Royal Enfield Classic 350 [2020]

Since you are reading this , I guess that you have already read the specification of this bike and you are here for the after purchase experience, I will give you exactly that.
Talking about looks its one of the best looking retro motorcycle out there but mind you there are a million other classics in this country and there is no exclusivity with this. So don't expect to gain attention and eyeballs on this. Its the 7th most selling motorcycle so you will find in every major traffic signal and just everywhere.
Buying experience: it was a decent experience nothing too fancy. See until they haven't sold the bike the dealership guys will be the most polite and understanding people. The problem occurs once you have purchased the motorcycle.
Riding experience: so it is a 200 kg motorcycle with 19.1 ps power which means its not the fastest , also at speeds above 60 km/hr, all the agility is gone, the bike resists to lean and filtering at highspeed is not possible, although this problem is solved in j series model.
After owning this motorcycle, you will realize that it cant beat the bajaj ns 160 or ever pulsar 150 at top speed, so you don't even try. But this matures you day by day as the young blood inside you which makes you want to race everyone on the street and prove your worth will be humbled because with this you are not winning and you wont even try which becomes a habit and ultimately you become a better rider, not intimidated by any one on the road and most importantly not racing stupidly on streets.
on highways: now after you have matured and now you will start liking the bike more and more. Specially in the highways.
It sits at 70-80 km/hr on a very low rpm of the engine. At this speed motorcycle achieves something called a flow state where it feels like you are floating on the road ( obviously of you don't have those stupidly loud exhausts installed). The feeling is very hard to describe through words and you might have heard this a lot. But i am telling you its real and you have to mature on the motorcycle to feel it. Personally for me, it calms me down and all my racing thoughts slows down. This might sound stupid and delusional but its true for and it wont occur when you have 5000 explosions in between your legs.
On city: its basically a heavy dirt bike and a lot of torque, so this will be the easiest on the city as torque available at a very low rpm helps in the constant stopping and acceleration. I haven't faced any heating issues in the city. Only sometimes due to its heaviness going back/ reversing becomes a pain.
Covering huge distances: for covering distance you need speed but after 80 km/hr it starts vibrating and the vibrations are so severe that i sometime fell it will vibrate it self to pieces. Although it never happened i have pushed the motorcycle to its top speed of 110 km/hr (gps) but surely the engine doesn't likes it.
Service and maintenance: service after every 3000 kms which is very frequent in my opinion and each service costs around 2000- 2500 rupees per service including labor charge. And if its a major service then it costs around 3500 rupees. Although the are a lot of private mechanics who will service the bike and labour cost will be minimal. And they also have the parts cheaper then enfield for some reason.
The authorized service center only knows about common problems and basic servicing, and if its a new motorcycle then they are as knowledgeable as you. Honestly the service guys only know how to change oil (at least that's the case in my area).
Also, the after sales experience is seriously bad. My bike chassis was slightly misaligned which made the bike go right. Whenever i let go of the handle bar it automatically goes right. I did a lot to get this fixed but no response from the company and the dealership guys are the rudest on the planet. I got it fixed from a mechanic which costed around 4000 rupees extra. So yeah after sales service is a hassle for what the bike has to offer. And all the videos you see on the internet about bad experience in service centers they are all true.
Other issues : the chain cleaning process is a pain because near the front sprocket cant be cleaned without draining the oil and opening the right side engine casing. Lights are halogen and pretty low power so you will need aux lamps if you wish to travel in dark. The relay for the fuel pump was dead after 2 months of buying it which eventually got me stranded in the middle of the road. The meter bulb died last week, there is no fuel guage. Although i haven't had any rusting on my bike but some might face this issue too so be mindful about it.
So, who do i recommend this motorcycle to? actually no one, see royal enfield is not the only option out there for retro motorcycle there are far better options. And it is selling motorcycles basically out of the cult following that those bikes have got. Plus the internet is filled with all the quality issues with the bikes they produce, be it the chassis breaking of the himalayan or rusting or subframe breaking of the interceptor or one cylinder dying of the 650s.
Only buy a classic 350 if you are a occasional rider and you don't bother about speeds and competing and also if you have a decent income. For students and fresh graduates please stay away from this better buy a yamaha or bajaj or ktm or honda just never go for the enfield.
And you might be thinking after all those good points of the bikes why i am pushing you away from this bike?? because buying a bike is like a relationship, you adjust on some areas to experience the best in your gf/ bf. That's how a healthy relationship works, but with this motorcycle there's more flaws than goods and my decision was also based upon emotion rather than practicality.
But , after considering all the points i will suggest that you should go for a test ride and choose whichever motorcycle you like. But always keep your expectation in check and you will be happy. Thanks peace

About the Reviewer

1. This bike was my first bike purchase ever, I spent almost 2 lakhs for the bike.
2. Rode 28,000 km in 2 years, leisure it with the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh, and the highways.
3. Looks of my bike is classic 350 gun metal grey which is the best-selling of the classic 350 variants. Always filled it with extra premium petrol (best quality petrol) and change the engine oil every 2500 km for the best performance of the bike.
4. Better do service to a friendly mechanic garage and the maintenance of the bike is not too high (easily affordable maintenance).
5. Pros - best cruiser in every terrain
cons - vibration
when riding on wet roads but no rain the pillion rider's back side get splashed (water droplets with particles of dirt from the road) by the rear wheel.

About the Reviewer

The best bike as its name is royal sounds good...
Lassic 350 boasts a round headlamp, a peanut-shaped fuel tank, a round tail lamp, and dual seats. Enhancing its visual appeal is a host of funky and elegant color options. 2020 classic 350 as old-school on the feature front as its design. There’s a fully analogue instrument cluster with no fuel gauge available. The only modern feature present is abs with single-channel and dual-channel options.

About the Reviewer