Royal Enfield – Classic 350

The year 2023 was a remarkable one for the so-called musical physical format. Physical copies of music have been performing better than digital downloads for a while and the trend continued this year. To make it even more amazing, for the first time since 1987, the analog vinyl LP outsold its digital nemesis, the CD.

So, what does all of this information have to do with a post about a motorcycle? Well, what I am trying to say here is: vintage is cool, and cool people are out there, looking for vintage/retro stuff to buy.

If there is one segment that has been enjoying this retro fever for a while is the motorcycle industry. They jumped into this market niche much earlier than the auto makers and that is understandable; after all, as a friend of mine use to say, “Bikes are moved by passion, not by reason”. In fact, brands like Harley Davidson and Triumph are so attached to the vintage image that is impossible to talk about them without bringing to mind an image of a bike designed in the 1950s/60s. But there is another brand that can be easily included here, Royal Enfield.

Made Like A Gun.

We can trace the roots of this traditional British company back to 1893, when the Enfield Manufacturing Company Ltd. started to supply precision parts for firearms produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory of Enfield, Middlesex.

Royal Enfield produced its first bike in 1901 and the connection with the armament industry gave the inspiration for the company’s trademark: Made Like A Gun.

In 1955 the company established a partnership with Madras Motors, and a factory was built in Tiruvottiyur, near Madras, India. By the late 1970s, the entire production of the Royal Enfield bikes was made in India.

The 350 Classic

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 was introduced in 2009 and it became an instant hit. This first generation was offered with two different engines, the 350cc and the 500cc, both air-cooled and single-cylinder.

The bike draws its design inspiration from the 1932 Royal Enfield Bullet (pictured above), one of the company’s most popular models. According to Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Royal Enfield’s parent company Eicher Motors Ltd., “The Classic 350 is a modern and capable motorcycle that symbolizes the timeless post-war styling from the heydays of the British motorcycle industry.”

Royal Enfield ditched the 500cc version in 2021, keeping the 350cc as the only option for the Classic.

Despite the bike’s nod to the past, the 349cc, air-oil cooled engine performs like a well-designed modern machine. The single-cylinder dual overhead cam (DOHC) engine is well-balanced and smooth. The engine produces 20 bhp @ 6100 rpm, and 27 Nm of torque @ 4000 rpm. The numbers don’t sound much but it is enough to easily make its way through town and have some fun on back roads.

If you love riding with your sweetheart hugging you, an optional seat can be installed over the rear fender.

Throughout the years, Royal Enfield has released a myriad of versions of the Classic 350. The top one is a not-so-subtle all-chrome model; perfect for riders with a flashy personality.

The bike is equipped with hydraulic disc brakes on the front and rear wheels, more than enough to safely stop it.

It is fair to say that all the bikes produced by Royal Enfield have this retro vibe, and we can hardly blame the company for holding on to this feeling. The period between the end of WWII and the late 1960s was the most romantic era in motorcycle history.

It was a time when British bikes like BSA, Norton, Triumph, and of course, Royal Enfield dictated the standards of the motorcycle industry. Those machines were synonymous with freedom and rebellion, they became the vehicle of choice for the youth in defiance against a repressive society.

The RE Classic 350 is an affordable way to revive that era. If you have $6000.00 to spare and a leather jacket you can be the most rebellious dude/gal among your peers at the office. Well, if not the most rebellious at least the most stylish.