Enfield go to town
Overcrowded urban-ness is a challenge. Enfield’s new 350 Hunter gets stuck in
Royal Enfield’s recent success is based on simple mid-capacity machines, and this strategy is predicated on great-value motorcycles such as their Interceptor 650, Himalayan and Meteor 350. Globally these bikes sell serious numbers and the new 350 Hunter looks set to tempt more retro, back to the basics devotees to part with their money.
Enfield’s frugal and easy-to-ride new commuter is light, tough, agile, has faultless fuelling and a turning circle tighter than a Liz Truss U-turn. It is clearly designed to revel in the chaos of urban centres.
Although the Hunter is propelled by the same 349cc air-cooled single found in the Classic and Meteor, there’s an all new sporty frame and relatively light 17in wheels (an Enfield first). The wheelbase is shorter, the head angle steeper and, at 181kg (172kg dry), the Hunter is considerably lighter than its 350 siblings. Outwardly, it’s a bum-basic 20bhp commuter, but in reality is built to boss congested cities where the majority of bikes are tiddlers and speeds rarely reach 50mph. In Bangkok, Thailand, where Enfield based this test, the Hunter was the king of the traffic light GP, surging ahead of the hordes of mopeds and scooters before deploying lively low-speed handling and manoeuvrability.
The air-cooled SOHC 349.34cc single is identical to the Classic 350 and Meteor 350, which makes for a modest 20.2 bhp @ 6100rpm and 19lb.ft of torque at 4000rpm. Enfield have tuned the fuel injection to give a sharper feel on the throttle and quote a top speed of 70mph which happens in fourth, not top (fifth). There are no riding modes or rider aids to worry about and the fuelling is soft and precise. The gearbox is positive, helping the Hunter to pull with more urgency than a 125 to 60mph. But if the Enfield is in its element in Bangkok, it’s less clear how it will fare in Brighton or Bristol, especially as the traffic flows a little faster – on a good day. Certainly, the Hunter will sit at 65mph all day but if you are commuting in and out of the city it’s likely to lack the punch to stay ahead of traffic. New riders, though, will love its low seat height, easy-going road manners and claimed 85mpg economy; and its gurgling exhaust and sweet steering will charm many.
This new-found handling is largely down to the new 17in rims, which slice off 3.1kg of unsprung mass while its low centre of mass, stiffer frame down-tubes and more aggressive chassis geometry deliver a responsive ride. The pegs are set slightly higher than the Meteor and Classic– the Hunter’s hardly a sportsbike but it’s nippy enough.
Learners will enjoy its fluency, low-speed balance and looks, less so the hard-wearing CEAT tyres which lack feel and nibble away at your confidence. The pegs touch early when the bike’s ridden aggressively and the ride is soft at the front and harsh at the rear.
The single front disc and twin-piston caliper set-up is relatively basic but with modest power on tap is just about sufficient. Two-channel ABS comes as standard but it’s not lean sensitive and, when activated, feels more biased towards the rear. The brake lever isn’t adjustable.
The LCD clocks are basic but neat and clear with a useful gear-position indicator. The single-cylinder engine should prove incredibly frugal, too – Enfield quote 85mpg for the Hunter but the other 350 models average over 100mpg, if ridden sensibly. Service costs will be minimal, the build is typically resilient and a pair of higher-quality tyres should last until the world’s petrol runs dry.
Leaning the Hunter too far can land you in trouble and the switchgear is ugly. But these are relatively minor criticisms of a bike that costs less than half the price of a season ticket from Nottingham to London.
‘New riders will love its low seat height, easy-going road manners and claimed 85mpg economy’