Royal Enfield Hunter 350 to launch in Aug – most affordable RE bike

With a motive to strengthen its position in the middleweight motorcycle segment, Royal Enfield is rigorously working to launch various new bikes. Some of the highly awaited bikes include Himalayan 450, Shotgun 650 and a 650cc cruiser. In 350cc segment, upcoming bikes include the new Bullet and an entirely new bike, Hunter 350. Compared to the likes of Meteor 350 and Classic 350, upcoming Hunter 350 will be a lot more agile and manoeuvrable. It has a compact profile and is likely to be lighter than Meteor and Classic that weigh more than 190 kg. Enhanced agility will also be enabled with features such as flat handlebar, low seat height, rear-biased footpegs and short tail section. Royal Enfield Hunter 350 – Most Affordable RE While Hunter 350 has a unique profile, it retains the signature retro features like round headlamp, tear-drop shaped fuel tank and round rear-view mirrors. While the bike is designed to dominate city streets, it is good for highways as well. Hunter 350 appears more apt for solo riders, as the pillion seat section appears proportionately smaller. Hunter 350 will be based on the new J-platform, currently in use with Meteor and new Classic 350. These bikes are powered by a new 349cc motor that generates 20.2 bhp of max power and 27 Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. With less weight, Hunter will have a higher power to weight ratio in comparison to other 350cc bikes.

It is anticipated that Hunter 350 will have two variants, J1C1 and J1C2. The latter is expected to be the most affordable Royal Enfield bike. Differences between the two variants of Hunter 350 are likely to have features like disc-drum brake combo vs. all-disc brakes, single-channel ABS vs. dual channel ABS and wire spoke wheels vs. alloy wheels. Colour options are also likely to be different for both Hunter variants. To be slotted below Bullet, upcoming Hunter 350 is expected to be priced in the range of Rs 1.30 lakh to Rs 1.40 lakh. It won’t have a direct rival at the time of launch. But in this price range, it can work as an alternative for bikes like Pulsar 250, Yamaha FZ25 and Suzuki Gixxer 250.