Words: Zane Dobie/BikeReview Photos: RE ANZ

The updated Classic 350 features Royal Enfield’s new 350cc single-cylinder powerplant seen first in their all-new Meteor 350. Mal Jarrett, who looks after the media side of Royal Enfield Australia, gave us a fair warning that the little 350 singles weren’t designed for the long, high speed limit roads of rural Victoria but we soon found out that they were more than capable of sitting on 100km/h.

Jumping on the bike for the first time, I instantly noticed the slightly awkward positioning of the footpegs. They sit in between a cruiser and normal road bike style setup, meaning when I was pushing the bike back and forth, they kept catching on my shins! Once you’re up and running, the change in position from standard isn’t noticeable and if it’s your first bike you’ll have no issues warming up to it.

The clutch action is incredibly easy, you would really have to try to get the 350 to stall. This is thanks to the seven-plate wet clutch system, which Royal Enfield purposely engineered to be easy to use, a great perk for people looking to buy/ride their first ever bike! Plus, the heavy flywheel effect.

Once we got moving, I was instantly taken back to my own first bike, a 1992 Yamaha SRV250S Renaissa. Everything from the comfortable, spongy seat to the low ‘bars and no windshield, it rode almost the same. Great memories and an enjoyable start to the ride.

Attributing to its easy rideability, you could just keep the little air-cooled 350 pinned without going over the speed limit, the 20.2hp@6100rpm it makes is just enough to keep up with Aussie roads. You won’t be breaking any land speed records though as the best we could get was about 120km/h with a tailwind and a slipstream line with all the other journalists.

Being taken back to all the great memories I had zipping around on that little 250 made me enjoy the Classic 350 as we snaked through the country roads and I reminisced riding to school every day with the throttle at either 100 per cent or closed.

The gearbox worked well to have a linear speed increase all the way up to 100km/h until you flick into fifth gear where the Classic 350 seemed to die down. If they had gone with a shorter fifth gear, the bike could’ve easily done over 110km/h without running out of power. But most owners won’t be too interested in touring on these, they’re the perfect bike to just get around in town on…

I was disappointed when it came to the brakes. If you’ve ever done a bad job of bleeding your system, you’ll know exactly how the Classic 350’s felt. I believe if you’re going to make a bike for first time riders then safety should be a high priority, the single 300mm disc with twin piston ­floating caliper needed to be improved to efficiently bring the heavy 195kg machine to a halt.

The strange part was that each of the bikes felt different to ride, especially when it came to the brakes. Riding them back-to-back and feeling the differences gave a hand built sense to them. But, across all of them, the brakes were spongy and vague. However, the dual channel ABS system worked well when slamming on the front and rear brakes while testing emergency stops, no lock-ups at all!

The suspension did a great job of keeping me comfortable throughout the day. The 41mm telescopic forks at the front weren’t anything special but did their job well, making the bike easy to ride and predictable. Keeping with the wonderful aesthetic design of the bike, the front suspension setup has been beautifully integrated into the headlight surround.

The twin tube emulsion shocks were quite soft, when we were making passes over a bridge with a bump in the middle of the corner for photos, you’d feel the rear end compress super low and then shoot you back up as it tried to launch you off the seat. But the bike wasn’t made to hit the track on and the entire suspension system made a comfortable change from the sportsbikes I’ve been riding.

Despite my earlier complaints of the footpegs being in an awkward spot, the ergonomics are spot on for a learner bike. Sitting upright in a controlled position makes it easy to do plenty of slow turns and keep the bike balanced. Having attacked the M.O.S.T course a few times for a previous feature, I can see the Classic 350 having no issues with the tight turns needed for a pass, which is something I often look out for when riding a LAMs bike.

The wide and soft seat meant I could have ridden the bike back to Sydney and still be comfortable by the time I arrived at home, which was almost an option over the crowded flight home if I hadn’t left my warmer jacket at home. With the optional screen, it’d be a slow but enjoyable 12-hour ride.

The rest of the bike is basic, there is a single analogue dial for your speed and a small LCD screen for all the trip info you’ll need. Besides the optional turn by turn navigation pod seen on the Meteor (available as an accessory) you won’t really need anything more than a simple setup, the whole idea of the Classic 350 being an easy to ride, cool looking bike has been successful in my books, I can see casual riders falling in love with the ride.

The 2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 is a bike that I would enjoy riding everyday but there is a lot around for $7,990, so I would have to really be going for this style of motorcycle. I can see the appeal of the Classic 350, it’s cool, simple, stylish and easy to ride. If you’re keen on one, make sure you set a good portion of time to decide what colour scheme you want though, you have plenty to choose from and they all look amazing…

SPECIFICATIONS
2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350

Price: From $7,990 R/A

Warranty: Three Years.

Colours: Chrome Red, Chrome Bronze, Dark Stealth Black, Dark Gunmetal Grey, Signals Sandstorm, Signals Marsh Grey, Halcyon Green, Halcyon Grey and Halcyon Black

Claimed Power: 20.2hp@6100rpm

Claimed Torque: 27Nm@4000rpm

ENGINE

Single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-oil cooled, 349cc, bore x stroke 72mm x 85.8mm, compression ratio 9.5:1, Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI), wet, multi-plate clutch, five-speed constant mesh gearbox.

CHASSIS

Frame Type; Twin Downtube Spine Frame

Front suspension: Telescopic, 41mm forks, 130mm travel, Rear suspension: Twin tube Emulsion shock absorbers with six-step adjustable preload

Wheels & Tyres: Alloy Wheel – 100/90 – 19in – 57P (Tubeless Type), Alloy Wheel – 140/70 – 18in – 62P (Tubeless Type).

Brakes: Front 300mm disc with twin piston ­floating caliper, rear 270mm disc, single piston ­floating caliper, ABS Dual Channel

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 1389mm

Ground Clearance: 170mm

Overall Length: 2145mm

Width: 785mm

Height: 1090mm

Seat Height: 805mm

Kerb Weight: 195kg

Fuel Capacity: 13L

Dash: Analogue and LCD display with navigation and smart phone connectivity.

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