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With the debut of the Meteor 350, Royal Enfield ushered in its new J Platform, bringing some much-needed updates to existing RE engines. Then we were introduced to the Classic 350, which had people crushing on the machine.

Two years later, Royal Enfield is still bringing us new engines but this time with a lemony twist to it. Meet the all-new Hunter 350.

The Meteor and the Classic are obviously Royal Enfield bikes. By this I mean cruisers; bikes which feed our love of the brand.

The Hunter, though, is completely different. Positioned as an urban bike, the Hunter features the same 350 cc J Platform engine that has been doing really well. The idea behind this was to reach a wider customer base instead of the usual suspects. From what we have seen, this just be it.

When designing a modern retro motorcycle, there really is very little you can do to make something radically new. Save for a few elements, things like a round headlamp, large round tank, a retro-looking instrument cluster and perhaps maybe the seating. But Royal Enfield has done a fairly good job of giving the Hunter its own identity.

Looking at the silhouette from the side, the front-half definitely looks like a bike from a time not in the distant past, but the rear-half tells a different tale.

At the front, you still see the round halogen headlamp garnished with a circular semi-digital instrument cluster. Just behind is the tear-drop tank with some unusually shaped knee recesses. The engine is painted a nice matte black giving it a very modern touch.

At the rear, the only tell-tale signs of a retro bike are perhaps the round tail lamp and the turn signals. The bike looks compact compared to a Classic 350.

The rider’s feet always reach the ground. Me, of average height, always had my feet flat on the pavement. I suspect shorter riders won’t have a problem either. The pillion has a comfortable amount of space and the grab rails are easy to hold on to.

The Hunter rides on smaller 17-inch wheels, like most city bikes, but the Hunter’s tyres are fat giving it a very sure-footed vibe.

In terms of paint options, RE allows you to choose from a variety, and while there are some like the factory black that have cleaner lines, I personally like the royal blue on our Metro variant. For one, it matches the RE helmet that I have and also stands out from the crowd a little more. After all, isn’t that why we buy a Royal Enfield?

In terms of features, the Hunter is a little simple, even the higher Metro variant. Sure, you get the retro-styled switchgear, dual-channel ABS, alloy wheels, and USB charging, but the Tripper navigation that originally came standard with the top variants of the Meteor 350 and Himalayan is now optional.

I would have liked LED lighting, too, but then again, the Hunter’s halogen bulb does a decent job. I had to tinker with the headlamp’s position a bit to get it to throw further since it came to me pointing just a few metres ahead.

I found one design flaw that you would not usually bother with. The seat cover tends to retain water even after a light shower. So, if you are not wearing rain gear, the back of your pants will get wet.

Add to that the groove where the tank’s cap filler sits. If you sit close to the tank like me, the water spills on the front of your pants. I found myself shaking the bike around before every ride just to get rid of the excess water there.

The Hunter has the same 349 cc single cylinder engine that is seen on the Meteor and the Classic. It gets the same 20 hp and 27 Nm power and torque figures as those bikes. But it is a completely different ride.

Royal Enfield says they have changed the mapping on the engine, and this can be felt on the road. Pair that with the short raspy exhaust, and what you get is a slightly higher revving motorcycle that is definitely fun to ride.

Of course, at the end of the day, this is still an air-cooled single cylinder and as such doesn’t perform as fast as the rest of the similarly specced bikes. You can do 80 km / h very comfortably on the highway, and the 100 km / h mark isn’t hard to reach either. Any higher and the Hunter starts to slow down its acceleration. So if you are looking for quick off-the-block bursts, the Hunter isn’t for you. What you do get is a nimbler ride than a typical Royal Enfield.

The nimbleness is thanks to the new chassis and the dimensions of the Hunter. First, the seat is just 800 mm above the ground. The footpegs aren’t set forward any more, and the handlebar is just slightly further compared to its siblings. This means a fairly sporty, yet comfortable, riding position.

The Hunter is also lighter and shorter than its siblings by 14 kilos and 20 mm. The 181 kg kerb weight does not really qualify as light, but it is a different story when the bike is in motion.

Add to that the 25-degree steering rake, and the bike is able to weave through traffic as well as any city slicker. What is unfortunate, however, is that the clutch is still as heavy as the other rest of the family, and becomes a royal pain in traffic. With the new master cylinder, the braking feels good in terms of both bite and progression. The suspension is tad stiffer at the rear than I like.

On a clean, twisty road, however, the Hunter is excellent. The lower ground clearance may be a bit of a concern when attacking the Western Ghats, but in an urban environment, this shouldn’t be any problem.

The Hunter handles gracefully and does not feel like you are riding a traditional Royal Enfield.

There are a couple of things, though, that still gives it the RE feels. One is the sound of the exhaust, which I absolutely love. It does not have that low and loud knock like the other REs. It is a little raspy when trying to rev hard.

The other is the vibration. You see that a little bit in the mirrors and you can definitely feel it in the handlebars, especially when riding hard.

The Royal Enfield Hunter is a unique bike in RE’s line-up. I like the direction in which the company is headed, but what I am truly waiting for is when Royal Enfield will bring an all-new machine to the mix.

The J Platform engine may be new, but it is still a thumper at the heart of it. Mating it with an urban chassis does mix things up, but it is still very Enfieldsy.  The Hunter does get a lot of customisation options, however, right from the Tripper navigation system to backrests and bar-end mirrors, so do what you will with it.

As for pricing, the Hunter 350 is now the most affordable motorcycle in the company’s line-up, starting at Rs 1.49 lakh for the entry Retro variant and going up to Rs 1.69 lakh for the dual-paint Metro Royale variant.

Competition comes in from the likes of the Honda CB350RS which starts at Rs 2.03 lakh, and the TVS Ronin which is priced on par with the Hunter.

In sum, the Royal Enfield 350 is something of a unique offering catering to a wider audience. People looking for a bike that is different from the current line-up of cruisers and café racers that RE has on offer can definitely look at the Hunter.

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