Royal Enfield's newest model, the Hunter 350, brings retro roadster styling to the small capacity LAMS market.
Royal Enfield has already cemented its place as one of the best places to get a low-stress, stylish beginner bike, and the brand is adding another feather to its cap with its new Hunter 350.
Based around the same J-series 349cc single-cylinder engine as found in the Meteor and Classic 350, the Hunter 350 gives riders a more sporty aesthetic and ride thanks to its lightweight design.
Despite its name, Enfield says the Hunter 350 is "engineered and designed for the urban hustle" with the bike focussed more on catching breaks in city streets rather than explore the wilderness.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the Hunter 350, Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Royal Enfield parent company Eicher Motors Ltd. said, “At Royal Enfield we are closely engaged with our consumers and community. Their desires and aspirations shape the motorcycles we make and we are always looking to create newer experiences and newer formats of pure motorcycling for our communities. There were always a set of passionate motorcyclists that loved our brand, but did not find the right kind of attitude within our portfolio. The Hunter 350 is for them. It is a motorcycle that combines the strengths of seemingly different species, and brings it together in a super stylish and fun package that is an all new flavour of pure motorcycling with the unmistakable Royal Enfield character.”
Physically the Hunter joins together the J-series engine with a Harris Performance designed chassis and rolls on 17-inch alloy wheels for maximum flickability.
The engine tune is basically the same as the Meteor and the Classic 350, with claimed power figures a relaxed 20.2 bhp at 6100 rpm and 27Nm of torque at 4000rpm. Power is transferred to the rear wheel through a 5-speed gearbox and chain final drive.
The tyres on the hunter are tubeless while pulling it to a stop is a 300mm front and 270mm rear disc brakes backed by dual channel ABS.
A nice feature Enfield is including is a centre stand, which apart from making lubing the chain easier allows for parking in narrower spaces. Ace!
The clocks are a nice digital-analogue instrument cluster that displays an odometer, trip meter, gear indicator, fuel graph bar with low fuel warning, clock and a service reminder.
While the Hunter isn't putting Enfield's much-loved 650cc parallel-twin to use, it does fit in nicely with the brand's low-capacity offerings. Now with the Hunter in the lineup, riders wanting a low-key easy commuter or cool-looking first bike now have three very different options to choose from.
Pricing and NZ availability are yet to be announced by local distributor Urban Moto Imports, but we do know the bike will be available in six fetching colour options. As always there are a nice selection of official Royal Enfield accessories ready to install and make the bike your own.
The Suburban range of accessories features protective and functional attachments, such as engine and sump guards, pannier mounts and luggage, custom seat and touring mirrors. Options in the Urban range include a signature bench seat, black LED indicators, a tinted flyscreen and a minimalist ‘tail tidy’ rear end
The Hunter is first going to be launched across key markets in the Asia Pacific before the end of this year, with Europe and the Americas following in during the first quarter of the next year.
We look forward to a test ride!