Is the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 a Good Commuter?

[@DiveTrainerDan]

My Himalayan is the same idea. Though I have the suspension and performance completely modified. It is actually pretty cheap on the whole to upgrade compared to a lot of other bike and it has been very transformative. I get 70 US miles to the gallon, all the services are cheap to do by yourself or cheaper than other bikes to have serviced, and it's super cheap to insure.

[@RISHABHLEUVA]

SO ACCURATE! even if it had slightly more power around 24-25bhp it would be nearly perfect

[@onthebackwheel]

💯

[@tonyfrancesco3701]

They designed it for the city , I bought mine for the back road twisting roads . It’s more fun than all of the big mikes I’ve ever owned . Power wise it’s perfect for state roads and great for back roads , it’s not a high speed highway bike ,maybe a few miles

[@onthebackwheel]

Sounds like you're enjoying it mate

[@stevesane800]

Great in town review Crazy Man Curtis! Splitting up & down the streets. The RE is a do it all little bike if you're not in a hurry. Looking forward to your final review. What's next? How is the progress of the Kwaka? That's the next beast to grace the bush me thinks! Cheers. Bet you're hanging to try the 450MT!

[@mkramsauer]

That little thing looks like a blast for town traffic

[@onthebackwheel]

Really enjoying it!

[@G-Man01]

The Guerilla 450 would solve the lower power issue

[@onthebackwheel]

Keen to check it out

[@rmcdudmk212]

Looks like a pretty nice machine for city and commute riding. Probably needs an exhaust swap to git it 1 or 2 more horse power.

[@onthebackwheel]

True, they would be nice

[@retiredwaterdoctor]

Lane splitting...great single track...needs some ruts and sand...😁😁😁. When are you going to try the new 450 Himalayan....? Garth

[@onthebackwheel]

I'm waiting impatiently for an opportunity to ride the 450 mate 😂

[@Danziman78]

I wonder if the new 450 Himalayan engine would be better suited to what you need to for better acceleration.

[@onthebackwheel]

I think so. Keen to try it out

[@TheInterloafer]

This video answers my exact question because I've been wondering about this a lot. I currently have a Kawasaki W800 (which I adore!) but I've been using it almost exclusively for in-city commutation. I started wondering if it wasn't maybe too much bike for the task. I started wondering if I might be better off with a Hunter 350 if it was more nimble and flickable inside the traffic. This video answers a lot but nothing beats a test ride, right?

[@onthebackwheel]

Exactly, got to test ride! You might be a bit underwhelmed with the power after coming from the W800

[@TheInterloafer]

@@onthebackwheel Yes, indeed. Well, this would be more about an agility play to enhance lane splitting. Looking at the spec sheets, I see the W800 has a stated width of 31.1 inches and the Hunter 350 has a stated width of 31.5 inches without the mirrors. That also seems to be a point for the W800. In terms of weight, the Kawi has a stated curb weight of 496 lbs, compared to 399 lbs with for the RE, which would ring true with a two-cylinder vs a one-cylinder. Well it is all good food for thought, and once again thank you for doing a review in real-world city traffic! That's the way bikes are actually used (quite often), and this really got me thinking.

[@onthebackwheel]

@TheInterloafer 💯, I use my bikes just as much for commuting, probably even more at times. You can look at the new guerilla 450 if the retro style is something you like

[@TheInterloafer]

@@onthebackwheel OK, I will take a look. Yup, I am retro all the way!

[@pinkiewerewolf]

Excellent review Curtis. 👍 You really hit a lot of the talking points for the Hunter 350. Wouldn’t another 50cc’s or so make it into a super hoon machine?!😁 I decided to keep the 501. Took it for a ride with the Cush drive Warp9 wheel and just thought, who gives a d@mn if I can’t ride it to its potential, it’s cracking good stuff.

[@onthebackwheel]

Good choice. I bet it's a beast now with the cush drive, you'll regret it if you sell it!

[@pinkiewerewolf]

@@onthebackwheel That was my conclusion too. Because then I was thinking, get a DR 650, Honda CRF 300 L, or Rally to take its place and fill that gap. It took you younger guys to wake me up. 😂 A young guy at my local dealership told me to take it on a good ride again before I did the deal. Between you and Colin, I decided to give it a good run. The bike of course ran great and seemed smoother. The 501 has crazy aggressiveness when it gets downshifted on pavement. It really grabs. While that was still there the Cush drive helped tame it a bit. Now I think I can live with the high performance beast. Plus, I would have put money into a 300 or DR 650 and still wouldn’t have had the capabilities or lightweight of the 501. So, thanks go to you and Colin.👍

[@onthebackwheel]

@@pinkiewerewolf that's it. She's a dirt bike, treat her like one! You can't best multiple bikes hey

[@pinkiewerewolf]

@@onthebackwheel For sure! I’m covered for every area except a sidecar at this point. 😂

[@onthebackwheel]

@@pinkiewerewolf you know what to do then 😂

[@tbillington]

Looks like a great little bike. How do you find the vibes at different speeds?

[@onthebackwheel]

Pretty good TBH. She's certainly no highway cruiser but for the odd ride up to highway speeds, no issues at all with vibrations

[@YA-kl7ny]

Fuel economy ? I would do with this Bike a trip from Germany to Turkey without doubt

[@onthebackwheel]

It's extremely economical. From memory it gets about 3 litres per 100km

[@maxweb8810]

Hey, Can you do a video of best tyre for Scramblers ?

[@onthebackwheel]

If I get time in the future, for sure

[@RS23545]

if someone doesnt want to spend too much for a city bike. its good

[@onthebackwheel]

I agree

[@CaptLawrence]

personally after owning the bullet 500 for a decade I cant see the reason other than price to own this model over the classic.

[@onthebackwheel]

Fair enough. What about the new 650?

[@CaptLawrence]

@onthebackwheel I owned the continental 650 twin the first year it came out awhile back. That was a great bike and I rode all over the place on it. The interceptor is pretty rad as well those little twins are where it's at for RE. Unfortunate relay mechanics though they don't hold up in the rain.

[@onthebackwheel]

@@CaptLawrence Ah nice. I like the look of the interceptor, nice looking machine

[@IanSmart-g6y]

You could try a smaller front sprocket (or a larger raer) to improve the pickup. I don't think it would affect fuel economy that much.

[@onthebackwheel]

That's true. I think the gearing is pretty spot on though TBH