2025 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Review: Ironing Out The Bumps
Delhi: Hunter 350 breathed life into the sales for Royal Enfield. Launched in 2022, the Hunter 350 seemed to have found a good set of buyers, thanks to its affordability, compact dimensions and peppy looks. While Hunter is built on the J-Series platform like Classic and Bullet, it somehow didn't catch my fancy. The suspension and the handling of Hunter, somehow, fell short of my expectations.
Straight to 2025, Royal Enfield addressed the elephant in the room, fixing the core issues of the Hunter. The rear, twin-coil springs are reworked, and the difference is instantly visible. The compression and rebound are more predictable, and overall, the riding feels way less jolting to the wrists, limbs, and joints. The ride, compared to the previous iteration, is a marked difference. The intention is to make it friendlier, more predictable, and supple over the undulations. The rear suspension does a good job of soaking up bad roads, however, comparing it with the Bullet or Classic will be unwise.
The 349-cc, J-Series, air-cooled engine is carried forward, which generates 20 horsepower and 27 Nm of peak torque. The sweet spot of the highways lies between 80 and 90 kmph. The exhaust is loud and throaty; presumably the best among 350-cc Royal Enfield offerings. The revised clutch gets a slip-and-assist feature. Pottering through cities, where stop-go traffic makes life difficult, the lighter clutch makes life easier. The engine is paired with a 5-speed gearbox, which is quite clunky to operate.
2025 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Engine
Hunter 350 and city commutes are like fish to water. The footprint is compact, the seat is narrow, and the rider sits upright. The handling, compared to before, also feels more direct, thanks to the change in suspension tuning. The exhaust route is different now, which results in 160 mm ground clearance - an increase of 10 mm. The seat, the brand says, has new foam and cushion. During my 400-kilometre city ride, I didn't feel much difference. The perch is cushy and well-padded. The Hunter 350 offered a mileage of around 37.5 kmpl in city traffic.
Royal Enfield has done a few cosmetic changes as well. It now gets an LED light set up. The throw at night is average. Hunter 350 gets a few new colour options, a USB-C type fast charger, and tripper navigation. However, most of these features are limited to the top-end variant, which costs around Rs 1.82 lakh (ex-showroom), marking a jump of Rs 7,000. The entry-level Hunter 350, which has a single-channel ABS, continues to retail at Rs 1.50 lakh (ex-showroom).
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