Urban-cool Hunter the next LAMS offering from RE
Words NZ Autocar | Images Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield has unveiled its Hunter 350, a mix of retro styling and a modern take on the lightweight urban roadster.
The Hunter 350 is designed to be agile with an abbreviated wheelbase, light weight and compact frame, and is aimed primarily for ease of riding on city streets. Royal Enfield describes the Hunter 350 as the ‘two-wheeled double espresso’ of motorcycling.
Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Eicher Motors, owners of Royal Enfield, said at the Thai reveal “At Royal Enfield we are closely engaged with our consumers and community. There was always a set of passionate motorcyclists that loved our brand but did not find the right kind of attitude within our portfolio. The Hunter 350 is for them.”
Royal Enfield CEO, B Govindarajan, said, “The Hunter 350 is an outcome of several years of insight gathering and consumer studies from across the world. We are confident that this newly imagined roadster will usher in a whole new set of global consumers into our world of pure motorcycling.”
The Hunter is powered by the same 349cc air/oil-cooled fuel-injected single found in the Meteor and Classic 350. LAMS legal, it produces 15kW (20bhp) at 6100 rpm and 27Nm of torque at 4000rpm. A primary balancer shaft limits vibration and power is processed by a five-speed gearbox.
The new machine is equipped with dual-colour liveries, cast alloy wheels (110/70 x 17 front, 140/70 x 17 rear, both tubeless), a centre stand, a USB charge port, and a one-piece seat set at 800mm. Discs are 300mm up front and 270mm at the rear, controlled by dual channel ABS. A digital-analogue instrument cluster rounds out specification.
The Suburban range of accessories features engine and sump guards, pannier mounts and luggage, a custom seat and touring mirrors. Meantime, the Urban range includes a bench seat, black LED indicators, a tinted flyscreen and a minimalist ‘tail tidy’.
The Hunter is set to launch in New Zealand before the end of this year. Expect pricing to kick off around the $7k mark.
