Royal Enfield bikes in India (16)

Autocar India

•14h

A cruiser will be more manageable for your shorter stature but a roadster (like the RE Hunter 350 and Triumph Speed 400) will be a more capable and comfortable bike. Aside from the RE Meteor 350, there's really no mainstream small capacity cruiser worth considering under Rs 3 lakh. If you want to switch to a roadster, we'd recommend the TVS Ronin because that bike has a low seat height and is still comfortable with its neutral ergonomics and light kerb weight. The 350cc Triumph Speed 400 will be the quickest and most dynamically capable of all three machines listed above. The RE Hunter 350 is a very good all-rounder as long as you have no sporting intentions. A test ride will help you decide whether you're ready to make the switch from a cruiser to a more conventional machine or not.

Autocar India

•13h

If your main goal with your machine is to strike poses and look cool on the extremely short spins you make on the weekend, then the Jawa 42 Bobber is a good fit. However, the bike is not practical, it's build quality is still far from the segment benchmark and Classic Legends (parent company of Yezdi, Jawa and BSA) still has a long way to go when it comes to customer satisfaction in terms of service. Considering your short stature, we'd recommend bikes like the RE Hunter 350 and TVS Ronin, which will still give you that Neo retro aesthetic but will not stop short of being good, all-round capable machines at the expense of just looking good. If you decide you want to keep it simple and practical, without spending a lot of cash, a 125cc/160cc bike from brands like TVS, Bajaj, Hero and Honda will be a good choice. This would in fact be our default recommendation considering this is your first bike and you'll need to develop basic motorcycle specific skills like clutch control, smooth gearshifts and throttle control. Evaluate your priorities, take multiple test rides and then make your decision. Also look into each bike's reviews and ownership forums to see which is the most hassle free to live with on a day to day basis. All this will help you make a more informed decision.

Autocar India

•13h

Sadly, the Yamaha R3 has been discontinued in India and the company hasn't confirmed if or when the updated model will be coming to our shores. Therefore, the Royal Enfield 650s are your best bet if you want a twin-cylinder experience. Specifically, the Interceptor is a tried and tested product which should be characterful and reasonably comfortable for road usage. Bear in mind that the Interceptor is a heavy bike with its wide engine splaying the Rider's feet out, so if you're on the shorter side of the spectrum, you might struggle to flat foot it. You could also look at the Aprilia Tuono 457 if you want something sporty but still usable on the road. Aprilia's 457cc engine hasn't had the best reputation for reliability though and we'd recommend you tread lightly and make no modifications inside the warranty period on this bike. A test ride will help you figure out which bike is for you.

Autocar India

•3d

Since you've mentioned that a lot of your usage is inside the city with only occasional highway work, we'd recommend sticking with the 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X. The reason being, Scrambler is a lighter machine with better handling and suspension comfort, which will make it easier to ride on a daily basis inside the city. Then there is also the fact that the Dominar - as objectively sorted a bike as it is - cannot match the kerb appeal of the Scrambler, and the Triumph is sure to be a special machine to walk toward in the morning. In case you want to move away from a single-cylinder machine, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 remains a tried and tested option, and will be lovely on the highway. Do bear in mind that while it can surely wade through the drudgery of city traffic, it will be the machine that demands more effort from the rider to do so. After GST 2.0, the Interceptor has also become a fair deal pricier, so it might not fit in your budget. A test ride of both, as well as determining your budget, should be your next move.

Autocar India

•1w

Since you've said your primary use case is in the city, the 350cc Triumph Speed 400 is the one that will appeal the most to your sensible side. It has a tractable engine, good suspension and seating comfort and will also return decent fuel economy when ridden sensibly. If maximum thrills are what you're after, the 350cc KTM 390 Duke still remains a potent option, although the Duke is a smaller, more cramped and more buzzy machine. If you're willing to live with this, then you'll have an engaging and entertaining machine which also has superb handling and lots of features. Splitting the difference between these two is the 452cc Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450, which is more KTM in terms of its riding character, combining sporty handling and punchy performance. Do bear in mind that its fuel economy is likely to be the lowest of these three. We'd recommend the Apex variant of the Guerrilla for strictly road usage because it comes with grippier Vredestein tyres.

Autocar India

•1w

While the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 may wear dual-purpose tyres, its hardly the ideal machine to take off-roading. Sure, it can tackle a gravelly rough road or a hard-packed trail but beyond that, it will feel out of its element. Think of the Guerrilla as a roadster that doesn't shy away from bad roads when you encounter them but you shouldn't actively go out seeking them. On the flip side, it is going to be fun to ride on the highway and inside the city with its torquey engine and sporty chassis - especially the Apex variant with its more committed riding position and grippier Vredestein Centauro ST tyres. On the other hand, the 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X will be more of a jack of all trades sort of bike and will be a great deal more capable off-road. Things to keep in mind here: this Triumph bike has a tall 835mm seat height (a significant 55mm more than the Guerrilla) and its downsized 349cc engine will feel much mellower in comparison to the Guerrilla's punchy 452cc single. While the Scrambler is a decent handling road bike, it cannot match the sportier Guerrilla's handling characteristics and if you spend your time predominantly on the road, the Royal Enfield bike is definitely the better choice. You need to decide whether you're actually going to venture off-road on a routine basis as well as considering the performance they have to offer and then, take a call between these two machines. To help make a decision, a test ride of both would be advisable.

Autocar India

•1w

Purely from a price and fuel economy standpoint, its the 350cc Triumph Speed 400 that has the advantage over the other 400-odd cc machines you've shortlisted but there's more to choosing between bikes than just these two factors. The Harley-Davidson X440T is one of very few long-stroke, air-cooled, large-capacity engines available today and it is a genuinely likable machine to ride. It may not be as quick in outright terms as the Guerrilla and Speed but even so, it makes for a lovely city bike owing to its characterful engine paired with plush suspension and neutral ergonomics. If you want maximum thrills and don't mind lower fuel economy, the Royal Enfield Guerrilla 450 is the one to go for. Its punchy engine and sporty chassis work wonderfully well together, although of the three it is the least comfortable machine. This is not to say the Guerrilla is an uncomfortable bike, its a taut and sporty machine and you should be prepared for that going into your purchase.The 350cc Triumph Speed 400 is a bike that's in between the two, amalgamating a quick engine and good handling, although its neither as characterful as the Harley bike nor as fun as the Royal Enfield bike. Service cost should largely be on par for all three and we'd advise you to speak to your nearest authorised dealer for each as well as take a test ride of all three so that you make an informed decision.

Autocar India

•1w

Both the machines you've shortlisted are great ones for commuting within Mumbai but have different characters. The Royal Enfield Classic 350's smooth thumper is known for its low-end torque and encourages you to ride in a relaxed fashion. Its seating posture and suspension comfort both are excellent at keeping the rider shielded from road imperfections and should be good enough for you. We'd also recommend you take a look at the Honda CB350 models if you want a similiar riding experience with a little less weight and clutch effort. If instead, you want a quicker and more modern-feeling machine, then the TVS Apache RTX 300 is a great option to consider. The RTX has a tractable engine but its smaller motor cannot be lugged around in higher gears like the Classic's engine can. However, the Apache has a much higher performance ceiling and a lot of electronic features (including a bidirectional quickshifter, from the Top variant onwards) if that sounds appealing to you.You should also consider the Hero Xpulse 210 because this bike has lovely suspension and upright, commanding ergonomics - both great attributes to tackle Mumbai's largely subpar roads. The Xpulse will be slower than the RTX but quicker than the air-cooled 350s and you can expect it to be the most fuel efficient of the lot, when ridden sensibly. A test ride of these bikes should help you decide which is the best fit for you.

Autocar India

•1w

Considering your long highway travel distances as well as the fact that you travel with a pillion frequently, an adventure bike should be on the top of your shortlist. The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 is an excellent road touring machine and if you can manage its heft and size at slower speeds, it should be a fine fit for your use case. In case you want something more affordable and fuel efficient, the 350cc KTM 390 Adventure and TVS Apache RTX 300 are good alternatives to consider. The KTM bike has been around long enough that there are unlikely to be huge surprises in your ownership journey but the RTX is still a fairly new machine. A test ride of these three is the first order of business for you and take your preferred travel companion with you to get an accurate idea of pillion comfort as well.

Autocar India

•1w

Since you liked the Bullet 350 on your test ride, sticking with it for your next purchase would be a good idea. Inside the city, this Royal Enfield bike will return better fuel economy and will be easier to manage than the Himalayan 450, although the latter is unquestionably a more capable motorcycle. Coming to the Himalayan, this machine has a greater spread of abilities than the Bullet but there are trade-offs. Its size and heft may get tiring after a while, especially in staccato city traffic. And like you pointed out, the warmth from its radiator is also noticeable. However, we'd advise you to not write off the Himalayan because of some warm air. Ask yourself if you're willing to put up with this one trait to gain spades of comfort, capability and performance because the Himalayan genuinely has a lot to offer. Since you're browsing through the RE stable already, the Scram 440 is another machine that deserves your attention. It has more performance than the Bullet and its suspension is compliant too, making it a good city companion. Should you want to browse through the catalogue of other brands, Honda's CB350 is an excellent city bike too. With its smooth engine, light clutch action and comfortable seating position, the air-cooled CB makes for a good commuting partner too. A test ride of the Scram and CB350 would be our recommendation so you can make a more informed decision. Also, take another test ride of the Himalayan and pay deliberate attention to the heat you're feeling in traffic before you rule it out.