Royal Enfield Hunter 350 2023 Review

An entry-level roadster, the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is aimed at beginner riders and those seeking an affordable run-about-town. Its design is uncomplicated, comprising a compact chassis and minimal bodywork, yet it is aesthetically pleasing.

Specs such as 20.2hp (14.9kW), and 27Nm of torque won’t grab the attention of performance focused riders, and it doesn’t matter one bit, as the Hunter harks to the light-hearted, accessible side of motorcycling.

With over 40,000 Hunter 350 owners throughout India, it has already become the highest volume contributor for Royal Enfield in India.

The Australian launch for the Hunter 350 took place in Melbourne on a cool summer night, and fun was the sole theme. We ducked and weaved around the city, stopping for arcade games and dodgem cars, dashed to the beach for sunset, and finished with a quest for late supper. It was a great opportunity to test the Hunter’s around-town capabilities.

The first thing I noticed about the Hunter 350 is its simple yet stylish demeanor. The blacked-out engine, frame, exhaust, handlebars and wheels are offset by a pop of classy colour from the tank and small side covers. The fork boots and long seat give off some cafe racer attitude, as does the retro-style tank.

Throwing a leg over the Hunter 350 instantly put me in a ‘hello old friend’ place of acquaintance. The cockpit is easy to settle into, with the 790mm seat height making it extremely accessible for smaller riders (only a tad taller than the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 cruiser), yet the bar/peg/handlebar positioning ensures a variety of sizes are catered for.

Rider controls are positioned right where you need them, and the digi/analogue cluster with a retro speedo and digital LCD display presents all relevant information clearly (although a tacho would be nice).

Consistent with rest of the Royal Enfield line-up, the Hunter 350 is a no-frills machine. Historically rudimentary in nature, it is easy assume that modern Royal Enfields utilise old technology, but this is not the case.

With electronic fuel injection and ABS standard across the range, the designs are deliberately kept simple but are well thought out, and componentry is of a high standard for such reasonably priced machines. Mal Jarret, Australian Marketing Manager for Royal Enfield, explained how much he was blown away by the state-of-the-art facilities he encountered when visiting the Royal Enfield design and manufacturing premises.

Powered by an air-cooled, 349cc, four-stroke, single-cylinder engine, which efficiently makes power in all the right places, the Hunter 350 jumps off the line surprisingly well, and there is plenty of useable power right up to the maximum torque peak at around 4000rpm. It tapers off significantly beyond this (redline is 7000rpm) so timely gear selection is key.

Shifting through gears is a breeze thanks to the featherweight clutch action and solid five-speed gearbox. Every now and then I struggled to engage first gear, but I put it down to the brand new gearbox needing to bed in.

There was only a small portion of freeway riding on our route, yet it was enough to notice the slow uptake once peak torque was exceeded. Claimed maximum speed is 114km/h, but many riders would be lucky to see it.

The engine, as a stressed member of the twin downtube steel frame, gives the Hunter a low centre of gravity and distributes forces evenly. Front suspension consists of 41mm telescopic forks with 130mm travel, and down the back you get twin shocks with adjustable preload and 102mm of travel. For the amount of performance on hand, this was ample for me, but I’m a small rider and anyone heavier would likely disagree.

As for the brakes, the 300mm front disc and rear 270mm disc with ABS operates smoothly, with adequate stopping power for most situations. When I grabbed a handful of front brake the Hunter pulled up obediently without too much fork dive.

The 17-inch front and rear wheels add to the cafe-racer aesthetic but, more importantly, make technical manoeuvring a breeze (the generous steering lock also helpful here). The 110/70 front and 140/70 rear tyres offer plenty of fine-weather grip (we didn’t encounter rain) and are stable at speed. There are a number of genuine accessories to upgrade your image/experience such as ’bar-end mirrors, tail tidy, black LED indicators, tinted flyscreen, sump guard, machined oil filler caps, seat options, and a 12.5L commuter pannier.

You can choose between two colour variants. The base option is the Dapper, and it’s available in Dapper Ash, Dapper White, or Dapper Grey. For an extra $100 you can choose a Rebel variant of either Rebel Blue, Rebel Red, or Rebel Black.

One of the Hunter 350’s biggest drawcards is its price. Starting from $6440 plus on-road costs, it slots in below most competitors. It doesn’t win prizes in the power stakes, and a kerb weight of 181kg means it is on the heavy side, especially when you compare it to the Yamaha MT-03 which weighs 168kg wet.

A claimed fuel economy of 36.2km/lt (2.8L/100km) doers give the Hunter some bragging rights though. With a 13L capacity, you might get just over 460km to a tank depending on how well you can curb your enthusiasm, which is terrific news for budget-conscious commuters.

It’s the simplicity of the Hunter 350 that I admire the most. I’m a big fan of the bare-bones styling, and the easy-going yet active ergonomics add a great deal of pleasure to the package. It’s not the bike you’ll choose for big touring trips, but it’s worth considering if you’re after a simple urban machine. If you’re a new rider, the Hunter will make for an effortless learning experience, bringing joy to your journey while instilling a high level of confidence.

ENGINE

Type: Air-cooled, four-stroke, SOHC, single-cylinder
Capacity: 349cc
Bore x stroke: 78mm x 85.8mm
Compression ratio: 9:5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE

Claimed maximum power: 20.2hp (14.9kW) at 6100rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 27Nm at 4000rpm

TRANSMISSION

Type: Five-speed, constant mesh
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet, multiplate

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR

Frame type: Twin downtube spine frame
Front suspension: 41mm telescopic fork, non-adjustable, 130mm travel
Rear suspension: Twin tube emulsion shock absorbers with six-step adjustable preload, 102mm travel
Front brake: 300mm single disc with twin-piston floating caliper, ABS equipped
Rear brake: 270mm disc with single-piston floating caliper, ABS equipped
Front tyre: 110/70-17 tubeless
Rear tyre: 140/70-17 tubeless

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES

Ground clearance: 150.5mm
Kerb weight: 181kg
Seat height: 790mm
Wheelbase: 1370mm
Fuel capacity: 13L

OTHER STUFF

Price: $6440 plus on-road costs (Dapper Variants); $6540 plus on-road costs (Rebel Variants)
Colours: Rebel Blue, Rebel Red, Rebel Black, Dapper Ash, Dapper White, Dapper Grey
Bike supplied by: Urban Moto Imports
Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres plus roadside assistance
Service interval: 500km, then every 5000km thereafter