Yes Royal Enfield Classic 350 is a fun bike and very comfortable to maneuver and looks gorgeous! I have this bike and so lovely to ride as my daily commuting and cruising!
I have one of these - and it's so much more than a "Sunday Put Put bike". You just have to understand it. It doesn't rip your arms off (been there), it's not for improving your circuit time and kissing every apex (been there) it's not for impressing your mates with so much unusable horsepower and torque (been there too). It's all about slowing down, sitting back, enjoying the scenery and improving your mental health while doing so. For recapturing the very essence of what got many of us into bikes in the first place. And for this - it's perfect 🙂
funny how you talk about how cramped you are on the bike, while I felt like it is the most glorious riding position being 6'2. I'm used to having my legs fairly cramped under me on most other bikes, while this just felt like I could ride it all day. Felt as it would sit at 60 mph all day as well, so might very well be a worthy addition to my stable for the b roads...
I don’t buy the “low ride” contributing to the cramped position as I had installed a lower, longer seat to my 500 in the past and it stretched the riding position. Unless by “cramped” you are referring to the deep bend in the knees we experienced. When I said cramped, I was referring to the length. Sorry for any confusion. Thanks for your comment.
Its a grower guys....brings back changing gear for road type 'skills'....my bare bones silver n blacked out model atracts old world looks...brill back roads 👍👍👍
Definitely! I'm rediscovering skills I'd forgotten about. Preserving momentum, anticipating hills and modulating the throttle accordingly. Choosing an appropriate gear etc. For the last 15 years I've ridden bigger bikes which don't care about any of the above with enough torque and power to just set the throttle and forget. For me, in that time some of the essence of what got me into bikes forty years ago had been lost to me. The Classic 350 recaptures all of that 👍
As I said on one of your earlier videos, I went to purchase a Classic 350, but after riding it and then the Meteor, I went for the Meteor in SuperNova trim and I am loving it. It was the right decision for me! Great video!
I'm still waiting for the 650 Bullet (which was whispered about while 500s were still on showroom floors). Ending the 500 still hurts and boggles my mind.
I bought a Meteor and went through the break-in exactly the way they recommend. After the oil change and valve check I really opened it up and was surprised by how fun it can be. My feeling is that you can’t harm the engine, wind it up and see what happens.
Huh. They’ll probably get a sh*t-ton more views than my series did. Don’t know why they chose the Meteor platform as the geometry is not suited for off-roading. I’ll be doing another trial this October on the CRF250L. Stay tuned. Thanks for your comment.
Keep in mind; It's a 350 cc., Single cyl., 20 bhp. It's sweet spot(speedwise) is 55-60 mph ; Do 70+ with it and it will let you know that it's working hard...It's a town & country bike... Ride it with that in mind, and you'll be fine...
It's a great bike the all new Classic 350 and has been very well received but I feel that in many ways it is a retrograde step when compared to the Classic 500. The 500 has around 30+% more power and torque and is therefore very noticeably quicker and has a higher top end. The 500 also has a kick starter as well as an electric start, just in case of a weak battery, the 350 does not. The triangular side boxes on the 500 are all metal, they are moulded plastic with only the lids metal on the 350. The seat is a proper sprung seat on the 500, with very visible attractive functioning springs. On the new 350, you only have the option of smaller 'fake' springs, which do nothing. A very important difference is that the 500 has hydraulic tappets, which means no expensive 'tank off' job at every service, unlike the 350, which needs a 'tank off' job, at every service. Ultimately the all new Classic 350 is a 'homage' bike. It looks much like the 500 but it's built on a modern generic frame and feels like a modern bike. The 500 is a gentle evolution of the original 1950's bike and looks and feels like that. It also has the original 'mono' frame and when you put the two side by side and see that, you can't 'un see' it....... Just my view.
That's exactly what I had in mind for mine....semi knobblies and cut down mudguards. Watch this space. PS The new Hunter is out soon in the UK. Same engine, much sportier handling. RU-vid is full of it!
I have a classic 500 and an Interceptor 650. I test rode a classic 350 and found it to be the most comfortable motorbike I have ever ridden. The riding position, the seat, the suspension, the bar placement, the lack of vibration made me love it. The 650 is obviously more capable at speed but the riding position is all wrong for me, my back aches, the footrests are wrong... The 500 is style wise, perfect to me, but riding it is punitive. The vibrations, the cast iron seat... just painful at anything over 55mph or riding >1 hour. My hands are numb for hours after riding it. If the 350 had just a few more horsepower it would be perfect.
You should be reported to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Enfields😂 Did you work out what the skipping on overrun was? Also the plastic moulding the side panel attach to is one ugly lump isn't it.
what's really weird is you are comparing to a modified 500 to a stock 350. You really try out the interceptor / continental gt 650 twins and compare that with your 500. At least that would be some what of a fair comparison. Try out the Himalayan/ scram 411 as well. 350 is no comparison to the 500. Two different breeds.
Modified 500? My 500 is nearly stock. Also comparing the 650 to the 500 is the unfair comparison (and I already did when they came out years ago). The 350 is only 6.8 bhp less than the 500. The 650 has 47 bhp! (20 more than the 500). Not to mention the geometry and styling similarities between the 350 and 500, which the twins depart from completely. The 350 and 500 are the SAME breed. The Himalayan is a different breed altogether. Thanks for your comment, but I disagree with your assessment.