Royal Enfield bikes in India (17)

autocar.india

•3m

While the Royal Enfield Meteor 350's low seat height is surely welcoming, owing to its feet-forward riding position, you will feel more of the road imperfections you encounter. We'd recommend you instead look at the Bullet / Classic from RE's stable, as these bikes have more upright, natural riding triangles which will be useful over the long daily commute your father faces. The Honda CB350s offer a similar riding experience but are lighter and easier to manage. Given that your daily commute is quite long and likely to involve bad patches too, a motorcycle would be the more comfortable alternative to a scooter. However, if you must have an electric scooter, choose from proven options like the TVS iQube, Bajaj Chetak, Ather Rizta / Konarc and Vida VX2.

autocar.india

•2h

The Honda CB350 models and Royal Enfield Hunter / Bullet / Classic 350 should be on your radar for the sort of usage you're going to put the machine through. The Meteor's feet-forward seating position places more load on your tailbone and also transfers the shock from road imperfections directly to your spine which is why we wouldn't recommend it for a long daily commute. The CB350s and the three RE 350s listed above have more natural, upright seating positions which will make them more suited to your usage. The Hondas are lighter on their feet than the RE Bullet and Classic and feel more manageable inside tight city traffic. The REs claw back some ground with their characterful and torquey J-series motor. Picking between them will boil down to what sort of experience you prefer and a test ride should help you determine which is the right one for you.

autocar.india

•3h

The very fact that you still want a RE Himalayan, despite not having ridden one in many years would suggest you have a deep yearning for the bike. More so, since your very words are,"It was one of those bikes I didn't want to return." Even though you don't ride a lot currently, the Himalayan 440 may well change that. From our experience with the Scram 440, we believe the Himalayan 440 will offer a step up in terms of refinement, reliability and features compared to the erstwhile 411. Take a test ride and if you like how the bike rides, go ahead and make your purchase.

autocar.india

•3d

The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is a cafe racer with low clip-on handlebars and rearset footpegs, placing you in a committed riding position. Therefore, given that you will only go to college on it (likely an intra-city commute), you will be at slower speeds, wading through staccato traffic. This is a situation where you will put more pressure on your wrists, and if the roads in your area aren't smooth, over bumps, you will also feel a jerk go up to your spine. All this to say, no, this Royal Enfield bike is not a comfortable machine, but it does bring a lot of cool factor to the table.If you want a similar riding experience without the discomfort, then the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 should fit the bill because both it and the 'Conti' are identical save for different ergonomics and slightly different fuel tank capacities.

autocar.india

•4d

The Honda CB350 would make more sense for your needs because you spend most of your time in city traffic where comfort and refinement are paramount. While this Honda bike is a slightly larger machine than the Royal Enfield Hunter (both weigh the same 181kg), after a brief acclimatization period, you will get used to it. While a set of handlebar risers can improve your seating posture on the Hunter, you will lose some feedback and control from the front end and you will also need to arrange for longer cables and hoses to accommodate this change.