2023 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 | First Ride Review

Jen Dunstan hops on board the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 to discover how the new lightweight sibling stacks up against the Meteor 350 and the Classic 350. Is the Hunter 350 more your style? Tell us what you think of the new model below.

*Jen’s gear:*

[pleasedontwatchthese]

Amazing what they are doing at RE. A simple bike I can afford

[forrysc]

I bought my first Royal Enfield in 2021 with the purchase of an Interceptor 650. I have owned several modern triumphs and a few vintage triumphs. I absolutely love Royal Enfield's new bikes. To me, they are a call back to the vintage stuff but with modern EFI and ABS. My Interceptor impressed me so much as a fun bike to ride I bought a 2022 350 Classic. Those two bikes added together were less than my Bonnie Chopper and while they don't have that level of fit and finish (or power!) they are worth far more to me.

[jeffarmentrout]

Royal Enfield is a brand to really watch! Affordable bikes with classic styling...

[markwilkinson]

Hello, Hunter owner here.
I think 70 MPH is a more realistic top speed, with 73 MPH with the wind in your sails (Sat' confirmed speed).
That being said, with its long stroke, low revving engine, it will do 65 MPH comfortably all day long, & it makes quite light work of those hills too.
I've done fuel economy calculations, & the Hunter will do around 80 MPG (imperial) flat out, & over 100 MPG if you drop the speed down a little, or just potter around.
Not a bike to buy if you want to get the adrenaline rushing, but as a general run around I've found it an excellent machine, & for the price point, I'm very happy with the purchase.
Thanks for a great review Jen.

[someguyontheinternet]

I think RevZilla adding Jen to the mix is a great thing for motorcycling. Particularly having her be the face of most small displacement bike reviews. (Though I want to see her input on other bikes too) I just know a lot of smaller potential riders often feel intimidated and seem to think their size will be a major hurdle. Jen being physically smaller effortlessly throwing bikes around I hope will boost their confidence that they can do it too. Plus having some female representation on what’s likely to be one of the first bikes a woman might try researching, I imagine will add an extra layer on top of that.

[nirmalyamisra]

As a beginner, I was looking for a entry level motorcycle with dual channel ABS, unfortunately most entry level motorcycles have single channel ABS in India. As this bike looked good, did not have scary power and compact with not too high seat height, I bought this and learnt on this from scratch. It is a very forgiving bike with good torque and you dont have to worry too much about gear changes. Every thing is good about this bike, 1000 km done till now.

[bradswartz]

I owned an old school RE Bullet and it was a wonderful bike for newbies, collectors and novice riders. Great handling, manageable power. I taught one of my sons how to ride on it. (MSF RC so yes I am fussy).
The company is huge and has resources, wish the dealer network in the US was stronger.

[jeremyfritz]

Great video! Royal Enfield has been killing it lately. I really liked the Meteor when that first came out but I like the Hunter even more. My dad used to have a Triumph and I thought it was the coolest bike. I love that the Hunter looks likes a smaller Triumph at a great price. I would gladly take this & save $1000 over a Honda Rebel 300 ABS

[Staromil]

Great review, agree on your points!


It's my commuting bike, a replacement for my scooter, 1000 miles on it so far this dpring. It looks great and kinda beefy in person, unlike a 125 or even most 250cc bikes, it looks propper. Sounds brilliant and it's super accessible and agile around town, the garage, shops, twisty backroads... Fuel efficiency is comically good. Top speed is around 70, but I take just the car if I plan to ride at that speed...

[caffeineman]

I appreciate Jen's presence in the industry and on RevZilla, back in the day I read Road Bike magazine and Jessica Prokup's leadership and articles made a huge difference in the quality of that magazine. Having knowledgeable, professional, and feminine women in this space is appreciated.

[michaelsaenz]

You did an awesome job with this review Jen!
RevZilla, we want more Jen content.

[dasko]

Awesome video Jen, the whole team deserves credit for those gorgeous graphics!

[tuanoful]

I hate when people put motorcycles into the "beginner" . THERE IS NO SUCH THING. All motorcycles work for all people, it depends on what you like and what you're looking for.

I'm buying this one, and I've been riding for 15 years. I just want a city bike that's on the cheaper side

[TheRamsberg]

Jen's the only one I've seen reference the significant difference between the turning circle of those three versions of the bike.

[angusnichols]

Good review. I like your upfront opinions without sounding like you think anyone who might disagree would be wrong. Nicely balanced.

[praveene]

Hunter Became the Motorcycle of the Year 2022 after 4 month of its launch in India. Easy affordable and easy ride in the heavy city traffic regions.

[d.tay]

Amazing bike. Just picked one up, and rode it from Marshall to Glasgow to Fayette to BOCOMO. REALLY IMPRESSIVE!!! The exhaust note is the best ever, and the comfortable seat, allows you to ride for hours and hours. Exceptional fuel economy.

[kushagraN]

I've never liked the old & bulky designs but this is the only bike from RE that made me want it at 1st sight. ITS amazing how tiny geometry changes can have such massive differences.
But its low height & me being 6 1" (& quite a bit heavy) made me look huge on it, that's the only deal breaker.

[SmartWatchDumbPhone]

Fantastic review!👍🏻
Saw the bike in person yesterday. Looks and sounds fantastic. Definitely looks like a mini-Triumph but comes with only a $4000 price tag. And it’s the perfect around town bike at 20hp.

I’ll be ordering one of these along with a SuperMeteor 650 soon as ordering is available in the US. Looking like July.

Keep up the great content!!

[mullins]

Thanks Jen. Other manufacturers could learn a lot from Royal Enfield. Who else is building affordable learner bikes?