Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is expected to go on sale in the early parts of next year and it will sit on the new J platform
Royal Enfield is undoubtedly the leader in the middleweight segment and its entry-level motorcycles have been well received in India as well as abroad. In the light of increased competition from Jawa and Honda, the homegrown manufacturer has been testing a number of new models to expand its 350 cc space and beyond.
The Chennai-based brand is expected to launch the new generation Classic 350 in the coming weeks and it was caught on camera undisguised during an advertisement shoot hinting that the debut is near. It will likely be followed by a host of new models as Royal Enfield appears to be targeting one brand new launch every quarter to strengthen its stance further.
A scrambler version reportedly dubbed the Hunter 350 based on the twin cradle J platform is in the works along with the cruiser variant of the 650 Twins, and a classic themed 650 cc tourer. The more road-biased Scram 411 was leaked only a few days ago and it could be launched following the arrival of the new-gen Classic 350.
Speculations emerged on the interweb previously indicated that Royal Enfield had shelved the plans of 250 cc motorcycles. Here we have spy pictures of what looks like Hunter 350 but curiously some changes can be clearly seen. It runs on spoked rims with different tread pattern in contrary to the black alloy wheels spotted in the test mules with slightly wider section rubber.
The Hunter 350 will more likely go on sale in the early parts of next year in India and it will compete against Honda CB350 RS and Jawa 42. The test prototypes show the presence of upright handlebars, blackened twin rear shocks, telescopic front forks, slim fuel tank, wide single-piece seat, circular halogen headlamp and turn signals, dual-pod semi-digital instrument cluster having Tripper Navigation, dual-channel ABS with front and rear disc brakes, and so on.
As for the performance, the same 349 cc single-cylinder fuel-injected OHC engine developing just above 20 hp and 27 Nm paired with a five-speed transmission will be utilised.