Review: 2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350 – The old-school retro essence rejuvenised

The second-generation Royal Enfield Classic 350 boasts of a ton of improvements over the model it replaced, with a finer and more refined engine, enhanced mechanicals and a few new features.

• The Classic 350 is the highest-selling motorcycle from Royal Enfield and a regular sight in the top ten-selling motorcycles in India.
• The Classic 350 is the second motorcycle from Royal Enfield to get the new-generation 349cc J-Series engine.
• Compared to the older model, the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 gets wider tyres, more power and torque and better brakes.

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is one motorcycle which needs no introduction. It was the model which resurrected Royal Enfield from ashes, making it one of the most desirable motorcycle brands among riders of all age groups. Royal Enfield understands this fact too and gave it a much-needed update in 2021. This update saw the new Classic 350 receiving minor tweaks to its design, a whole new engine, a revised chassis and its components and a new instrument console and switchgear.

2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350: Design & Features

With the second-generation version, Royal Enfield claims that the Classic 350 is an all-new motorcycle, in which most of the parts are completely different from the model it replaced. However, despite that, the new Classic 350 retains the charm and essence of its predecessor and has the same silhouette and design theme, but with revised body panels and components.

At the front, the Royal Enfield Classic 350 gets a rounded halogen headlamp with tiny pilot lamps positioned on its upper corners. Even the front forks with their upper portions integrated with the headlamp housing resemble the erstwhile model. 

Royal Enfield has beautifully retained the rounded theme for the front and rear fenders and fuel tank, along with the triangular side panels with rounded edges and ovular secondary side body panels placed behind the new engine. The fuel tank of the new Classic 350 comes integrated with rubber pads for tireless riding, even for longer distances.

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a split seat theme as standard, in which the rear seat can be completely removed as and when required for giving it an authentic single-seater look. The Classic 350 comes with spoke wheels as standard, but it gets black alloy wheels in two of its paint shades – Gunmetal Grey and Dark Stealth Black. At the back, the new Classic 350 comes with a new rounded tail lamp with an LED insert and rounded amber turn indicators flanking it.

Another big step-up in the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 is its part-digital instrument console, which comprises an analogue speedometer and a small LCD panel, which reads out the fuel gauge, odometer, trip meters and eco indicator. The Classic 350 can be equipped with an optional tripper navigation unit beside the LCD panel. The new-generation switches shared with the Meteor 350 and a longer, low-set handlebar complete the look of the new Classic 350.

2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350: Engine & Gearbox 

The new Classic 350 is the second motorcycle from Royal Enfield to come with the new-generation four-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected, 349cc ‘J-Series’ engine. This engine came in as a replacement for the previous-generation 346cc engine and has proven itself as a lot more refined engine with massively-controlled vibrations even at higher RPMs.

In the Classic 350, this engine has been paired to a 5-speed gearbox and produces a maximum power output of 20.2 bhp @ 6,100 rpm and a peak torque output of 27 Nm @ 4,000 rpm. While Royal Enfield hasn’t revealed the official fuel efficiency figures of the new Classic 350, the retro roadster returns a decent fuel economy in the range of 35-38 kmpl.

2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350: Chassis

Based on an all-new twin downtube spine frame, which is stronger and lighter than the frame of the previous-generation model, the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a suspension setup of 41mm telescopic forks at the front and twin-tube coil springs with 6-step adjustable preload at the rear. 

Riding on 100/90-19 front and 120/80-18 rear tyres, which are wider than before, the Classic 350 comes with a braking setup comprising of 300mm disc at the front. While the single-channel ABS models come with a 153mm drum brake at the rear, the dual-channel ABS variants have a 270mm disc brake instead. 

2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350: Dimensions

With a kerb weight of 195 kg, the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 is a lighter motorcycle than the model it replaced. The motorcycle measures 2145 mm long, 785mm wide and 1390 mm wide while having a wheelbase of 1390 mm, seat height of 805 mm and a ground clearance of 170 mm.

2023 Royal Enfield Classic 350: Variants & Price

The overall line-up of Royal Enfield Classic 350 starts with the ‘Redditch’ series, which consists of three colours – Redditch Red, Redditch Grey and Redditch Sage Green, and is priced at Rs 1,90,092. 

The next variant in the Royal Enfield Classic 350 line-up is ‘The Halcyon’ series, comprising three colour options – Halcyon Black, Halcyon Grey and Halcyon Green. While the single-channel ABS version of this variant is priced at Rs 1,92,890, the dual-channel ABS version costs Rs 1,98,971.

The third variant in the series of new Classic 350 is ‘Signals’ series available in two paint shades – Signals Marsh Grey and Signals Desert Sand. This variant is available only with a dual-channel ABS, priced at Rs 2,10,385. The 2023 Classic 350 is also offered in two unique shades of Gunmetal Grey and Dark Stealth Black. 

These two variants are also available only with a dual-channel ABS and are priced at Rs 2,17,588. The range-topping variant of the new Royal Enfield Classic 350 is the ‘Chrome’ version, which comes in two shades – Chrome Red and Chrome Bronze. This variant is priced at Rs 2,21,297 for the sole dual-channel ABS version.