NEW Royal Enfield Hunter 350 - Review (2022 – on)

Review - Intro

This is the third bike form Royal Enfield to use the 350 (actually 349.34cc) single-cylinder platform. But despite sharing its power unit with the Classic and Meteor, the Hunter 350 is a new bike. There’s a new chassis, wheels, dimensions, and weight – and it’s the lightest bike in the current Enfield range. The Hunter 350 has been designed to take on the urban environment, with sporty and relatively light 17-inch wheels front and back, a first for Royal Enfield. Overall weight is down compared to its 350 cousins (172kg dry), while its wheelbase is shorter and the steering head steeper.

The Hunter 350 has primarily been designed for the Indian and emerging markets, riding environments in which a 350 is considered a middleweight. Over 80% of Royal Enfield’s global sales come from India alone and the design and production teams, split between the UK and India, wanted to make a bike that was accessible on price and size, agile, comfortable, lightweight, stylish, and modern for that audience.

 At an estimated £3,500 Royal Enfield has certainly made the Hunter 350 attractive on price as it’s the cheapest bike in their 350cc range. New 17-inch wheels, a short wheelbase and a steeper head angle should make it sporty as well as eye-catching.

We flew to Bangkok in Thailand to see if the new Hunter 350 could cut it in one of the busiest and most congested cities in the world. 

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Price

*UPDATE (4th Oct 2022 - official price announced)*

Dapper White, Dapper Ash, Dapper Grey - £3,899
Rebel Black, Rebel Blue, Rebel Red - £3,979

Royal Enfield produces bikes in huge numbers in India, which drives economies of scale unachievable by other manufacturers serving the European market. Buying materials in enormous quantities while re-purposing a familiar engine platform (while barely tweaking specs for regional markets) allows Royal Enfield to price a brand-new Hunter 350 below £4000, making it the cheapest of the 350 range despite being arguably the most appealing and attractive.

Running costs for owners should also be low with a frugal four-stroke engine and tyres that will last forever.

Looking across the market, the Hunter stands virtually alone. Honda has the CB300R single at £5099, and KTM has the aggressive yet easy-to-ride Duke at £5149. Their prices are higher and so too is their performance and handling; despite both being single cylinders neither is truly a direct competitor.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Power and torque

The air-cooled SOHC 349cc single is identical to that in the Classic 350 and Meteor 350. This translates to a modest 20.2 bhp @ 6100rpm and 27Nm / 19.9 ft-lb of torque at 4000rpm.

Enfield claim to have played with the fuel injection to give the Hunter a sharper feel on the throttle, and quote a top speed of 114kph/71mph, which is actually achieved in fourth gear and not top (fifth). There are no riding modes or rider aids; just twist the throttle and go.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Engine, gearbox, and exhaust

At tick over, the two-valve 350 is almost silent. Without a rev counter, and in busy, noisy central Bangkok, it’s sometimes hard to tell if the motor is running, with only mildest of vibrations to give the game away. A few times I had to blip the throttle just to make sure we were ready for the drag race vs. approximately 50 scooters away from each set of lights.

Once underway there’s a pleasant if rather mild burble from the Euro-5-compliant, fuel injected motor. In acoustic-enhancing tunnels, you can detect a sense of urgency in the exhaust note ­– and aggressive down-changes will incite the odd pop too – but it rarely gets too excited. And while I’m confident the Hunter will sound delightful chugging down a quiet B-Road back in the UK, it was mainly drowned out by the incessant din of downtown Bangkok.

There is no hiding the fact the air-cooled 350 is as basic as they come, while its quoted 20bhp peak is hardly likely to impress your mates. The engine platform has primarily been designed for the Indian and emerging markets, where a 350cc is considered to be a middleweight bike and also a noticeable step up from a fifty or a hundred. In Thailand, where we tested the bike, the Hunter was the king of the traffic light GP, and constantly surrounded by scooters and low-capacity bikes. In fact, during five days in Bangkok I saw fewer than ten bikes with a capacity larger than 600cc.

And, anyway, there’s more to life than lots of cubes and horsepower. Enfield’s newest 350 comes with minimal fuel and servicing costs, and will last forever – in Bangkok, one of the most congested cities in the world, it was hard to fault.

The fuelling is soft and easy, the gearbox positive while feeling robust and pleasingly mechanical. After a 1000 gear changes the clutch lost its one-finger lightness, but that was a rare fault. I covered over 100km (62-miles) during a night ride around Bangkok and never for a moment wanted any more power or punch.

The Hunter pulls with more drive than a 125, its mid-range is useful, and will pull to an indicated 100kph 62mph without fuss. An indicated 120kph /74mph is achievable but you need to start tucking in elbows and knees and will need a long straight. Hills and headwinds are not its friends.

So, yes, in the crazy chaos of Bangkok the Enfield was in its element, and this urban ability will translate to most congested environments around the world. Life in the UK, however, is a little faster, and every now and then you need that zip from 50-60mph which the Enfield doesn’t really have. It will plod along at 110 kph /68mph and the engine will happily run flat-out all day, but if you are commuting in and out of the city, you may feel it lacks the punch to stay ahead of the traffic. A lighter crank – just a few more horsepower – would be welcome for the home market.

Not in doubt is that the Hunter’s ease of use and unintimidating delivery will make it a favourite with new riders, or those coming back to bikes after a time away. My wife, who has a full licence but hasn’t ridden for eight years, would love the friendliness of the 350, as would my 80-something dad who’s not ridden for some years either.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Handling, suspension, and weight

You could easily be fooled into thinking the Hunter 350 is just a Meteor or Classic with some fresh bolt-on parts but, engine aside, is actually an entirely new bike. For the first time in Enfield’s recent history, they’ve opted for 17-inch wheels front and back, which are also considerably lighter (1.5kg and 1.6kg respectively) than the rims seen on its stable mates – and a huge saving in unspring weight.

The frame is new, with new down-tubing designed for agility and cornering ability. The wheelbase is shorter, and the steering is more aggressive than its 350 cousins in the Enfield range. Suspension is completely new, too, with 130mm travel at the front and 102mm at the rear plus preload adjustment on the rear. The foot pegs are slightly higher and set back further, with the bike’s claimed bank angle at 43 degrees. The CEAT tyres have been specifically designed for this model and, while I’m sure they will last forever, I would prefer something European or Japanese on the rims.

Initial riding impressions are very positive. The seat is low while the bike feels light, carrying its mass low in the chassis, and at slow speeds it’s forgiving and very manoeuvrable. The steering lock delivers an extremely tight turning circle that’s perfect for carving up the Bangkok traffic and as soon as the wheels are turning, it rides like a learner’s dream. Effortless, fluent and balanced – with perfect throttle response

In the faster parts of town that fluidity and ease of use continue. I didn’t think a budget commuter would handle so well, but it does. Don’t be fooled, it is no sports bike, but below 50mph spirited riding is rewarded. The front fork is a little soft and the rear end a little firm, but there isn’t the braking power or engine performance to tie the chassis into knots.

Enfield laid on the opportunity for me to try some around-the-cones gymkhana on a private test track, which was a little unfair to the Hunter. While its agility is beyond question, I soon found the bike’s limitations, namely those tyres and ground clearance. The CEAT rubber has been specifically designed for his model, but lacks feel while the pegs will touch when the bike’s ridden aggressively, especially with a heavy rider onboard. Push the handling and the exhaust will eventually touch down the right side with an attached risk of lifting the front tyre. However, to do this you have to ride far outside the bike’s design parameters; it was never designed to be thrown around on a go-kart track by former racers. Once the pegs start to scrape, that’s your warning not to go any further.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Comfort and economy

The LCD clocks are neat and easy to read with a clear gear position indicator. They are on the basic side, but do the job: digital speedo, two trips, clock, and digital fuel level, which never appeared to move.

The single-cylinder engine should prove incredibly frugal. Other 350 models in this range regularly average over 100mpg if ridden sensibly, and Enfield quote 85mpg.

The low 790mm seat is accommodating for short riders and there appears to be plenty of room and decent grab handles for the pillion. The ride quality isn’t bad, and the suspension is well supported, but the indifferent roads of Thailand didn’t complement the ride, with the front on the soft side the rear a little firm. Bear in mind, however, that the bike has been designed to take not only the weight of the rider but a pillion plus heavy luggage, too. In India three-up on a motorcycle in common. 

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Brakes

The brakes are best described as sufficient. The single disc and twin-piston caliper set-up up front is relatively basic but, as mentioned, the Hunter 350 is primarily aimed at the emerging markets and new and young riders. At only 181kg, its weight is down compared to other Enfield models that share the same engine platform, which makes it a relatively light bike, but still heavier than the Japanese and KTM competition. With little weight and modest power, the stoppers are – just about – all you’ll need, and have a nice, unintimidating feel at low speed as well.

Two-channel ABS comes at standard, but it’s not lean sensitive. When activated it feels more biased towards the rear – a reassuring and not overly intrusive intervention, which again will boost the confidence of new and experienced riders. Given that the Hunter is aimed a new riders, it’s a shame the brake lever isn’t adjustable.

Above: accessorised versions

Rider aids, extra equipment, and accessories

No rider aids, no rider modes… just the two-channel ABS which cannot be deactivated. Enfield has worked on a raft of 23 extras specific to this model, including a bench seat and bar end mirrors. Typical of the bike, some of the extras have been designed for function over style for the home market, with robust crash protection, a bash plate and hard luggage available. The TFT turn-by-turn navigation fitted to our test bike is an optional extra but isn’t on the Meteor and Classic models. We’re told this is due to the current global supply issues around micro-chips.

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022) Rivals

Among the bikes that Royal Enfield’s Hunter 350 will be pitched against are:

Honda CB300 R | Price: £5,099

Power/Torque: 31bhp / 19.9 ft-lbs | Weight: 143kg (dry)

KTM 390 Duke | Price: £5,149

Power/Torque: 43bhp / 27.3 ft-lbs | Weight: 150kg (dry)

Kawasaki Z400 | Price: £5799

Power/Torque: 45bhp / 27.3 ft-lbs | Weight: 167kg (kerb)

Read our review

Royal Enfield Meteor 350 | Price £3749

Power/Torque: 20.2bhp / 19.9 ft-lbs

Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Verdict

In a world where 160bhp adventure bikes and 100bhp commuters are the norm it would be all too easy to criticise the new Hunter 350. But you have to remember who this bike is for: mainly the Indian and emerging markets, and you can’t ignore the price which is why it makes perfect sense as a UK commuter or short-distance town-hopper. The Meteor 350 is currently sitting pretty at the top of the sales charts over here for 2022 so far.

Easy to ride and manage, with excellent low-speed behaviour, it feels robust despite being relatively light and only a 350. Considering its sub-£4000 price point, it looks good, and no-one would feel embarrassed turning up on a 350 Enfield to a bike meet, something you would probably not have said 15 years ago.

The engine is frugal, reliable and has just enough power. Handling and brakes are adequate for the intended market, though leaning the Hunter too far can land you in trouble, and some quality rubber would dramatically improve the handling. The switchgear is ugly, and the clocks are basic, but these are all relatively minor criticisms of a bike that costs less than some race exhausts. For under £4000 I believe the Hunter 350 is going to be another success story for Enfield, not just in India but also the UK. It’s cheap, good-looking, robust and will make an effective commuter for very little money. Certainly, the Hunter 350 can’t be ignored.  

Royal Enfield 350 Hunter Technical Specification

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