The bikes in this comparison blog are among the bestselling Royal Enfield bikes in the country. They all belong to the 350cc bandwagon. Their 350cc portfolio begins with the Hunter 350 and ends with the Meteor 350. Because it costs more than Rs 2 lakh, the Meteor 350 isn’t present in this comparison. But in terms of sales in October 2022, the Classic 350 was the highest-selling bike with 31,791 sales, followed by the Hunter 350.
For your reference, the Hunter 350 and the Classic 350 get their rear wheels powered by the same engine. There are other differences between the three, which you will learn. As a result, getting a Royal Enfield for under Rs 2 lakh can get simple. So, let’s see how these bikes stack up against each other. Let’s read on.
Powertrains
As mentioned earlier, the Hunter 350 and the Classic 350 get the same 349.34cc BS6 engine that produces 19 bhp at 6100 rpm and 27 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm.
That engine consists of a single-cylinder, four-stroke engine with an air/oil-cooling system. Further, the fuel supply follows the fuel injection technology, making the engine more efficient. Furthermore, both get a 13-litre fuel tank capacity. In parallel, you can also check out the Hunter 350 review on the autoX website for more details on performance, comfort, and mileage.
The Royal Enfield Bullet 350, on the other hand, has a marginal difference in performance that is slightly on the lower side. Under its chassis, it has a 346cc single-cylinder, air-cooled BS6 engine that churns out 17 bhp at 5250 rpm and 28 Nm of torque at 4000 rpm. This cruiser bike has a fuel tank capacity of 13.5 litres, making it slightly larger than the two bikes above.
As for the transmission, all three bikes transmit power to their rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. The Classic and the Bullet 350 have the same transmission mechanism, a wet multiplate. On the contrary, the Hunter 350 has a conventional wet clutch.
Mileages
Here comes the main bit: the fuel economy. Let’s start with those two bikes that have the same engine. The Classic 350 and the Hunter 350’s mileages are 35 km/l and 36.5 km/l, respectively. On the flip side, the Bullet 350’s mileage is 38 km/l.
These are the average fuel economy reports from the bikes’ owners.
Their mileages are more or less the same.
Considering the weight of the Classic 350, it still returns good mileage. You can check out the Royal Enfield Classic 350’s price on the autoX website.
There is a reason behind the better mileage of the Hunter 350. It is the bike’s weight. The Hunter 350 weighs 177 kg, making it 18 kg lighter than the Classic’s 195 kg. The Bullet 350 weighs 191 kg.
Chassis, Suspension, and Brakes
For starters, let’s discuss the new iteration of the Royal Enfield. Yes, it is the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. The indigenous bikemaker has built the Hunter 350 on a twin-downtube spine frame, which makes the bike more rigid and heavy. The same chassis is on the Royal Enfield Classic 350. But the Bullet 350’s chassis is different from the rest, as it gets a single downtube, accompanied by the engine as a force contributor.
There are also further similarities between the Hunter and the Classic 350. As far as the suspension setup is concerned, they both get twin-tube emulsion shock absorbers with six-step adjustable preloads. That is at the rear of those two bikes.
And there is a standard telescopic with 41 mm forks at their front ends. The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 has the same suspension setup as the Classic and the Hunter 350. The Bullet 350, however, differs slightly. The rear has twin shock absorbers with five-step adjustable preloads, while the front has telescopic forks at 35mm.
Furthermore, the top-most variants of the Hunter 350 and the Classic 350 get dual-channel ABS, while the Bullet 350 gets single-channel ABS as standard across the variants. Considering the Royal Enfield Bullet 350’s price, especially the top model, the bikemaker should have offered dual-disc brakes. The disc-drum combination, especially on a heavy bike like a Royal Enfield Bullet, might not give a safe braking performance.
Features
Let’s compare the top models of these three bikes. To start with, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 has fewer features than the Hunter and Classic 350. Despite the Royal Enfield Bullet 350’s price being slightly higher, the bikemaker should have offered a few more features.
The Bullet 350 model gets a fully analogue instrument cluster, DRLs, pillion seats with pillion grabrails, auto-headlights, etc.
The common features among the Hunter 350 and the Classic 350 are the USB charging ports, digital fuel gauge, digital trip meter, low oil indicator, and a clock, to name a few. Yes, both models get a semi-digital instrument cluster.
The exclusive features available on the Classic model comprise connected bike technology, GPS, and navigation.
Prices and Variants
Let’s begin in an orderly manner, from low to high. The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 now holds entry-level status and sits below the Bullet 350. The Royal Enfield Hunter has three variants: Retro, Metro, and Metro Rebel. There are eight colours available in total. It is worth noting that the colour options may vary across the variants.
The starting ex-showroom price of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is Rs 1.50 lakh and goes up to Rs 1.69 lakh.
Next comes the Royal Enfield Bullet 350. This bike has only two variants, separated by start type. The base model has the Kick Start (KS), which has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.55 lakh, while the top model with electric start (ES) has an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.63 lakh.
Last but not least, there is the Royal Enfield Classic 350. The bike maker has offered six variants on this bike. The Classic 350’s price starts at Rs 1.90 lakh for the base model, the Redditch Single Channel ABS, and goes up to Rs 2.21 lakh for the top model, the Classic Chrome Dual Channel ABS. All prices are ex-showroom in New Delhi in November 2022. Please note that these prices are subject to change without prior notice to the customer. But don’t worry. You can always visit the autoX website to access the latest location-based price list for your dream vehicle.
For any other information regarding the on-road price, the latest news, upcoming cars/bikes, etc., head to autoX.
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