[cycleworld.com] - 2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 First Ride Review

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First Ride Review of the 2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Lighter, nimbler, and more affordable.

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Two 2023 Hunter 350 models in Bangkok’s Chang Chui Market. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)It was 9 p.m. by the time I threw a leg over the Royal Enfield Hunter 350, but the streets of Bangkok never sleep. Some night markets were just opening as vendors hung “Belinciaga” and “Guci” handbags from the roofs of their colorful tents. Food vendors lined every street corner, grilling chicken skewers, tossing fresh pad thai, selling dried squid jerky. From the high-rises of Sathorn Road to the Pak Kret district outside of town, the city is a full sensory experience. We were riding right through its heart.

Motorcycle riding changes greatly based on location. Many US riders would consider my home town of Los Angeles a mad mix of high traffic and lane-splitting. Compared to Bangkok, Los Angeles is a lakeside cruise. To survive Bangkok traffic, one must act quickly, without hesitation. Luckily, the Hunter was designed for just this type of riding.

The Hunter 350 is the third bike with Royal Enfield’s SOHC single-cylinder two-valve 349cc single, following the 2021 Meteor 350 and the 2022 Classic 350. The Meteor was designed to be more of a traditional cruiser model. The Classic, as the name implies, aims to evoke more of a vintage look and feel. And the Hunter seeks to be a more refined take on the platform without sacrificing character. Siddhartha Lal, CEO of Royal Enfield’s parent company Eicher Motors, says, “We wanted it to be more modern without being generic.”


2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 models lined up outside of the hotel before the night’s ride. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)What does “more modern” mean to Royal Enfield? Other than styling, it means a more dynamic chassis. The Hunter is 21 pounds lighter than the Meteor and 30 pounds lighter than the Classic, but that feeling of weight reduction is amplified by weight placement and other chassis adjustments. A steeper rake and shorter trail contribute to a shorter wheelbase than the previous 350 models, adding up to lighter handling. Front and rear 17-inch wheels help with quick steering while also opening the Hunter up to some of the best aftermarket on-road rubber available. From picking it up off of the sidestand to low- and mid-speed handling, the Hunter feels much lighter than its 350 counterparts.

Our riding group was small and capable. It would need to be to get through the city. Our chins bounced from right shoulder to left, checking oncoming traffic as we pinned throttles, left the comfort of our hotel, and entered the urban jungle of Bangkok’s streets. Leading the ride was a Bangkok native named Sam. He had run our route dozens of times in practice, enough to ride it without navigation. He was young, enthusiastic, and smiled often. I was confident following close behind him, which says a lot in this environment.


Bangkok’s Giant Swing (that huge red thing behind me) is a religious symbol that was once used in an old Brahmin ceremony, but is now primarily a tourist attraction. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)At 6-foot-4, I expected to be more cramped up on the Hunter than I was. My knees fit nicely into the knee dents on the gas tank and my arms reached the handlebar easily, but with enough distance to create a comfortable rider triangle. At 31.1 inches, the Hunter’s seat is right between the Meteor and taller Classic. The seat is wide, thickly padded, and remained comfortable for the extent of our ride.

Nowhere is Bangkok’s unique riding more evident than when crossing through Chinatown. Bright lights and neon signs flash at you from tall buildings lining the one-way four-lane road. Cars inch along in a dense grid. Scooters weave through traffic like an old carnival disc game, never going more than one or two car lengths before bouncing a lane left or right. Sam was several cars ahead of me when I nearly bumped tires with a woman on a pink scooter, both of us following a man on a Honda Grom clone loaded with a 2-by-3-foot stack of boxes under a tarp.


Although nearly midnight, the streets of Bangkok are busy as ever. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)The Hunter felt balanced and agile while navigating the whole calamity. The bike changed direction quickly, never requiring a foot dab. Good throttle feel and feedback from the clutch lever made engine modulation easy in the critical low-speed range. The engine fires with a satisfying pop which could easily be heard above the gutter mumble of scooter engines, honking horns, and meat sizzling on sidewalk grills.

Thailand has three seasons, hot, cool, and wet. Early August is the wet season, and humidity had been over 90 percent. Wild storms blew in and out of the city, shaking the trees and blasting the streets with waves of water. We were lucky enough to avoid serious rain on our ride, but the wet heat still meant most of us arrived drenched. Maybe rain would have been nice, I thought as we passed massive golden temples and countless shrines to Thailand’s King Rama X.


A mix of digital and analog instrumentation adorn the Hunter’s handlebars, though the navigation system on the right is an aftermarket accessory. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)The farther we moved from the center of the city, the more we were able to explore the 349cc engine’s rev range. Although engine hardware is identical from Meteor to Classic to Hunter, the Hunter has been given a new throttle map to sharpen engine response at the initial opening. Fueling feels slightly more aggressive off the line, but overall character is very similar to the other Royal Enfield 350 engines. Claimed numbers are identical at 20.2 hp and 19.9 lb.-ft. At 50 mph, the engine purrs along with a nice rumble and feels strong while accelerating up to 60 mph. Anything faster than 60 takes a little longer to reach, though like the Meteor, the Hunter is capable of getting up to 75 mph with enough run-up. If you’re looking for a highway cruiser, this isn’t your bike, though it’s fine for short highway jaunts if needed.


The Royal Enfield Hunter in Royal Blue. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)
The seat of the Hunter 350 is wide, well padded, and allows the rider to move around during aggressive steering maneuvers. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)Bangkok’s roads are generally well maintained, so the stiffer suspension on the Hunter felt well-tuned for the environment. Square-edged bumps, potholes, or joints in the pavement were felt, but not to the point of being shocking or painful. The rear shocks have 4 inches of travel and are preload adjustable on six levels; they were on their lightest setting during our test, a tune that was fine for my 180 pounds. The nonadjustable 41mm fork was developed just for the Hunter and is more firm than the Classic and Meteor, which solved the brake-dive issue we saw in our Meteor First Ride Review. Both rebound and compression damping were well-tuned for my weight and a mildly aggressive riding style.


At 6-foot-4, editor Morgan Gales was comfortable on the Hunter 350 for the extent of his test ride. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)We continued through the city, crossing bridges over canals and rivers, passing through busy metropolitan areas and through dark streets where people slept in their homes. It was after midnight when we arrived at Impact Speed Park, a sizable go-kart track on the edge of a small lake in the Pak Kret district. Bright lights shone down on the track as we pulled in and saw the group before us practicing.

We would do four laps as a group before being sent out alone for two final laps. Handling on our ride through the city had been so intuitive that it took a pause like this to sort of realize it. The Hunter’s agility makes it easy to focus on traffic in the congested streets, and in Bangkok an incredible amount of focus is necessary. But now, on the track, we were able to really concentrate on the machine and its performance.


The Hunter 350 is lighter and more compact than Meteor 350 and Classic 350 models, giving it more nimble handling. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)At the flagman’s signal, we dropped our clutches and headed into the first corner. The Hunter’s chassis felt stiff and firmly planted as we navigated the first S-turn. Through the second turn, a double apex, the bike held its intended line with little effort and no deviation. Feel and feedback at the front brake lever are surprisingly good considering the bike’s price range. Rear brake performance was just as impressive, though the brakes need big inputs to get a strong reaction.

By the third lap, I was getting to know the turns and pushing the bike a bit more; it was capable and felt as if it was delighted to be prodded. Deep into a sweeper on my fourth lap, my rear tire started to slip out; I was reminded that these new CEAT tires, specially developed for the Hunter, are not designed with roadracing in mind, so I reeled it in and rode it like an Enfield 350 “should” be ridden. Still, the Hunter was incredible fun on the track. Given more time to learn the track and stickier tires, it could be even better.


The Hunter 350 only has a slightly greater lean angle than Meteor 350 models, but weight distribution and ergonomics help riders get the most of it. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)It was nearly 1 a.m. by the time we cooled down, hydrated, and headed back to the hotel, but the city’s traffic gave no sign of thinning out; all part of the experience. Heavier bikes may have made the trip more of a bother, but the 399-pound Hunter was a joy. Accelerating from traffic light to light, swerving around cars, listening to and feeling the engine; all were easy to focus on while taking in the astounding scenery.

The Hunter 350 fills a space in the Royal Enfield lineup. It has the sound, feel, and character you expect from a Royal Enfield single, and the lighter, more nimble chassis design feels more modern and refined than the Classic or the Meteor. It’s not as traditional, but that’s the point—and it certainly isn’t generic.

We haven’t been given US pricing yet, but in India the bike is priced significantly lower than both Classic and Meteor models. The Indian market has Meteor models starting at 218,450 INR (about $2,775), Classic models at 217,469 INR (about $2,750), and Hunter models at 163,900 INR (roughly $2,075). Models are expected in US dealerships in the first quarter of 2023; available colorways are yet to be confirmed.

2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Specifications

MSRP:N/AEngine:SOHC, air-cooled single-cylinder; 2 valves/cyl.Displacement:349ccBore x Stroke:72.0 x 85.8mmCompression Ratio:9.5:1Transmission/Final Drive:5-speed/chainClaimed Horsepower:20.2 hp @ 6,100 rpmClaimed Torque:19.9 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpmFuel System:Electronic fuel injection (EFI)Clutch:Wet, multiplateFrame:Twin downtube spine frameFront Suspension:41mm telescopic fork; 5.1 in. travelRear Suspension:Twin-tube emulsion shocks, preload adjustable; 4.0 in. travelFront Brake:2-piston ByBre caliper, 300mm disc w/ ABSRear Brake:1-piston ByBre caliper, 270mm disc w/ ABSWheels, Front/Rear:Cast alloy; 17 in.Tires, Front/Rear:CEAT; 140/70-17 / 110/70-17Rake/Trail:25.0°/3.7 in.Wheelbase:53.9 in.Seat Height:31.1 in.Fuel Capacity:3.4 gal.Claimed Wet Weight:399 lb.


Gearbox

Helmet: Arai Defiant-X

Jacket: Jane Driggs 2.0

Pant: Tobacco Selvedge Riding Jeans

Gloves: RSD Strand Gloves

Boots: Danner Light


Hunter 350 models are expected in US dealerships in the first quarter of 2023. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)
CEAT tires with lightning bolt tread pattern were developed just for use on the Hunter. (Courtesy of Royal Enfield/)