The Royal Enfield Classic 350 is possibly the most popular motorcycle ever. Topping the internet research charts, it is also the most aspirational motorcycle for college graduates, working professionals, and also dads of the world. The Classic 350 has managed to attract all but it took close to 12 years of great brand recall and an experience that no other motorcycle brand was ever able to achieve.
The old-school post-war design language is one of the reasons why many Indians wanted to bring the Classic 350 home. The brand recall and the value of the Classic 350 made it appealing in India as well as in other parts of the world. This helped Classic 350 in becoming the highest-selling motorcycle in its segment. In fact, the Classic 350 was the main reason behind Royal Enfield’s 94 per cent market share. Interestingly, the Classic was designed and developed for the international market. But as soon as the bike was showcased to the world at the Intermot show in Germany in 2008, it created a huge ripple in the Indian market. The combination of rich heritage, vintage styling, and simplicity made it an extremely aspirational motorcycle at that time.
As a result, Royal Enfield launched the Classic 350 with a new Unit Construction Engine (UCE) in 2009. In fact, the excitement was so much in the market that Royal Enfield launched two models – Classic 350 and the Classic 500. Both the bikes were immediately accepted and lauded by the Indians. Over the last 12 years, the Classic continued to gain lots of attention from India as well as from other markets and became an icon for many– something that very few motorcycles have been able to achieve in this vast country. There used to be a time when Royal Enfield’s production capacity peaked month on month. Plus, with deep retail touchpoints, the brand managed to bring in so many new riders. As a result of this demand, all the factories in Tamil Nadu worked day and night to cater to this icon. While the overall production increased month-on-month, the demand for the Classic 350 continued to skyrocket.
Now with the brand new Classic 350, Royal Enfield plans to take things to a new level. The new Classic 350 is built on an extremely capable J platform – a platform that made the Meteor one of the finest bikes to go on sale in India. The Classic 350 uses the same 350cc single-cylinder motor that offers strong low and mid-range grunt, accessible and linear power delivery, and not to forget — minimal vibrations, thanks to the inclusion of a primary balancer shaft. The engineers at the UK R&D facility were given the task to keep the Classic 350 as timeless as possible but on an extremely modern platform.
The new Classic 350 also benefits from a new chassis that has made city riding an extremely easy affair. The combination of great weight distribution, accessible seat height, and wider seats with softer foam has made everyday riding an easy and comfortable affair. And for highway riding, things are quite better with the Classic 350. The bike now gets a GPS system, a USB port, and many touring friendly accessories. The Classic 350 was one of the few production bikes that were known to make it to the mountains without asking for any modifications. For a lot of Classic 350 owners, mountains were a calling every year. But one of the most important aspects – an aspect that made the Classic an icon – exhaust note. The new Classic 350 retains the famous exhaust thump and still manages to put a big smile on your face every time the throttle is opened.
With this new generation platform and new features, the Classic 350 is likely to break more sales records and bring in a new generation of riders into the brand and the fraternity. The iconic status continues with the new Classic 350 as the brand has been accepted very well by the Indian audience. For the next decade, the motorcycle fraternity has a product that retains the retro design lines along with accessible power and modern features – attributes that make the future look exciting.
