Royal Enfield recently launched the new Hunter 350 in the Indian market. The brand aims to enter new segments with its smallest offering right now. However, there are many retro options out there in the market today and standing out is not easy. One such option is the Honda CB350 RS. The CB350RS is the sportier version of the CB 350 H’ness. In this specification comparison, we compare Royal Enfield’s latest bike with the Honda’s CB350 RS to see how they stack up against each other.
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is available in a total of two variants – Retro and Metro. Furthermore, the Metro variant has two sub-variants – Metro Dapper & Metro Rebel. The only difference between the two Metro variants is the colour options. However, there are more than a few differences between the Retro and Metro variants.
The Hunter 350 range starts at INR 1,49,900 ex-showroom for the base Retro variant. Meanwhile, the Hunter’s Metro Dapper variant costs INR 1,63,900 ex-showroom. The most expensive variant is the Metro Rebel, which costs INR 1,68,900 ex-showroom.
Royal Enfield offers the Hunter 350 in a total of 8 colour options. These include two for the Retro variant and three each for the Metro variants. As for the Retro variant, it is available in – Factory Black and Factory Silver. Meanwhile, the Metro Dapper is available in – Dapper Ash, Dapper White & Dapper Grey. The Metro Rebel comes in – Rebel Black, Rebel Blue and Rebel Red.
The Honda CB350 RS comes in Monotone and Dual-Tone versions. There are two Monotone colours on offer – Athletic Blue Metallic and Radiant Red Metallic. However, there’s only one Dual-Tone colour option – Black with Pearl Sports Yellow.
Pricing for the CB350 RS starts at INR 2,03,179 ex-showroom for the Monotone colour options, while the Dual-Tone colour option costs INR 2,03,808 ex-showroom.
Powering the Hunter 350 is a 349cc air/oil-cooled single-cylinder J-series engine. The engine is also BS6-compliant and gets a 2-valve SOHC valvetrain. It makes 20.4 PS at 6,100 rpm and 27 Nm at 4,000 rpm. As for the gearbox, it uses a 5-speed unit.
On the other hand, the Honda CB350 RS uses a 348.36cc air-cooled single-cylinder motor that makes 21.07 PS at 5,500 rpm and 30 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. Like the Hunter 350, the CB350 RS also uses a 5-speed gearbox. Additionally, the CB350 RS also comes with an assist and slipper clutch.
Both the variants of the Hunter 350 use 41mm telescopic forks at the front and a twin shock absorber setup at the back. The rear also gets 6-step adjustability for preload.
However, the setup of the brakes is different in the two variants. Both variants use a 300mm disc at the front. But, while the Hunter Retro uses a 6-inch drum brake at the back, the Hunter Metro gets a 270mm disc brake. In addition to this, the Hunter Retro comes with Single-Channel ABS, while the Hunter Metro gets Dual-Channel ABS.
The Hunter Retro variant uses 17-inch wire-spoke wheels with tyres measuring 100/80-section at the front and 120/80-section in the rear. On the other hand, the Hunter Metro uses 17-inch alloy wheels with 110/70-section front and 140/70-section rear tyres.
Like the Hunter 350, the CB350 RS also uses telescopic forks at the front and twin-hydraulic shock absorbers at the back. As for the brakes, the CB350 RS uses a 310mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the back. Honda also offers Dual-Channel ABS as standard.
Unlike the Hunter’s 17-inch setup, the CB350 RS uses a 19-inch front alloy wheel and a 17-inch alloy wheel at the back. The front uses a 100/90-section tyre, while the rear uses a wide 150/70-section one.
The Hunter 350 is 2,055mm long, 800mm wide and 1,055mm tall. Meanwhile, its wheelbase is 1,370mm long. Due to the different wheels and tyres, the Retro & Metro variant weighs different. The Retro weighs 177 kg, while the Metro weighs 181 kg. The Hunter has a 13-litre fuel tank capacity, 800mm seat height and 150.5mm of ground clearance.
On the other hand, the CB350 RS measures 2,171mm in length, 804mm in width and 1,097mm in height. Thus, the CB350 RS is larger than the Hunter 350 in every dimension. Additionally, its 1,441mm wheelbase is also much more than the Hunter’s. The CB350 RS tips the scales at 179 kg, has a fuel tank capacity of 15 litres and a seat height of 800mm. Additionally, at 168mm, the CB350 RS is also more than that of the Hunter 350.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Vs. TVS Ronin – Specification Comparison