Royal Enfield Hunter 350’s launch date has been pushed to August, will come into 2 variants
The launch date of the upcoming Royal Enfield Hunter has been, reportedly, revealed. Unfortunately, the much-awaited roadster is still over 1 and a half months away from sight. The Chennai-based bike maker has sent a ‘Block Your Date’ invite to media houses.
As per the invite, the company has earmarked 4th to 8th August which means, the launch and first ride events will take place in those dates. With the bike already revealed in full, the only confirmation needed now is regarding its price.
Reports say Hunter will become the cheapest bike in Royal Enfield’s portfolio commanding an ex-showroom price somewhere between Rs. 1.3 to 1.4 lakhs, that’s lower than the price of the current cheapest Royal Enfield Bullet series by around Rs. 10,000/-.
The roadster is underpinned by the brand’s, now mainstream, J series platform and has been codenamed JIC1. Earlier, we told you that the Hunter will also get a cheaper variant. And the said variant has been codenamed J1C2.
J1C2 is expected to get single disc with single channel ABS, same as the Bullet 350s and Royal Enfield Classic 350 Redditch series. The rear wheel will sport 153 mm drum brake. The J1C1, on the other hand, will get proper rear disc and dual-channel ABS.
The roadster shares many parts with the Meteor 350 including the double cradle chassis, y-shaped alloy wheels, headlight, levers, handgrips, engine, and even the twin-pod instrument console.
But it gets smaller and shorter swing arm, smaller wheels, new rear suspension, single-piece seat, different tank, mudguards, grab handles, and tail light. The fork rake seems lower and this, aided by the shorter swing arm, flat handlebar, and sticky tires, should help the Hunter handle well.
The compact profile will help the bike glide through traffic. It could also weigh less than than all the Royal Enfields and this, aided by the high torque motor, could make it a hoot to ride in the city. There are rear set foot pegs for a perfect street fighter ergonomics.
The 350 cc engine on the Meteor, which the Hunter will get, is mated to a 5-speed transmission. It puts out 20.1 HP at 6100 RPM and 27 Nm at 4000 RPM. The mill can hit a top speed of 120 km/hr.
