Would I Buy a Royal Enfield HNTR350? | Brutally Honest Review | Test Ride & My Reactions

I was fortunate to bag a ride on the Royal Enfield HNTR350 thanks to my local dealer, Damerells of Indian Queens, Cornwall (See link below) This urbanised sibling to the Meteor 350 and Classic 350 has been creating quite a few waves in the biking community since it's launch so I felt I had to try it for myself. As a Moto Guzzi Owner, I'm used to classic looks, a solid exhaust sound and that 'wow' factor. So does the HNTR350 measure up and will it tempt me, or is it a damp squib??? Keep watching to the end to get my verdict...
Damerells: www.damerells.co.uk
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[@keithwheeler3049]

Looking at the title of your review, I believe some brutally honest feedback is in order. I despair when I see someone picking up a new demo bike from a dealer riding it around for an hour or two and then pronouncing on their findings. Everyone has the right to their own opinions but if anyone is interested in this bike I suggest they look at the detailed KZbin UK reviews produced by Stuart Fillingham ( who had a Hunter 350 for a month ) and Mark Pulling who actually owns his Hunter 350. He is due to produce a 1000 mile review of his bike shortly in addition to his initial review. As I understand it, when you took the bike out it had

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thank you for your detailed reply Keith. I appreciate it. I haven't watched Uncle Stu's review as IMHO his opinions are usually very biased and based upon his self-view of being some kind of oracle. I have watched Mark's tho. I find his, and many other 'professional' road-testers reports quite bland and formulaic. I am also suspicious of people who have links with Dealers or manufacturers. What deal did he get on his bike??? Also, you will note he said "No problems at all" in relation to just about every aspect of the bike. Not engaging. You may not have liked my view of the bike, but at least it got you to think about it and thinking is the bit that is missing in many reviews. Thanks again and I look forward to your owners review in due course. 👍

[@keithwheeler3049]

I’m actually delighted with my Hunter 350 and the only slight criticism I have is with the mirrors which don’t give a very good view behind and vibrate at some speeds. I have bar end mirrors on order which will address both issues. I also needed to adjust the headlight. Thank you for taking the time to reply, I think the problem with the Hunter is that it has been reviewed to death and no one has anything new to say about it.

[@keithwheeler3049]

By the way I’ve now subscribed to your channel

[@supernovadw]

Running in a bike or any engine is absolutely nothing to do with sticking to a certain speed. The best way to run in a engine is lots of varied revs. Not revving it up to max by any means but varied revs, no cruising and using engine braking. If you can change your oil lots then this also helps immensely! I know it's not practical but in an ideal world you'd change you oil at 20 miles then again around 100, 200-300 and 500.

[@letni9506]

That's the dealers lookout and the person who buys it as an ex demo. A little stint at 70 won't do it any harm. Obviously you don't want to thrash it constantly. Stu is great but he has RE tinted glasses on. Not that there's anything bad to say about this bike really. But he does push RE hard.

[@HunterVlog350cc]

hunter owner since last 7 months and not very much sure on how it is for UK traffic but it is an absolute blast for indian city traffic conditions- highly agile and effortless in small city stretches at 70-80kmph, safe due to is heavy weight , retains the original bullet's brute character and above all pleasantly neo retro looking machine, absolute joy everytime i ride it.

[@HunterVlog350cc]

kzbin.info2PV0smxv_SA?feature=share

[@Paul.Gascoyneuk]

Good honest review , some nice country roads down there , I love my Hunter 350 and I do commute regularly , weekend rides and looking forward to some longer rides as the weather improves 👍

[@Grumpy-Goblin]

Overall a pretty fair review I'd say apart from the fact that it pained me to see you thrashing the living daylights out of a brand new 20hp engine trying to get 70 out of it on a dual carriageway. That aside there were a few things stood out to me as not being brilliant as part of a review of a very cheap small capacity bike. "Do you need a gear indicator on this kind of bike ?" As it is probably going to be bought by many as a first bike after passing their test and by many as their first city commuter then I would say yes it's a great thing to be added. Honestly I hate being negative about reviews as it is subjective but I can't believe you bothered to mention that it didn't have self cancelling indicators on a £3.5k bike and yet you suggested that a gear indicator was an unnecessary addition. Finally making any kind of comparison between the £3.5k, 350cc, 20hp Enfield and your 750cc, 48hp, which today costs £9k is hardly fair and in all honesty not likely to be very helpful to anyone looking to buy a small commuter.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thanks for the detailed comments Mike, much appreciated. I won't reply to all of them, but I will pick up on a couple. There is a well-evidenced school of thought that the best way to run a bike in is by giving it full revs right from the outset. You will notice, I did back off to lowers speeds almost immediately. Second, I bought my Moto Guzzi for 4.5k, not so much more than the HNTR. There are gazillions of good used bikes available for a similar cost or less. Anyhow, always good to have engagement and thoughtful comments like yours. Cheers.

[@letni9506]

You don't need a gear indicator on any bike. I never had one when I was learning. It's pretty obvious if you are in the correct gear on a bike. A neutral light is sufficient. And it's a demo bike. It's meant to give people a taste and maybe purchase one You can't do that at manufacturers recommended running in speed. The odd thash won't do it any harm. Maybe constant thrashing in hot weather might do but again it's an expendable demo bike.

[@Bavenbushcraft]

Fabulous looking bike, visited Damarells yesterday, such a great seat and riding position! Test ride as soon as the weather and time coincides... Then to possibly sell my CBF600SA and get one of these! Great for our little lanes and the odd dash down the A30! Great review thanks!

[@GapBahnDirk]

A great review and summary. A fine bike, with some limitations. Faster than a 20 year old Peugeot!

[@user-rd7qu8kk6d]

The vibration tends to diminish somewhat after 300 miles or so, and the one you’re riding is very low mileage so i imagine it’s a little bit unfair to performance test it as the J series engine is very tight and runs very hot when new , when properly run in they will happily do 70 mph all day long and nippy enough everywhere else, I definitely wouldn’t want to buy that one

[@andymcm6902]

Interesting vid. Cheers

[@user-sw2lv3zp6o]

Good-looking bike. My favourite RE. But I already have a KTM 390 Duke as my second bike. I think you've got it:an idealcommuter bike.

[@malcolmhaley4227]

I love mine. Good steady commuting.

[@debbierigby6304]

Good video, im torn between the lexmoto vendetta 250 v2 or 350 hunter...????? Have you tested the lexmoto

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

No I haven't, will look into it. Thanks

[@thomfrost2594]

Wow...why are people being so brutal? Its this guys channel to do as he sees fit. Plenty of others doing reviews!🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Goes with the territory, if you say 'brutally honest' people feel free to be 'brutally' honest in return. Ironically, this gives you greater traction with the KZbin algorithm. Go figure, but it's a win win for me as I find if you engage with people, you often win them round 😊

[@janeg4706]

Would you change your Guzzi for the Hunter? No, of course not, but that's missing the point. Would the Hunter make a good second bike for exploring Cornwall's little lanes? Yes, it would be near perfect - light, comfortable and a joy to listen to as you burble your way around the lanes, avoiding the A30 obviously. I'm off up to Damerell's this week to try it out (but not on the A30).

[@chromagraphphotoart]

Enjoy your ride and let us know your thoughts.

[@janeg4706]

@@chromagraphphotoart Took the Hunter out today. Very comfortable, quick turning and great to ride along little lanes. A bit wheezy on inclines - I found I needed to change down from 5th gear sooner than expected to keep up momentum. In this respect, it had noticeably less grunt than my Scram (to be expected, I guess) and was a bit disappointing for a 350cc bike. If you're after a second bike for a bit of gentle back roads exploration, it would tick most boxes. Just don't expect too much from it on faster roads, hills or headwinds! Hoping RE bring out a 'modern' 500cc air cooled single - that would be 'the one'.

[@chromagraphphotoart]

@@janeg4706 It seems we concur then. A 500 single is the logical successor to the old Bullet. Have tried the BSA?

[@timboharty7325]

@@janeg4706 I have a classic 350 ( and 15 other bikes of all sizes ) , and once they’ve got a few miles under their belt, 1200 + , it’s a much better bike , I live in Austria , and it pulls up the mountains a treat , just exploit the corner speed a bit more than a bigger bike and it’s great fun , heck out my youtube Timbo Harty , to see the roads I ride 🙂

[@shardlake]

Spot on, I took a Hunter out for a test ride, concluded it would be great for about 75% of my riding, but lacked the faster road ability, just needs a tiny little bit more oomph for me, worth a test ride though as for many it will prove to be more than enough.

[@Thunder_Bear_mg]

If you're in the market for a new bike, check out the 2023 moto guzzi v7 stone special edition.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

I've already got a Guzzi, the 2016 V7ii Special!😆

[@billwhite8479]

Needs to be available as a 500

[@speedfinder1]

I was a bit disappointed with the content of your review. I have a 2023 Moto Guzzi V7 850 and have been looking for a light weight shopping bike, to save me from having to lug my heavier bike round the traffic and normally ram-packed, motorcycle parks in the town centre. My v7 850 is a good cross country mile muncher, but it is definitely less able in heavy traffic. I've recently ridden a 2024 Royal Enfield Dapper Grey 350 HNTR to see if it would do for the shopping run and the occasional errand in town. I don't think you can compare a Moto Guzzi V7, 750 against a Royal Enfield HNTR 350. You are not comparing like with like. I think the 350 HNTR is a super little bike for the purpose it was designed for. It is a great little commuter bike that has enough spirit for the occasional trip out into the countryside. 🤔🤔

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

All feedback is welcomed, but I'm not entirely sure what your point is? I think the Huntr would indeed make a good shopping, cum commuter bike. As also would the Eliminator I reviewed more recently. That is somewhat more expensive of course, but more able.

[@denlsgoulden2307]

Apparently they are capable of around 85mph, but for some reason known only to RE they are effectively governed with rev limitation 🙄

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Emissions control I think

[@frankmarkovcijr5459]

No speed limited to restrict warranty claims. The harder you ride the bike the greater chance something gives out. So many people have reviewed this bike there is nothing left to say. You can't judge it's reliability and dependability until the bike has some miles on it. Ride It day in and day out for 2 or 3 years and 10,000-20,000 miles on it but no one has ridden one that far. Push it flat out at full throttle and you get passed like your standing still. Let's see what happens when the electronics start failing. It costs$1,500-$2,400 to fix ABS for example.​@@CornishMotorcycleDiaries

[@davidcharlton5519]

The hunter isnt governed!

[@Plough78]

Meteor vs Hunter.. That's what it boils down to for me... I'm in agony deciding... *Crap Game*

[@robevans4032]

Not best review, think you also need some highway code reading, you criticising the land rover driver for not indicating on the roundabout, he was going straight over so no need to indicate, this was after you going around a round about yourself 29mins into the video and no use of indicators to other road users to protect yourself. Think it would be useful to understand the HWC before you give bikers bad press on road etiquette, you also rode over a solid white line on a roundabout 25mins in, this is illegal as its a solid white line. As an qualified bike instructor I get disappointed in poor riding skills and poor comments on other roads users in youtube bike reviews when you don't practise good techniques yourself. That's my Brutal review.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thank you for your detailed feedback Rob. I shall be more diligent in future about observing the Highway Code.Were there any positive points?.

[@robevans4032]

Nice one, we are vulnerable as bikers so we all need to radiate out the same road skills we expect from others to keep us upright. Otherwise nice little ride out and comments about the use of the bike in different scenarios that's made me book a test ride next week on one as a 2nd bike to play about on. Regards

[@aceofspades5786]

£59 a month, cheaper than the bus

[@chromagraphphotoart]

Absolutely

[@Geshmaal]

Or for the price of a set of panniers for a BMW or Triumph you can buy the entire bike!

[@paulfoster5432]

Sorry, I've been watching your video on tv with big speaker's, and you are mumbling a lot, And if this bike vibrates, You've obviously never rode a 2008 Royal Enfield 350 Bullet, lol 😂 in standard trim, flat out at 55mph, These new Classic's are chain drive over head cam, The old 350 Bullet's were push rod cam's. The New 350cc Classic, Hunter ect are an absolute dream in comparison. 😊 I have been riding motorcycles for 49 years, Had lots of different types and sizes, I have a Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor at moment, It's Brilliant. 😊 Cheers Paul Foster 👏

[@TheSimonvalente]

29:31: Arrogant? Moi?

[@grays5112]

this popped in my timeline and I watched it, as I own a HNTR, along with 5 other bikes all under 20 months old, (I only buy new now) 1290SAS, Z1000SX, Z650RS, CB500F & CRF300 Rally, and it is a poor review, it is what it is, not a Guzzi. 👍 I've done 1800 miles on mine, trouble free and respectfully run in with no thrashing, and I use it around the lanes and gravel tracks, It is very cheap (A Ducati of mine (warranty claim 😩) was more than the cost of this HNTR) there is a place for all bikes for all riders, and this is a good bike for the money, with 3 years warranty and recovery, end of, I have zero respect for this review, you obviously don't like R/E, and I've owned all Brands, not brand loyal at all, 102 bikes in 49 years of which 84 have been new and am an ex traffic cop of 13 years, riding a plethora of big bikes. it's simply horses for courses 👍

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thank you for your feedback and I'm sure that will be helpful to prospective purchasers.

[@Itsthejourneynotthedestination]

It was all going so well until you said ex traffic cop then I dismissed everything you said previous to that.

[@grays5112]

@thedbf Well 13 years as a M/cycle cop, (never a polac) 10 years IAM, 3 years ROSPA, 3 years clubmans r/r and 6 years enduro at national, over 49 years experience, I don't know what I'm talking about, this review was to highlight the overwhelming bias of this review. The Hunter is a shed compared to very modern machines, but at its price and for short laning it is a decent bike, I stand by my comment ‼️ Tell me your experience and how many miles you've done on 2 wheels, mine is just over a million, give or take about 30k ❓️ I think I'm more than qualified to comment on a 20bhp bike.👍

[@Itsthejourneynotthedestination]

@@grays5112 I'm not going to wave my cock about how many years and how many miles but as I said, as soon as you said you were a police motorcyclist I negated anything you said. Not saying what you said was wrong but what need was there to tell the world what you did for work like is gave you more kudos with your opinion.

[@grahamball364]

It would been a good video ,but for the poor video

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thanks for your reply. I'm curious about the 'poor video'

[@Grumpy.Old.Man.On.Wheels]

Awful review don’t have the camera on your crash helmet

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Where would you have it then??? 😂

[@grahamcrighton8113]

Sorry but this is a poor review, commentary I’d lacking in details re the bike etc.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thank you for your response. What sort of detail would you like to see in future?

[@grahamcrighton8113]

@@CornishMotorcycleDiaries suggest you may want to watch a review by Mark Pulling (MP Rides…). While you don’t want to copy him and do need put your own flavour on a review his are very professional and informative. These are not easy things to do so I do feel for you but planning the ride, the areas of the machine you want to review in a logical manner and ending with a summary really help… not least then editing the footage which would have improved your review. Hope this helps and good luck.

[@MrTommygm]

I really can't understand why you would review a motorcycle that you have little or no interest in, you seem to have completely missed the point with the Royal Enfield, one of the worst reviews I've seen....

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

Thank you for your input. Would you like to give some more feedback on why you think that?

[@alanpainter5544]

Very poor review. We are not interested on the cars age that you see on the A30. You can't compare a Moto Guzzi with the RE. Also try and plan a route before you test ride , this is a very unprofessional review

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

From what I can see you are in a very small minority, however your feedback is still welcomed.