The 2022 Classic 350 is a beautiful retro design with an array of modern lines and features. The new era of 350’s was launched in Australia January 2022 and at first sighting you would be forgiven to mistake it for a 60-year-old vintage motorcycle. Royal Enfield has once again achieved a balance of post-war aesthetics with modern design and technology coupled with solid engineering and production attention to detail.
Who are loving this Classic?
At Salt Creek Motorcycles we are finding a wide range of folk are loving this bike. First time rider 20 something guys n gals, to longer in the tooth seasoned riders who just want a cool easy to ride bike to commute or explore the hinterland – instead of a 1200cc hulk or high performance bike that they have pretty much moved on from. It’s exciting to see Royal Enfield take a hold in the Northern Rivers.
I rode this bike for the first time in the Byron Hinterland within a bunch of bikes from 650 twins to 1200 Triumphs in the International Female Ride day in May.
It’s an extremely comfortable riding position with ergonomics dialled in to suit most human sizes and shapes which is no mean feat in itself! With this bike, you are free to take in your surroundings seeing much more green rather than black asphalt.
However, although it is a single-cylinder 349cc this bike can certainly deliver plenty of fun. The relatively new engine shared with the Meteor 350 cruiser is a smooth and torquee engine that pulls away with every gear change. Gone are the days of a shaky single-cylinder thump, which of course does have its appeal. But rather the new 350 engine encourages the rider to ‘feel the ride’ and not be overpowered by that thump or too much power.
It is a cracking learner bike too, and with a low 805mm seat height and a nice generous cut of foam to plant your bum it is pretty comfortable even when riding over those repaired potholes and bitumen corrugations.
The handlebars are set at quite a neutral position and are a little shorter than say compared to the now end of production Classic 500. And in my 179cm /5’11” point of view, combined with the lower seat position and relaxed knee bend…it just feels right.
It’s got a fairly low centre of gravity so shorter limbed folk are not feeling intimidated one little bit when they hop on in the showroom or set off on a test ride.
On the straight of course those big horses mentioned above had me well n truly, but line up the twisties and I was grinning from ear to ear looking for passing spots. Of course I probably wasn’t going to hurl the bike past a 650 twin or 750 Ducati, but with the extremely smooth gear change up and down it is an easy bike to hop on for the first time and confidently set off. It’s such an effortless bike to work through the gears up and down through those twisty hills. I had a ball. As Royal Enfield say… #pureriding.
With 4 variants and 9 colour ways and a handful of price points the new Classic 350 bike is catching the eyes of young and old, female and male.
Bring your gear in and test ride for yourself.