2016 Royal Enfield Classic 350 review

If it’s a quick and modern motorcycle you’re after, you should probably look away now. Because while Royal Enfield’s Classic 350 is in fact a brand-new 2016-model motorcycle, modern isn't one of its unique selling points.

What is, though, and perhaps its strongest selling point, is its delightfully antiquated ways. Its carburetor-fed air-cooled single-cylinder engine that you need to warm up on the choke while you finish gearing up, for example. Or its canvas-wrapped toolkit that’s surprisingly sturdy and well-stocked and which has its own lockable stowing box. Or its soft and wide sprung saddle, cos even the word seat sounds too modern in Royal Enfield circles.

But, see it for what it is and it all adds up to a rather enjoyable and relaxed ride – unless, of course, you’re in a hurry. Spend a day tootling through the countryside at nothing quicker than 80km/h and you’ll step off the bike refreshed and with a certain happiness you may not be able to explain. But use it to ferry yourself to appointment you’re running late for at the other end of a long and fast-moving freeway, and it’s a very different story.

ROYAL ENFIELD CLASSIC 350 IN BIKE SHOWROOM

The 346cc air-cooled single propels the 187kg of ready-to-ride motorcycle along with not-quite 20hp (15kW) of power and with 28Nm of push. Its single-cylinder exhaust thump is surprisingly loud, too, a reflection of the honest effort the little engine’s putting in. Speaking of reflections, it’s about now everything in the mirrors disappears as vibrations increase with the revs, though typical and unsurprising from this type of single-cylinder machinery.

Smallest in the firm’s line-up, the engine is the same overhead-valve twin-spark design that’s been around since 2007. Once constructed from cast iron, the firm made the switch to aluminium for both its 500cc and 350cc engines around five years ago in a bid to increase reliability through a more even and overall lower operating temperature.

The brand’s marketing gaff refers to its output as mountain-flattening torque, but I held it flat up a few steep hills and that’s all talk. It will get to the top of probably any mountain you put in front of it, but its 28Nm isn’t quite enough to see it holding a constant speed up a decent-sized hill, not even if you drop a couple of cogs in its not-unpleasant five-speed gearbox on the way up.

It’ll sit on 90km/h all day long, sipping fuel at around three litres for every 100km, it’ll hold its own on 110km/h freeways, just, and the best I saw on its speedo was about 128km/h in a crouch and going down the aforementioned decent-sized hill.  

The 350 rolls atop as 19-inch front and an 18-inch rear wire-spoked wheels shod with 90/90 and 110/90 tyres respectively. The tyres -- called, wait for it, Nylogrip Zappers -- perform better than their moniker would perhaps suggest, providing enough grip and confidence to have the 350 scraping through corners.

The basic suspension didn’t strike me as being either terrific or woeful and is well suited to the bike and what’s asked of it. It is suspended on a conventional and non-adjustable 35mm fork with 130mm of travel up front as well as twin shocks at the rear boasting five steps of preload adjustment at the other end.

The brakes aren’t wonderful (nor do they need to be on a bike like this), but while a poorly adjusted front brake cable didn’t help the braking performance of our particular testbike, the single twin-piston caliper lacked both power and feel and meant I was relying on the drum rear brake more than I would have liked. Some simple adjustment to the actuation at both ends would go a fair way in improving braking performance, and something which wouldn’t take you or I much time to achieve.

The instruments are as delightfully rudimentary as the bike itself, as you’d expect. Built into the old-school headlight valance, it consists of an oh-so analogue speedo and odometer, with a small battery gauge mounted below it on the right-hand side, opposite the ignition mounted on the left. I would have preferred a fuel gauge over the battery amp indicator (especially since it’s got a kickstarter, too) instead having to wait for the fuel-starved splutter prior to flicking the fuel-tap over to reserve, which happened at around the 350km mark.

Other than being driven by price, I’m not entirely sure why someone would choose the 350cc over the similarly styled Classic 500 since they’re both learner approved and share the same physical dimensions. Though, its extra seven horses and 13Nm does come with a $760 premium over the smaller sibling.

But whichever way you go, in a world where old’s cool and retro’s rife, it mightn’t get much better than a Royal Enfield. While modern bikes are egging you on with their clever all-knowing electronically adjusting sensors, Royal Enfield’s Classic 350 politely plods along in all its unassuming mechanical glory. And with a rideaway price of $6490, it’s the hipster’s hip-pocket that might just be the biggest winner.

TRANSMISSION
Type: Five-speed, constant mesh
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Single downtube
Front suspension: Conventional 35mm fork, 130mm travel
Rear suspension: Twin shocks with five-step adjustable preload, 80mm travel
Front brakes: Single 280mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear brakes: 153mm drum
Wheels: Wire-spoke
Tyres: Nylogrip Zapper, 90/90-19 front, 110/90-18 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Rake: N/A
Trail: N/A
Claimed wet weight: 187kg
Seat height: 775mm
Wheelbase: 1370mm
Fuel capacity: 13.5 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $6490 rideaway
Colours: Chestnut, Mint, Classic Black, Lagoon Blue (tested), Ash
Bike supplied by: Royal Enfield Australia, royalenfield.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres