Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is the lightest 350 cc motorcycle offered by the brand and is the second most affordable model too
Only a few weeks ago, Royal Enfield introduced the Hunter 350 in the domestic market with a competitive starting price tag of Rs. 1.5 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base Retro variant while the top-spec Metro Rebel costs around Rs. 18,000 more. The Hunter 350 is cleverly positioned within the brand’s lineup and is only a few thousands costlier than the Bullet 350.
In comparison to the Classic 350 and Meteor 350’s base prices, the Hunter 350 is Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 55,000 less expensive – making it an attractive prospect. Despite being far more affordable, the Hunter 350 shares the same 349 cc SOHC air- and oil-cooled engine, body panels, switchgear, suspension system, braking hardcore, etc with its siblings.
In addition, the Hunter 350 is lighter than both of its 350 cc siblings by a big margin. The Hunter 350 appeals to a wider band of customers than the Meteor 350 cruiser and the retro-themed Classic 350. It really ekes the potential out of the double cradle chassis and is the flickable of the three with good handling characteristics emphasising its sporty nature.
The roadster is equipped with features such as a dedicated hazard lamp switch, circular-shaped halogen headlamp with a black casing, split grab rails, 17-inch black alloy wheels with tubeless tyres, single-piece seat setup, LED tail lamp, halogen turn indicators, centre stand, optional tripper navigation system, USB charging port below the switchgear, a floating semi-digital instrument cluster, etc.
It comes with a 276 mm front disc and a 220 mm rear disc assisted by a dual-channel ABS system while the suspension duties are handled by telescopic front forks and twin-sided rear shock absorbers. Another highlighting reason for the Royal Enfield appealing to young customers is its low-slung nature as the low ground clearance of 150.5 mm would help in suiting buyers across different heights.
The Hunter has a seat height of 800 mm, which is just 5 mm lower than the Classic 350 but the way the rider seat is positioned and the flat handlebar make it a comfortable motorcycle to cruise with. It boasts a fuel tank capacity of 13 litres and being the lightest 350 cc in the range will certainly aid in higher fuel economy. We do expect all these attributes to contribute to the Hunter becoming the best-selling RE in India sooner rather than later.