Well I am not bothered either way as I bought this bike to potter not race ! After 52 years of riding I am more than happy to ride at no more than 60 mph, my days of screaming around the country are, I am glad to say over. Each ride now is a pleasure enjoying the views and taking the time to explore the country side. 🙂
That's exactly how I feel Peter. 👍🏻 I very much doubt that I'll ever need a faster bike. Motorways and fast roads are boring on a bike anyway. In that case I would prefer to take the car. My bikes are for exploring new places, enjoying great roads and taking in lovely scenery. 50 mph is plenty quick enough for that purpose ! Nice to now know that my Classic is as fast as it should be though 😜 Cheers Peter, take care ! ER.
I think anyone buying this bike is doing so for nostalgia leisure riding and so the 70mph limit (73mph max absolute rounded up) is sufficient for cruising safely on most 100kph through 110kph limited roads. But the limiter is a PITA in terms of overtaking safety and outright control. Far better to have a rev limiter if one must. Wonder why they implemented it this way?
@@theblytonian3906 I agree. The speed limiter is slightly dangerous because for example, you overtake a truck on the flat and then the road drops downhill, the truck picks up a load of speed going downhill, we can’t ( because of the limiter ), so the truck ends up having to overtake us again and this cycle repeats over and over. For truck drivers we become a real nuisance unnecessarily. Apparently the speed limiter comes as a result of Indian legislation. It seems that vehicles which cannot exceed 120 kmh get a different classification to vehicles which can. For the 350s RE wants to ensure that they land in this category, hence the hard wired speed limiter. It’s a shame that they don’t deactivate it in the software for export markets though because the hard speed limiter can be dangerous/inconvenient over here ! Cheers, ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks for that explanation. Even with 100kph &110kph speef limit that feature would be a safety liability on Australian arterial roads & highways for the kind of scenario you mention.
I'm told by an insider that the pre-prototypes that were running around Leicestershire were good for ~90mph because they had no limiter in the software. Also, some Meteors sold in Brazil were updated to account for local fuel variations and the speed limiter was accidentally omitted, so will go much faster. Because the speed input is off the front ABS encoder, the only way I can think of getting around would be a change the ABS ring for one with fewer slots.
Hi Andrew, yes that seems likely. The limiter is only in software, so will have been added with the final release of the ECU software. Apparently the limiter is required in India for vehicle classification reasons. It seems strange that they would add it to bikes destined for export markets but hey ho, that's how it's done. I think 137 kph is the top speed without the limiter ( discovered when it got removed by mistake in Brazil ), so that's about 86 mph, yes. I do wonder if removing the front ABS sensor would also work. You'd then have no speedo either but I would imagine with no input for the road speed, the limiter code will abort and it won't activate the ignition limiter. It's one of the things I'd like to try someday but prefer to do it once the bike is out of warranty ! I never ride at 120+ kph anyway, but I know some people want to at least be ABLE to go a bit quicker if necessary. It is a shame that export bikes are not getting the limiter free software, it wouldn't be too hard for them to flash a different version of the software on bikes destined for export. Cheers Andrew, ER
Thanks K.E.B., Buddy is poorly unfortunately, so not so great 🤨 That will be the topic of Tuesday's video ! Stay safe and take care out there K.E.B.👍🏻 Cheers, ER.
Super ER 😁 Yeah, I managed 72 mph on mine once, just out of curiosity. I wouldn't like to go that fast for any length of time for sure, but then, speed isn't why people buy a Classic 350. I certainly didn't anyway 😊 Safe travels, at a more sedate pace 😁
Hi DoomNedwob 👍🏻 yes, this was definitely a one off, not the range where the bike wants to be, that's for sure. But it's good to know that mine is as fast as it is supposed to be, my curiosity is satisfied and I will most likely not repeat the experiment. This was a slightly downhill run, just to keep the video short, but I am sure that it will get there on the flat too, eventually and wind permitting. Video done. Now I can just get back to pottering about at 70-90 kph on nice mountain roads 🤗 Cheers buddy, safe travels to you too of course ! ER.
Well done for braving the heat and doing it! But it's all a bit odd that today's motorcyclists accept (or do we?? discuss 😊) that the manufacturer knows what is good for us. The young motorcyclist of the 50s/60s and before (and since) would avidly read the motorcycle magazines (remember those halcyon days when we were spoiled for choice with real printed magazines) road tests of the latest machine and know all he or she wanted about 0 to 60, gear ratios, valve timings and all the things that were so very important about making a decision...(did we really need to know?) But we're generally a bit older now (I speak personally here, of course 🙄) and we're not buying a 350 single to pull wheelies on . I'd rather not have electronics telling me to keep my speed down - seems nannyish - but I don't like a lot of what we're told is good for us either (60s child). Ho hum. Back to my pottering then! LE
Thanks LE, I totally agree. I don't object to the limiter in practice because in normal riding I won't get anywhere near it. But I do object to it in principle. I am not sure, but I think there is EU consumer protection legislation in place which prevents manufacturers from selling products which are deliberately handicapped to deliver less performance than is safely possible. If there are any lawyers out there, this might be an issue worth looking into. Maybe owners in the UK, EU and US can force a re-flash of the ECU by RE under the terms of consumer protection legislation ? I won't be doing it, no time. I'm just putting it out there 😜 Cheers LE, looking forward to checking out your latest and greatest productions very soon ! ER
My 2022 classic hits the limiter at 74pmh, and kicks me down to about 72 1/2mph. For sure, that is fast enough on this bike, but I still wish the limiter wasn't there, sometimes for safety reasons. I can reach these speeds even with my wife riding pillion, and our saddle bags full. Both of us are around 175lbs each. This is a FANTASTIC bike, and smooth as can be to ride! I don't know how it was possible, but not long ago we were in Florida (visiting from where we live in what I call "Motorcycle Dreamland", Southeast Ohio), and we somehow reached 80mph 3 times on one of our highway rides from Sanford to Orlando. I didn't think that was possible. Every time since then, though, that limiter always kicks in at 74mph. The only mods on my bike (which I highly recommend) are (1) The DNA air filter, with the open filter cover, (2) the Hitchcock decat pipe, and (3) the fuel-x lite. Those 3 mods work together very well to increase performance drastically. Before I made those mods, the bike was not at all happy above 62-63pmh for very long at all. Now, good ole Penelope just hums along at 68-70mph happily for a good long ride on the highway when I need her to. Get yourself a Classic 350, make those mods, and enjoy every mile... with your helmet on!
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your Classic 350 mate. It is a lovely bike and if people would be more honest with themselves, actually it is all the bike anybody really needs. 350cc is just about enough, if you want to be sensible and just enjoy riding your bike and taking in the scenery. Good to hear that yours is doing well with a pillion passenger too. I can concur, having taken a pillion passenger on my Meteor 350 without even noticing the extra weight. These engines cope really well with carrying a pillion passenger. Have fun. Great to hear such positive feedback about these bikes from others ! All of the RE 350s are economical, reliable and well made bikes, full of charm and character. Cheers, ER
Attn: RE marketers who watch this: If you want to sell this these otherwise gorgeous bikes in North America, you have to do something about this. Back in the day, my friends and I owned sub-75 cc. mini-bikes that could do 70. In any case, that isn't fast enough to be safe on our highways, and we are lands of endless highways, there is no way to avoid them for most of us here! "Buy an Interceptor", people will say- but I like this one!
Hi again Jack, you are not alone in feeling that way. For me, the 350s are ok, because I have lovely roads right on my doorstep and never need to get on a fast road to get to them. I totally understand that this is often NOT the case in the US and some other countries. I'm not sure that removing the limiter from the 350s will help you guys really. The 350s will still struggle to hold 100 kph ( 60 mph ) against a strong headwind. I think they are just not going to be powerful enough for people who do much more than say 40% of their riding on fast roads. Currently these people should buy one of the 650 twins, as you say, but then if they love the styling of this bike, they ideally need a bigger version. We can but hope that RE can make a 500cc version of this bike at some point, in line with the old Bullet tradition of having a 500 and a 350 cc version of the same bike ! Power wise, the new liquid cooled 450 cc motor with 40 odd horsepower ( which is being developed for the new more powerful version of the Himalayan ) in a Classic frame would definitely get the job done. Maybe that motor will find its way into a 500 Classic ( even though it will actually be a 450 for reasons of tradition they could call it the 500 ). Unfortunately it will have a water radiator to hide somewhere, so it won't look as clean as the 350 Classic does. But maybe there is indeed a plan to use the 450 LC single in a future larger Classic model 🤞 There is definitely something special about a thumper which you don't get with the 650 twins ! Good luck, I understand your frustration but I'm sure that you'd find a way to enjoy an Interceptor in the meantime 😉 Cheers Jack, ER
@@ChadWinters Hi Chad, I think for most people who buy an RE 350, they will probably need something larger, faster for longer trips or trips where they are predominantly going to be on faster roads. Unfortunately a 350 falls just short in that area, even the Himalayan 411 struggles a bit. The 350s are great if you can generally avoid fast roads in your riding, they put a smile on your face, they are pure motorcycling pleasure and as you say, are extremely cheap to run. A great second bike for many or a great only bike if you live somewhere where the roads match the performance of the motorcycle. I think I will be leaving mine stock. I don’t really enjoy asking a vehicle to do more than it was designed to do. Fortunately I can generally avoid fast roads but I appreciate that many folks, especially in the States need more performance to feel safe. A larger capacity Classic would probably sell very well over there, so maybe RE will come up with one at some point in the future. Thanks for your comment Chad 👍 Cheers, ER
Spot on ER, that was very useful, and most informative, I've done 1050 miles so far, so another couple of hundred before revving up and going over 50 -55 mph. I dare say some computer wiz will find a way "round it, but really, why would one want to? and I bet that would affect the warranty. Personally I'm happy tootling round the Derbyshire B roads at 50, which is why I bought this type of bike, wouldn't want to take it on the M! , I guess if that was the style of riding I'd wanted I'd have got an Interceptor or a T100/120 - "horses for courses" Interesting in your last video you mentioned the second wrong speedometer being ordered, and that the problem hadn't manifested itself since. Mine was reading 80MPH on a 30 limit the other day, and when I stopped outside the dealers ( luckily just down the road from where I live) it was stuck at 50MPH, they took a photo, turned it on and off a few times, and it eventually stopped at 20MPH. When I got home and left the bike to stand for an hour, it had gone back to zero, and been fine since, Funny business, be interesting to know what's happening, certainly ( in my case) not the needle sticking on the glass. Anyway I've every confidence in my local dealer (Manhatten ) who are brilliant. to get it sorted. Ride safe Garry, best wishes...Pete
Hi Pete, yes, plenty of other bikes available if you really need to be doing 70mph everywhere, definitely shouldn’t be looking at an RE 350 (!) in that case ! The speedo thing is weird. Right now you wouldn’t think that mine had ever played up ! It’s as good as new ! But since the dealer has put in the claim, I will swap it out, even if the new one ends up being no better ! Definitely seems to be more than one reason why they sometimes play up though ! Thanks for watching and commenting Pete, take care until the next time 🤞 Cheers Pete 🥃 ER
@@RobLittleuk No, I don’t think so. This seems to stem from Indian legislation in the up to 350cc category. Big bikes can still go as fast as they like. Well, until the EU get their way that is !
Hi ER, interesting vlog thanks. Have you checked top speed on a flat stretch of road and does it take long to get to max speed? Like you, I have the Classic 350 and the Meteor 350, both great bikes but I find the Meteor is the quicker of the two bikes and will reach 70mph with ease. On the other hand the Classic struggles to hit 70mph and only achieved it on a couple of occasions. Both bikes tested on same stretch of road. Be interested to hear your experiences. TIA.👍
I haven’t done the same test Jonathan because it’s really hard to find a flat surface here 😯, however I concur, the Meteor feels as though it would get there quicker and the top speed, when you get there, will be identical on both 👍 I‘m sure that your test would garner the same results if I did it with my own two. It certainly feels that way to me ! Cheers Jonathan 🥃 ER
😂 I think we were just a few kmh short of that Nigel. If RE removed the limiter I think I could get there though 😜 I felt sorry for the bike tbh. I won't be doing it again, I just wanted to confirm that it had the same limiter as the Meteor and was able to reach it. Now that box has been ticked, I can get back to chugging about at 70-90 kmh from here on in ! Cheers Nigel, take care ER
Hi David, yes, it can be fun to feel like a bit of a hooligan from time to time. I think we all secretly do it 🤗😇 Make sure you do a rev bomb through every bridge and tunnel too, it's obligatory 😜 Although 70+ mph won't damage these engines, it definitely isn't the place where they feel most comfortable. But from time to time, it won't do any harm and can make you feel like a bit of a badass 🙂 Take care David and enjoy that Meteor 👍🏻 ER.
I too am a senior who is not interested in riding any faster than 50-60 MPH I love this bike and will never part with it. One of the nicest bikes I have ever owned
Hi Richard, yes, at 55 mph the motor feels so smooth and unfussed that it feels like it would just keep going forever. If anybody needs to be constantly doing 60 mph or more, then this really isn't the right bike for that job. It would do it but it wouldn't feel in its element doing so. 55 mph is the purring zone for this bike, definitely. It's lovely. As is the Meteor. Lots of people say the same thing about the Classic, that it's probably the best bike they've ever owned. It really is a classic bike experience but without the hassle of.a true classic bike. It's like having a classic bike which actually works when you need it to ! 😂 Cheers Richard 👍🏻 Garry
Great vid, I would love know what that the RPM when the limiter cuts in . I wish they had included a tach, I feel like Ime not in control without one.😬
Thanks Robert, I would be interested to know that too. Maybe I will cable tie an rpm counter to the bars and make that video. The speed limiter cuts in before you reach the rev limiter in both fourth and fifth gears. You can only hit the rev limiter in third gear and lower ( don’t ask me how I know this 🤗 ). It would be interesting to measure the rpm of the rev limiter in third and the rpm in fourth and fifth when the speed limiter kicks in. I will see if I can get a cheap rom gauge from somewhere and try to make a video about it, could be of interest to many and would prove once and for all that this is a speed limiter and NOT a rev limiter designed to protect the engine ! Thanks for the idea, I’ll try to make it happen 👍 Cheers Robert, ER
HI Ronold, yes, as I state in this video, both the Meteor and Classic are limited to the exact same speed in the exact same way. The ECU software takes care of that. Because of this, you can only hit the rev limiter in first, second and third gears. In fourth and fifth you hit the speed limiter before you hit the rev limiter. Cheers Ronold and thanks for dropping by, ER.
Hi ER, the fact is that in 1973 I had a Ducati Scrambler 350, which had a power output of 24 hp and exceeded 130 kilometres per hour... we're talking about almost 50 years ago, so either the Ducati men were particularly capable or... the Indians could have made a little more effort. Probably both.
The RE is heavier at 439 wet, and the balancer shaft and gears that drive it cost the RE a bit of power. Not 4, but a bit. I bet it's a lot smoother than the Ducati. It also has a relatively long stroke. This makes it have nice low end torque but at high rpms you lose a little. Everything is a compromise. The RE is a little tractor for bad roads.
I had a 1981 Honda CB 125 twin which would hit an indicated 85 mph, so I get your point. But we need to bear in mind just how tight emissions regulations are these days too. On a small engine like this, having to pass those tests is going to cost a few ponies I would imagine, no such thing as a free flowing exhaust these days 😟 I think when you design a new engine these days, you have to design it around being able to meet the emissions regulations when it’s done, otherwise there is no point in building it. I’m sure that results in a lot of design choices which optimise cleanliness over power output. As Tim says, it’s a decent engine for the job it was intended to do. Fortunately, as you too realise, power is not everything. The Meteor can still put a smile on our faces with 20 hp 👍🙂 At least I now know that my Classic is as fast as RE intended it to be. Now I can get back to chugging about at 70-90 kmh 😎 Cheers Corrado & Arthur Garry & Ruby
@@timcarter7616 Thanks Tim, see my answer to Corrado. Modern emissions regulations probably have a fair bit to do with it too. No point RE designing an engine developed to achieve optimal power which they are then not allowed to sell because it won’t pass current emissions testing. Thanks for your input Tim and have a great day 👍 ER
@@timcarter7616 But in fact I get on very well with the Metor. I'll just say that if it had at least five more horsepower and 40 pounds less I'd be even better off. The Ducati Scrambler weighed almost 90 pounds less anyway, which isn't a little. It's true that it had more torque up top (and vibrated more), but in terms of acceleration, handling and speed there's no contest.
@@economicalrides Hi Garry, I am certainly aware that the performance of modern engines is somewhat 'deadened' by emission restrictions. As I replied to Tim, I am still more than satisfied with the Meteor. However, I can't help noticing that, for example, Tec Bike Parts has researched and offered for sale a modified camshaft for the Himalayan, which without affecting the robustness of the engine and without any other modifications gives it 20% more power, i.e. five more horsepower. Apparently, they are also working on one for the Meteor, and I will be one of the first buyers, if only to be able to overtake certain trucks with trailers on the climbs without any worries.
I found the same on the classic and the meteor. I found it quite strange when I hit 71 /72 MPH and it just says "no more, what's the rush" and drops it to 70. I don't know about you, but I got the impression they will do 80 to 85 if it was allowed to pull more. I can see why they rescrict them but they're is something that just dosent sit right with me about it. If I want to abuse my engine, I want to make that choice, and I like having that choice. Good info and content there ER El Outro Exmouth Rider
Yes. Particularly annoying when you are unable to gain any speed going downhill, which EVERY OTHER VEHICLE on that same road will be doing. Brazilian 350s received an ECU flash for their quality of fuel and the limiter code was broken in that version of the software. Post flash those bikes were hitting 135kmh, so that is what these bikes COULD deliver. Definitely annoying that we are not given the choice, I quite agree Exmouth 👍 Clearly it can be removed in software, so it would be nice to have the option of the “full speed flash”. Take care matey 🍺 El Outro 😛
Oh, that was a SUPERThanks, didn’t realise Bob ! Well, you’re still welcome and now I’m EXTRA grateful 🙂 Thank you so much, these donations are so helpful to me, above all I really appreciate the kind gesture ! Cheers Bob 🥃 ER
Hi Dan, yes, 72-73 mph is game over 🙂 Still, if we‘d wanted to ride fast, we would have bought a different bike 🤔 At least now I know that my Classic is as fast as it’s supposed to be 👍 Cheers Dan, ER
@@michaelmurdock4607 Yes indeed it does. Once you get rolling the speedo consistently shows 3-5 mph more than you are actually doing ( confirmed by GPS ) so I tend to ride everywhere 5mph over the actual speed limit and that should mean that I am more or less bang on the speed limit ! Thanks Michael, they all seem to be like that and it applies to the Classic as well ! Cheers 👍 ER
well, I would have been interested in one of these, but frankly, it's slower than the 1950 models. While i'm not looking to buy for speed, that extra few mph without being flat on the tank, makes driving so much easier. Having ridden bikes at the limits, where winds and road conditions cause issues, I think my next one will be one without speed limiter. Pity because I really like the RE's
Yes. The speed limiter is particularly annoying because it is a classification requirement in Asia. They could very easily have removed it in the software for other markets where top speed is irrelevant to vehicle classification. Without the restrictor it is geared for 135 kph but I would imagine that a change of sprocket might have been able to eke a bit more speed out of it. It is annoying and they are losing customers in the west because of it. Even 10 kph more can make a difference in certain situations. But limiter or no limiter, if you need to maintain 100 kph in all conditions and up all gradients, the RE 350s can't manage it unfortunately. Uphill or into a headwind you'll see the speed drop to 80-90 kph, it's hard to maintain a constant speed on fast roads as it is. Basically only buy one if you can avoid riding on fast roads would be my recommendation ! They are just not cut out for it, unfortunately. But then I suppose they were never intended for that purpose and for many people, the lack of speed is less of an issue. Cheers, ER.
Is it limited on road speed or engine revs I wonder. Would changing the gearing make a difference so that it revs less at the top end..Older post office vans had some sort of governor fitted.
Hi Jonathan, it’s an electronic speed limiter and it has nothing to do with the rev limiter, which you can only hit up to third gear. In fourth and fifth gears you hit the speed limiter at 72mph before the engine gets close to the rev limiter. So changing the gearing will have no effect, the limiter will cut in at 72 mph, whatever gear you are in and however steeply downhill the stretch of road is. With the limiter removed from the ECU software, these bikes can hit 132 kmh, so about 15 kmh more, near enough 10 mph more. So we are limited to 72 mph whereas the bikes can do just over 80 mph with the limiter removed. So we’re not losing out too badly but it is annoying that on the motorway you can’t pick up speed going downhill to help you up the other side. Cheers Jonathan 👍 ER
Really interesting video, not going to be much use on the motorway if you need to do a quick overtake. Surprised it has one, that top end is same as my 125 top end, always thought a 350 would do a lot more. But not a motorway mile muncher rather a backroad master!! Is there any difference between the meteor? Take care and ride safe mate 😁🖖🏼
Hi Quinn, no, you can pretty much forget overtaking anything once you get past 90 kmh really. A sudden gust of wind or an incline could see you stranded in the outside lane 😂 Not normally an issue for me though. You can do big miles on them if you can travel avoiding motorways but obviously you need the free time to do so. I think it would be most enjoyable to do a tour on one, just using secondary roads but I just don't have the time ( or the money ! ) to be able to do so at the moment. Maybe someday 🤔 Yes, the Meteor is EXACTLY the same, it's almost certainly running the exact same ECU software because the limiter comes in at exactly the same speed. Cheers buddy, take care, don't work too hard ! ER
@@economicalrides wow! I've been feeling hard up with the twannie 🤣 I've been struggling to over take in alot of places as I don't have enough power to keep up with the big 1200s I've been riding with. I just don't bother on the bullet 😱 I could use the bullet for a tour like that but I'm sure it would be to slow for that gime more 350! I've not been past 52 yet🤣🤣😱😱😱 hope Ruby has been doing well in the weather! Take care and ride safe mate! Loving the content! 😁🖖🏼
@@quinnpeaksbiker Thanks buddy, yes Ruby is surprisingly immune to the heat. When I want us to do the short walk, she usually takes the turning for the long walk ! She just doesn't care how hot it gets, unlike her Dad 😂 Cheers, ER
Apparently the 350s will hit the speed limiter in fourth gear too, so they are just as fast in fourth as in fifth apparently. They don't hit the rev limiter in fourth gear either before they hit the speed limiter. I haven't tried it on the Classic but the Meteor would hit the speed limiter in fourth, no problem at all, so still some way off hitting the rev limiter. I will rev out fourth gear on the Classic sometime to see whether that still applies but I expect that it does ! Cheers Christopher, ER.
So about 73 mph? Great video again but lacking a sausage and a Ruby. Next time you do a speed test I would like it to be how fast can Ruby devour a sausage. A calculation could then be made as to how many sausages a hour she could do and a comparison made to the 350’s, see which is fastest 😊
Thanks for that Garry. With my calculator i make that 78 miles per hour here in the u k . very respectable. Is it possible in the future you could do a burnout of the back tyre, or perhaps a few donuts in a circle. only joking. really enjoyed it. ps its raining heavily here in Warwickshire, bliss.
Hi John, well calculated exactly it equates to 72.7 mph, which is pretty decent really. My run was downhill, just to get there quickly, but it will get there on the flat, eventually, with a full tuck 😉 I am unlikely to ever exceed 100 kph in normal riding but it was nice to see that my Classic is at least as fast as it is SUPPOSED to be. I don't ever need to ride it that hard again, this was definitely a one off ! 😂 to the burnouts and donuts ! No, I think I'll leave that to the Gixxer boys, I'm sure you'll find plenty of such videos elsewhere on the old RUclipss 😜 Enjoy the cool, wet rain John. After two months of rain this spring, I never thought I'd miss it, but if it rained here right now, I'd stop what I was doing, run outside and just stand in it ! Take care over there ! ☔️☔️☔️ Cheers John Garry
@@economicalrides Thanks for that Garry, I like you have always had good mechanical sympathy and dont like to see abuse to anything. Today I added to my bike collection. do you know of the Honda Zoomer 50cc. its a Japanese import with fuel injection. while I think there are some shots of the new small Triumph model on u tube under Stuart Fillingham. When i saw it i recognised the place where it was taken. if you fancy a look. regards.
@@johnbellamy6449 Hi John, I wasn’t aware of the Zoomer 50 but just had a look. They look sort of skeletal, like something paratroopers might get dropped with. Looks cool and a lot of fun 👍 I look forward to hearing how you get on with it ! Thanks for the heads up to Stuart Fillingham’s video, I actually watched it a couple of days ago. I think that bike looks like the 80s RD 250/350 apart from the fat silencer, I like it. I just hope it doesn’t end up being too pricey for what it is 🤞 Take care you two and enjoy whizzing about on your bikes 🙂👍 Cheers, Garry & Ruby
Hi Brian, unfortunately it’s a speed limiter. The ECU is being fed the road speed, probably from the ABS wheel speed sensor. Once it calculates 72 mph road speed it starts messing with the ignition timing to stop you going any faster. You can’t even go faster than 72 mph downhill because of the engine braking caused by the limiter. Changing a sprocket will only lower the revs at a given speed. Top speed will remain the same. It’s a hard speed limiter this one, I’m afraid ! Hope this helps and thanks for watching and commenting. Any further questions, feel free to get back to me 👍 Cheers Brian, Garry
What will happen if you gear it longer with a different pulley? Will the limiter cut in later, because it gets its information by the revs or does it get the info from the Speedo and cuts in at the same speed? Greetings from Bikes and Watches from Instagram
@@SkysaxonDragonslayer Speedo unfortunately or possibly the ABS ring. The limiter comes on in FOURTH and FIFTH gears at exactly the same speed, so changing the gearing should have no effect unfortunately ( although I'm not sure changing the gearing on a bike with so little power is ever a good idea ! ). Nice to finally know who you are Bikes and Watches 👍🏻🙂 Cheers, ER.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 It tops out at the same speed in both fourth and fifth gears so it is definitely speed based. Some people speculating that the speed measured at the front ABS ring may be being calculated into kmh and triggering the speed limiter code in the ECU once a certain speed has been exceeded. That would be pretty easy to do and the limiter code just messes with the ignition curve until the speed is back where it should be and then terminates until it is called again. Fortunately I don't have two 350s in my stable to ride on the motorway. And for all other roads, 100 kmh is adequate. So it doesn't bother me but it is the sort of thing which smacks a bit of Big Brother and does leave a bit of a sour taste ! Cheers Rider of the North, ER.
Well the EU are probably going to do something similar to all bikes, including sports bikes, soon. You might actually have cause to be grateful for Brexit in that case. Although it’s questionable whether manufacturers will make a separate unlimited spec for the UK market I suppose. Either way, this sort of thing is set to become more common in the future, so we’d better start hoarding those 2000s super bikes now 😂 Cheers Rob 👍 ER
@@economicalrides To answer all three of your responses to my comments I just find this big bro thing very annoying. The little RE is great pootling on secondary roads but I have a smaller bike that will do that too. I am considering going backwards in technology to something like a VT750. I bought the Meteor because I had "been there done that" with faster bikes but recognise that albeit only occasionally, one needs to have a bit more power when you find yourself on a busier road. The much anticipated 650 cruiser may be possible but I doubt it. 😊
@@RobLittleuk Well the Meteor 650 or Shotgun or Super Meteor looks like it will be a fantastic bike. A Meteor with more power sounds pretty perfect to me ! I’m pretty sure that it won’t have a speed limiter, unless the EU stick their oar in. The Contis and Interceptors are unrestricted and I would expect the 650 cruiser to be the same. If so, I’d LOVE 💗one ! Cheers Rob, ER
Just timed Ruby on your previous video and she took just 3.93 seconds to eat the sausage. That means 916 SPH (sausages per hour). Ruby wins easy and I think deserves a, yes you guessed it, a sausage 😊
Brilliant TAYM 😂😂😂 There speaketh a true man of science ! Actually tonight we did BBQ or as Ruby likes to call it “garden sossidges” 😂 Whenever we do “garden sossidges” I always do an extra Bratwurst for Ruby, so in actual fact, tonight she did get her extra sausage 👍 Brilliant to know that Ruby eats at 916 SPH 👍🤞🤞 Thanks TAYM and much love from us both ! ER & Ruby ❤️🐕
This limiter has been around since the Meteor came out. I’m very surprised that it hasn’t been hacked by now Lance, I didn’t think it would take this long, to be honest ! Let’s see if the factory decides to give us the option of an unrestricted ECU flash some day ! Cheers Lance, Ruby sends love to Leo ❤️🐕 Garry & Ruby
@@lancerbiker5263 Well not really. I can ride around in third on the rev limiter all day. There is nothing to stop me doing that, and that is surely more damaging than not reaching the rev limiter in fifth gear, yet being able to do an unrestricted 130 kmh. It's not a reliability measure, it has to do with legislation they have in India. So on that basis, it is not required to sell the bikes in other markets and COULD be removed without consequences. But no, unless the courts force them to "release the speed", I can't see RE offering this option voluntarily either. Fortunately I never need to do 120 kmh so it's not really ever going to be an issue for me personally. Bark Bark Leo ! Cheers Lance, Garry
my Classic has 5700 kilometers and I've never managed to get the needle above 70 mph which must be about 110 Kilometers/hour... I can confirm that the speedometer is optimistic and indicates between 4 and 5 km/h more.
Hi Herve, indeed, it always displays at least 5 kph more than GPS measures. Sometimes it displays WAY more but only when the speedo starts sticking, like mine did eventually 😂 I think my Classic hit 118 kph measured with GPS, whilst indicating 123 kph. The most annoying thing about the limiter is that it doesn't allow you to go any faster, even downhill ! Sometimes on a small bike, on a motorway, it's useful if you can gain a bit of extra speed going downhill to make it easier to get up the other side without losing too much speed ! Apparently the Himalayan has no limiter, so I will be interested to see how fast that will go downhill as soon as I have finished running it in 👍🏻 Cheers Herve, Garry
I think a simple method of removing the limit without disabling the speedo would be necessary in the North American market. Although going faste than that is rarely really needed, the limitation would be a significant negative here.
Hi John, not just North America, most places in Europe too actually. It wouldn't be difficult to have an export market version of the software in the ECU for all non-asian markets. Presumably RE think that would overcomplicate matters. Interestingly the first 350s of the new generation were endurance tested in the UK pre-release and apparently those bikes did not have the electronic speed limiter. So the UK engineers signed off the bike without the limiter but I do wonder whether they would have done so with the limiter in place. On UK motorways it can be dangerous to be doing less than 70 mph and they might actually have requested that the limiter be removed for export markets. Without the limiter the bikes will do about 10 mph more, so would just about hit 80 mph. Not much difference but enough to leave something in reserve when riding on fast roads. Cheers John, thanks for your comment, stay safe ! ER.
It is. People run regularly 80-90 mph. The speed limits are suggestions anymore because there is very little enforcement. 70mph works for me just fine, but apparently not with other drivers. I can drive 80 and be passed by a pack of cars.
Hmm. Well heck. I have a Suzuki tu250x and was going to upgrade to a classic 350 reborn. My tu250x doesn’t limit based on speed and on a true flat highway I can get it up to 128 Kmh (80mph). 117kmh (72mph) is just to slow on our highways in USA.
Hi ejakeway, I totally get that and if you are looking for a higher top speed with the Classic 350 you will be disappointed. Apparently, even without the electronic limiter, top speed would only be 83 mph, so even then, the Classic 350 would not be an upgrade unfortunately. REs are more about character than performance. All of their models deliver less performance than their competition but they do try to compensate with bags of character. But if you want to exceed 80mph easily, you need to be looking at RE’s 650 twins. Please bear in mind that there may well be a 650 twin with Classic looks in the next 12-18 months. Imagine an early Bonneville styled RE with the 650 twin engine. I think it will sell well and could fill a gap for people like yourself 🙂 Unfortunately the 350s are not going to get the job done for you. If you have any questions, just get back to me, I’ll be happy to help ! Cheers ejakeway 🥃🥃 ER
Hi Omkar, thanks for the tip ! It appears as though these bikes are available in Europe and they look like a great alternative to the RE 350s. Unfortunately the dealer network is not very well developed, so it will not be easy to buy one. They both look great though ! Cheers Omkar, ER
I would be very interested in buying a 500cc Hunter. I have long distances to travel and I don’t want to wring the neck of a little bike in order to not be a hindrance to other motorists. In Canada, for the most part, we do not have pleasant county roads upon which to potter along. City streets or highway. A 500cc bike would be fine for both. My Bonneville is good for both but at 71 years-of-age I’m not looking for a two wheeled rocket ship. I’ve heard that RE is considering a 450cc model, I’ll wait to see its specs but I would dearly like a British style 500cc single to close out my riding days.
Hi Doug, supposedly there will be a whole range of bikes fitted with the new 450 motor, so there probably will, over time, be a classically styled roadster with that engine. The issue is that the 450 is going to be a liquid cooled engine, so a fair bit more complicated than a standard British style single and the bikes will all have to have a radiator fitted somewhere, which will probably be to the detriment of the looks of a classic style bike. Have you considered a second hand Classic 500 ? I think they will hit about 80 mph, so only 10 mph quicker than the 350s but they do have a fair bit more shove. One of those might not quite be quick enough for you but would certainly give you the riding experience you are after 🙂 The RE 650 twins would also be a good choice for you if they weren't so darn heavy. Your Bonneville will probably weigh about the same I reckon, so downsizing to a 650 probably wouldn't make a lot of sense. Good luck deciding anyway and if you have any questions, feel free to get back to me. Cheers Doug, ER.
@@economicalrides ….. Hi. Thanks for your reply. I guess the question I have is - what would be a comfortable highway cruising speed for a RE 350 ? I don’t want to have to ride full throttle in order to not be in the way. My area of Canada does not have the beautiful backroads like those in England, I have 3 km of gravel road to a paved highway then 39 km to the nearest town and the nearest city 2 hr. away at 110 kmh. Your suggestion of a used 500cc bike may be my best bet. Thank you for your help.
@@dougsmith7580 Hi Doug, if where you live is nice and flat, a 350 will hold 100 kph comfortably. At 110 kph it will probably feel like you are thrashing it a bit because you only have 10 kph left to go. A strong headwind or an incline is where the 350s begin to struggle to hold a speed. On the flat, 90 kph is lovely and relaxed, 100 kph is also ok ( although the fuel economy nosedives beyond 90 kph - you'll be using about 30% more fuel above 90 kph ! ). A Classic 500 is less affected by wind and moderate inclines because it has more torque. Having said that, the engine is nowhere near as smooth as the 350s, so at higher speeds ( which the 500 would achieve and maintain more comfortably ) you might find that the vibes are starting to make things uncomfortable. Even the 500 is most happy at 90 kph really. Anything beyond 100 kph will be quite thrashy and vibey. But it will do it and it will hold 100-110 kph up an incline, which the 350s probably wouldn't. Definitely try a 500 if somebody has one for sale and see how it feels to you at 105-110 kph. I had an older Bullet 500 and that thing would cruise at and hold 100 kph but it always felt happiest at 90 kph ! I think if you want this style of bike, you might have to compromise a little bit on the minimal cruising speed you deem to be acceptable. These bikes are not really intended for fast roads but I ride mine on motorways at 90 kph and I don't really hold anybody up or if I do, I pull over and make it easier for them to pass. The main thing is, I can keep ahead of the trucks on a 350. Truck drivers do get annoyed if they have to keep re-passing you on the downhills :) You just learn to be considerate and deal with being a bit slower than some other vehicles. I don't think I am any more of an obstruction at 90 than I would be at 100 anyway. I'm in the way of the people who want to do 130 in any case, so I prefer to stick to 90 where the bike feels happiest and I just try to make sure that I am not being a nuisance to truck drivers. I either pin it downhill to maintain the gap or I drop behind them and let them gap me. I hope this helps. Probably not 😛 Cheers Doug, ER.
@@economicalrides ….. Thank you, it helps a great deal. I haven’t had a bike smaller than 650cc for quite a few years and really have no idea what a modern day 350cc will do. I never thought I would rue the day I sold my Yamaha SE 500 single so much. Now I’m kicking myself on a daily basis. Oh well, don’t look back.
@@dougsmith7580 Yes, the Yamaha 500 single sounds just about perfect for what you need right now ! Might be worth revisiting, if you can find a good one ?
Could the reason be so that the bike won't stop ,when taken to the very high altitudes with little oxygen for the engine coz the honda highness could cross 120 kmph but its engine stopped,gasping for air when taken to high hills.They remedied it by making some changes to the ECU but those changes include limiting speed and lowering economy of the bike. Just wondering
Hi Siddharth, no, the RE 350s have an electronic limiter in the ECU code. It is deliberate and currently impossible to remove. RE had to refresh all Brazilian models because of problems with the fuel over there. They issued a recall and flashed new software to the ECU. Unfortunately ( or fortunately for the owners ! ) in modifying the software, they also broke the electronic limiter code in the software, so after flashing these Brazilian bikes were able to do 130-135 kph because the limiter was no longer coming in. So definitive proof that it is a software limiter and not a fuelling issue. Thanks for dropping by Siddarth 🙏 Cheers, ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks for clearing that up,love watching ur videos.Love from India I am currently confused between classic/meteor-350 and Honda Highness CB350 But gonna make a decision soon,ur videos do help a lot..
@@siddharthraghuwanshi3457 Good luck deciding then Siddarth and thanks for watching my channel. Much love back to India 🇮🇳 Unfortunately I don't know anything about the Honda because they don't sell it over here but if I could only have one of the other two, I would take the Meteor every time. It just feels a little bit livelier and the riding position and heel/toe shifter are really user friendly. I am sure that if you bought a Meteor you would not be disappointed but take your time and take test rides if you can, before deciding 🙂 Cheers 👍🏻 ER
Hi Jean-Marc, no, with a headwind or an uphill gradient it wouldn’t hold 70mph ( I guess you mean ? ). You can hold 55-60mph in most adverse situations though. This run was on a gradual downhill slope, so the bike got up to 70 mph pretty easily, I just kept it pinned 🤗 But holding that speed in all weathers and gradients is a different matter ! If you have any further questions, just ask away and I will reply ! Cheers Jean-Marc, ER
Im hesitating, I'm in love with the styling of the bike! Highway here are 100kmh, but people can get to 120 on the left lane. How is the 2 up? Can it goes like 105 with a passenger? I wish they would make a 500 or even a 400cc. No other brand have this era style.
@@jean-marclapierre9413 Hi Jean-Marc, no, I think the 350 will struggle to hold 100 kmh two up if there is a headwind or any kind of uphill gradient. I really wouldn’t recommend it for fast roads. If you have nice roads where you can enjoy them at 80kmh then I would recommend the Classic 350, even two up. But if you are going to be riding predominantly fast roads, I think you would be much happier with an Interceptor or Continental, which also look pretty good from the factory and can be easily customised to your own personal preference. To conclude : 80-100 kmh - yes but you will not hold 100 in a strong headwind or going up steeper hills. If this is what you will mostly be doing, you should be ok. 100+ kmh - the bike will struggle to get up there and won’t be able to hold that speed in all conditions. If you need to be doing 100• kmh and holding that speed everywhere, that really is asking too much of the 350 and you would be better off with a 650 twin. That may not be the answer that you wanted to hear but it is my honest opinion. I hope this helps. Certainly try to get a test ride on one if you can, then maybe you’ll understand what I mean 🙂 Thanks Jean-Marc and good luck deciding ! ER
@@jean-marclapierre9413 You’re welcome ! Good luck deciding. I’d be tempted to get the Interceptor in your preferred colour scheme, if you are intending to do a fair bit of two up riding 👍 Cheers 🍺 ER
Well, the speedo is more accurate than my 40 year old Honda. I thought the rev limiter was just that, so not a wise thing to exceed, or has it been wired up to the speedo rather than the rev counter, much like most trucks these days?
No, there is both a rev limiter AND a speed limiter and they feel completely different. The speed limiter cuts in in fourth and fifth gears long before you hit the rev limiter. You can only hit the rev limiter in third gear on these bikes, I say that because I MIGHT have done it once 🤗 The rev limiter just cuts power abruptly, the speed limiter brakes you down 1 kmh and then releases again. Brakes you 1 kmh and then releases again. It’s a slightly odd sensation, almost like cruise control in your car trying to slow you back down when running downhill. Cheers Skaraborgcraft 👍 ER
@@economicalrides Learn something new every day. I wonder if the speed limiter side can be disabled without upsetting the check engine light? Someone must be onto that by now. Good to know. Cheers.
@@skaraborgcraft Not easy to do. Fuses have been pulled, sensors disconnected and the bloody thing still kicks in. The only real way would be to download and decompile the ECU software, remove or break the limiter code, recompile the code and re-flash the ECU with the modified software. I’m sure people are trying to get into the ECU software but it’s not going to be easy ! Cheers 👍 ER
@@economicalrides I think i will stick to bikes that the valve bounce indicate a change of gear required......limiting a bikes top speed is dumb and more likely to cause accidents than not, especially if the top end was less than 85mph.
That is the sort of speed the Brazilian bikes did when RE re-flashed their ECUs with a new software where the speed limiter code was broken. That will be 130-135kmh measured by GPS, which is what the RE 350s can do with the speed limiter deactivated. Presumably this guy in India is also running a version of the ECU software where the limiter is broken, just like the version RE installed on those Brazilian bikes. At the end of the day, we are missing out on 10 mph at the most, so I'm not really bothered by the limiter, although it is annoying that these bikes will not go any faster downhill than they do on the flat ! Cheers Avisekh ER
Hi Vim, no, not at all. It felt like the frame could probably handle 160 kmh without any problems. It is a hefty frame for such a small bike, so no problem at all at 120 kmh ! Cheers Vim, ER
Interesting and confirms by sense this bike is just not for me ... shame. Before I get the comments that 72mph is fast enough for anyone may I explain my reasoning. During my normal B -road 50-60mph cruising I frequently come across trucks or other slower moving traffic at 50-60mph and in order to not end up the meat in the sandwich between them and the cars queuing up to overtake I would be terrified of the limiter coming in halfway through the overtake. For me it's a safety issue and to be able to comfortably overtake normal traffic is a prerequisite of a serious motorcycle that can be used for more than just city commuting or quiet country lanes. I'd be interested how owners deal with this scenario, do they just avoid doing any distances on normal roads or put up with following slower traffic and having cars always on your shoulder trying to overtake?
Hi David, I think most of us just stay behind them. Overtaking at over 50 mph on a 350 on a short straight is an act of bravery or even stupidity 😱 I imagine that most of us either wait for a clear opportunity or simply relax and settle in behind whatever is in front of us. If you want to do a lot of overtaking, particularly on smaller or B-roads, I don’t think a 350 is the tool for the job. You need to be looking at 500+ cc minimum IMO. You have to buy the right bike for where you ride and not always the bike which appeals to you most. It does sound as though a 350 won’t suit the kind of riding you need to do. Or you might need to change the routes you ride to suit the bike, if that’s an option. I totally get where you are coming from, it’s a fair point. I hope others see this comment and chime in too 👍 For me one of the very best things about these 350s is that they put me into such a relaxed mode that I am quite happy to slow down, follow other vehicles and just enjoy the ride. I’m never in a hurry when out riding, so they work for me. Thanks David ! ER
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I only did it for the channel Thimbur. Personally 100 kmh is enough for me, but in the interests of science and RUclips, I decided to take her to the edge ! 🤗😛 Cheers buddy 🍺 ER
The new hunter 350 has a top-speed of 114km/h. (70-71 mph). It has the same 349cc engine and weighs 181kg or 14kg less than the classic 350 but is even slower,, so that it surely limited..
I THINK they are running the Hunter with a lower overall gearing to make it feel nippier, because it is designed to be quick in city traffic. I think that is the most likely reason for its lower top speed Anders. It would make sense to gear a city bike down a bit to ensure that it always wins in the Traffic Light GP 😜 Cheers ABS 😉 ER.
@@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie I agree. 17” wheels will act like a larger rear sprocket. I also read that the rake and trail are different but that can also the result of 17” wheels. I doubt if the made a new frame for one model.
@@BlueRidgeRider I believe that the Meteor, Classic, and the Hunter all share the same frame, engine, and brakes; where they differ is tire types and sizes. The different types and sizes of tires would be enough to give each bike its own character and unique handling.
@@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie True William, but the Meteor has a 17“ rear wheel and is faster. I still think they might have gone up a tooth on the rear sprocket, which would explain the reduced top speed. They tend not to change anything in the gearbox itself, as demonstrated by the Meteor and the Classic having exactly the same five ratios ! Cheers William, ER
Thanks SB 👍 Well there is a rev limiter, so valve bouncing can be ruled out. Unfortunately in fourth and fifth gears you hit the speed limiter before you get close to the rev limiter, so that definitely feels like you are being short changed, particularly when pinned downhill. But since I don’t need to ride more than 90kmh most of the time, it doesn’t bother me too much. Can’t wait until the next grubby street urchin asks me “What’ll she do mister ?” though, because now I have a confirmed by GPS answer 😂 Cheers buddy 🥃 ER & Rubita
Ah of course! No bouncing of the valves, and no chance of reaching its potential top speed. It’s like 1984 🤣 To be fair, it wouldn’t bother me either. I don’t know if the 500 has a speed limiter. I don’t think so because I had 80 out of it once, on a closed road 👍🏼
@@Saddlebags73 Hi SB, no, it seems to be part of some Indian vehicle classification thing, if under 350cc and not capable of exceeding 120kmh, it gets a more favourable classification. Anything above 350, like your Classic or Himalayan, will not be required to have a speed limiter. Well, until the EU get their way at least ! But 12kmh more top speed, which I will never use anyway, won’t really be of much use to me. More power, yes but more top speed, no. Cheers buddy 👍 El Otro y Rubita 🐕
This is why I will be disposing of my Meteor......who says I can't go faster than 117mph. Its dangerous.....having cars, bans and trucks blasting past you when the bike is doing 60-65mph on the occasional highway trip. If I want to feel vulnerable I'll go out on the YB100!! 😉
Hi Rob, yes but to be honest the speed limiter is not really the issue. Even without it, you’d struggle to hold 100kmh into a headwind or up a steep hill. Unless you feel safe at 90 kmh, fast roads are definitely best avoided with the RE 350s in general. In Spain I feel relatively safe on the sparsely populated motorway at 90 kmh but in the UK or Germany I almost certainly wouldn’t. For me the 350s are enough but a lot depends upon where you live and what kind of roads you have to ride to get to the roads you want to ride. Are you looking at an Interceptor ? Cheers Rob 👍 ER
Never heard anyone mentioning a speed limiter before on the Classic 350, is that for all bikes regardless of the region or something special just for Europe?
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 That is correct. We pay more outside of India, we don't get first 4 services free of labor charges, we can't use MiY app to order bikes customized before leaving factory, and parts are double/triple price outside India. Royal Enfields are a hell of a deal in India, not so much is USA. On the road price in India for Classic 350 Chrome about $3,300 USD, out the door price in USA about $6K. I bought one anyway. Lazy of Royal Enfield to do this to outside markets. Not that it would go much faster anyway!
You see, this is something that interests me too ! To that end, I recently bought a cheap rev counter ( I also wanted to compare the revs between the Meteor and the Classic 350 at the same speed ) but unfortunately the readings vary wildly and I think it will be very difficult to get reliable readings which would help us to answer these questions. I am going to persevere with it. If I can get correct and stable readings I will make some videos about the revs at certain speeds, definitely! 👍🏻 Cheers overboost7667 ER
Well i know my Meteor will only do about 72mph so I avoid UK Motorways where most traffic is around 80 to 85! I tried a 16 tooth sprocket on the front but top speed was the same, just took longer to get there. That's okay I will stick to B roads until a hack is found.
Hi James, yes, without the limiter the Brazilian bikes just about hit 80mph on the flat with a following wind. They weren’t too much faster. I think for UK motorways an RE 350 is right on the limit of being viable. Over here, at 55mph with so little traffic on the motorway, I feel perfectly safe, plenty of opportunity for faster vehicles to get past if they want to. In the UK I‘d probably feel differently. But motorways are best avoided anyway when on two wheels 🙂 Cheers James 👍 ER
Particularly on a motorway where you just know that on a downhill stretch the HGVs and laden cars you just overtook will be gaining speed hand over fist and you’ve got the throttle pinned downhill and are not able to match them. Then you end up in this cycle of “I overtake you, you overtake me”. It’s just annoying for all concerned really. I can only hit the rev limiter in third ( don’t ask how I know 🤗 ), in fourth and fifth the speed limiter kicks in before I get there 🤬 Fortunately I don’t often have cause to be on a motorway ! Cheers H-D 👍 ER & Ruby 🐕
Hallo gute infos aber ich hoffe das es nur einmal getan wurde ! Die arme classic😨 sie wurde nicht fuhr das gedacht,..das wiessen wihr die classic fahrer,nicht wahr? Meine kommt erst um1970km und dank deinen versuch werde ich nicht ihr das antun!😉😇✌️🇨🇵
HI Alain, nein, muss man auch nicht. Mehr als 117kmh wird sie eh nicht machen, also brauchst Du das jetzt gar nicht auszuprobieren. Es ist nur interessant zu sehen ob meine Maschine die 117kmh überhaupt schafft und das schafft sie. Sie ist also nicht schlechter als alle anderen 350er nach dem Einfahren. Ich hasse Autobahnfahren auf zwei Rädern ! Bei mir reichen für alle anderen Strassen 90-100kmh dicke, ich stimme Dir zu ! Cheers Alain, ER.
No entiendo muy buen porqué tiene limitador de velocidad. 20 Cv para 195 Kg no es muy buena relación peso-potencia, pero algo más debería alcanzar, al menos en condiciones de terreno favorables.
Hola, sin limitador los 350 andan 135 kph. El limitador previene exceder 118 kph en bajadas y con el viento en la espalda porque es un limitador de la ignición. El limitador existe porque las motos que no pueden superar 120 kph tienen una clasificación de impuestos mas económica en India. Nadie entiende porque las motos de otros mercados tienen la misma restricción, pero es así. Hasta ahora no es posible desactivar el limitador y tenemos que aceptar la velocidad máxima de 118 kph reales. Pero normalmente no circulo con mas que 90-100 kph y en realidad el limitador no es un problema para mi. Saludos, ER
Nice one, Ive got the twin brother to this - Chrome Bronze - and at 1200 kms so far it feels like it reaches its limit at 80-90km per hour and wants a 6th gear - hopefully the engine will loosen up abit ?
Hi Tom, at that speed, believe it or not, you have quite a few revs left to go. The engine will rev higher than you think it should, as you can hear in this video, but don’t go there yet. Be patient and baby the engine a bit because there is a fair bit more performance to come between 1200 and 2000 km. Once you get to 1500 km, let her do short bursts at 100 kmh to get used to it and then once you pass 2000 km you should just about be able to hit the speed limiter on the flat ( I used a downhill section for reasons of brevity 😂 ). Good luck but I’m sure your Classic will hit 117 real kmh when it’s nicely run in 👍 Cheers Tom, ER.
@@economicalrides thanks ER will give it ago - looking forward to more of your vids - ive just posted my first if youd like to check it out travelling to Stanwell Tops lookout just south of Sydney 😀👍
@@tomstockell9481 Lovely ride mate, perfect road for enjoying the Classic or Meteor ! I watched the whole thing with my coffee this morning, what a beautiful place with great views of the coast. Was it an oversight that it was only 480p resolution ? 1080p would show us the sights in a bit more detail. The camera did a good job though, nice and stable with decent sound recording ! Well done though Tom, it's nice being able to take a ride in a completely different part of the world without having to leave the house ! Cheers Tom, ER.
Currently no, because it is in the ECU software. Without the limiter the bike will probably go about 12 kph faster, so we are not losing too much. Cheers, ER.
Yes, I'm from Brazil and I had a meteor 350. They offered the remap and after doing it I managed to reach 130km/h (on the downhill though) On a straight line the bike doesn't go much more (125km/h max) It's a pretty fun bike though
@@danielsimoes3521 Thanks for that Daniel. Definitely wouldn’t be a game changer to have the limiter removed but I think most of us can object to having it in principle 🙂 Personally I will not normally exceed 100kmh, so the limiter won’t have much to do on my bikes 🤗 Cheers Daniel 🍺 ER
Yes Andy, as Daniel confirmed, RE remapped for Brazilian fuel and in doing so, somehow broke the limiter code. 130-135 kmh is what I would expect an unrestricted RE 350 to achieve ( with a long run up ! ). Now confirmed by Daniel 👍 Cheers Andy 🥃 ER
Hi Steven. Apparently there is some legislation in Asia which makes concessions if the vehicle cannot exceed 120 kph. The vehicle is classified differently. I'm not sure if it has to do with tax or licensing but there is some classification defined as "with a top speed not exceeding 120 kph" ( and possibly cubic capacity < 400 cc ? ) and that is why the RE 350s have this limiter. The larger bikes do not have a limiter, only the 350s. It's strange that they don't flash a different software to the export bikes which don't need this restriction but currently they don't. Without the restrictor, the bikes will hit about 135 kph ( indicated ) I believe, so we are losing about 13 kph due to the limiter 🤷♂ Fortunately I can avoid fast roads almost completely and rarely have to exceed 100 kph, so the restrictor doesn't bother me in practice, apart from the fact that it's there in the first place of course ! Cheers Steven
I easily got over 80 mph out of my 1998 350 bullet, but they very poorly built engine wise everything had so much play it was murder trying to set up the timing it was like they had a lifetime of wear built in. Probably down to using old worn out machine tools from the 60s lol
Almost certainly ! I had a Bullet 500 and everything about it said that it had been the product of worn out tooling. Apparently even their welding torches were worn out, judging by the number of welds that snapped clean through 😂 The 350 was a much nicer engine than the 500 and barely any slower. Less torque but a lot less noisy and vibey. Always regretted not buying the 350 instead ! Cheers Davey, ER
I don't know why RE went to the trouble of limiting these bikes' speeds; thanks to the laws of physics and aerodynamics, the bike wouldn't go much faster than 75-80 mph.
135 kmh allegedly Mark, according to those with a Brazilian ECU flash. Worth having but not going to be a game changer for me. But we can be annoyed in principle, knowing that our bikes are being deliberately held back 🤔 I think it will bother some people more than others but I do understand why some would be annoyed about it. Cheers Mark 🥃 ER
@@economicalrides I simply can't understand WHY RE went to the trouble, as the bikes' natural top speed is only a bit higher than the limit RE imposed.
@@markymarknj Apparently bikes in India get a different classification if they can’t exceed 120 kmh. That would appear to be the original reason for it and that would help to explain why it is clearly quite difficult to circumvent 🙂 Still, no skin off my nose, 100 kmh would have been enough for me ! Cheers Mark, ER
@@economicalrides I read that later. I wish our bikes didn't have the limiter. I know that people are working on defeating the limiter. Though I can live with it as is, having a little extra for the freeways would be good in the unlikely event I had to use them.
Do they know in the USA ,people run 80 mph regularly on highway?. Limiter screws you . Should you need to escape a situation....danger (not the law) 70mph is actually fine with me, but not other drivers. Bad on you RE.
Yes, it is a bit of a shame, particularly since it is only a requirement for tax reasons in some Asian markets. For the rest of the world they could easily flash a different version of the software which didn't include the limiter but they choose not to. Totally agree, although like you, 99% of the time I wouldn't need to do more than 70 mph but occasionally it is safer if you can ( briefly ) exceed that speed. Currently, if you want to go faster, you will have to get a 650 twin or a Himalayan ( 411 or 452 - the 411 will just about do 80 mph and the 452 probably around 90 mph ). The 350s are being held back by this stupid software limiter unfortunately. I did hear a rumour that the Hunter 350 has no limiter but I have been unable to confirm this. If you don't hate the Hunter and can get a ride on one, it might be worth taking one out and seeing what it'll do. I'm sceptical that it doesn't have the limiter because the Hunter was actually conceived predominantly for the Asian markets where this limiter is a requirement. But if you can get a go on one, it might be worth a try. Oh and let me know if it will hit 80+ mph, that would be good to know. Cheers mate, ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks. I don't know that I'd be able to test one. But RE needs to realize a limited motorcycle in US market should NOT be. I can't speak for Canada or Mexico, it might be more appropriate in those places. Mexico actually might be a good target market for RE. Until enforcement of speed limits here gets better, a limiter is a bad idea.
Yes, they don’t have an electronic speed limiter. If you find a long enough hill and increase the gearing a bit, you’d probably hit 140 or more. The Classic 350 will not even go any faster downhill, well unless you switch the motor off, then it might, but you’d need a very long hill 😂
@@SeventhDoorOpen Well, after spending more time repairing my Bullet 500 than riding it, I really wanted a NEW Royal Enfield this time, because I was sure that the new ones would be more reliable. But the 350 Bullet was a lot nicer than the 500 anyway and I am pretty sure that I received the worst Bullet 500 RE ever made. It just kept on breaking ! I think I was just unlucky. But I did get to ride a 350 Bullet once and it was so much smoother and less clangy than the big 500 and also not a lot slower. The Bullet 350 seemed like a better bike than the 500 to me. It was designed to be a 350 originally after all ! I think the 350 is less likely to shake itself to bits than the old Bullet 500 ! Cheers Night Story ER
@@economicalrides sorry to know that. I was riding my old 350 happily for last 22 years but then the new traffic rule here banned vehicles more than 15 years old on road. I thought i will not buy another RE this time. so i have gone through with test rides on other motorcycles and didn't like them much. they got all the speed power etc but the feel was missing. So i had to come back to RE, i had a test ride on reborn i liked it. bought it.
@@SeventhDoorOpen Yes, the new Classic is a great bike and probably a decent upgrade ! It's a shame that you could no longer keep your old 350 though. Terrible. So where do you live ? Banning all vehicles over 15 years sounds pretty draconian !
Hi Stewart, yes, what we need now is a scientist on here who can work out how high the cliff needs to be to enable the Classic to exceed 72mph before hitting the ground. I did start to work it out but got a headache and then gave up. Maybe RE have designed the limiter in such a way that it will also work in free fall, I wouldn't put it past them. There might be little parachutes under the seat or something 😂 Cheers Stewart 👍🏻 ER.
Then you’re missing out on all the fun Matthew. Slow is the new fast, cheaper too 😊 No but seriously, you might get to a point in life where you realise that actually speed isn’t what makes motorcycling enjoyable. There is a lot of fun to be had just chugging about on two wheels and taking in the world around you. I realised that about 20 years ago after about 15 years of riding fast ! I can’t imagine ever wanting a FASTER bike now, I wouldn’t use the extra speed anyway. Cheers Matthew, ER
@@economicalrides I am a lot older than you think and have been riding for over 30 years. Agreed speed isn't everything but if you need to hit the motorway one day then this bike is totally useless you will not have the power to overtake at 70 etc. But each to their own.
@@GBMatthew07 Well if you NEED to be doing over 70 mph AND overtaking things, then the RE 350s are clearly too slow. Personally I can travel on the motorway at 60 mph without overtaking things and these bikes can do that all day. Besides, I have a car for motorway journeys, so not really something I‘d ever ask a motorcycle to do. But fortunately there is a bike out there for every taste and requirement, so it’s all good 🙂👍
It has pathetic performance. Once you try to get decent performance out of it no longer a cheap motorcycle. Very few places in India will it be screaming at its top speed for very long but in other countries it would be screaming at its top speed until it exploded. My 250 BSA single cruises to up at 60 miles an hour with plenty of throttle leftover nice and relaxed.
You won’t get more performance out of it because the ECU won’t allow it. The RE 350s have to pass modern emissions regulations unfortunately, hence their performance being hamstrung. The limiter is less of an issue really, that only costs 10-15 kph. Clearly you shouldn’t buy a modern 350 if you do most of your riding on fast roads. With all of the emissions requirements these days I think you would need 500cc upwards. The 350s are relaxed at 60mph by the way and will happily cruise at that and accelerate to over 70 mph when you go to full throttle, just not very quickly. Sounds about the same as your BSA 250 to me which seems about right. Cheers, ER
@@economicalrides my 250 bsa's top-end is rated at 90 miles an hour. Not that I would push it that hard because that's when bad things happen I have bigger bikes if I want to go faster. I'd like to see you guys do a comparison between the Royal Enfield 350 and the Yamaha sr400.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 Hi Frank, unfortunately the SR 400 is no longer available over here ( those European regs again ! ) but it’s a bike I always liked and would love to try one if somebody offered me one ! I imagine that it will feel a fair bit quicker than the RE 350s, simply because it isn’t being strangled to the same extent. Those BSAs are lovely little bikes, that engine sounds like a sewing machine when the valves are spot on. I love small capacity classics like yours 👍 The Redditch built Bullet 350s were lovely too. The 350 Bullet engine was so much nicer than the 500 which is always trying to shake itself to bits ! Take care out there 👍 Cheers 🥃🥃 ER
Slap some panniers on and that's reduced further, I'm in the market for a modern retro that can comfortably cruise at 110kmh with load and accelerate to 140kmh if need be sadly RE can't do it in the 350 class only in their 500 and 650 class is this available so as a person that just wants one motorcycle, RE isn't my choice anymore as I have to pay 150 to 180% more than Indian prices for an RE in my country and there are many other brands out there that can give me the look, the performance at half the price of a RE, namely the Mash 400.
Hi MultiThunder1234, no, the RE 350s can't do that but the 650s certainly can ! I would imagine that the Mash 400 would be absolutely at its limit at 140 kph and probably wouldn't even be able to hold that against a head wind. Are you sure that the Mash 400 meets your needs ? To me it would still seem slightly underpowered. I did look at a Mash 400 cafe racer a couple of years ago myself but I didn't have a dealer nearby and I wasn't sure how good Mash would be at supporting their products and supplying spare parts when the bike got older. So RE was the safer bet for me ( dealership, parts supply ), plus I'd had one before and if it had been reliable it would have been a lovely bike ! Fortunately the new REs are reliable and are indeed lovely bikes. Thanks for watching and commenting and good luck with your bike, I love all bikes ! ER.
Well I am not bothered either way as I bought this bike to potter not race ! After 52 years of riding I am more than happy to ride at no more than 60 mph, my days of screaming around the country are, I am glad to say over. Each ride now is a pleasure enjoying the views and taking the time to explore the country side. 🙂
That's exactly how I feel Peter. 👍🏻
I very much doubt that I'll ever need a faster bike.
Motorways and fast roads are boring on a bike anyway. In that case I would prefer to take the car.
My bikes are for exploring new places, enjoying great roads and taking in lovely scenery. 50 mph is plenty quick enough for that purpose ! Nice to now know that my Classic is as fast as it should be though 😜
Cheers Peter, take care !
ER.
@@economicalrides my thoughts exactly bike for exploring and slow roads, car for boring journeys 🙂
I think anyone buying this bike is doing so for nostalgia leisure riding and so the 70mph limit (73mph max absolute rounded up) is sufficient for cruising safely on most 100kph through 110kph limited roads. But the limiter is a PITA in terms of overtaking safety and outright control. Far better to have a rev limiter if one must. Wonder why they implemented it this way?
@@theblytonian3906 I agree. The speed limiter is slightly dangerous because for example, you overtake a truck on the flat and then the road drops downhill, the truck picks up a load of speed going downhill, we can’t ( because of the limiter ), so the truck ends up having to overtake us again and this cycle repeats over and over. For truck drivers we become a real nuisance unnecessarily.
Apparently the speed limiter comes as a result of Indian legislation. It seems that vehicles which cannot exceed 120 kmh get a different classification to vehicles which can. For the 350s RE wants to ensure that they land in this category, hence the hard wired speed limiter.
It’s a shame that they don’t deactivate it in the software for export markets though because the hard speed limiter can be dangerous/inconvenient over here !
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks for that explanation. Even with 100kph &110kph speef limit that feature would be a safety liability on Australian arterial roads & highways for the kind of scenario you mention.
I'm told by an insider that the pre-prototypes that were running around Leicestershire were good for ~90mph because they had no limiter in the software. Also, some Meteors sold in Brazil were updated to account for local fuel variations and the speed limiter was accidentally omitted, so will go much faster.
Because the speed input is off the front ABS encoder, the only way I can think of getting around would be a change the ABS ring for one with fewer slots.
Hi Andrew,
yes that seems likely. The limiter is only in software, so will have been added with the final release of the ECU software. Apparently the limiter is required in India for vehicle classification reasons. It seems strange that they would add it to bikes destined for export markets but hey ho, that's how it's done.
I think 137 kph is the top speed without the limiter ( discovered when it got removed by mistake in Brazil ), so that's about 86 mph, yes.
I do wonder if removing the front ABS sensor would also work. You'd then have no speedo either but I would imagine with no input for the road speed, the limiter code will abort and it won't activate the ignition limiter. It's one of the things I'd like to try someday but prefer to do it once the bike is out of warranty !
I never ride at 120+ kph anyway, but I know some people want to at least be ABLE to go a bit quicker if necessary. It is a shame that export bikes are not getting the limiter free software, it wouldn't be too hard for them to flash a different version of the software on bikes destined for export.
Cheers Andrew,
ER
Enjoyable video. This is a nice speed for a classic 350. Just enough. Keep up the good work mate.
Thanks RRR,
I don’t need to be riding faster than 100 kph at any time, so 117 kph is just about enough for my needs 👌
Cheers buddy,
ER
@@economicalrides Have to agree. Drop by when have time. :)
Hi ER,Spot on👌Hope you are doing well🤠Best regards K.E.B.
Thanks K.E.B.,
Buddy is poorly unfortunately, so not so great 🤨
That will be the topic of Tuesday's video !
Stay safe and take care out there K.E.B.👍🏻
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides So sorry to hear that 😞Have been on a little holiday trip with one of my grandchildren🤠take care ER
Super ER 😁 Yeah, I managed 72 mph on mine once, just out of curiosity. I wouldn't like to go that fast for any length of time for sure, but then, speed isn't why people buy a Classic 350. I certainly didn't anyway 😊
Safe travels, at a more sedate pace 😁
Hi DoomNedwob 👍🏻
yes, this was definitely a one off, not the range where the bike wants to be, that's for sure.
But it's good to know that mine is as fast as it is supposed to be, my curiosity is satisfied and I will most likely not repeat the experiment. This was a slightly downhill run, just to keep the video short, but I am sure that it will get there on the flat too, eventually and wind permitting.
Video done. Now I can just get back to pottering about at 70-90 kph on nice mountain roads 🤗
Cheers buddy, safe travels to you too of course !
ER.
Well done for braving the heat and doing it! But it's all a bit odd that today's motorcyclists accept (or do we?? discuss 😊) that the manufacturer knows what is good for us. The young motorcyclist of the 50s/60s and before (and since) would avidly read the motorcycle magazines (remember those halcyon days when we were spoiled for choice with real printed magazines) road tests of the latest machine and know all he or she wanted about 0 to 60, gear ratios, valve timings and all the things that were so very important about making a decision...(did we really need to know?)
But we're generally a bit older now (I speak personally here, of course 🙄) and we're not buying a 350 single to pull wheelies on
. I'd rather not have electronics telling me to keep my speed down - seems nannyish - but I don't like a lot of what we're told is good for us either (60s child). Ho hum. Back to my pottering then! LE
Thanks LE,
I totally agree.
I don't object to the limiter in practice because in normal riding I won't get anywhere near it.
But I do object to it in principle.
I am not sure, but I think there is EU consumer protection legislation in place which prevents manufacturers from selling products which are deliberately handicapped to deliver less performance than is safely possible.
If there are any lawyers out there, this might be an issue worth looking into.
Maybe owners in the UK, EU and US can force a re-flash of the ECU by RE under the terms of consumer protection legislation ?
I won't be doing it, no time. I'm just putting it out there 😜
Cheers LE, looking forward to checking out your latest and greatest productions very soon !
ER
My 2022 classic hits the limiter at 74pmh, and kicks me down to about 72 1/2mph. For sure, that is fast enough on this bike, but I still wish the limiter wasn't there, sometimes for safety reasons. I can reach these speeds even with my wife riding pillion, and our saddle bags full. Both of us are around 175lbs each. This is a FANTASTIC bike, and smooth as can be to ride! I don't know how it was possible, but not long ago we were in Florida (visiting from where we live in what I call "Motorcycle Dreamland", Southeast Ohio), and we somehow reached 80mph 3 times on one of our highway rides from Sanford to Orlando. I didn't think that was possible. Every time since then, though, that limiter always kicks in at 74mph. The only mods on my bike (which I highly recommend) are (1) The DNA air filter, with the open filter cover, (2) the Hitchcock decat pipe, and (3) the fuel-x lite. Those 3 mods work together very well to increase performance drastically. Before I made those mods, the bike was not at all happy above 62-63pmh for very long at all. Now, good ole Penelope just hums along at 68-70mph happily for a good long ride on the highway when I need her to. Get yourself a Classic 350, make those mods, and enjoy every mile... with your helmet on!
Glad to hear that you are enjoying your Classic 350 mate. It is a lovely bike and if people would be more honest with themselves, actually it is all the bike anybody really needs. 350cc is just about enough, if you want to be sensible and just enjoy riding your bike and taking in the scenery.
Good to hear that yours is doing well with a pillion passenger too. I can concur, having taken a pillion passenger on my Meteor 350 without even noticing the extra weight. These engines cope really well with carrying a pillion passenger.
Have fun. Great to hear such positive feedback about these bikes from others !
All of the RE 350s are economical, reliable and well made bikes, full of charm and character.
Cheers,
ER
Attn: RE marketers who watch this: If you want to sell this these otherwise gorgeous bikes in North America, you have to do something about this. Back in the day, my friends and I owned sub-75 cc. mini-bikes that could do 70. In any case, that isn't fast enough to be safe on our highways, and we are lands of endless highways, there is no way to avoid them for most of us here! "Buy an Interceptor", people will say- but
I like this one!
Hi again Jack,
you are not alone in feeling that way.
For me, the 350s are ok, because I have lovely roads right on my doorstep and never need to get on a fast road to get to them.
I totally understand that this is often NOT the case in the US and some other countries.
I'm not sure that removing the limiter from the 350s will help you guys really. The 350s will still struggle to hold 100 kph ( 60 mph ) against a strong headwind. I think they are just not going to be powerful enough for people who do much more than say 40% of their riding on fast roads. Currently these people should buy one of the 650 twins, as you say, but then if they love the styling of this bike, they ideally need a bigger version.
We can but hope that RE can make a 500cc version of this bike at some point, in line with the old Bullet tradition of having a 500 and a 350 cc version of the same bike !
Power wise, the new liquid cooled 450 cc motor with 40 odd horsepower ( which is being developed for the new more powerful version of the Himalayan ) in a Classic frame would definitely get the job done. Maybe that motor will find its way into a 500 Classic ( even though it will actually be a 450 for reasons of tradition they could call it the 500 ). Unfortunately it will have a water radiator to hide somewhere, so it won't look as clean as the 350 Classic does. But maybe there is indeed a plan to use the 450 LC single in a future larger Classic model 🤞
There is definitely something special about a thumper which you don't get with the 650 twins !
Good luck, I understand your frustration but I'm sure that you'd find a way to enjoy an Interceptor in the meantime 😉
Cheers Jack,
ER
@@economicalrides part of me wants more power, but then the gas mileage would take a hit as well, I like the way the 350 sips gas
@@ChadWinters Hi Chad,
I think for most people who buy an RE 350, they will probably need something larger, faster for longer trips or trips where they are predominantly going to be on faster roads. Unfortunately a 350 falls just short in that area, even the Himalayan 411 struggles a bit.
The 350s are great if you can generally avoid fast roads in your riding, they put a smile on your face, they are pure motorcycling pleasure and as you say, are extremely cheap to run.
A great second bike for many or a great only bike if you live somewhere where the roads match the performance of the motorcycle.
I think I will be leaving mine stock. I don’t really enjoy asking a vehicle to do more than it was designed to do. Fortunately I can generally avoid fast roads but I appreciate that many folks, especially in the States need more performance to feel safe.
A larger capacity Classic would probably sell very well over there, so maybe RE will come up with one at some point in the future.
Thanks for your comment Chad 👍
Cheers,
ER
Spot on ER, that was very useful, and most informative, I've done 1050 miles so far, so another couple of hundred before revving up and going over 50 -55 mph. I dare say some computer wiz will find a way "round it, but really, why would one want to? and I bet that would affect the warranty.
Personally I'm happy tootling round the Derbyshire B roads at 50, which is why I bought this type of bike, wouldn't want to take it on the M! , I guess if that was the style of riding I'd wanted I'd have got an Interceptor or a T100/120 - "horses for courses"
Interesting in your last video you mentioned the second wrong speedometer being ordered, and that the problem hadn't manifested itself since. Mine was reading 80MPH on a 30 limit the other day, and when I stopped outside the dealers ( luckily just down the road from where I live) it was stuck at 50MPH, they took a photo, turned it on and off a few times, and it eventually stopped at 20MPH. When I got home and left the bike to stand for an hour, it had gone back to zero, and been fine since,
Funny business, be interesting to know what's happening, certainly ( in my case) not the needle sticking on the glass. Anyway I've every confidence in my local dealer (Manhatten ) who are brilliant. to get it sorted. Ride safe Garry, best wishes...Pete
Hi Pete,
yes, plenty of other bikes available if you really need to be doing 70mph everywhere, definitely shouldn’t be looking at an RE 350 (!) in that case !
The speedo thing is weird. Right now you wouldn’t think that mine had ever played up !
It’s as good as new ! But since the dealer has put in the claim, I will swap it out, even if the new one ends up being no better !
Definitely seems to be more than one reason why they sometimes play up though !
Thanks for watching and commenting Pete, take care until the next time 🤞
Cheers Pete 🥃
ER
Who cares about the warranty - the bike only costs peanuts ! Is the new Interceptor engined cruiser going to be similarly limited? Ridiculous,.
@@RobLittleuk No, I don’t think so.
This seems to stem from Indian legislation in the up to 350cc category. Big bikes can still go as fast as they like. Well, until the EU get their way that is !
Hi ER, interesting vlog thanks. Have you checked top speed on a flat stretch of road and does it take long to get to max speed? Like you, I have the Classic 350 and the Meteor 350, both great bikes but I find the Meteor is the quicker of the two bikes and will reach 70mph with ease. On the other hand the Classic struggles to hit 70mph and only achieved it on a couple of occasions. Both bikes tested on same stretch of road. Be interested to hear your experiences. TIA.👍
I haven’t done the same test Jonathan because it’s really hard to find a flat surface here 😯, however I concur, the Meteor feels as though it would get there quicker and the top speed, when you get there, will be identical on both 👍
I‘m sure that your test would garner the same results if I did it with my own two. It certainly feels that way to me !
Cheers Jonathan 🥃
ER
Very good, did you encounter any puffeting while trying to go through the sound barrier ha,ha,ha
😂
I think we were just a few kmh short of that Nigel.
If RE removed the limiter I think I could get there though 😜
I felt sorry for the bike tbh. I won't be doing it again, I just wanted to confirm that it had the same limiter as the Meteor and was able to reach it. Now that box has been ticked, I can get back to chugging about at 70-90 kmh from here on in !
Cheers Nigel, take care
ER
Now that my Meteor Super Nova is run in, I took her up to the limiter at 74 MPH, It was fun to back off a little, then twist again to full speed!
Hi David,
yes, it can be fun to feel like a bit of a hooligan from time to time. I think we all secretly do it 🤗😇
Make sure you do a rev bomb through every bridge and tunnel too, it's obligatory 😜
Although 70+ mph won't damage these engines, it definitely isn't the place where they feel most comfortable.
But from time to time, it won't do any harm and can make you feel like a bit of a badass 🙂
Take care David and enjoy that Meteor 👍🏻
ER.
I too am a senior who is not interested in riding any faster than 50-60 MPH I love this bike and will never part with it. One of the nicest bikes I have ever owned
Hi Richard,
yes, at 55 mph the motor feels so smooth and unfussed that it feels like it would just keep going forever.
If anybody needs to be constantly doing 60 mph or more, then this really isn't the right bike for that job. It would do it but it wouldn't feel in its element doing so. 55 mph is the purring zone for this bike, definitely. It's lovely. As is the Meteor.
Lots of people say the same thing about the Classic, that it's probably the best bike they've ever owned. It really is a classic bike experience but without the hassle of.a true classic bike. It's like having a classic bike which actually works when you need it to ! 😂
Cheers Richard 👍🏻
Garry
Great vid, I would love know what that the RPM when the limiter cuts in . I wish they had included a tach, I feel like Ime not in control without one.😬
Thanks Robert,
I would be interested to know that too. Maybe I will cable tie an rpm counter to the bars and make that video.
The speed limiter cuts in before you reach the rev limiter in both fourth and fifth gears. You can only hit the rev limiter in third gear and lower ( don’t ask me how I know this 🤗 ).
It would be interesting to measure the rpm of the rev limiter in third and the rpm in fourth and fifth when the speed limiter kicks in.
I will see if I can get a cheap rom gauge from somewhere and try to make a video about it, could be of interest to many and would prove once and for all that this is a speed limiter and NOT a rev limiter designed to protect the engine !
Thanks for the idea, I’ll try to make it happen 👍
Cheers Robert,
ER
I heard all the RE 350s have speed limiters. The 650s have rev limiters that kick in about 7.5k rpm - well into the red zone.
HI Ronold,
yes, as I state in this video, both the Meteor and Classic are limited to the exact same speed in the exact same way. The ECU software takes care of that. Because of this, you can only hit the rev limiter in first, second and third gears. In fourth and fifth you hit the speed limiter before you hit the rev limiter.
Cheers Ronold and thanks for dropping by,
ER.
Hi ER, the fact is that in 1973 I had a Ducati Scrambler 350, which had a power output of 24 hp and exceeded 130 kilometres per hour... we're talking about almost 50 years ago, so either the Ducati men were particularly capable or... the Indians could have made a little more effort. Probably both.
The RE is heavier at 439 wet, and the balancer shaft and gears that drive it cost the RE a bit of power. Not 4, but a bit. I bet it's a lot smoother than the Ducati. It also has a relatively long stroke. This makes it have nice low end torque but at high rpms you lose a little. Everything is a compromise. The RE is a little tractor for bad roads.
I had a 1981 Honda CB 125 twin which would hit an indicated 85 mph, so I get your point.
But we need to bear in mind just how tight emissions regulations are these days too. On a small engine like this, having to pass those tests is going to cost a few ponies I would imagine, no such thing as a free flowing exhaust these days 😟
I think when you design a new engine these days, you have to design it around being able to meet the emissions regulations when it’s done, otherwise there is no point in building it. I’m sure that results in a lot of design choices which optimise cleanliness over power output.
As Tim says, it’s a decent engine for the job it was intended to do.
Fortunately, as you too realise, power is not everything. The Meteor can still put a smile on our faces with 20 hp 👍🙂
At least I now know that my Classic is as fast as RE intended it to be. Now I can get back to chugging about at 70-90 kmh 😎
Cheers Corrado & Arthur
Garry & Ruby
@@timcarter7616 Thanks Tim,
see my answer to Corrado.
Modern emissions regulations probably have a fair bit to do with it too.
No point RE designing an engine developed to achieve optimal power which they are then not allowed to sell because it won’t pass current emissions testing.
Thanks for your input Tim and have a great day 👍
ER
@@timcarter7616 But in fact I get on very well with the Metor. I'll just say that if it had at least five more horsepower and 40 pounds less I'd be even better off. The Ducati Scrambler weighed almost 90 pounds less anyway, which isn't a little. It's true that it had more torque up top (and vibrated more), but in terms of acceleration, handling and speed there's no contest.
@@economicalrides Hi Garry, I am certainly aware that the performance of modern engines is somewhat 'deadened' by emission restrictions. As I replied to Tim, I am still more than satisfied with the Meteor. However, I can't help noticing that, for example, Tec Bike Parts has researched and offered for sale a modified camshaft for the Himalayan, which without affecting the robustness of the engine and without any other modifications gives it 20% more power, i.e. five more horsepower. Apparently, they are also working on one for the Meteor, and I will be one of the first buyers, if only to be able to overtake certain trucks with trailers on the climbs without any worries.
I found the same on the classic and the meteor. I found it quite strange when I hit 71 /72 MPH and it just says "no more, what's the rush" and drops it to 70.
I don't know about you, but I got the impression they will do 80 to 85 if it was allowed to pull more.
I can see why they rescrict them but they're is something that just dosent sit right with me about it.
If I want to abuse my engine, I want to make that choice, and I like having that choice.
Good info and content there ER
El Outro
Exmouth Rider
Yes. Particularly annoying when you are unable to gain any speed going downhill, which EVERY OTHER VEHICLE on that same road will be doing.
Brazilian 350s received an ECU flash for their quality of fuel and the limiter code was broken in that version of the software.
Post flash those bikes were hitting 135kmh, so that is what these bikes COULD deliver.
Definitely annoying that we are not given the choice, I quite agree Exmouth 👍
Clearly it can be removed in software, so it would be nice to have the option of the “full speed flash”.
Take care matey 🍺
El Outro 😛
Thanks!
You’re welcome Bob, glad to be of service 👍
Cheers,
ER
Oh, that was a SUPERThanks, didn’t realise Bob !
Well, you’re still welcome and now I’m EXTRA grateful 🙂
Thank you so much, these donations are so helpful to me, above all I really appreciate the kind gesture !
Cheers Bob 🥃
ER
🍻🍻to you as well
Exactly what I found on mine. In our primitive miles per hour I got to 72 gps and 75 in the speedometer.
Hi Dan,
yes, 72-73 mph is game over 🙂
Still, if we‘d wanted to ride fast, we would have bought a different bike 🤔
At least now I know that my Classic is as fast as it’s supposed to be 👍
Cheers Dan,
ER
@@michaelmurdock4607 Yes indeed it does. Once you get rolling the speedo consistently shows 3-5 mph more than you are actually doing ( confirmed by GPS ) so I tend to ride everywhere 5mph over the actual speed limit and that should mean that I am more or less bang on the speed limit !
Thanks Michael, they all seem to be like that and it applies to the Classic as well !
Cheers 👍
ER
well, I would have been interested in one of these, but frankly, it's slower than the 1950 models. While i'm not looking to buy for speed, that extra few mph without being flat on the tank, makes driving so much easier. Having ridden bikes at the limits, where winds and road conditions cause issues, I think my next one will be one without speed limiter. Pity because I really like the RE's
Yes. The speed limiter is particularly annoying because it is a classification requirement in Asia. They could very easily have removed it in the software for other markets where top speed is irrelevant to vehicle classification. Without the restrictor it is geared for 135 kph but I would imagine that a change of sprocket might have been able to eke a bit more speed out of it.
It is annoying and they are losing customers in the west because of it. Even 10 kph more can make a difference in certain situations.
But limiter or no limiter, if you need to maintain 100 kph in all conditions and up all gradients, the RE 350s can't manage it unfortunately. Uphill or into a headwind you'll see the speed drop to 80-90 kph, it's hard to maintain a constant speed on fast roads as it is.
Basically only buy one if you can avoid riding on fast roads would be my recommendation ! They are just not cut out for it, unfortunately. But then I suppose they were never intended for that purpose and for many people, the lack of speed is less of an issue.
Cheers,
ER.
Is it limited on road speed or engine revs I wonder. Would changing the gearing make a difference so that it revs less at the top end..Older post office vans had some sort of governor fitted.
Hi Jonathan,
it’s an electronic speed limiter and it has nothing to do with the rev limiter, which you can only hit up to third gear. In fourth and fifth gears you hit the speed limiter at 72mph before the engine gets close to the rev limiter. So changing the gearing will have no effect, the limiter will cut in at 72 mph, whatever gear you are in and however steeply downhill the stretch of road is.
With the limiter removed from the ECU software, these bikes can hit 132 kmh, so about 15 kmh more, near enough 10 mph more.
So we are limited to 72 mph whereas the bikes can do just over 80 mph with the limiter removed. So we’re not losing out too badly but it is annoying that on the motorway you can’t pick up speed going downhill to help you up the other side.
Cheers Jonathan 👍
ER
Really interesting video, not going to be much use on the motorway if you need to do a quick overtake. Surprised it has one, that top end is same as my 125 top end, always thought a 350 would do a lot more. But not a motorway mile muncher rather a backroad master!! Is there any difference between the meteor? Take care and ride safe mate 😁🖖🏼
Hi Quinn,
no, you can pretty much forget overtaking anything once you get past 90 kmh really. A sudden gust of wind or an incline could see you stranded in the outside lane 😂
Not normally an issue for me though.
You can do big miles on them if you can travel avoiding motorways but obviously you need the free time to do so. I think it would be most enjoyable to do a tour on one, just using secondary roads but I just don't have the time ( or the money ! ) to be able to do so at the moment.
Maybe someday 🤔
Yes, the Meteor is EXACTLY the same, it's almost certainly running the exact same ECU software because the limiter comes in at exactly the same speed.
Cheers buddy, take care, don't work too hard !
ER
@@economicalrides wow! I've been feeling hard up with the twannie 🤣 I've been struggling to over take in alot of places as I don't have enough power to keep up with the big 1200s I've been riding with. I just don't bother on the bullet 😱 I could use the bullet for a tour like that but I'm sure it would be to slow for that gime more 350! I've not been past 52 yet🤣🤣😱😱😱 hope Ruby has been doing well in the weather! Take care and ride safe mate! Loving the content! 😁🖖🏼
@@quinnpeaksbiker Thanks buddy,
yes Ruby is surprisingly immune to the heat. When I want us to do the short walk, she usually takes the turning for the long walk ! She just doesn't care how hot it gets, unlike her Dad 😂
Cheers,
ER
Exactly, Limiters are a safety issue. They think they are helping you. In fact the opposite.
Had 70 mph twice on mine, I think it's ltd to 73 mph. Surprised you went up to 60 mph in 4th though! 55 is my max for 4th.
Apparently the 350s will hit the speed limiter in fourth gear too, so they are just as fast in fourth as in fifth apparently. They don't hit the rev limiter in fourth gear either before they hit the speed limiter.
I haven't tried it on the Classic but the Meteor would hit the speed limiter in fourth, no problem at all, so still some way off hitting the rev limiter.
I will rev out fourth gear on the Classic sometime to see whether that still applies but I expect that it does !
Cheers Christopher,
ER.
So about 73 mph? Great video again but lacking a sausage and a Ruby. Next time you do a speed test I would like it to be how fast can Ruby devour a sausage. A calculation could then be made as to how many sausages a hour she could do and a comparison made to the 350’s, see which is fastest 😊
😂😂😂
Fortunately you worked it out for me TAYM 👍
Cheers 🥃🥃
ER
@@economicalrides yes, I thought after I posted this, I know, I’ll just time her on the last video 😂😂😂
Thanks for that Garry. With my calculator i make that 78 miles per hour here in the u k . very respectable. Is it possible in the future you could do a burnout of the back tyre, or perhaps a few donuts in a circle. only joking. really enjoyed it. ps its raining heavily here in Warwickshire, bliss.
Hi John,
well calculated exactly it equates to 72.7 mph, which is pretty decent really. My run was downhill, just to get there quickly, but it will get there on the flat, eventually, with a full tuck 😉
I am unlikely to ever exceed 100 kph in normal riding but it was nice to see that my Classic is at least as fast as it is SUPPOSED to be. I don't ever need to ride it that hard again, this was definitely a one off !
😂 to the burnouts and donuts ! No, I think I'll leave that to the Gixxer boys, I'm sure you'll find plenty of such videos elsewhere on the old RUclipss 😜
Enjoy the cool, wet rain John. After two months of rain this spring, I never thought I'd miss it, but if it rained here right now, I'd stop what I was doing, run outside and just stand in it !
Take care over there ! ☔️☔️☔️
Cheers John
Garry
@@economicalrides Thanks for that Garry, I like you have always had good mechanical sympathy and dont like to see abuse to anything. Today I added to my bike collection. do you know of the Honda Zoomer 50cc. its a Japanese import with fuel injection. while I think there are some shots of the new small Triumph model on u tube under Stuart Fillingham. When i saw it i recognised the place where it was taken. if you fancy a look. regards.
@@johnbellamy6449 Hi John,
I wasn’t aware of the Zoomer 50 but just had a look. They look sort of skeletal, like something paratroopers might get dropped with. Looks cool and a lot of fun 👍
I look forward to hearing how you get on with it !
Thanks for the heads up to Stuart Fillingham’s video, I actually watched it a couple of days ago. I think that bike looks like the 80s RD 250/350 apart from the fat silencer, I like it. I just hope it doesn’t end up being too pricey for what it is 🤞
Take care you two and enjoy whizzing about on your bikes 🙂👍
Cheers,
Garry & Ruby
Hi
Is it a speed limiter or rpm limiter?
One tooth up on counter shaft sprocket. ???
Cheers
Brian
Hi Brian,
unfortunately it’s a speed limiter. The ECU is being fed the road speed, probably from the ABS wheel speed sensor. Once it calculates 72 mph road speed it starts messing with the ignition timing to stop you going any faster. You can’t even go faster than 72 mph downhill because of the engine braking caused by the limiter.
Changing a sprocket will only lower the revs at a given speed. Top speed will remain the same.
It’s a hard speed limiter this one, I’m afraid !
Hope this helps and thanks for watching and commenting. Any further questions, feel free to get back to me 👍
Cheers Brian,
Garry
What will happen if you gear it longer with a different pulley?
Will the limiter cut in later, because it gets its information by the revs or does it get the info from the Speedo and cuts in at the same speed?
Greetings from Bikes and Watches from Instagram
It is a genuine speed limiter due to tax classes in India, as i understand it.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 - the question is - from where does it gets its signal … speedo or ignition?
@@SkysaxonDragonslayer Speedo unfortunately or possibly the ABS ring.
The limiter comes on in FOURTH and FIFTH gears at exactly the same speed, so changing the gearing should have no effect unfortunately ( although I'm not sure changing the gearing on a bike with so little power is ever a good idea ! ).
Nice to finally know who you are Bikes and Watches 👍🏻🙂
Cheers,
ER.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 It tops out at the same speed in both fourth and fifth gears so it is definitely speed based. Some people speculating that the speed measured at the front ABS ring may be being calculated into kmh and triggering the speed limiter code in the ECU once a certain speed has been exceeded. That would be pretty easy to do and the limiter code just messes with the ignition curve until the speed is back where it should be and then terminates until it is called again.
Fortunately I don't have two 350s in my stable to ride on the motorway. And for all other roads, 100 kmh is adequate. So it doesn't bother me but it is the sort of thing which smacks a bit of Big Brother and does leave a bit of a sour taste !
Cheers Rider of the North,
ER.
You certainly opened a can of worms here.....my pet gripe !
Well the EU are probably going to do something similar to all bikes, including sports bikes, soon.
You might actually have cause to be grateful for Brexit in that case. Although it’s questionable whether manufacturers will make a separate unlimited spec for the UK market I suppose.
Either way, this sort of thing is set to become more common in the future, so we’d better start hoarding those 2000s super bikes now 😂
Cheers Rob 👍
ER
@@economicalrides To answer all three of your responses to my comments I just find this big bro thing very annoying. The little RE is great pootling on secondary roads but I have a smaller bike that will do that too. I am considering going backwards in technology to something like a VT750. I bought the Meteor because I had "been there done that" with faster bikes but recognise that albeit only occasionally, one needs to have a bit more power when you find yourself on a busier road. The much anticipated 650 cruiser may be possible but I doubt it. 😊
@@RobLittleuk Well the Meteor 650 or Shotgun or Super Meteor looks like it will be a fantastic bike. A Meteor with more power sounds pretty perfect to me !
I’m pretty sure that it won’t have a speed limiter, unless the EU stick their oar in. The Contis and Interceptors are unrestricted and I would expect the 650 cruiser to be the same. If so, I’d LOVE 💗one !
Cheers Rob,
ER
Just timed Ruby on your previous video and she took just 3.93 seconds to eat the sausage. That means 916 SPH (sausages per hour). Ruby wins easy and I think deserves a, yes you guessed it, a sausage 😊
Brilliant TAYM 😂😂😂
There speaketh a true man of science !
Actually tonight we did BBQ or as Ruby likes to call it “garden sossidges” 😂
Whenever we do “garden sossidges” I always do an extra Bratwurst for Ruby, so in actual fact, tonight she did get her extra sausage 👍
Brilliant to know that Ruby eats at 916 SPH 👍🤞🤞
Thanks TAYM and much love from us both !
ER & Ruby ❤️🐕
@@economicalrides 😊
Madd maxed yourself ! We gota find a way to disable that limiter ;)
This limiter has been around since the Meteor came out. I’m very surprised that it hasn’t been hacked by now Lance, I didn’t think it would take this long, to be honest !
Let’s see if the factory decides to give us the option of an unrestricted ECU flash some day !
Cheers Lance, Ruby sends love to Leo ❤️🐕
Garry & Ruby
@@economicalrides I doubt if RE will offer it, as the limiter helps with the 3 year warranty. Bark-bark back to Ruby !
@@lancerbiker5263 Well not really. I can ride around in third on the rev limiter all day. There is nothing to stop me doing that, and that is surely more damaging than not reaching the rev limiter in fifth gear, yet being able to do an unrestricted 130 kmh.
It's not a reliability measure, it has to do with legislation they have in India.
So on that basis, it is not required to sell the bikes in other markets and COULD be removed without consequences.
But no, unless the courts force them to "release the speed", I can't see RE offering this option voluntarily either.
Fortunately I never need to do 120 kmh so it's not really ever going to be an issue for me personally.
Bark Bark Leo !
Cheers Lance,
Garry
my Classic has 5700 kilometers and I've never managed to get the needle above 70 mph which must be about 110 Kilometers/hour...
I can confirm that the speedometer is optimistic and indicates between 4 and 5 km/h more.
Hi Herve,
indeed, it always displays at least 5 kph more than GPS measures. Sometimes it displays WAY more but only when the speedo starts sticking, like mine did eventually 😂
I think my Classic hit 118 kph measured with GPS, whilst indicating 123 kph.
The most annoying thing about the limiter is that it doesn't allow you to go any faster, even downhill ! Sometimes on a small bike, on a motorway, it's useful if you can gain a bit of extra speed going downhill to make it easier to get up the other side without losing too much speed !
Apparently the Himalayan has no limiter, so I will be interested to see how fast that will go downhill as soon as I have finished running it in 👍🏻
Cheers Herve,
Garry
I think a simple method of removing the limit without disabling the speedo would be necessary in the North American market. Although going faste than that is rarely really needed, the limitation would be a significant negative here.
Hi John,
not just North America, most places in Europe too actually. It wouldn't be difficult to have an export market version of the software in the ECU for all non-asian markets. Presumably RE think that would overcomplicate matters. Interestingly the first 350s of the new generation were endurance tested in the UK pre-release and apparently those bikes did not have the electronic speed limiter. So the UK engineers signed off the bike without the limiter but I do wonder whether they would have done so with the limiter in place. On UK motorways it can be dangerous to be doing less than 70 mph and they might actually have requested that the limiter be removed for export markets.
Without the limiter the bikes will do about 10 mph more, so would just about hit 80 mph. Not much difference but enough to leave something in reserve when riding on fast roads.
Cheers John, thanks for your comment, stay safe !
ER.
It is. People run regularly 80-90 mph. The speed limits are suggestions anymore because there is very little enforcement. 70mph works for me just fine, but apparently not with other drivers. I can drive 80 and be passed by a pack of cars.
It might just be me but 75mph is more than enough for a modern, enviro-strangled 350cc 4 stroke...
Yes definitely CC.
Apart from for this test, my Classic is unlikely to ever see north of 60mph.
That’ll do 👍
Cheers CC 🥃
ER
Hmm. Well heck. I have a Suzuki tu250x and was going to upgrade to a classic 350 reborn. My tu250x doesn’t limit based on speed and on a true flat highway I can get it up to 128 Kmh (80mph). 117kmh (72mph) is just to slow on our highways in USA.
Hi ejakeway,
I totally get that and if you are looking for a higher top speed with the Classic 350 you will be disappointed.
Apparently, even without the electronic limiter, top speed would only be 83 mph, so even then, the Classic 350 would not be an upgrade unfortunately. REs are more about character than performance. All of their models deliver less performance than their competition but they do try to compensate with bags of character. But if you want to exceed 80mph easily, you need to be looking at RE’s 650 twins.
Please bear in mind that there may well be a 650 twin with Classic looks in the next 12-18 months. Imagine an early Bonneville styled RE with the 650 twin engine. I think it will sell well and could fill a gap for people like yourself 🙂
Unfortunately the 350s are not going to get the job done for you.
If you have any questions, just get back to me, I’ll be happy to help !
Cheers ejakeway 🥃🥃
ER
Is JAWA perak or Jawa 42 bikes available there? Here in india classic jawa is best arrivel for re
Hi Omkar,
thanks for the tip ! It appears as though these bikes are available in Europe and they look like a great alternative to the RE 350s.
Unfortunately the dealer network is not very well developed, so it will not be easy to buy one.
They both look great though !
Cheers Omkar,
ER
I would be very interested in buying a 500cc Hunter. I have long distances to travel and I don’t want to wring the neck of a little bike in order to not be a hindrance to other motorists. In Canada, for the most part, we do not have pleasant county roads upon which to potter along. City streets or highway. A 500cc bike would be fine for both. My Bonneville is good for both but at 71 years-of-age I’m not looking for a two wheeled rocket ship. I’ve heard that RE is considering a 450cc model, I’ll wait to see its specs but I would dearly like a British style 500cc single to close out my riding days.
Hi Doug,
supposedly there will be a whole range of bikes fitted with the new 450 motor, so there probably will, over time, be a classically styled roadster with that engine. The issue is that the 450 is going to be a liquid cooled engine, so a fair bit more complicated than a standard British style single and the bikes will all have to have a radiator fitted somewhere, which will probably be to the detriment of the looks of a classic style bike.
Have you considered a second hand Classic 500 ? I think they will hit about 80 mph, so only 10 mph quicker than the 350s but they do have a fair bit more shove. One of those might not quite be quick enough for you but would certainly give you the riding experience you are after 🙂
The RE 650 twins would also be a good choice for you if they weren't so darn heavy. Your Bonneville will probably weigh about the same I reckon, so downsizing to a 650 probably wouldn't make a lot of sense.
Good luck deciding anyway and if you have any questions, feel free to get back to me.
Cheers Doug,
ER.
@@economicalrides ….. Hi. Thanks for your reply. I guess the question I have is - what would be a comfortable highway cruising speed for a RE 350 ? I don’t want to have to ride full throttle in order to not be in the way. My area of Canada does not have the beautiful backroads like those in England, I have 3 km of gravel road to a paved highway then 39 km to the nearest town and the nearest city 2 hr. away at 110 kmh. Your suggestion of a used 500cc bike may be my best bet. Thank you for your help.
@@dougsmith7580 Hi Doug,
if where you live is nice and flat, a 350 will hold 100 kph comfortably. At 110 kph it will probably feel like you are thrashing it a bit because you only have 10 kph left to go.
A strong headwind or an incline is where the 350s begin to struggle to hold a speed.
On the flat, 90 kph is lovely and relaxed, 100 kph is also ok ( although the fuel economy nosedives beyond 90 kph - you'll be using about 30% more fuel above 90 kph ! ).
A Classic 500 is less affected by wind and moderate inclines because it has more torque. Having said that, the engine is nowhere near as smooth as the 350s, so at higher speeds ( which the 500 would achieve and maintain more comfortably ) you might find that the vibes are starting to make things uncomfortable.
Even the 500 is most happy at 90 kph really. Anything beyond 100 kph will be quite thrashy and vibey. But it will do it and it will hold 100-110 kph up an incline, which the 350s probably wouldn't.
Definitely try a 500 if somebody has one for sale and see how it feels to you at 105-110 kph. I had an older Bullet 500 and that thing would cruise at and hold 100 kph but it always felt happiest at 90 kph !
I think if you want this style of bike, you might have to compromise a little bit on the minimal cruising speed you deem to be acceptable. These bikes are not really intended for fast roads but I ride mine on motorways at 90 kph and I don't really hold anybody up or if I do, I pull over and make it easier for them to pass. The main thing is, I can keep ahead of the trucks on a 350. Truck drivers do get annoyed if they have to keep re-passing you on the downhills :)
You just learn to be considerate and deal with being a bit slower than some other vehicles. I don't think I am any more of an obstruction at 90 than I would be at 100 anyway. I'm in the way of the people who want to do 130 in any case, so I prefer to stick to 90 where the bike feels happiest and I just try to make sure that I am not being a nuisance to truck drivers. I either pin it downhill to maintain the gap or I drop behind them and let them gap me.
I hope this helps. Probably not 😛
Cheers Doug,
ER.
@@economicalrides ….. Thank you, it helps a great deal. I haven’t had a bike smaller than 650cc for quite a few years and really have no idea what a modern day 350cc will do. I never thought I would rue the day I sold my Yamaha SE 500 single so much. Now I’m kicking myself on a daily basis. Oh well, don’t look back.
@@dougsmith7580 Yes, the Yamaha 500 single sounds just about perfect for what you need right now ! Might be worth revisiting, if you can find a good one ?
Could the reason be so that the bike won't stop ,when taken to the very high altitudes with little oxygen for the engine coz the honda highness could cross 120 kmph but its engine stopped,gasping for air when taken to high hills.They remedied it by making some changes to the ECU but those changes include limiting speed and lowering economy of the bike.
Just wondering
Hi Siddharth,
no, the RE 350s have an electronic limiter in the ECU code. It is deliberate and currently impossible to remove.
RE had to refresh all Brazilian models because of problems with the fuel over there. They issued a recall and flashed new software to the ECU. Unfortunately ( or fortunately for the owners ! ) in modifying the software, they also broke the electronic limiter code in the software, so after flashing these Brazilian bikes were able to do 130-135 kph because the limiter was no longer coming in. So definitive proof that it is a software limiter and not a fuelling issue.
Thanks for dropping by Siddarth 🙏
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks for clearing that up,love watching ur videos.Love from India
I am currently confused between classic/meteor-350 and Honda Highness CB350
But gonna make a decision soon,ur videos do help a lot..
@@siddharthraghuwanshi3457 Good luck deciding then Siddarth and thanks for watching my channel. Much love back to India 🇮🇳
Unfortunately I don't know anything about the Honda because they don't sell it over here but if I could only have one of the other two, I would take the Meteor every time.
It just feels a little bit livelier and the riding position and heel/toe shifter are really user friendly. I am sure that if you bought a Meteor you would not be disappointed but take your time and take test rides if you can, before deciding 🙂
Cheers 👍🏻
ER
Don't forget that all the golden pinstripe on the tank and bike are hand painted..
Watch the royal Enfield factory in India video
Thanks.
I know they used to be but I wasn’t sure if it was still all being done by hand.
Cheers 👍
ER
I believe they are still painted by hands 😊
It did not seem to struggle at 70 on this side if the screen.
How does it feel at that speed? Would it hold it?
Hi Jean-Marc,
no, with a headwind or an uphill gradient it wouldn’t hold 70mph ( I guess you mean ? ).
You can hold 55-60mph in most adverse situations though.
This run was on a gradual downhill slope, so the bike got up to 70 mph pretty easily, I just kept it pinned 🤗
But holding that speed in all weathers and gradients is a different matter !
If you have any further questions, just ask away and I will reply !
Cheers Jean-Marc,
ER
Im hesitating, I'm in love with the styling of the bike!
Highway here are 100kmh, but people can get to 120 on the left lane.
How is the 2 up? Can it goes like 105 with a passenger?
I wish they would make a 500 or even a 400cc. No other brand have this era style.
@@jean-marclapierre9413 Hi Jean-Marc,
no, I think the 350 will struggle to hold 100 kmh two up if there is a headwind or any kind of uphill gradient. I really wouldn’t recommend it for fast roads. If you have nice roads where you can enjoy them at 80kmh then I would recommend the Classic 350, even two up.
But if you are going to be riding predominantly fast roads, I think you would be much happier with an Interceptor or Continental, which also look pretty good from the factory and can be easily customised to your own personal preference.
To conclude :
80-100 kmh - yes but you will not hold 100 in a strong headwind or going up steeper hills.
If this is what you will mostly be doing, you should be ok.
100+ kmh - the bike will struggle to get up there and won’t be able to hold that speed in all conditions. If you need to be doing 100• kmh and holding that speed everywhere, that really is asking too much of the 350 and you would be better off with a 650 twin.
That may not be the answer that you wanted to hear but it is my honest opinion. I hope this helps. Certainly try to get a test ride on one if you can, then maybe you’ll understand what I mean 🙂
Thanks Jean-Marc and good luck deciding !
ER
Thank you!!!
@@jean-marclapierre9413 You’re welcome !
Good luck deciding. I’d be tempted to get the Interceptor in your preferred colour scheme, if you are intending to do a fair bit of two up riding 👍
Cheers 🍺
ER
Well, the speedo is more accurate than my 40 year old Honda. I thought the rev limiter was just that, so not a wise thing to exceed, or has it been wired up to the speedo rather than the rev counter, much like most trucks these days?
No, there is both a rev limiter AND a speed limiter and they feel completely different.
The speed limiter cuts in in fourth and fifth gears long before you hit the rev limiter.
You can only hit the rev limiter in third gear on these bikes, I say that because I MIGHT have done it once 🤗
The rev limiter just cuts power abruptly, the speed limiter brakes you down 1 kmh and then releases again. Brakes you 1 kmh and then releases again. It’s a slightly odd sensation, almost like cruise control in your car trying to slow you back down when running downhill.
Cheers Skaraborgcraft 👍
ER
@@economicalrides Learn something new every day. I wonder if the speed limiter side can be disabled without upsetting the check engine light? Someone must be onto that by now. Good to know. Cheers.
@@skaraborgcraft Not easy to do. Fuses have been pulled, sensors disconnected and the bloody thing still kicks in. The only real way would be to download and decompile the ECU software, remove or break the limiter code, recompile the code and re-flash the ECU with the modified software. I’m sure people are trying to get into the ECU software but it’s not going to be easy !
Cheers 👍
ER
@@economicalrides I think i will stick to bikes that the valve bounce indicate a change of gear required......limiting a bikes top speed is dumb and more likely to cause accidents than not, especially if the top end was less than 85mph.
BRO THIS ONE IN INDIA GOES UP TO 142KMPH IN SPEEDO, ON A PLAIN ROAD.HOW COME.
That is the sort of speed the Brazilian bikes did when RE re-flashed their ECUs with a new software where the speed limiter code was broken.
That will be 130-135kmh measured by GPS, which is what the RE 350s can do with the speed limiter deactivated.
Presumably this guy in India is also running a version of the ECU software where the limiter is broken, just like the version RE installed on those Brazilian bikes.
At the end of the day, we are missing out on 10 mph at the most, so I'm not really bothered by the limiter, although it is annoying that these bikes will not go any faster downhill than they do on the flat !
Cheers Avisekh
ER
Did it feel unstable at the top speed ?
Hi Vim,
no, not at all.
It felt like the frame could probably handle 160 kmh without any problems. It is a hefty frame for such a small bike, so no problem at all at 120 kmh !
Cheers Vim,
ER
Interesting and confirms by sense this bike is just not for me ... shame. Before I get the comments that 72mph is fast
enough for anyone may I explain my reasoning.
During my normal B -road 50-60mph cruising I frequently come across trucks or other slower moving traffic at 50-60mph
and in order to not end up the meat in the sandwich between them and the cars queuing up to overtake I would be terrified
of the limiter coming in halfway through the overtake.
For me it's a safety issue and to be able to comfortably overtake normal traffic is a prerequisite of a serious motorcycle
that can be used for more than just city commuting or quiet country lanes.
I'd be interested how owners deal with this scenario, do they just avoid doing any distances on normal roads or put up
with following slower traffic and having cars always on your shoulder trying to overtake?
Hi David,
I think most of us just stay behind them. Overtaking at over 50 mph on a 350 on a short straight is an act of bravery or even stupidity 😱
I imagine that most of us either wait for a clear opportunity or simply relax and settle in behind whatever is in front of us.
If you want to do a lot of overtaking, particularly on smaller or B-roads, I don’t think a 350 is the tool for the job. You need to be looking at 500+ cc minimum IMO.
You have to buy the right bike for where you ride and not always the bike which appeals to you most. It does sound as though a 350 won’t suit the kind of riding you need to do. Or you might need to change the routes you ride to suit the bike, if that’s an option.
I totally get where you are coming from, it’s a fair point.
I hope others see this comment and chime in too 👍
For me one of the very best things about these 350s is that they put me into such a relaxed mode that I am quite happy to slow down, follow other vehicles and just enjoy the ride. I’m never in a hurry when out riding, so they work for me.
Thanks David !
ER
Hooligan! 😀
I can honestly say, hand on heart, that I only did it for the channel Thimbur. Personally 100 kmh is enough for me, but in the interests of science and RUclips, I decided to take her to the edge !
🤗😛
Cheers buddy 🍺
ER
The new hunter 350 has a top-speed of 114km/h. (70-71 mph). It has the same 349cc engine and weighs 181kg or 14kg less than the classic 350 but is even slower,, so that it surely limited..
I THINK they are running the Hunter with a lower overall gearing to make it feel nippier, because it is designed to be quick in city traffic. I think that is the most likely reason for its lower top speed Anders. It would make sense to gear a city bike down a bit to ensure that it always wins in the Traffic Light GP 😜
Cheers ABS 😉
ER.
@@economicalrides Or because of 17" wheel's ;-)
@@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie I agree. 17” wheels will act like a larger rear sprocket. I also read that the rake and trail are different but that can also the result of 17” wheels. I doubt if the made a new frame for one model.
@@BlueRidgeRider I believe that the Meteor, Classic, and the Hunter all share the same frame, engine, and brakes; where they differ is tire types and sizes. The different types and sizes of tires would be enough to give each bike its own character and unique handling.
@@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie True William, but the Meteor has a 17“ rear wheel and is faster.
I still think they might have gone up a tooth on the rear sprocket, which would explain the reduced top speed. They tend not to change anything in the gearbox itself, as demonstrated by the Meteor and the Classic having exactly the same five ratios !
Cheers William,
ER
So well presented 🤣 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Valve bouncing should be an option 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks SB 👍
Well there is a rev limiter, so valve bouncing can be ruled out. Unfortunately in fourth and fifth gears you hit the speed limiter before you get close to the rev limiter, so that definitely feels like you are being short changed, particularly when pinned downhill.
But since I don’t need to ride more than 90kmh most of the time, it doesn’t bother me too much.
Can’t wait until the next grubby street urchin asks me “What’ll she do mister ?” though, because now I have a confirmed by GPS answer 😂
Cheers buddy 🥃
ER & Rubita
Ah of course! No bouncing of the valves, and no chance of reaching its potential top speed. It’s like 1984 🤣
To be fair, it wouldn’t bother me either. I don’t know if the 500 has a speed limiter. I don’t think so because I had 80 out of it once, on a closed road 👍🏼
@@Saddlebags73 Hi SB,
no, it seems to be part of some Indian vehicle classification thing, if under 350cc and not capable of exceeding 120kmh, it gets a more favourable classification. Anything above 350, like your Classic or Himalayan, will not be required to have a speed limiter. Well, until the EU get their way at least !
But 12kmh more top speed, which I will never use anyway, won’t really be of much use to me. More power, yes but more top speed, no.
Cheers buddy 👍
El Otro y Rubita 🐕
This is why I will be disposing of my Meteor......who says I can't go faster than 117mph. Its dangerous.....having cars, bans and trucks blasting past you when the bike is doing 60-65mph on the occasional highway trip. If I want to feel vulnerable I'll go out on the YB100!! 😉
Hi Rob,
yes but to be honest the speed limiter is not really the issue. Even without it, you’d struggle to hold 100kmh into a headwind or up a steep hill. Unless you feel safe at 90 kmh, fast roads are definitely best avoided with the RE 350s in general.
In Spain I feel relatively safe on the sparsely populated motorway at 90 kmh but in the UK or Germany I almost certainly wouldn’t.
For me the 350s are enough but a lot depends upon where you live and what kind of roads you have to ride to get to the roads you want to ride.
Are you looking at an Interceptor ?
Cheers Rob 👍
ER
Never heard anyone mentioning a speed limiter before on the Classic 350, is that for all bikes regardless of the region or something special just for Europe?
As i understand it it is a Indian thing. There is a tax reduction for bikes that tops out at/below 120 km/h. And, sadly, they are exporting that.
Yes, all export 350 models have the limiter code in the ECU, so both the Meteor and the Classic 350.
@@RiderOftheNorth1968 That is correct. We pay more outside of India, we don't get first 4 services free of labor charges, we can't use MiY app to order bikes customized before leaving factory, and parts are double/triple price outside India. Royal Enfields are a hell of a deal in India, not so much is USA. On the road price in India for Classic 350 Chrome about $3,300 USD, out the door price in USA about $6K. I bought one anyway. Lazy of Royal Enfield to do this to outside markets. Not that it would go much faster anyway!
@@economicalrides Cheers
@@trevorlittle225 I suppose import tax puts a wack on but thanks for the info 👍
Does anybody know the rpm at max speed or 100kph ?
You see, this is something that interests me too !
To that end, I recently bought a cheap rev counter ( I also wanted to compare the revs between the Meteor and the Classic 350 at the same speed ) but unfortunately the readings vary wildly and I think it will be very difficult to get reliable readings which would help us to answer these questions.
I am going to persevere with it. If I can get correct and stable readings I will make some videos about the revs at certain speeds, definitely! 👍🏻
Cheers overboost7667
ER
Well i know my Meteor will only do about 72mph so I avoid UK Motorways where most traffic is around 80 to 85! I tried a 16 tooth sprocket on the front but top speed was the same, just took longer to get there. That's okay I will stick to B roads until a hack is found.
Hi James,
yes, without the limiter the Brazilian bikes just about hit 80mph on the flat with a following wind. They weren’t too much faster. I think for UK motorways an RE 350 is right on the limit of being viable. Over here, at 55mph with so little traffic on the motorway, I feel perfectly safe, plenty of opportunity for faster vehicles to get past if they want to.
In the UK I‘d probably feel differently.
But motorways are best avoided anyway when on two wheels 🙂
Cheers James 👍
ER
def need to get that limiter removed, a rev limiter is fine, but a speed limiter is silly, even on a bike designed for more chilled out rides
Particularly on a motorway where you just know that on a downhill stretch the HGVs and laden cars you just overtook will be gaining speed hand over fist and you’ve got the throttle pinned downhill and are not able to match them. Then you end up in this cycle of “I overtake you, you overtake me”. It’s just annoying for all concerned really.
I can only hit the rev limiter in third ( don’t ask how I know 🤗 ), in fourth and fifth the speed limiter kicks in before I get there 🤬
Fortunately I don’t often have cause to be on a motorway !
Cheers H-D 👍
ER & Ruby 🐕
Hallo gute infos aber ich hoffe das es nur einmal getan wurde ! Die arme classic😨 sie wurde nicht fuhr das gedacht,..das wiessen wihr die classic fahrer,nicht wahr? Meine kommt erst um1970km und dank deinen versuch werde ich nicht ihr das antun!😉😇✌️🇨🇵
HI Alain,
nein, muss man auch nicht.
Mehr als 117kmh wird sie eh nicht machen, also brauchst Du das jetzt gar nicht auszuprobieren.
Es ist nur interessant zu sehen ob meine Maschine die 117kmh überhaupt schafft und das schafft sie. Sie ist also nicht schlechter als alle anderen 350er nach dem Einfahren.
Ich hasse Autobahnfahren auf zwei Rädern !
Bei mir reichen für alle anderen Strassen 90-100kmh dicke, ich stimme Dir zu !
Cheers Alain,
ER.
No entiendo muy buen porqué tiene limitador de velocidad. 20 Cv para 195 Kg no es muy buena relación peso-potencia, pero algo más debería alcanzar, al menos en condiciones de terreno favorables.
Hola,
sin limitador los 350 andan 135 kph. El limitador previene exceder 118 kph en bajadas y con el viento en la espalda porque es un limitador de la ignición.
El limitador existe porque las motos que no pueden superar 120 kph tienen una clasificación de impuestos mas económica en India.
Nadie entiende porque las motos de otros mercados tienen la misma restricción, pero es así.
Hasta ahora no es posible desactivar el limitador y tenemos que aceptar la velocidad máxima de 118 kph reales.
Pero normalmente no circulo con mas que 90-100 kph y en realidad el limitador no es un problema para mi.
Saludos,
ER
Nice one, Ive got the twin brother to this - Chrome Bronze - and at 1200 kms so far it feels like it reaches its limit at 80-90km per hour and wants a 6th gear - hopefully the engine will loosen up abit ?
Hi Tom,
at that speed, believe it or not, you have quite a few revs left to go. The engine will rev higher than you think it should, as you can hear in this video, but don’t go there yet. Be patient and baby the engine a bit because there is a fair bit more performance to come between 1200 and 2000 km. Once you get to 1500 km, let her do short bursts at 100 kmh to get used to it and then once you pass 2000 km you should just about be able to hit the speed limiter on the flat ( I used a downhill section for reasons of brevity 😂 ).
Good luck but I’m sure your Classic will hit 117 real kmh when it’s nicely run in 👍
Cheers Tom,
ER.
@@economicalrides thanks ER will give it ago - looking forward to more of your vids - ive just posted my first if youd like to check it out travelling to Stanwell Tops lookout just south of Sydney 😀👍
@@tomstockell9481 OK Tom, I will give it a look ( and a like 👍🏻 ) after work. Nice to have you onboard Tom !
Cheers buddy,
ER.
@@economicalrides thanks mate - fast fwd to the last 30 secs
@@tomstockell9481 Lovely ride mate, perfect road for enjoying the Classic or Meteor !
I watched the whole thing with my coffee this morning, what a beautiful place with great views of the coast.
Was it an oversight that it was only 480p resolution ? 1080p would show us the sights in a bit more detail. The camera did a good job though, nice and stable with decent sound recording !
Well done though Tom, it's nice being able to take a ride in a completely different part of the world without having to leave the house !
Cheers Tom,
ER.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO REMOVE THIS LIMITER
Currently no, because it is in the ECU software.
Without the limiter the bike will probably go about 12 kph faster, so we are not losing too much.
Cheers,
ER.
@@economicalrides I need that 12kmph 😭😭😭😭 it SUCKS when the bike is on a downhill and the speed limiter kicks in and cuts power 😭
@@nischhalsharma6059 Now that is true ! Truck drivers don’t understand it ! It is a bit embarrassing.
I've seen a video of, I think a Brazilian market 350 going faster. It's limited for us though :(
Yes, I'm from Brazil and I had a meteor 350. They offered the remap and after doing it I managed to reach 130km/h (on the downhill though)
On a straight line the bike doesn't go much more (125km/h max)
It's a pretty fun bike though
@@danielsimoes3521 Thanks for that Daniel.
Definitely wouldn’t be a game changer to have the limiter removed but I think most of us can object to having it in principle 🙂
Personally I will not normally exceed 100kmh, so the limiter won’t have much to do on my bikes 🤗
Cheers Daniel 🍺
ER
Yes Andy,
as Daniel confirmed, RE remapped for Brazilian fuel and in doing so, somehow broke the limiter code.
130-135 kmh is what I would expect an unrestricted RE 350 to achieve ( with a long run up ! ).
Now confirmed by Daniel 👍
Cheers Andy 🥃
ER
Andy, RE had to redo the ECU map, since the Brasilians use more ethanol in their fuel. When they redid the ECU map, the limiter was removed.
But, why?
Hi Steven.
Apparently there is some legislation in Asia which makes concessions if the vehicle cannot exceed 120 kph. The vehicle is classified differently.
I'm not sure if it has to do with tax or licensing but there is some classification defined as "with a top speed not exceeding 120 kph" ( and possibly cubic capacity < 400 cc ? ) and that is why the RE 350s have this limiter. The larger bikes do not have a limiter, only the 350s.
It's strange that they don't flash a different software to the export bikes which don't need this restriction but currently they don't.
Without the restrictor, the bikes will hit about 135 kph ( indicated ) I believe, so we are losing about 13 kph due to the limiter 🤷♂
Fortunately I can avoid fast roads almost completely and rarely have to exceed 100 kph, so the restrictor doesn't bother me in practice, apart from the fact that it's there in the first place of course !
Cheers Steven
I easily got over 80 mph out of my 1998 350 bullet, but they very poorly built engine wise everything had so much play it was murder trying to set up the timing it was like they had a lifetime of wear built in. Probably down to using old worn out machine tools from the 60s lol
Almost certainly !
I had a Bullet 500 and everything about it said that it had been the product of worn out tooling. Apparently even their welding torches were worn out, judging by the number of welds that snapped clean through 😂
The 350 was a much nicer engine than the 500 and barely any slower. Less torque but a lot less noisy and vibey. Always regretted not buying the 350 instead !
Cheers Davey,
ER
I don't ask how much it run's. i know it run's CooL 😀
😎😎😎👍👍👍
🍺 William !
ER
I don't know why RE went to the trouble of limiting these bikes' speeds; thanks to the laws of physics and aerodynamics, the bike wouldn't go much faster than 75-80 mph.
135 kmh allegedly Mark, according to those with a Brazilian ECU flash. Worth having but not going to be a game changer for me.
But we can be annoyed in principle, knowing that our bikes are being deliberately held back 🤔
I think it will bother some people more than others but I do understand why some would be annoyed about it.
Cheers Mark 🥃
ER
@@economicalrides I simply can't understand WHY RE went to the trouble, as the bikes' natural top speed is only a bit higher than the limit RE imposed.
@@markymarknj Apparently bikes in India get a different classification if they can’t exceed 120 kmh. That would appear to be the original reason for it and that would help to explain why it is clearly quite difficult to circumvent 🙂
Still, no skin off my nose, 100 kmh would have been enough for me !
Cheers Mark,
ER
@@economicalrides I read that later. I wish our bikes didn't have the limiter. I know that people are working on defeating the limiter. Though I can live with it as is, having a little extra for the freeways would be good in the unlikely event I had to use them.
@@markymarknj True. If a flash to remove it were available, then I would get it done too.
Free speed can’t hurt ! 😛
Have a great day Mark 👍
Cheers,
ER
Hi You.I come VietNam.🤗🤗🤗...
Hi and welcome to my channel friend 🙏🙂
Do they know in the USA ,people run 80 mph regularly on highway?. Limiter screws you . Should you need to escape a situation....danger (not the law) 70mph is actually fine with me, but not other drivers. Bad on you RE.
Yes, it is a bit of a shame, particularly since it is only a requirement for tax reasons in some Asian markets. For the rest of the world they could easily flash a different version of the software which didn't include the limiter but they choose not to. Totally agree, although like you, 99% of the time I wouldn't need to do more than 70 mph but occasionally it is safer if you can ( briefly ) exceed that speed.
Currently, if you want to go faster, you will have to get a 650 twin or a Himalayan ( 411 or 452 - the 411 will just about do 80 mph and the 452 probably around 90 mph ).
The 350s are being held back by this stupid software limiter unfortunately.
I did hear a rumour that the Hunter 350 has no limiter but I have been unable to confirm this.
If you don't hate the Hunter and can get a ride on one, it might be worth taking one out and seeing what it'll do.
I'm sceptical that it doesn't have the limiter because the Hunter was actually conceived predominantly for the Asian markets where this limiter is a requirement. But if you can get a go on one, it might be worth a try.
Oh and let me know if it will hit 80+ mph, that would be good to know.
Cheers mate,
ER.
@@economicalrides Thanks. I don't know that I'd be able to test one. But RE needs to realize a limited motorcycle in US market should NOT be. I can't speak for Canada or Mexico, it might be more appropriate in those places. Mexico actually might be a good target market for RE. Until enforcement of speed limits here gets better, a limiter is a bad idea.
117 MPH. Cor
75 miles per hour (mph) equals 120,7 kilometers per hour (km/h)
117 km/h is 72,7 mph
I know right ! Who'd have thunk it !
😜
@@economicalrides only me wud thunk it
i rode my old bullet 120 km hour.
Yes, they don’t have an electronic speed limiter.
If you find a long enough hill and increase the gearing a bit, you’d probably hit 140 or more.
The Classic 350 will not even go any faster downhill, well unless you switch the motor off, then it might, but you’d need a very long hill 😂
@@economicalrides Old was gold for me
@@SeventhDoorOpen Well, after spending more time repairing my Bullet 500 than riding it, I really wanted a NEW Royal Enfield this time, because I was sure that the new ones would be more reliable. But the 350 Bullet was a lot nicer than the 500 anyway and I am pretty sure that I received the worst Bullet 500 RE ever made. It just kept on breaking ! I think I was just unlucky.
But I did get to ride a 350 Bullet once and it was so much smoother and less clangy than the big 500 and also not a lot slower. The Bullet 350 seemed like a better bike than the 500 to me. It was designed to be a 350 originally after all ! I think the 350 is less likely to shake itself to bits than the old Bullet 500 !
Cheers Night Story
ER
@@economicalrides sorry to know that. I was riding my old 350 happily for last 22 years but then the new traffic rule here banned vehicles more than 15 years old on road. I thought i will not buy another RE this time. so i have gone through with test rides on other motorcycles and didn't like them much. they got all the speed power etc but the feel was missing. So i had to come back to RE, i had a test ride on reborn i liked it. bought it.
@@SeventhDoorOpen Yes, the new Classic is a great bike and probably a decent upgrade ! It's a shame that you could no longer keep your old 350 though. Terrible.
So where do you live ? Banning all vehicles over 15 years sounds pretty draconian !
If you throw it off a cliff it will go faster when it hits terminal velocity.
Hi Stewart,
yes, what we need now is a scientist on here who can work out how high the cliff needs to be to enable the Classic to exceed 72mph before hitting the ground. I did start to work it out but got a headache and then gave up. Maybe RE have designed the limiter in such a way that it will also work in free fall, I wouldn't put it past them. There might be little parachutes under the seat or something 😂
Cheers Stewart 👍🏻
ER.
I just couldn't buy a bike that was that slow, even though I like cruisers.
Then you’re missing out on all the fun Matthew. Slow is the new fast, cheaper too 😊
No but seriously, you might get to a point in life where you realise that actually speed isn’t what makes motorcycling enjoyable. There is a lot of fun to be had just chugging about on two wheels and taking in the world around you. I realised that about 20 years ago after about 15 years of riding fast !
I can’t imagine ever wanting a FASTER bike now, I wouldn’t use the extra speed anyway.
Cheers Matthew,
ER
@@economicalrides I am a lot older than you think and have been riding for over 30 years. Agreed speed isn't everything but if you need to hit the motorway one day then this bike is totally useless you will not have the power to overtake at 70 etc.
But each to their own.
@@GBMatthew07 Well if you NEED to be doing over 70 mph AND overtaking things, then the RE 350s are clearly too slow. Personally I can travel on the motorway at 60 mph without overtaking things and these bikes can do that all day. Besides, I have a car for motorway journeys, so not really something I‘d ever ask a motorcycle to do.
But fortunately there is a bike out there for every taste and requirement, so it’s all good 🙂👍
a full tuck tuck well that's not going to be very fast 🤣🤣🤣👍
Yes, one of the few vehicles I'd feel confident of overtaking on an RE 350 is a tuck tuck 😂
Cheers AR 👍🏻
ER
Talk in English m p h
Why ? I live in Spain ?
It has pathetic performance. Once you try to get decent performance out of it no longer a cheap motorcycle. Very few places in India will it be screaming at its top speed for very long but in other countries it would be screaming at its top speed until it exploded. My 250 BSA single cruises to up at 60 miles an hour with plenty of throttle leftover nice and relaxed.
You won’t get more performance out of it because the ECU won’t allow it.
The RE 350s have to pass modern emissions regulations unfortunately, hence their performance being hamstrung. The limiter is less of an issue really, that only costs 10-15 kph. Clearly you shouldn’t buy a modern 350 if you do most of your riding on fast roads. With all of the emissions requirements these days I think you would need 500cc upwards.
The 350s are relaxed at 60mph by the way and will happily cruise at that and accelerate to over 70 mph when you go to full throttle, just not very quickly. Sounds about the same as your BSA 250 to me which seems about right.
Cheers,
ER
@@economicalrides my 250 bsa's top-end is rated at 90 miles an hour. Not that I would push it that hard because that's when bad things happen I have bigger bikes if I want to go faster. I'd like to see you guys do a comparison between the Royal Enfield 350 and the Yamaha sr400.
@@frankmarkovcijr5459 Hi Frank,
unfortunately the SR 400 is no longer available over here ( those European regs again ! ) but it’s a bike I always liked and would love to try one if somebody offered me one ! I imagine that it will feel a fair bit quicker than the RE 350s, simply because it isn’t being strangled to the same extent. Those BSAs are lovely little bikes, that engine sounds like a sewing machine when the valves are spot on. I love small capacity classics like yours 👍 The Redditch built Bullet 350s were lovely too. The 350 Bullet engine was so much nicer than the 500 which is always trying to shake itself to bits !
Take care out there 👍
Cheers 🥃🥃
ER
This bike was created to enjoy the scenic views, not speed past them.
I completely agree. If you buy a 350 you shouldn’t be expecting to be able to ride fast.
Cheers 👍
ER
Slap some panniers on and that's reduced further, I'm in the market for a modern retro that can comfortably cruise at 110kmh with load and accelerate to 140kmh if need be sadly RE can't do it in the 350 class only in their 500 and 650 class is this available so as a person that just wants one motorcycle, RE isn't my choice anymore as I have to pay 150 to 180% more than Indian prices for an RE in my country and there are many other brands out there that can give me the look, the performance at half the price of a RE, namely the Mash 400.
Hi MultiThunder1234,
no, the RE 350s can't do that but the 650s certainly can !
I would imagine that the Mash 400 would be absolutely at its limit at 140 kph and probably wouldn't even be able to hold that against a head wind. Are you sure that the Mash 400 meets your needs ? To me it would still seem slightly underpowered. I did look at a Mash 400 cafe racer a couple of years ago myself but I didn't have a dealer nearby and I wasn't sure how good Mash would be at supporting their products and supplying spare parts when the bike got older. So RE was the safer bet for me ( dealership, parts supply ), plus I'd had one before and if it had been reliable it would have been a lovely bike ! Fortunately the new REs are reliable and are indeed lovely bikes.
Thanks for watching and commenting and good luck with your bike, I love all bikes !
ER.