Even though the honeymoon period is over, I still very much love my Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350. But like any relationship, some cracks have begun to surface. Since I’ve brought it up, let’s talk about them.
One thing I complained about in my previous report continues to annoy me – the mirrors coming loose. While it was restricted to just the left one earlier, it has now plagued the right mirror too. It’s annoying, to say the least, and I’m considering using Loctite as a permanent solution. For now, I have to stop ever so often on my ride to tighten the mirror in place.
Two new irritants have cropped up too. First is the check engine light, which pops up intermittently. It hasn’t affected the bike in any way that I could tell, but I will get it checked at the next scheduled service.
Then there is that stylish rear fender. It still looks super cool and gives the Goan its distinctive style, but of late, there is a creaking sound emerging from it every time I go through a rough patch of road. This is something I’ve read about online as well, and it’s another thing to get inspected at the service appointment.
Other than that, it’s been pretty much smooth sailing. I bought a new car recently, which has been handling all of the commuting, so the Goan has been reserved as a weekend machine. Which explains the rather low mileage it has clocked. But if anything, it’s made me appreciate it more, and I now look forward to those weekend rides. The 350cc J-series engine continues to impress me – it’s smooth, characterful, has enough performance and just makes all the right sounds. The second service seems to have made it smoother still, and perhaps even slightly more efficient. I say ‘perhaps’, because I haven’t actually calculated the mileage; I just don’t feel like it matters on a lifestyle motorcycle like this.
My weekend rides have also made me appreciate the tubeless spoke wheels. Not only do they look sexy in red with the white-wall tyres, but they’re hugely convenient too in the event of a puncture. I haven’t had one yet, but I have lived with a Classic 350, a Scram 411 and an Interceptor 650, all of which had tubed spoke wheels, and they’ve all suffered a puncture, which was a painstaking and time-consuming process to fix. So, it’s nice to have this peace of mind when you’re out on the open road.
Of course, I still love the way it looks, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of just looking at it. It’s not pristine as it once was – there are scratches on the exhaust and mirrors, the number plate bracket is broken, and the lens cap for the rear-right indicator has popped off – but that’s just life in Mumbai for you.
With the monsoon approaching, the Goan’s going to be used even less now, but that’s not to say I won’t take it out at all. I look forward to seeing how it copes with Mumbai’s rains, especially the white-wall tyres, which have already begun turning brown.
Dinshaw Magol
Ved Janve
Autocar India Team 
