2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 | First Look Review

2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 review
The 2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 is powered by the same air-/oil-cooled 349cc Single as the Meteor 350. Shown in Chrome Bronze (colors, specs, and pricing for the U.S. have not been finalized).

Inspired by the 1948 Model G2, the Royal Enfield Classic 500 that was launched in 2008 brought post-WW2 styling to a contemporary audience. Over a span of 12 years – until Royal Enfield ceased production of the UCE 500 single-cylinder engine in 2020 – more than three million Classic 500s were produced.

Read our 2010 Royal Enfield Bullet C5 Classic review

Following the introduction of the Meteor 350 earlier this year, the same 349ccc air-/oil-cooled, SOHC, 2-valve, fuel-injected Single with a 5-speed gearbox will power the new Classic 350. When we put the Meteor 350 on Jett Tuning’s dyno, it made 18 horsepower and 18 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel.

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2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 review
2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 in Gun Metal Grey

Like the Meteor, the Classic 350 was a collaborative effort by Royal Enfield’s design teams in the U.K. and India. Its engine is hung from a steel spine frame with twin downtubes, and the bike is suspended by a 41mm non-adjustable fork and twin emulsion rear shocks with adjustable preload. Brakes are from ByBre, with a 2-piston front caliper squeezing a 300mm disc and a 1-piston rear caliper squeezing a 270mm disc, and dual-channel ABS is standard.

Classic 350s released in India are offered with either spoked wheels or cast wheels, with a 19-inch front and 18-inch rear. Seat height is 31.7 inches, fuel capacity is 3.4 gallons, and claimed curb weight is 430 pounds. A handsome instrument panel includes an analog speedometer, a multi-function LCD, and Royal Enfield’s Tripper turn-by-turn navigation system.

2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 review

The Classic 350 arrives in North America next year, but specs, colors, pricing, and availability have not been finalized. For more information, visit royalenfield.com.

39 COMMENTS

  1. Suggesting anything Royal Enfield to a beginning rider is irresponsible journalism. Compared to the offerings from Japan, the RE is an underpowered, doddering hunk of junk. Sure it’s cheap, but remember…you get what you pay for.
    BTW – you would be much better off finding a pre-owned, low-mileage Japanese bike for the same or less money and enjoy years of reliable motoring. You can thank me later.

    • Wrong i’m afraid. you would have been right a few years ago but not anymore. I’ve done 16000 miles on my 650 Royal enfield and it’s been 100% reliable. And it cleans up like brand new, comparable to any modern japanese bike.

    • I owned a 1995 Bullet 500, and despite the comments from the ignorant such as yourself, I found it a reliable ride. As reliable as a Japanese bike? No – but the Bullet was also a lot easier to do maintenance on.

      “remember…you get what you pay for” Yes, and we paid nothing for your opinion.

      • He sounds like the bloke on a campsite that looked around my enfield with a sidecar on it and said they don’t last long and they are unreliable. until I pointed out my bike was a lot older than him and I had just rode 320 miles to get there. I’ve had no trouble with either of mine at all. One is 43years old the other 7 years . Dont slag them off if you know nothing about anything. Well said Rick

        • Thx for the Overall honesty from owNERS!
          I just grabbed a New “23” Classic 350 and can’t wait to hit some quiet backroads in Northern Delaware, USA..
          It is perfect for these type of roads, I hear!!

    • Actually RE is a affordable and reliable bike. Don’t knock it until you have a change to ride on. Easy for beginners to learn on and get confidence riding a bike. Why get one a faster Japanese bike when you barely know how to handle a motorcycle, to me that’s more irresponsible suggesting a new rider to get a more powerful bike.

      • I am a veteran rider and I just bought the meteor 350 here in the states. Super comfortable great engine sound and remarkably good acceleration for a smaller displacement engine wonderful ergonomics And suspension that soaks up bad pavement. Just an overall joy to ride and look at!

    • Have you even ridden one? 68000 miles on my RE Himalayan and no issues at all, just your regular oil change, valve adjustment, wear and tear replacement items the bike is solid and will go for more miles.

      Try one before you knock it.

    • I have two Enfields. one is a 1948 model G the other is 1980 350 bullet with a Watsonian ?sidecar . So I think it blows your “only get what you pay for” out of the water ?
      will your Jap plastic rocket last 74 years on the same engine / same gear box and start first time every time?

    • Baloney! Have you actually ridden a new RE? Have you even read the reports and owner reviews? There’s nothing wrong with these bikes at all. They’re not made for racing, that’s for sure, but who cares about that? For every-day riding and the price point, they’re great value for money.

    • This is misinformation. It isn’t true. People who spout this type of nonsense are frustrating and give biking a bad name.

    • LOL – wow, this comment didn’t age well. Royal Enfield has been crushing it, and the new J-series 350 engine is a smooth work of art. Don’t listen to people like the original poster. Try a Royal Enfield – you can thank me later.

  2. Not true that Royal Enfield is hunk of junk. Royal Enfield has state of the art factories and sells in volumes that makes Harley Davidson look like a bit player. It’s no longer a secret how to make reliable engines and the standard fuel injection on this bike is a huge deal. The engine design is of necessity new to get through ever tougher emissions. I rehab bikes as a hobby often doing 3 or more every year. The last thing a beginner wants to do is debug an abused bike of any origin especially one with carburetors. That said, If you find something pristine then used is OK for a beginner. Have an experienced friend or better yet a mechanic ride it and advise whether it needs work or there’s deferred maintenance to be done.

  3. After researching all the available information about the Classic 350, mostly from India owners, it is much like the Meteor 350 in terms of quality build, fit and finish, smoothness throughout the rev range, handling and ergonomics. The Classic 350 has slightly larger brakes and tuned according to it’s weight which is slightly more than the Meteor 350. Acceleration is a bit less but cruising speed is most comfortable at 65-70mph. What you get is a classic design with much improved ridability and reliability. Obviously, you have to accept the performance limitations. I’m a long time rider with over 50 years riding all kinds of bikes. At 74 I am ready for a retro design capable of keeping up with the speed limits both on secondary roads and interstate highways. Price is important as is Royal Enfield’s 3 year unlimited mileage warranty including road side assistance. For anyone with an open mind and interested in what Royal Enfield has accomplished today in terms of quality and reliability, and you like the retro design, why not take a longer look before calling this bike a “hunk of junk”. Royal Enfield is seriously offering affordable alternatives which may appeal to both beginners and experienced riders seeking pleasurable riding over high performance complicated expensive bikes. Ride Safe, Ride Often

    • As a Meteor 350 owner, I LOVE my bike! The build quality is excellent, and the whole design is well thought out. I’d put it up against anything from the Big Four. I’ve owned 11 bikes before my Meteor, so this isn’t my first rodeo. The Meteor is a quality bike.

      What I like about the RE brand is that they offer good looking, quality, no-nonsense/no BS bikes at a good value. They have everything a motorcycle needs, and nothing that one doesn’t. Come to think of it, RE offers what the Big Four USED to! Maybe that’s why they’re becoming popular worldwide, huh?

  4. Love the looks of this bike — and the Meteor. But 18 hp. on a rather porky bike just isn’t enough. The Honda Rebel 300 has 7 more hp. and weighs 50lb. less,– big difference on this size bike. RE has really stepped up their game, and making some nice bikes, just a little underpowered.

    • Yes but you have to rev the shit out off the engine to get the power. And it has a midrange dip.
      I perfer the classic 350 butter smooth curve for cruising! So far no mayor meteor 350 engine troubels have been posted on forum’s / youtube. Some even have high milage for the short time the bike is on the market.

    • I imagine that they had to engineer the air cooled engine conservatively, so as to meet the emissions regs. The reason why most bikes have gone over to liquid cooling is for the emissions regs. With liquid cooling, it’s possible to build an engine to tighter tolerances, which not only helps with power; it helps with keeping emissions in check. Physically, the Meteor 350’s engine is the same size at the engine on my old Honda FT500 Ascot, just to give you an idea. For an air cooled engine, this thing runs a lot cooler than any other air cooled bike I’ve had.

      As for the weight of the Meteor, it’s down low, so it’s not a bother when operating it at slow speeds. Also, the heavier weight helps the bike’s stability in heavy winds or at highway speeds. It feels sure footed and secure.

  5. I strongly disagree about modern Royal Enfield’s being junk. I rented a 2019 Interceptor 650 while on holiday in Sydney, Australia and went on rides out of Sydney into the Blue Mountains and along the Gold Coast. Was the most enjoyable rides I’ve ever had and the Interceptor was just fantastic in all respects. Looked so cool in the orange crush paint too!
    Loved the bike and wish they were available here in South Africa, I would buy one for sure.
    These modern Enfield’s are a far cry from their old models and in my opinion as good or even better than comparable Japanese and European bikes, especially on value for money.

  6. Pour répondre à “Bombe bourdonnante “il faut savoir ce que l’on veut avec une moto et ce que l’on veut en faire .Pour ceux qui pensent que ce n’est pas assez puissant ,il faut aller sur une autre cylindrée 500 voir plus .Pour ceux qui pensent que la qualité n’est pas présente il faut aller chez les Japonaises et surtout arrêter la critique .Faut pas oublier que Honda ne souhaite pas exporter sa 350 H’ness ,ben c’est pas grave ,pour ma part je vais me rabattre sur cette Royal Enfield et tant pis pour Honda qui ne sont plus à la hauteur de ce qu’ils étaient .En ce qui me concerne je vais pas détailler ,dans mon garage sont alignées six honda ,et aujourd’hui sans hésiter je vais aller chez R E .Juste pour l’anecdote je roule régulièrement avec un K2 et un K4 350 CB et je prends mon pied .J’attendais la H’ness ,elle ne viendra pas ,c’est pas grave .On a pas tous envie de rouler sur un avion de chasse bourrée de vitamine .Bonne route .

  7. Please please please Royal Enfield US, can we have shiny paint AND cast wheels? And will those lovely cast wheels fit the 650 to? You’d have a better looking retro with a better safety factor.

    • I have recently purchased a Meteor with shiny metalic brown and black paint rolling on alloy cast wheels. At 78 years young it beats submitting to the likes of a trike. For those with negative comments about RE, I’ll say “if I gave a rats ass about what you think of my ride, I would have bought one just like yours.” The meteor may be inexpensive, but it is not cheap. I’m liking this ride a lot.

  8. Over my 50 odd years of riding (BMW’S / TRIUMPH’S – MERIDEN / BSA’S / HONDA’S & ENFIELD’S), I have allways done my own spanner work, If jap bikes were that reliable then there should be no mechanics for them, just have a walk past a jap bike shop see how many of them are in for repair (ive had 400 & 750 /4’s) As we know all bikes at some point will break down, but there are some which will be needed to go back to the shop but others (as above) you can repair by the road side to get back home, I have even passed by broken down Ducati’s (now that’s an arm and leg cost to get repaired)
    most jap bike you need to have deep pockets and long arms for a day out or a repair. Honda c90 or cb125 are a different matter tho.

  9. You don’t just know about RE bikes. They are very reliable bikes and been used by indian ARMY as well for more than 70 over years. I have this bike since 2005 still runs like brand new.

  10. I have two Enfields. one is a 1948 model G the other is 1980 350 bullet with a Watsonian ?sidecar . So I think it blows your “only get what you pay for” out of the water ?
    will your Jap plastic rocket last 74 years on the same engine / same gear box and start first time every time?

  11. Really Great Bike to ride on long journeys. Have this beast for last 5 years with me. Absolutely Love it.
    Also made my beast looking more aggressive with stickers from inline4.in

  12. I’d buy one. Fun. Riding is about fun. If you’re not grinning like tickled dog, you bought the wrong bike.

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