Royal Enfield Hunter 350 (2022 - on) review - a fun, modern take on the firm's smallest platform

Nice comfy ride. 2 hours on the seat with no complaints at all. Nice riding position. Good fuel economy. Bought it as a 2nd bike/commuter with the plan for the odd day out. Payload is good so a small pillion can be carried ok if needed. Suspension was ok for me.

Nice engine and powerful enough to enjoy riding around country lanes. The engine ran much smoother after I adjusted the valves correctly and completed the oil change. It progressively felt smoother the more miles I did and it felt like 60mph was a peace of cake 65mph cruising is no problem. Never ran it on a motorway. 5 miles on a dual carriageway was all I experienced but I never felt like I was out of place. It coped well.

Initially the bike is well put together and almost belies its price tag. During my 700 miles of use it never let me down and provided good fuel economy. I'm very attentive when it comes to my bikes and treated the Hunter carefully with ACF-50 and cleaned it properly after each ride and kept it garaged. Toothbrush out and getting into every nook and cranny. However, a few of the engine bolts still showed signs of significant corrosion and also the instrument pod started to have some ingress of air/water and caused it to appear rainbow coloured despite using a flyscreen. It didn't appear to have any gaps showing so why did that happen?

I completed my own servicing as it was so easy. My local dealer also did not feel me with confidence when I asked about servicing as they said the valve check can be done a couple of hours after riding and that it would be 'cool enough to do the work'. Well...maybe...but I didn't want to take a punt and chance it so just did it myself on a properly cold engine. Its super easy as is the oil change. Make sure you take the calipers off and grease the sliding pins and also both levers as well as lubing the side/centre stands. These things are not done out of the factory. Parts/oil is cheap.

Sparse equipment. Two trip meters, fuel gauge and gear position indicator. Back to basics riding.

The front brake is more than capable for such a light bike.

20.2 bhp is some what low, get a DNA air filter & a fuelx lite for a better experience

It's easy to service yourself.

Pretty minimal, which suits me.

Ride quality is fine front forks are very good rear shocks a bit harsh but they are adjustable. I have ridden it for over a hour with no major issues

Very smooth power delivery .has decent torque midrange.not suited for motorway work really.but I didn't but it for that.plus there aren't any where I live 😉

Seems to be very well finished.the frame paint is thick and lustrous. The powder coated parts look very good.the wiring under the side panel is a bit messy other than that looks OK.

Very good on fuel .servicing costs very reasonable. Its only a small single so it doesn't need a lot.couple of filters and a drop of oil one plug and you are good to go.all the major stuff is easy to get including the battery.plus you get a center stand result

Has everything I need.including a USB port.i have added a small rack.the enfield sump guard. And bar end mirrors. The standard ones show too much elbow

Excellent brakes, superb handling and very comfortable seat for both rider and pillion. Standard tyres are fine wet or dry contrary to most media reviews. It's not a track day machine ! It's a solid commuter/weekend fun bike.

Very flexible little motor with lots of torque just keeps on pulling. Very smooth power delivery. Remember it's only a 350 and tuned to give good even power and fuel economy. It's brilliant for what it is.

Build quality and overall price unbeatable. I will be riding through the winter and will review again in the spring.

Self service is a doddle. Getting around 90mpg only had the bike for a couple of months so will review again in the spring.

It has a centre stand it has mudguards as standard Wake up you other greedy manufacturers !! It has ABS it has a fuel gauge, a clock what more do you need. Just a nice simple bike that will teach you how to ride and appreciate motorcycling.

Suspension is harsh on the softest setting. Some people say it softens with higher mileage. I hope so. CEAT tyres have a tendency to follow lines in the road surface which can mean a little extra concentration required on pitted roads or resurfaced strips. But it corners really well. I'm not sure about the small 17 inch front wheel. Would like to try it with a 19. Brakes are excellent - best I've had for a while. Clutch is nice. Gear change smooth and accurate - and no clunk when selecting first at the lights!

RE have engineered something special here. The low mid to upper mid-range bubbles away and tugs like a baby bulldog pulling on the leash. Higher up it all smooths out to a lovely sewing-machine-like hum - not the like the singles from the old days! So you somehow get the best of both worlds - low-mid character and a smooth top. There's a tiny bit more torque in the upper mids which makes it worth down-shifting on hills. 5th gear is a gentle overdrive, so you don't normally hit it until 45-50, but it is strangely satisfying when you do. Engine braking is sweet and great for cruising bendy roads without using the actual brakes much. It is sufficiently firm when down-shifting into the mid-range and results in a cuddly bark from the excellent stock exhaust. Altogether the J 350 is much more characterful than the 411 Himi/Scram engine.

It's basic but it's good quality. Everything functions pretty much as it should (apart from the insanely jittery fuel gauge). Not sure about the quality of the tyres, but they'll do for now. A lot of the cabling, particularly under the side panel and seat is taped up in what looks like a bit of a hurry. It's messy and cheap looking, which is a shame.

Too early for me to say at 1000 miles. Depends if you do your servicing yourself. But either way it will be one of the lowest annual servicing costs out there.

In standard spec it's a four out of five. But it's so easy to upgrade that this makes it a five. I'm six two and lanky, so swapped for the bench seat which lets me move back a bit and stay comfortable. Added bar risers for £20, sump-guard £70 and rubber knee pads £20. Have also bought the after-market cam and other performance bits, but actually I'm in no hurry to fit them, as the original set up feels really well sorted.

Suspension would be a good upgrade especially if you carry a pillian.

Seems quite a reliable and proven engine as it has been used in other models.

It is an ideal platform to alter to your own taste, I don't think it will be long before the aftermarket parts are freely available.

First service was 180.

It's simplicity make's you smile every time you ride it.

Brakes are fine, Dependng on where you are riding depends on when you want to take a break, but it's comfortable for most journeys.

Don't expect go fast sports bike performance, but it isn't designed as a sports bike. Power delivery is fine and adequate and it picks its feet up well enough.

Equipment is basic, but functional

Very nimble and very small to throw around. Brakes are good enough. I feel that better tyres would be a good upgrade.

Fuel efficient and capable of reaching the speed limit, you do have to plan overtaking though.

So far no problems, but I do winter prepare the bike.

First service is at 300 miles at a cost of around £150. Running costs are brilliant, if you ride sensible you will get around 90 to 100 per gallon. I can get work and back for a fortnight on a tank full.

The tyres are good but there are better to choose as a replacement.