Royal Enfield Classic 350 Vs Himalayan

Royal Enfield Classic 350 has set a milestone for what a retro bike can achieve in terms of sales. On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Himalayan has been set a benchmark of what a small capacity adventure bike can do. Let’s have a face-off between the two and we’ll find out what’s the better choice for you.

Powertrain

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 comes with a pretty old engine. However, it’s now been tweaked to comply with the BS6 emission norms. The engine is 346 cc single-cylinder, air-cooled, fuel-injected unit. It produces about 19.1 bhp max power and 28 Nm of peak torque. It comes mated with a 5-speed gearbox.

On the other hand, Royal Enfield Himalayan comes with a completely modern engine, it’s also bigger than the Classic 350’s engine. The engine is 411 cc single-cylinder, fuel-injected, air+oil cooled unit. It produces about 24.3 bhp max power and 32 Nm of peak torque. So the engine has a significant power hike over the Classic 350. It comes mated with a 5-speed gearbox which is quite unusual for the bike with more than 20 bhp power.

Also read: Royal Enfield Bullet Photon – Classic bike, Modern Approach

Ergonomics

Ergonomically, both bikes are quite similar. You sit upright as well as the footpegs are also slightly forward set. So there’s very little difference in terms of ergonomics. However, there are lots of aftermarket accessories for Himalayan such as handlebar risers, so that’s the plus for the Himalayan. Nevertheless, you should try both these bikes and then find out the better of two for your personnel preferences.

Hardware

The major difference between both bikes is about the hardware setup. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 sits on the 19-inch front wheel and 18-inch front wheel. You get the option for both spoke wheels as well as alloy wheels. The spoke wheels come with tubed tyres whereas alloy wheels come with tubeless tyres. The suspension duty is done with the help of RE’s signature 35 mm forks at the front and twin 5-step adjustable suspension at the rear. You also get extra springs underneath the seats to enhance the comfort. Braking is done with the help of 280 mm disc at the front and 240 mm disc at the rear. These brakes are then assisted by the dual-channel ABS system (optional). So we can say that Classic can be also a capable dual-purpose motorcycle only with few changes such as off-road tyres, soft suspension adjustment, etc.

The Royal Enfield Himalayan, on the other hand, is a pure adventure motorcycle. Therefore it comes with a bigger front wheel at 21-inch and 17-inch rear wheel. There’s only spoke wheel option which is suitable for its duty. It also gets a better braking setup at 300 mm disc at the front and 240 mm disc at the rear, The brakes are then assisted by the switchable dual-channel ABS which is a good thing indeed. The suspension setup is the highlight of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It comes with 41 mm conventional telescopic suspension with 200 mm of travel at the front and monoshock suspension at the rear with 180 mm travel. So without any further modifications, RE Himalayan still offers a better ride quality and comfort.

Features

Feature-wise there’s not much on both the bikes as they are retro-themed bikes. Both of them are equipped with simple halogen headlamps and conventional indicators. The RE Classic 350 comes with full analogue speedometer while the Himalayan comes with the semi-digital unit and also gets the compass.

Pricing

The Royal Enfield Classic 350 starts at Rs 1,59,814 (ex-showroom) and goes up to Rs 1,84,499 (ex-showroom). On the other hand, RE Himalayan starts at Rs 1,89,532 (ex-showroom) and goes up to Rs 1,94,121. So we can pretty much say that where the Classic 350 pricing ends, the RE Himalayan pricing starts. So if your most of the ride is in the city and long tours is very often then RE Classic 350 will be a better choice while adventure enthusiasts must try the RE Himalayan.