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![]() | #16 | |||
BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 50
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
With respect to xPulse, your views are bang on and totally agree with plushness of the bike. However, I do not do adventure biking. For city and occasional high-way rides I found Hunter to be perfect. Also, both the bikes reach initial 0-60Km at the same time and you will not notice the minor time difference in the real world conditions. Not every bike is perfect, and eventually, I went for a ride that met my budget as well as my current driving needs. At times, there is a thin line that we need to cross to take a plunge or to make a rejection. Based on my highway usage, I will definitely upgrade, till then its RE Hunter for me Quote:
currently I am driving 350-360Km on a full tank, which is kind of okay. Quote:
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![]() | #17 | |
BHPian Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 61
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
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![]() | #18 |
Newbie Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 9
Thanked: 20 Times
| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Thanks for the detailed review. It helped me. I took 3, yes, 3 TDs of Hunter 350. I did 2 TDs of Suzuki V Strom. I have closed in on these two. V Strom is excellent bike, no doubt, helps my height and weight too (Am 181cms tall, but very lean 61kg). But my usage is more of commuting, very occasional Highway usage. My views Low Tractability, "weight" felt while driving in city, braking in city - All these areas Hunter scores over V Strom. Hunter weight is not felt while city commuting. May be cornering, Highway cruising is where it may not ace, but that is not my #1 priority. Low speed driving, V Strom is good, but felt Hunter is way better. I felt more confident while braking in Hunter than V Strom. I do not believe in spec sheets. Hunter felt ably powered for my usage, perhaps torque available in low rpms could be the secret. The OBD 2A, E20 updates are also rolling out - no waiting here. So am close to making the choice towards Hunter. Whereas V Strom there is a waiting for over a month. I have nothing against Suzuki V Strom 250, it ticks off most boxes for me, if I start doing road trips after feeling comfortable to a grown up bikes, I may buy V Strom later after 2-3 years. Once thing - I wish both these bikes has Traction control and better suspension for rough roads. Hunter felt a touch better for hard bumps but still could be a lot better. Most likely to buy Hunter soon. |
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![]() | #19 |
Newbie Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review
Took my 4th TD of Hunter & 3rd TD of Ronin today, still unable to decide. Ronin ticked everything except turning radius and that humongous tank. Hunter was good too but for hard clutch and hard suspension. There of course are several other parameters am evaluating on but it's boiling down to mind says Ronin, heart says Hunter. |
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![]() | #21 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Kolkata, Tezpur
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
However, one issue would like to know from the horse's mouth : Is the ground clearance of the Hunter a real world problem? And does fitting the OEM bash plate further reduce it? I have owned a Xpulse for a little more than a year. All I can say is nothing can beat the Xpulse off road, on the road everything else is better. | |
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![]() | #22 | |
BANNED Join Date: Oct 2019 Location: Dholakpur
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
Last edited by KPR : 24th June 2023 at 08:32. | |
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![]() | #23 | |||
BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 50
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review I am sorry for the delayed responses. Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Ground clearance is not an issue and Hunter will not scrape the normal speed bumps. I have a after market bash plate on my bike and did not scrape any where in Hyderabad. Last edited by cormodore : 18th July 2023 at 19:15. | |||
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![]() | #24 | |
Newbie Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Bengaluru
Posts: 9
Thanked: 20 Times
| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
In April i was unsure about two things - when Triumph would actually come on road; and believed it would be in 4-5 lakh bracket. Since my priority was to get used to biking again with 350 cc with commute being main focus I chose hunter above other bikes, as it is light on pocket, easy to flick around in city. Navigation was/is very important for me in city. No doubt Triumph pulled a magic with pricing; it is stunning and unbelievable honestly. I will use this for about 2 years may be and see if I should upgrade to Hunter 450 or even Classic 450 (in future once am used to 180+ kg bikes) am biased to RE bikes as they caught the imagination of 80s kids; we always wanted to ride a RE bike once we grow big!! Triumph Scrambler 400 x would be the other obvious choice for upgrade - on paper Triumph twins ooze quality and vfm. Till then let me use Hunter 350 for couple of years. Then I will consider something between RE 450s and Triumph Scrambler 400x. Coming to Hunter 350 , early days still ... Some Observations Clearly it is a easy to ride bike, spec sheet does not tell you the real life story, never does. For city ride with its very handy low end torque this is a very good bike to ride, has the RE feeling, despite plastics, build quality does not feel any bit lesser than a typical RE. If one were thinking of a long term use of Hunter , then rear suspension tuning and better Tyres would be the only thing to change. Suspension is not bad for single rider, since the footpeg is rear set, i can easily stand and jump over any hump or hurdle, its that easy to ride. You cannot do that with bikes with cruiser like footpegs - hence I did not like the Honda highness or metor (personal choice). And no the 150mmm ground clearance was not a concern, never scraped despite riding it roughly. The advantage is it feels very planted. Yes for pillion it is too firm, big flaw in the suspension here - you will have to change the suspension tuning, preload is set to max; i will get it slightly adjusted during my first service due next week. The real downside of this bike I felt was the tyres, if you are a first time biker riding very cautiously - you may not even notice anything, but if you want to ride a bit aggressively (not necessarily fast) around the turns, breaking hard, riding over bad patches without slowing down etc stuff - then you will immediately notice that the factory fitted tyres are not at all good enough. And about fast bikes, Hunter 350 makes you feel it is a fast bike, its fun to ride of the blocks. The spec sheet will come into picture in the 60-100 acceleration only, for most use cases it is a fun bike, more fun than any RE so far - surprisingly with the same sober j-series engine with just 20ps power ! Full marks to RE for pulling it off. Vibrations - have been told not to cross 80 until first service; so till 80 vibration is simply non existent. I do not intend to push it too fast either, I want to get better with my motorcycling ability with this size bikes for a couple of years at least before i push to 3 figure speeds. All in all; full marks to RE for giving a very decent product in the 2 lac segment. If they can address rear suspension and tyres in next avatar - Hunter 350 will maintain its segment leadership. | |
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![]() | #25 |
Newbie Join Date: Nov 2022 Location: Mysore
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review My 2 cents about my Hunter 350I had a budget of 2 lakhs and was looking for an upgrade from my Pulsar 135 LS around December 2022. My daily commute to office is 20km one way, on a good road and lots of cross winds. Options considered: 1. Bajaj Pulsar 250 twins. 2. FZ25 3. CB300F (Had a huge discount at that time) 4. TVS Ronin 5. Hunter 350 The ergonomics of the Pulsar twins felt a little awkward, surprisingly. Was slightly uncomfortable at the end of the Test Ride. The FZ25 had loads of low-end torque, but the bulbous tank and the general design philosophy didn't appeal a lot. Same with the Ronin. The Honda, which was the most powerful on paper, failed to give a vibe-free experience, post 6k RPM. I do not know if the issue was limited to the test bike or not. Also, the handlebar felt sort of twisted outward. The Hunter 350 instantly put a smile on my face, with its superb low-end torque. The seat comfort was adequate, the riding triangle felt spot-on, and the chassis is brilliant. The slightly rear-set foot pegs, and adequate tank grip enabled to stand on the foot pegs while going over the large humps and potholes. Immediately booked one, in dapper white. I have completed 2600 kms till date and haven't faced a single problem. IMO, the fit and finish is more than acceptable for this price point. Good things: 1. The weight is properly masked while riding. It feels nimble yet planted. 2. The low seat height coupled with the low ground clearance and a good chassis makes for an engaging daily commute. 3. The tractability is very good. Second gear is usable right from 5 kph to 40 kph. Put it in the third gear, and it pulls cleanly from 20kph to 70 kph. I have personally started in the 2nd gear after stopping at signals a few times. 4. 5th gear - 100 kph, does not feel stressed, can hold it all-day. It takes time post 110 though. Not so good things: 1. The tyres are not very grippy, it tends to squeal a bit during hard braking. 2. The suspension is okay for me, as I stand up on the pegs while going over speed beakers, but it feels a bit too stiff while riding with a pillion. The ground clearance is just about adequate. I am yet to scrape the bottom till date, even on pretty large humps. The bike feels absolutely vibe-free till 110, a welcome change from my heavily vibrating Pulsar 135. The FE is 30-31 kmpl (tank to tank method). I am used to the heavy clutch now, can operate with two fingers easily. I agree with CK on most fronts. Overall, a very satisfying experience till date. |
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![]() | #26 |
Newbie Join Date: Feb 2019 Location: Hyderabad
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review |
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The following BHPian Thanks Prav_Panther for this useful post: | Nadapriya.auto |
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![]() | #27 | |
BHPian ![]() | Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
I am looking forward to purchase Hunter350 by this year end and hence joined few FB groups in advance to learn about potential issues.Just saw a post today, wherein one guy has swapped rear suspension with one from Pulsar 180. Its a direct fit and has adjustments for stiffness.You may give it a try if requirement pops up in future. | |
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![]() | #28 | |
Newbie Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Bengaluru
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Quote:
Another update. | |
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![]() | #29 |
Newbie Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: Bangalore
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| Tyre profile upgrade on Hunter 350 Hi! I own a Royal Enfield hunter 350 in Bangalore. Its been moderately smooth sailing so far. The motorcycle came with stock Ceat Zoom 110/70 R17 on the front and Ceat Zoom 140/70 R17 on the rear. These are not particularly bad, but neither are they great when it comes to grip during wet conditions. They are not very confidence inducing either. I am looking to change the tyres soon and am interested in going with Verdestein Centuaro ST 120/70 R17 for the front and the same with 150/70 R17 for the rear. Kindly advise if it is okay to increase the tyre profile on this motorcycle and also suggest any tried and tested alternatives. Thank you! |
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![]() | #30 |
BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 50
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| Re: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 ownership review Third Service or One year update:The bike has run around 5500KM in the last one year and nothing major to complain about except from chain rotation kind of sound coming from the front brake when pressed. Mileage was always around ~35KMPL in the last one year. Although there was couple of weeks left of mandatory year service, I had a scheduled travel, and gave the bike for the service a bit early, with major complaint being the sound from the front brake. Scheduled an appointment on Nov 27. I was promptly attended with a promised delivery around noon. Couple of hours later, I get a call that both the brake pads and clutch cable went kaput and I need to replace. I asked the SA, what would be the general life of the pads and cable to which the response was "it depends on the usage". I was ![]() I gave a go ahead to change and below is the damage to my wallet. ![]() Post the service, the brake noise from the front and rear is gone. Some of the Hunter 350 users including me have commented about a faint noise coming from the rear brake since the day 1 of purchase, even that is gone. The clutch hardness is also gone and is now super smooth. Overall I sense that RE must have used inferior brake pads and clutch cable in Hunter 350, and instead of recall, they are making the customer pay as part of the service. Anyways, the bike is smooth with no other major or faint additional sounds. Last edited by cormodore : 5th December 2023 at 15:54. Reason: Added text |
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