Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Ownership Review After 1 Year: Worth It In 2025?

Is the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 still a good buy in 2025? As a motorcycle enthusiast, content creator and the owner of one, I face this question frequently.

The Hunter 350 has been around for a while as Royal Enfield’s most affordable motorcycle and its sales figures have been as promising as ever! 5 lakh units in just 2.5 years and staying second to the evergreen Classic 350 is nothing to be taken lightly! Even the Bullet 350 doesn’t sell as much!

Hence, if you were to rely solely on the sales charts data, the Hunter 350 seems to have done something right and should be a no-brainer pick. The base variant of the motorcycle costs as low as INR 1.5 lakh and if you seek luxuries (like alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, better switchgear, etc), the mid-tier model will set you back by INR 1.85 lakhs. For less than INR 2 lakhs, the Hunter 350 is the most value-centric performance motorcycle you can consider. 

However, for all those who care about everything else – things like ride quality, engine performance, braking and the overall riding experience – the rest of this piece will be an entertaining read.

This is the story of my ownership of a 2024 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 over a year. 

ALSO READ: The Entire Royal Enfield 350cc Class Of Motorcycles Detailed

Royal Enfield Hunter 350: What kind of motorcycle is it?

Fun? Sure. A precise tool? Not so. A relaxed cruiser? Umm… Let’s decode.

When the Hunter 350 came out in 2022, the sub-INR 2 lakh segment was full of 200cc sports motorcycles that solely wanted to go fast. Royal Enfield identified the need for a retro roadster that offered a balance of sporty driving dynamics and an accessible package. The 349 cc J-series engine from the Classic 350 was chosen for the job and, when mated with an agile chassis, it made the Hunter 350 one of the easiest-to-ride offerings from Royal Enfield. 

While the combination appeals highly on paper, the real-world implementation encourages different emotions. The Hunter 350 is a compact motorcycle with an interestingly agile chassis and a lazy engine suited best for retro cruisers. That’s a highly unusual recipe that should make the Hunter 350 suitable for certain kinds of riders – those who want a good-handling motorcycle with a relaxed engine. There are all sorts of drama to elevate the riding experience -- vibration, engine roar, loud exhaust and heavy controls -- all of it wanting to impart a sense of a reward.

Hunter 350: Does it ride pure?

While the combination seems odd, everything on the Hunter 350 comes together as soon as you start riding it. Despite having a similar state of tune to the Classic 350, the 349 cc J-series engine works well with the 17-inch wheels, the shorter gear ratios and the loud exhaust system to make the Hunter agile and responsive. The low-end response is eager and the availability of healthy torque in the lower revs enhances the drivability, especially in crawling rush-hour city traffic. 

The engine’s low-end grunt propels the motorcycle easily to speeds of 80 kph but most riders, like me, prefer to stay in the responsive and meaty mid rev range. By the time you start edging towards 80 kph, the engine starts feeling relaxed and encourages you to have a leisurely experience. The 181 kg kerb weight is definitely notable but it pays dividends at higher speeds. The smaller 17-inch wheels and the nicely tuned chassis help change directions eagerly, thereby making the Hunter 350 an enjoyable motorcycle to play with, especially in the city. You don't see this trait on other 350 cc Royal Enfields.

The clutch is a tad heavier when compared to other motorcycles of its class but the gear shifts are precise. Moving through the gears in traffic is effortless as long as you get used to deploying the heavy clutch frequently. 

Another likeable trait about this motorcycle is its fuel economy. In average urban traffic scenarios, the Hunter 350 returns fuel economy in the range of 25-30 kmpl. However, on longer highway rides, the motorcycle has stretched that figure to as high as 40 kmpl (provided I kept it locked to 80 kph). For a 350cc motorcycle, that’s respectable fuel economy!

So why do Hunter riders complain about the ride?

That’s most down to two major aspects (three if you consider the average braking performance).

The first one is down to the stiff rear suspension. The Hunter 350 gets a pair of vanilla shock absorbers for the rear that are sprung stiff. This means that the motorcycle’s rear offers a lot of feedback from whatever is passing underneath the rear wheel. While this tuning setup might be desirable on smooth tarmac, India’s poorly surfaced roads make this motorcycle and its rider suffer. Forget large speed breakers, the slightest undulations in the tarmac are passed through to the rider and that becomes concerning when you have to endure a long stretch of broken tarmac. Gurgaon’s unfinished roads are a nightmare on the Hunter!

This is worrying since the front telescopic forks are nicely damped and soak up all the undulations with ease. Royal Enfield hasn’t done anything to refine the suspension tuning over all these years and complaining customers have opted for modified rear shocks to make life comfortable. The rumoured facelift is expected to feature nicer shock absorbers but until RE makes it official, I am not counting on it. 

Adding to the discomfort is the Hunter’s low-set handlebar. For a 5 feet 3-inch rider, the Hunter’s rider triangle requires you to lean forward and that puts a notable pressure on the wrists as well as waists. I would like to declare that I don’t head to the gym at all and my lower state of fitness could be a reason behind this discomfort; however, I have seen a lot of fellow short riders on Hunter 350s have similar complaints. Like most of them, I went for a handlebar raiser to ease the strain on my wrists, which also made low-speed steering a tad easier. 

Then there’s the engine itself. The J-series engine is as refined as a retro motorcycle engine can be in the modern era. Sadly, the engine’s focus on low-end torque to enhance city driving hamper its high-speed manners. Push the Hunter 350 beyond 80 kph and the lack of top-end performance is noticeable. I have to wring the throttle to get the motorcycle to reach speeds of 100 kph and while it goes up to 120 kph, you are making that 350 cc engine work overtime. I have felt the lack of an extra 6-7 bhp and a sixth gear while doing triple-digit speeds. 

Since we are discussing complaints, I would like to highlight the shoddy rear view mirrors and the poor headlight throw. The headlight performance, in fact, was so poor that I had to upgrade to a higher-wattage LED bulb. Changing the mirrors is next on my list of planned upgrades. 

The Ceat tyres aren’t suitable enough for this motorcycle to put down its torquey performance, especially when the surface is damp or sandy. I wonder what led Royal Enfield to skip giving the Hunter 350 radial rear tyres as standard, that too ones that are grippier. Hence, unless the tarmac is in perfect condition, I prefer to let go of the throttle and keep it easy on damp or sandy patches. 

But it looks hot, doesn’t it?

Yes, it does. The Hunter 350 is one of the most handsome motorcycles in the retro category, regardless of whether you choose the spartan Retro base variant or the feature-loaded Metro variant. Enthusiasts will find references to the Triumph Speed Twin 900 in many parts, especially the tank and the rear section, but Royal Enfield’s design ethos is present in ample amounts to make it distinctive in a sea of retro roadsters. I adore how the designers have packaged the engine and the exhaust system in a beautiful and neat manner. My Dapper Green variant draws attention with its shimmering metallic flake green paint and the bold ‘RIDE’ and ‘PURE’ stickers.

What about reliability and service?

Royal Enfields are apparently made like a gun, as the brand proudly promotes, and the Hunter 350 assures that notion. Despite using plastic for the fenders and the side panels, the Hunter 350 flaunts its reassuring tank-like build for the core cycle and mechanical parts. Bad roads or scampering uphill trails, this motorcycle has absorbed everything with ease. The sump guard, which is available as an additional accessory, has saved the engine on multiple occasions from debris, rocks and everything that Gurgaon's poorly built roads have thrown at it. The horn suffered a blow after a large piece of metal but it was nothing that an old-school Indian-style 'jugaad' couldn't fix. The retro circular indicators, however, don't match up to the rest of the build quality. The lens cover for the right indicator mysteriously broke its attachment point and is held together by Feviquick so far (another Indian 'jugaad'). 

Royal Enfield's replacement parts are pretty expensive and I recommend establishing a friendship with a local motorcycle mechanic store. The service experience, however, is reliable and pocket-friendly. The first service needed an oil change as well as lubrication of cycle parts, all of which cost approximately INR 900. The second service was supposed to be a general checkup and engine oil top-up but Royal Enfield's service centre personnel deliberately performed a brake calliper overhaul and swingarm adjustment without furnishing any explanation behind their motive. Such fraudulent behaviour encourages most owners to take their motorcycles to local repair shops or attempt home servicing. 

Verdict

Like most ownership reviews, my verdict will be biased; hence, you will hear the obvious – the Hunter 350 is a fun and zippy city motorcycle that everyone should buy. I love my Hunter 350 regardless of its flaws and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wanting ride a motorcycle the old-school way!

However, as a media professional dedicated to doing justice to anyone who reads this, the Hunter 350 isn’t suited for all kinds of riders. You have to be dedicated to this old-school style of motorcycling, especially with a low-revving and torquey engine that performs at its best under 80 kph. Once you try to achieve triple-digit speeds, the Hunter reminds you of its limitations and encourages you to let go of the throttle; and enjoy life on the saddle at a leisurely pace. Bad roads aren't where the Hunter shines, which is why this seems like a better bet for young riders only.  Most of you will find it great for those late-night city rides but as soon as you point it towards the highways, you are left wanting for a sixth gear, a softer rear suspension and a lot more top-end power. 

The Hunter 350, nonetheless, is a fun motorcycle to ride and I recommend all of you to try it once.

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