Hunter 350 after 5,000 km - light, fun, but that rear end needs work

42 views3 replies27 Jul

5,000 km down on my Hunter 350 and it's time for a proper update rather than just the excitement-filled first ride post. Bought this specifically because I wanted something Royal Enfield but lighter for daily city commuting, and on that front it completely delivers - this is by far the easiest RE to filter through traffic on, easy to flick around and confidence-inspiring at low speed in a way the bigger 350s aren't.

Mileage has been solid, averaging around 34-35 kmpl on mixed rides, though it does dip closer to 30 when I'm stuck in peak hour traffic for over an hour, which I guess makes sense given how much heat builds up around the engine at idle. The Metro versus Rebel trim confusion I mentioned only got sorted once I actually read through the Hunter 350 listing on this site properly.

My one real complaint is the rear suspension - it's genuinely harsh over broken roads and speed breakers, my back feels it after longer rides on bad stretches. Also had a scare when the bike tipped over at low speed in a parking lot and the gear lever bent inward slightly. Anyone else dealt with this, and did your dealer replace it under warranty or did you have to pay?

3 Replies

manoj_garage

27 Jul

Suspension complaint is fair but I'll offer a slightly different take - I'm on the Rebel trim and honestly don't find it as brutal as people describe, maybe it varies unit to unit or maybe my roads here are just better maintained. Agree on the mileage numbers though, almost exactly what I get too. On the bent lever thing, that's apparently a known weak point on these, mine survived a similar tip-over but I've read enough owners mention it that I'd say get a spare lever in your kit if you ride solo often.

divya_autolove

27 Jul

Can vouch for the nimbleness completely, coming from a Pulsar before this the Hunter feels like a different category of easy to live with in city riding. My mileage is almost identical to yours, low 30s in the city and I've touched 37 on a highway stretch once with a tailwind probably helping. The lightness is honestly the whole selling point for me, my previous bike felt like a chore in traffic and this one doesn't.

isha_carventures

27 Jul

That bent lever issue is unfortunately pretty common, saw a few others mention this exact thing after low-speed drops. Dealer replaced mine under warranty without much fuss when it happened at 2,000 km, so worth pushing for that instead of paying out of pocket, especially since it seems to be a known weak point rather than user damage. On the suspension - have you tried increasing the rear preload if your variant allows it? Made a noticeable difference for me on bad roads. What's your service interval looking like so far, any surprises there?

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