brake	270mm disc with 1-piston caliper	240mm disc with 1-piston caliper	240mm disc with 1-piston caliper
Front tyre	100/90 - 19	100/90 - 19	90/90-18
Rear tyre	120/80 - 18	130/70 - 18	120/80-17

Although it might not be that obvious, Royal Enfield has taken a major leap in terms of hardware on the Classic. The new chassis is said to be beautifully balanced while still endeavouring to give you that authentic old-school charm.

The Jawa again has the better mechanical setup for someone looking at something sporty and retro. Its smaller wheels, in conjunction with the steering geometry, set the rider up nicely for a thrilling ride to the nearby twisties.

DIMENSION

Specifications	2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350	Honda CB350 H’ness	Jawa
Wheelbase	1390mm	1441mm	1369mm
Ground clearance	170mm	166mm	-
Fuel tank capacity	13-litres	15-litres	14-litres
Seat height	805mm	800mm	765mm
Kerb weight	195kg	181kg	172kg

The Jawa takes the cake here with its low seat height, light kerb weight and short wheelbase. Ground clearance is a bit of a concern on the Jawa as you might just end up rubbing up the underbelly of the bike on some gnarly speed humps.

The Classic’s heft and small fuel tank don’t do it much favours. For a bike that instilled the idea of freedom on the open road for the majority of Indians, the smaller fuel tank is a bit of a shame. In that sense, the Honda has the right middle ground: good ground clearance, not too heavy, and a large fuel tank. Its long wheelbase does make it a bit lazy in the corners but hey, this isn’t a bike to go hooning on.

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FEATURES

	2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350	Honda CB350 H’ness	Jawa
LED lighting	No	Yes	No
Smartphone connectivity module	Only Tripper pod	On the DLX Pro variant	No
USB charger	No	Type C only	No

It is a shame that Royal Enfield skimped on offering LEDs on the new Classic. We expected at least an LED DRL and tail-light, like the Meteor 350, but RE decided to keep it quite ‘authentic.’ Thankfully, there is a small digital inset which displays an odometer, a tripmeter, and, for the first time on the Classic, a fuel gauge!

The Honda is truly the modern package here. LEDs all around, a slightly larger digital inset and even smartphone connectivity module for the premium variant. Plus, not to forget, the CB350 has traction control.

No fancy stuff for the Jawa as the only modern bit on the bike is a small digital bar that reads out the odo and a tripmeter.

PRICE & VERDICT

2021 Royal Enfield Classic 350

Honda CB350 H’ness

Jawa

Redditch (single-channel ABS): Rs 1,84,374

Halcyon Series: Rs 1,93,123

Signals Series: Rs 2,04,367

Dark Series: Rs 2,11,465

Chrome Series: Rs 2,15,118

DLX: Rs 1,94,450

DLX Pro: Rs 1,99,450

Single-channel ABS: Rs 1,78,415

Dual-channel ABS: Rs 1,87,357

Limited edition colours: Rs 1,93,357

(all prices ex-showroom Delhi)

Only Jawa and Royal Enfield offer their bikes in a single-channel ABS avatar. We would definitely recommend you spend the extra bit and get yourself the dual-channel ABS options for their wider safety net.

As far as a true blue retro experience goes, the Classic 350 (certain colours) manages to undercut the Honda CB350 by a big margin. And considering the vast network of Royal Enfield touchpoints across the country, getting a Classic 350 wouldn’t be much of a bother.

Lastly, for a slightly spirited rider, the Jawa still holds promise. Having said that, we would like to pit the two bikes, the Classic and the Jawa, head to head to give you a clearer picture.

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