Royal Enfield Classic 350 Touring Accessories Long Term Review: 1300km Highway Report

Things I Liked

As comfortable and laid back as the Classic 350 looks, it needs wind protection when ridden over long distances because the rider sits completely upright. This makes them susceptible to windblast and a screen is of mighty help when munching miles. Naturally, that’s what I expected the Classic 350’s windscreen to do. And on our first leg, we chose the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway followed by Amboli Ghat to reach our destination, Vagator (Goa).

Now, the aforementioned route consists of long and wide-open roads allowing the bike to cruise with ease at 100kmph and even more. And at the said speed, there’s ample wind hitting the rider from the front. But, the Classic 350’s screen spreads the flow and most of the air is diverted away from the rider. Till 85-90kmph, the windscreen does its job well with minor buffeting noise that doesn’t hinder your riding experience and allows for an overall smooth ride. Even after hours on the saddle, I didn’t feel much fatigue as there was considerably less wind to tackle with my body.

However, at 5’10” and with a decently upright riding posture, I encountered a decent amount of wind being channelled around my forehead. As for the Royal Enfield windscreen, it’s decently tall and adequately wide. But had it been a few inches taller, the wind deflection would have been close to perfect. Moving to the fit and mounting, we encountered some nasty roads in Amboli Ghat and on our way back on the old Mumbai-Goa road. While there were some rattling noises near the front fender, the windscreen stayed intact, and still is.

Not to forget, our long-termer is also equipped with the touring seats that come with a ribbed seat cover and offer a tad more space for the rider and the pillion. Underneath the new seat is the extra foam which is soft and lets your base settle with ease. The rider seat contours upwards towards the end, thereby giving you slight back support as well. The grip on these ribbed covers is adequate and you’ll stay in place rather than sliding back and forth. In fact, during the early few minutes, the cushioning works like a charm and absorbs bumps as well.

Limitations

As mentioned, the windscreen could be a tad taller for better wind deflection as it works well only till speeds of 85-90kmph in its current setup, and the Classic 350 can easily cruise at about 100-110kmph when ridden solo. However, the windscreen shudders aggressively and makes the wind noise borderline unbearable at higher speeds. Even the deflection towards the rider’s forehead gets intrusive and disturbing. Overall, this affects the cruising speed, and you’d prefer to remove the windscreen entirely.

Further, the soft foam of the seat absorbs the shocks to a certain extent and is only comfortable for an hour at stretch. After that, you’d find yourself standing on the footpegs, but in an awkward position since the Classic’s fuel tank is quite wide, or moving around while on the go. By the end of an hour and a half, it becomes uncomfortable and you’ll be forced to stop and get off the motorcycle for a bit.

The Mechanicals

Apart from the accessories, how did the bike perform over the course of 1,308km? Well, the long-stroke 349cc engine feels home at about 100-110kmph cruising speed. And even when ridden in the fifth gear around 50kmph, the motor has enough torque to climb back to triple-digit speeds without running through the cogs. However, there’s very little juice left for overtakes at the said speed, so you might have to be a little calculative rather than just wringing the throttle.

While the Classic 350 can cross 115kmph too, the experience is anything but pleasant and the motor feels strained. So, its cruising nature (around 100kmph) is where this Royal Enfield shines. However, there are other limitations of the Classic that I came across on this ride. The first one is the brakes. While the rear brake needs proper stomping to operate even a bit, the front end is comparatively better. That said, the feel and progression will need a little extra muscle and you’ll rely majorly on engine braking when the surface gets loose. Even the front forks bottomed out multiple times when we rode back from the old Mumbai-Goa route. Meanwhile, the rear end felt notably stiff and slapped my back every time the bike came across an unexpected speed breaker or pothole. This is a bit disheartening considering you’d expect a comfortable ride from a bike like the Classic 350.

On the other hand, I didn’t expect the Classic to take on corners in a spirited manner. Surprisingly, it not only tips in bends with unexpected ease but also holds the line in case there are bumps mid-corner (s). Further, the weight and long wheelbase add to its overall stability when ridden at high speeds.

Conclusion

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 made for a commendable companion throughout the ride but the windscreen and the touring seat have early limitations. However, if you can overlook the said threshold of these items and ride at a slightly slower pace, these accessories make for a worthy buy, even when you commute in the city and head out for weekend rides.

Lastly, there was one more motorcycle along the Classic 350. A completely unconventional choice for such a long ride along with our tracking car (for luggage, camera equipment and etc). Watch this space for its report as well.

Accessory prices

Touring seats: Rs 4,830

Windscreen: Rs 3,600

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi