Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350 - The most chilled out RE ever!

• Words: Priyadarshan Bawikar
• Photography: Kamesh Chauhan

The Goan Classic is Royal Enfield’s take on a Bobber motorcycle - a throwback to the customised Bullets that became part of the Hippie culture in Goa back in the 70s. As the name suggests, It’s built on the new Classic 350’s J platform, and while there are some small mechanical changes, the main differences are mainly visual.

Hippie at Heart

Just one look at the Goan, and it becomes clear just how different it is from Royal Enfield’s other bikes - the design, the Stance, the colours - they're just so unique and this Purple Haze isn't even the best colour that Enfield offers on the Goan. The other colours - Shack Black, Rave Red and Trip Teal, all look properly gorgeous.

Plus the bike gets some proper old-school bobber elements like a mini ape hanger handlebar, a single-piece seat setup (although, the bike does come with a rear seat as standard) and of course, wire spoke wheels. While the front wheel is still 19 inches, the rear has been shrunk down to just 16 inches. But thanks to the larger rear tyre, the overall diameter at the rear stays the same. Most interestingly though, the Goan is using aluminium rims, with cross-laced spokes - which means tubeless tyres! That makes it only the second bike from Royal Enfield to be offered with tubeless spoke wheels.

Even the rear fender mounts to the swing arm and moves with the wheel like a bobber. But I’d hesitate to call this bike a true bobber because a bobber needs chopped or bobbed fenders. Well in today's day and age of government regulations -  good luck with that! 

Chill Pro Max

Everything about the Goan has been designed with the maximum chill in mind - right from the way you sit on the bike. The mini ape hanger handlebar is 100mm taller than the one of the Classic 350, and feels fantastic when you're riding. You can sit upright or a little slouched and still have a lot of fun. Plus it's a pretty wide bar which means you have plenty of leverage to turn the bike into corners as well. And then you have footpegs which are a little forward set similar to what you get on the Meteor 350. But the best part is the Goan has the lowest seat height amongst any Royal Enfield bike till date - just 750mm, which is even lower than the Hunter.

  And even the seat, while it looks pretty thin, is surprisingly comfortable. We rode the bike for about three to four hours and I had no complaints whatsoever. That said, I’m 5’9”. There were some riders in our batch who were well above 6’ in height, and they had some cramping issues. And while I did rather enjoy the seating comfort while riding around Goa for a few hours, I’m a little unsure about whether it would be as comfortable for a long day in the saddle when touring long distances.

And while some might find the rear seat a glaring omission, the bike does come with a rear seat as standard. It was just removed for our first ride to let us experience those true “bobber feels”.

Truly Goan

The Goan’s engine is exactly the same as the Classic’s - same 349cc air-/oil-cooled engine, same 20.21 PS of power and 27 Nm of torque, and the exact same tune with the same 5-speed gearbox as well. It feels just as refined whether at city or highway speeds. But in terms of its nature… it’s something else

It’s actually hard to believe that this is the exact same engine that you get on the Classic 350. Now don't get me wrong, the Classic feels very happy at 80-90kmph on the highway, but the Goan feels happiest at 60kmph. While it works perfectly for ambling around the narrow gullies of Goa, would I go cruising on the highway with this bike? I could, and the bike can do faster speeds as well. But when you start going fast, the bike just looks at you and says ”Must we go that fast? Just relax bro just Zen out.” And that's exactly how this bike is - it's Zen. It's so Goan in its heart

Now I’ve ridden plenty of bikes inside Goa - from scooters, to sport bikes, to ADVs to Cruisers. But no other bike except the Goan has made me feel that I don't care about getting to my destination. The journey itself is the reward.

Like a summer breeze

At 197kg of kerb weight, the Goan Classic is the heaviest 350cc bike from Royal Enfield. But even then, there’s a certain grace to the way it handles, and in our opinion, it’s the best-handling J-platform bike from Royal Enfield. Now don't get us wrong; The Classic itself is a pretty good handler. But compared to the Classic, the Goan feels a lot easier to steer. It's not sharp by any means, but it's not lazy either. And that has to do more with the wide handlebar that gives you more leverage while turning. 

If we had to nitpick, it would be the brakes. Again, they’re not terrible by any means - it’s the same setup as the Classic 350 - a 300mm front disc and 270mm rear disc, with dual-channel ABS as standard. Now these brakes aren’t exactly sharp, but they feel decently predictable, and at the speeds this bike feels most comfortable at, they do a good enough job of slowing it down. If I had to describe the Goan’s handling in a single line, I would say that it flows from turn to turn like long blades swaying in a cool, gentle summer breeze.

Easy on the bumps there

The Goan Classic is running a suspension setup that’s almost identical to the Classic 350 - a 41mm telescopic fork and preload-adjustable twin rear shocks. The rear shocks have been slightly tweaked given the heavier unsprung mass at the rear, thanks to the larger tyre, the swing arm mounted rear fender and the chunky bracket that’s used to mount it.

Where the Classic 350 can smash through bad roads very easily thanks to its larger rear wheel, the Goan tells you to slow down over bumps. Because if you don’t, the rear can feel really bouncy and toss you off your seat. But if you listen to the bike and actually slow down, the Goan just glides over bumps without any problems.

Just modern enough

Although the Goan is a throwback to the bobbers of the 1960s and 70s, it does have a few modern elements such as full LED lighting and adjustable clutch and brake levers. It gets the same semi-digital console as the Classic 350, but here, the Tripper navigation pod is standard across all variants. So if you got lost in the narrow bylanes of Goa, the Goan has your back.

”Susegad” (A relaxed, laid-back attitude towards life)

Now you might think that we’re implying that the Goan is a perfect motorcycle. Not at all. In fact, whatever flaws the Classic has, such as the heavyweight, the slightly underwhelming brakes and the slightly higher price, the Goan has them as well. And if you never liked the Classic all that much, the Goan won't change your mind. But if you like the Classic, or if you like chill bikes, the Goan just gives you one more reason to love what these types of bikes have to offer.

One thing you’ll need to consider though, is the price. Of course, the Goan is Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 more expensive than the top-end Classic. But that price difference feels justifiable given the added cost of the tubeless spoke wheels.

If you're into fast bikes the Goan is certainly not for you. But if you're into easygoing relaxing motorcycles which just look cool, I think the Goan might check all the right boxes. And in the same way as the Himalayan the Goan truly lives up to its name.