Said by Royal Enfield to be the bestselling model in the company’s long (since 1901) history, the Classic 350 made a modern return in 2022 with an all-new engine and chassis that is also shared with the Bullet, Hunter, and Meteor 350s as well. Inspired by the 1948 G2 350 Bullet—the first bike with an articulating swingarm—the Classic 350 is intended to bring back the simplicity of pure riding enjoyment in a basic, nostalgic styling package, but utilizing modern technology to keep the experience trouble free. A look at the Classic 350 shows the new machine retains the prototypical lines of the older Bullet while the new engine and chassis nicely blend into the design.
The new single-cylinder SOHC counterbalanced air/oil-cooled 349cc J-series engine puts out a claimed 20.2 hp at 6,100 rpm and 19 lb.-ft. of peak torque at 4,000 rpm. That powerplant bolts into a new twin-downtube steel spine frame that Royal Enfield says has been strengthened for better stability and more precise handling. The Classic comes in nine color combinations, with all but the Dark models using a 19-inch spoked front wheel and 18-inch spoked rear wheel using tubes (the Darks come with cast aluminum wheels in the same diameters with tubeless tires). A 41mm nonadjustable conventional fork sits up front providing 5.1 inches of travel, with spring-preload-adjustable twin emulsion shocks in the rear going through 3.1 inches of travel. Braking is handled by a single 300mm disc and ByBre twin-piston sliding caliper up front, with a single 270mm disc/single-piston slider caliper in the rear. The pillion seat is removable to provide an even more quintessential look.
The 2024 Royal Enfield Classic 350 is available in nine paint styles. The Halcyon Black, Halcyon Green, or Halcyon Grey retail for $4,599; the Signals Desert Sand, Signals Marsh Grey, Dark Stealth Black, and Dark Gunmetal Grey list at $4,699, and the Chrome Red or Chrome Bronze are listed at $4,799,
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