The Hunter 350: Addressing Its Biggest Flaws
Ever since it came out in 2022, the Hunter 350 has been a runaway success for Royal Enfield, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s a stylish, well-built, and relatively affordable entry point into one of the most aspirational brands in our market. But that’s not to say it was a perfect machine, and it had one serious flaw. Now, some time ago, Royal Enfield updated the Hunter, keeping customer feedback in mind. So are the Hunter’s drawbacks a thing of the past?
A Landmark Change: The Suspension
Now let’s start with the biggest problem that has plagued the Hunter and a rather large number of recent Royal Enfield launches in recent times. The stiff rear suspension. Now, for 2025, Royal Enfield has replaced the earlier models’ linear springs with these progressive units you see over here. And in a word, the effect they’ve had on the ride quality is landmark.
Whether you’re going over bigger potholes that have started appearing now that the monsoon is here, or you’re going over high-frequency recurring vibrations like thickly painted rumble strips, the Hunter 350 keeps you reasonably comfortable. Now, it’s not like the Hunter’s become as absolutely plush as a classic 350, but the ride quality on a Hunter is no longer the dealbreaker it once was.
Even when you’re just sitting on a static bike, you can feel that the suspension has a bit of give to it. And when you tackle things like uneven patchwork, big potholes, unevenly laid concrete, and the myriad of road imperfections that Mumbai’s road infrastructure is littered with, you’re no longer wincing in pain while getting tossed out of the seat like on the older bike.
And the good news is that for existing Hunter owners, you can retrofit these shocks to an older bike and have the same level of comfort.
A Lighter Touch: The New Clutch
Another pain point on the previous Hunter was its rather heavy clutch pull, especially inside Stacato’s big city traffic. Royal Enfield has remedied this problem by giving the Hunter 350 a slip and assist clutch, which greatly reduces the effort needed to pull in the clutch lever.
This is especially important because the sort of riders the hunter is targeted at, like the newer ones, will be deterred by something like a heavy clutch pull. And another little cherry on top of this cake is that Royal Enfield’s entire 350 C lineup will soon benefit from this lighter clutch action when they are updated with the same slip and assist clutch in the coming months.
Just like the new suspension units, you can also retrofit the slip assist clutch to existing Royal Enfield and 350 cc models. It might not be cheap to do so, but if you spend a lot of time stuck in traffic, your left forearm will thank you for it.
The Same Fun, Accessible Machine
Aside from these two big changes we mentioned before, the rest of the bike is pretty much the same with a few small tweaks peppered here and there, which we’ll address a little later in the video. Now, this is an accessible and fun machine, even more so now that these issues have been addressed.
The best way to describe the Hunter’s on-road demeanour is that it is an agile yet confidence-inspiring and sure-footed thing that’s sure to be welcoming to newer and experienced riders.
Rider Comfort and Ergonomics
While this is quite a compact machine, it’s crucially not cramped even for somebody of my height. Although with a pillion aboard, things can get a little tight. The company tells us that the handlebars are now a little closer to the rider than before, and the seat foam’s density has been reworked. The reason behind making these changes has been to improve rider comfort over longer stints in the saddle. Truth be told, the difference is minimal, and it’s something most riders aren’t likely to notice.
And thankfully, the Hunter seat still stays at an accessible 790 mm. To show you just how approachable it is, I’m going to call our photographer Omar on screen, who is 5’3 ” tall. Omar, are you comfortable with the Hunter? I can see that both the balls of your feet are touching down. So, it seems like you’re reasonably in control.
Touring and Practical Updates
And while it’s not aimed at doing long stints in the saddle, you can take the Hunter Touring without too much hassle. As you can see, it’s got a rather neutral rider’s triangle, which should be conducive to all-day comfort.
And one welcome change that Royal Enfield has made, which should be helpful especially on unpredictable roads, is the added ground clearance. The company has liberated that extra room underneath by rerouting the exhaust piping.
And one other very strong factor that will tempt you to take the Hunter out on longer journeys is that charming engine. It’s stocky, characterful, smooth, and it has an exhaust beat that you can listen to for hours on end. And since there have been no changes to the engine’s mapping or gearing, you can expect the Hunter’s performance and mileage numbers to stay more or less the same as they were before.
The LED Headlight: A Visual Upgrade
The final change on the Hunter 350 is this LED headlight. It’s the same unit we’ve seen on every other Royal Enfield, and if I’m being honest, it’s the only change I wish the company hadn’t made. The previous model’s H halogen setup worked well at lighting up a dark road, and this new LED headlight is rather average in comparison.
That being said, from a purely visual standpoint, the LED headlight suits the modern look of the Hunter more than the earlier bulb headlight.
Pricing and Variants
Summing up, the Hyundai 350 is now a properly compelling option. And the best part is that for all of these changes, Royal Enfield has only hiked the prices by 7,000 across the mid and the top variants while keeping the base bike’s price absolutely unchanged from before. As before, the base bike has simpler switch gear, wire-spoked wheels with tube tires, and a rear drum brake.
A Personal Conclusion
And instead of ending in our usual fashion, I’d like to end this video on a bit of a personal note. You see, the owner of this machine is a colleague in the office who is always a fan of the Hunter’s design and riding experience, but was put off by its earlier flaws. With this update, he finds that the Hunter fits into his lifestyle perfectly, and it’s encouraging to see a big company like Royal Enfield address customer feedback so comprehensively.
As it stands today, the Hunter is a properly sorted machine in the class, and it’s sure to become an even bigger success for Royal Enfield.
