I have a Hunter as well. I’m in New Zealand and we are not served with very many RE dealerships either. I think it’s best to find and establish good relations with a friendly local certified motorcycle mechanic who is able to order genuine parts and carry out what is required for your warranty service schedule. I enjoy your laid back observations and absolutely agree with your assessment of this great little machine.
As a 66 year old returner I love the hunter. Yep, the parts are a problem here in Cambodia too, but it's the perfect ride for here. If you drive faster here than a 100 km/h you have a death wish. Hardly anyone ever overtakes you going 90 km/h. Mislead by GPS I have some off road experience with the wife in the back and a backpack. No problems what so ever. The rear suspension seems a bit hard alone, but ok with 2 people. All in all the best , last bike for me. Being 183 cm, I lifted the steering a bit to get perfect upright position(13$ here custom made). What a pleasure the ride is. Cheers from Angkor War.
Hello again, Glad to see your still having fun on your hunter 350. I'm still having fun on mine! I'm at 3850km myself on the ODO. I'm in Western Australia, Perth, so royal enfield dealers are even fewer around here. I did also find limitations on getting parts and accessories, and very large mark ups on the prices. But I'm a DIY guy myself, and the variety and availability of RE parts on ebay is really good. I think most of the things I have bought have been 1/3-1/2 the price of purchasing locally, and with free shipping. Even to perth things came pretty speedily. I ended up buying a 5 pack of royal enfield oil filters for the price of 1 here, so I have all my servicing sorted for the next few years. Oil is readily available from just local auto parts stores. One of my first upgrades was getting an oiled air filter, not for any performance gains but just so I never had to purchase one again, I can wash and reuse the same filter over and over. I also do some thrifty tricks such as using engine oil to lubricate my chain to avoid purchasing a shelf full of cleaners and lubricants. So although its true the dealership experience is not spectacular, I've positioned my ownership for this bike so that I don't have to deal with the dealership again after purchasing the bike! although I understand that may not be the go for someone else who isn't as interested in learning how to do maintenance on their own bike, but the hunter is a great bike to service as its so simple! I've only had a total of 3 issues over the 12 months of owning my bike. I have had 2 times I've stopped my bike in front of my garage and put it in 'neutral', which is indicated on the dash, but when I've started to release my clutch (which I habitually do slowly) the gearbox has clicked back into first and the bike has started to roll forwards. Easily handled, just pull back in the clutch, downshift back to first and back up again to neutral. I couldn't replicate this issue if I tried. It isn't an issue that would cause a trip to be ended or an accident, but if it was perhaps an inexperience or tired rider I suppose it could be a low speed drop incident. I haven't heard of anyone else ever having this issue. The last thing I have ever had happen is that my engine after a 2 hour ride threw up a warning light on the display, it didn't do anything and I cleared the code. From checking online I determined that the engine had just slightly gone over temperature briefly after a long ride, during Australian summer, but since then I have also had many rides and also two days riding 7+ hours over the summer and never seen this happen again so it's really a non issue but could still scare an inexperience rider into thinking something more serious could be wrong. I've been teaching/supervising a few friends who got their learner permits for motorcycles this year who both have more powerful bikes than mine (by far!) but riding following road rules I've never encountered a situation where my hunter was too slow, I can always stick with other riders. A lot of people get hung up on the low HP of the hunter 350, but it can go up to 110km/h no issue. It may not get from red light to red light as fast as a ducati litre bike, but I still see them when we are both stopped at that next red light! I've found my hunter to be nimble, comfortable, tour-able, economical (2.8L/100km City 3.5L/100km Highway) and it keeps me out of trouble. It is not my first bike, I've been riding now for more than 12 years and I've ridden bigger bikes, though everyone always seems to think it's my first bike and I'm a beginner when they see a 350cc. But I believe this may be my last bike. I want to keep it for 20+ years as a hobby to work on, and a past-time for weekends for mountain rides and cafe runs.
Wow, thanks for such an elaborate review in your comment. I have watched (and learned from) your diy videos and I reckon you do a great job. So good to know you. I am very keen to get self sustainable as well on the bike and channels like yours are my teachers. Thanks again
@@TheHalfNomad I'm glad that my videos are helpful! I haven't made one for a little while. I want to be able to afford a new action camera, so that I can make better quality videos as well as get more clips of actually riding the bike! I'd love to make videos like your's where its just adventures I can share, but at the moment It's not really practical with my phone velcro'd to my helmet! But I've actually been very busy over the last few months buying other equipment and designing components. Coming up I've made some levers for the hunter 350, and some bar risers, and some bar-end lever guards. So I'm going to be making video instructions on how to install those soon. If I can make some money online from the parts I designed, I'm going to purchase an action camera and do some review, information and adventure clips. But until then please keep making videos of your weekends to keep us all entertained!
What a lovely video, I just love Melbourne having visited twice in the last two years to meet lost family. Initially I thought you were coming back on the back road from Lorne to Geelong. You live in a beautiful part of Australia. It's the same in the UK for Enfield dealerships, they are few and far between and our local motorcycle agents won't service my Enfield despite being VAT registered. It's a long bike ride for me (weather permitting) to get mine serviced. The HNTR is a lovely motorcycle, it gets much admiration from other road users and people visiting the sea side, I feel very safe on it, I should hire one the next time I am over.
I'm a returning rider, after 29 years, and I've got a deposit on a Triumph Speed 400 in Phantom Black to buy this coming week, but, am considering switching my choice to this bike. Love that sound, and it really did feel nice to ride. The only thing keeping me leaning to the Triumph is the 40hp compared to the 20hp of the Hunter. Tough call!
I've got one and find it's my go to bike...light, fun, easy to ride and shove around the garage, easy on fuel and quite fast (not restricted like the Meteor and Classic). Looks really nice, too. In NZ.
Love your content mate. Hunter owner here up Brisbane. Absolutely love mine, gives me smiles for days. Would totally agree with you about the dealerships, just because it's a cheaper bike to buy shouldn't mean we get judged that our bikes are crap. It's the total opposite with Royal Enfield. Anyway keep up the great content, and keep smiling!!
Dealership support here in Oregon, USA is .... sub optimal. The local dealership was closed down by RE because they didn't sell enough bikes.(it was a small but very enthusiastic shop) The support for the Classic 500 I bought there was good. The two dealerships within 60 miles of my home are Harley Davidson dealerships first. RE is the Red Headed Step child. The one I bought my 650 Int. from was happy to sell it to me but performed sub standard (read: Unsafe) service. The other dealership did an honest servicing but the staff was rather indifferent. The salesmen for RE were relegated to a Gulag, er... second building away from the large, glitzy HD showroom.
Your dealer comment I understand. It might be me rather than them, but I did feel they thought: Can’t you afford a Kawasaki… I didn’t want a Kawasaki. I could afford a Honda 500 without touching house savings. But, I wanted the Hunter. Okay, not commuting now, so who knows, but love my Hunter.
In the same weekend as you recorded this I went with mine and I think I've had the best moments on a short ride, ever. This is my second motorcycle, beside a goldwing. Before these I've had touring and adventure bikes. But never did I have such a motorcycle, full of character/charm that runs as efortless as this. I really hope that I will settle here with my aquisitions. Have fun with yours man. 🤟 L.E. Every dealer is the same. The only case in which you count to them is when you are a potentially "cash cow". I guess you don't want that either. But in the end we're all the same. Picky with certain things. Them with customers.
Owner for over a year use all weather top little run around cheap to run no issues as yet apart from losing one of my chain adjusters after doing my chain tension so nip them both up after tightening the rear spindle As for parts always buy from India genuine parts and accessories
I thought my J motor Classic was a better looking bike but my Hunter is a close second. Riding the Hunter is more fun than the Classic! I agree completely with your opinion. I’ve had similar experiences with the dealers here in the US. When I bought my Interceptor the dealer had to special order an oil filter! They didn’t have one in stock! In fact, the Royal Enfields were hidden away with the used bikes so the Italian and German bikes wouldn’t be sullied by their presence. I now live in one of the best riding areas in the country and we still don’t have a Royal Enfield dealership. That’s ok. I do all my own maintenance anyway. Here in the US we have a federal law that says anyone can perform required maintenance without impacting the warranty. I have a “touring bike” if I need to go far, fast or carry my wife. That’s the only reason I can see for getting rid of your Hunter. And even then you should keep it 😁
Thanks for reaching out. I make these videos to interact with enthusiasts like yourself - i learn a lot from these conversations 😊🙏🏼 the Classic surely looks better. 👍🏼👍🏼 i am slowly learning the art of motorcycle maintenance but I have a long way to go still😊
It's disappointing to hear of your dealer problems, it could put a real downer on the whole ownership experience. Fortunately I agree that the Hunter is a great bike. It seems to be more than the sum of it's parts and has something special about it, hence more smiles per mile (Km) 😁👍
This bike is such a good companion. I've done 1200 kms so far. I'm new to riding to so I'm taking my time to master some skills like rev matching for smoother shifts. But even with hit and misses this bike is so forgiving ❤️ Btw your brake lever seems bent a bit. Did you take a fall?
So good to hear that you are enjoying getting into motorcycles and liking your Hunter. My brake lever got squeezed against my garage wall as I tried to get it past my car😊👍🏼 thanks for reaching out and safe rides
The business about no spare parts is not confined to Royal Enfield. The way I have dealt with the issue is to work out what parts I need to have in stock to keep the machine running for a certain time and buy the parts at the time of buying the machine. Sure, the company should be providing the parts and the service, but by not providing the parts supply and a reliable service they have guaranteed they will not get the income from servicing your machine. It boils down to who will win the war of carrying the parts and service costs versus risking being unable to supply parts and services when needed. Either you or the dealer will end up making the decision about carrying those costs. The choice is yours to make, if you choose not to accept the costs, you risk not having a serviceable bike when you want it most. The dealer risks going out of business.
Agree with you👍🏼 i found the RE dealership near me to be very ordinary in attending to customers as well. If spare parts dont then their attitude will surely drive them out of business
Hey!! La motocicleta es hermosa, y a parte ese color es el que más me gusta. Pero cuando llegó a Argentina estaba lejos para poder adquirirla, y ahora está a años luz, con la inflación que existe, todos los productos importados se cotizan en dólares americanos, y está realmente caro. Y como si fuera poco hay intereses familiares más importantes que mis hobbies. Así que por el momento, disfrutaré del gozo de otros moteros a través de sus cámaras y viajaré con ellos. Felicidades y sigue disfrutándola!! Cordial saludo desde Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina!!
I have a Hunter as well. I’m in New Zealand and we are not served with very many RE dealerships either. I think it’s best to find and establish good relations with a friendly local certified motorcycle mechanic who is able to order genuine parts and carry out what is required for your warranty service schedule. I enjoy your laid back observations and absolutely agree with your assessment of this great little machine.
Thanks for your message and so glad you enjoyed the video😊👍🏼
As a 66 year old returner I love the hunter. Yep, the parts are a problem here in Cambodia too, but it's the perfect ride for here. If you drive faster here than a 100 km/h you have a death wish. Hardly anyone ever overtakes you going 90 km/h. Mislead by GPS I have some off road experience with the wife in the back and a backpack. No problems what so ever. The rear suspension seems a bit hard alone, but ok with 2 people. All in all the best , last bike for me. Being 183 cm, I lifted the steering a bit to get perfect upright position(13$ here custom made). What a pleasure the ride is.
Cheers from Angkor War.
Thanks for your message. So glad to hear you are enjoying your hunter. I agree its a wonderful motorcycle 👍🏼 safe riding
Hello again,
Glad to see your still having fun on your hunter 350. I'm still having fun on mine! I'm at 3850km myself on the ODO.
I'm in Western Australia, Perth, so royal enfield dealers are even fewer around here. I did also find limitations on getting parts and accessories, and very large mark ups on the prices. But I'm a DIY guy myself, and the variety and availability of RE parts on ebay is really good. I think most of the things I have bought have been 1/3-1/2 the price of purchasing locally, and with free shipping. Even to perth things came pretty speedily.
I ended up buying a 5 pack of royal enfield oil filters for the price of 1 here, so I have all my servicing sorted for the next few years. Oil is readily available from just local auto parts stores. One of my first upgrades was getting an oiled air filter, not for any performance gains but just so I never had to purchase one again, I can wash and reuse the same filter over and over. I also do some thrifty tricks such as using engine oil to lubricate my chain to avoid purchasing a shelf full of cleaners and lubricants.
So although its true the dealership experience is not spectacular, I've positioned my ownership for this bike so that I don't have to deal with the dealership again after purchasing the bike! although I understand that may not be the go for someone else who isn't as interested in learning how to do maintenance on their own bike, but the hunter is a great bike to service as its so simple!
I've only had a total of 3 issues over the 12 months of owning my bike. I have had 2 times I've stopped my bike in front of my garage and put it in 'neutral', which is indicated on the dash, but when I've started to release my clutch (which I habitually do slowly) the gearbox has clicked back into first and the bike has started to roll forwards. Easily handled, just pull back in the clutch, downshift back to first and back up again to neutral. I couldn't replicate this issue if I tried. It isn't an issue that would cause a trip to be ended or an accident, but if it was perhaps an inexperience or tired rider I suppose it could be a low speed drop incident. I haven't heard of anyone else ever having this issue. The last thing I have ever had happen is that my engine after a 2 hour ride threw up a warning light on the display, it didn't do anything and I cleared the code. From checking online I determined that the engine had just slightly gone over temperature briefly after a long ride, during Australian summer, but since then I have also had many rides and also two days riding 7+ hours over the summer and never seen this happen again so it's really a non issue but could still scare an inexperience rider into thinking something more serious could be wrong.
I've been teaching/supervising a few friends who got their learner permits for motorcycles this year who both have more powerful bikes than mine (by far!) but riding following road rules I've never encountered a situation where my hunter was too slow, I can always stick with other riders. A lot of people get hung up on the low HP of the hunter 350, but it can go up to 110km/h no issue. It may not get from red light to red light as fast as a ducati litre bike, but I still see them when we are both stopped at that next red light!
I've found my hunter to be nimble, comfortable, tour-able, economical (2.8L/100km City 3.5L/100km Highway) and it keeps me out of trouble. It is not my first bike, I've been riding now for more than 12 years and I've ridden bigger bikes, though everyone always seems to think it's my first bike and I'm a beginner when they see a 350cc. But I believe this may be my last bike. I want to keep it for 20+ years as a hobby to work on, and a past-time for weekends for mountain rides and cafe runs.
Wow, thanks for such an elaborate review in your comment. I have watched (and learned from) your diy videos and I reckon you do a great job. So good to know you. I am very keen to get self sustainable as well on the bike and channels like yours are my teachers. Thanks again
@@TheHalfNomad I'm glad that my videos are helpful! I haven't made one for a little while. I want to be able to afford a new action camera, so that I can make better quality videos as well as get more clips of actually riding the bike! I'd love to make videos like your's where its just adventures I can share, but at the moment It's not really practical with my phone velcro'd to my helmet!
But I've actually been very busy over the last few months buying other equipment and designing components. Coming up I've made some levers for the hunter 350, and some bar risers, and some bar-end lever guards. So I'm going to be making video instructions on how to install those soon. If I can make some money online from the parts I designed, I'm going to purchase an action camera and do some review, information and adventure clips.
But until then please keep making videos of your weekends to keep us all entertained!
Look forward to more informative videos from you
I own a classic 350. Done about 2,500 miles. Never been happier. I'll keep it till it or I fall apart.
So good to hear that😊👍🏼
I have the dapper grey hunter and I absolutely love it. It's my favorite bike in the small cc segment.
So glad to hear from you. I agree, the Hunter is a wonderful bike
What a lovely video, I just love Melbourne having visited twice in the last two years to meet lost family. Initially I thought you were coming back on the back road from Lorne to Geelong. You live in a beautiful part of Australia.
It's the same in the UK for Enfield dealerships, they are few and far between and our local motorcycle agents won't service my Enfield despite being VAT registered. It's a long bike ride for me (weather permitting) to get mine serviced. The HNTR is a lovely motorcycle, it gets much admiration from other road users and people visiting the sea side, I feel very safe on it, I should hire one the next time I am over.
Thanks 😊😊 this is in the south east of Melbourne- you should rent an RE next time you visit 👍🏼 cheers
I'm a returning rider, after 29 years, and I've got a deposit on a Triumph Speed 400 in Phantom Black to buy this coming week, but, am considering switching my choice to this bike. Love that sound, and it really did feel nice to ride. The only thing keeping me leaning to the Triumph is the 40hp compared to the 20hp of the Hunter. Tough call!
Welcome back to motorcycles and good luck choosing your bike👍🏼🎉 safe rides
I've got one and find it's my go to bike...light, fun, easy to ride and shove around the garage, easy on fuel and quite fast (not restricted like the Meteor and Classic). Looks really nice, too. In NZ.
Thats a good wrap for the Hunter. Enjoy your bike
Love your content mate. Hunter owner here up Brisbane. Absolutely love mine, gives me smiles for days. Would totally agree with you about the dealerships, just because it's a cheaper bike to buy shouldn't mean we get judged that our bikes are crap. It's the total opposite with Royal Enfield.
Anyway keep up the great content, and keep smiling!!
Thanks heaps and you enjoy your Hunter too and make the most of the wonderful Brissy weather all year around 👍🏼😊
Hi it Chris from west London UK done nearly 3000 miles on my hunter will be going for 2nd service very soon very jealous of the roads you ride on
Thanks Chris, safe rides to you👍🏼
Great review. I appreciate your honesty and ideas. Thank you for posting.
Cheers👍🏼😊
Dealership support here in Oregon, USA is .... sub optimal. The local dealership was closed down by RE because they didn't sell enough bikes.(it was a small but very enthusiastic shop) The support for the Classic 500 I bought there was good. The two dealerships within 60 miles of my home are Harley Davidson dealerships first. RE is the Red Headed Step child. The one I bought my 650 Int. from was happy to sell it to me but performed sub standard (read: Unsafe) service. The other dealership did an honest servicing but the staff was rather indifferent. The salesmen for RE were relegated to a Gulag, er... second building away from the large, glitzy HD showroom.
Why does all of that sound familiar? 😊😊 @royalenfield - checkout first hand customer feedback to sell more bikes outside of india
Your dealer comment I understand. It might be me rather than them, but I did feel they thought: Can’t you afford a Kawasaki… I didn’t want a Kawasaki. I could afford a Honda 500 without touching house savings. But, I wanted the Hunter. Okay, not commuting now, so who knows, but love my Hunter.
Thanks, I enjoy the Hunter as well
In the same weekend as you recorded this I went with mine and I think I've had the best moments on a short ride, ever. This is my second motorcycle, beside a goldwing. Before these I've had touring and adventure bikes. But never did I have such a motorcycle, full of character/charm that runs as efortless as this. I really hope that I will settle here with my aquisitions. Have fun with yours man. 🤟
L.E. Every dealer is the same. The only case in which you count to them is when you are a potentially "cash cow". I guess you don't want that either. But in the end we're all the same. Picky with certain things. Them with customers.
So glad you are enjoying your Hunter as well. Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated 👍🏼😊
Owner for over a year use all weather top little run around cheap to run no issues as yet apart from losing one of my chain adjusters after doing my chain tension so nip them both up after tightening the rear spindle As for parts always buy from India genuine parts and accessories
Great feedback, thanks
Meanwhile in the UK,it’s nearly June and it’s pissing down and cold👍.Happy days!
That’s no good, hopefully it warms up soon
I thought my J motor Classic was a better looking bike but my Hunter is a close second. Riding the Hunter is more fun than the Classic! I agree completely with your opinion. I’ve had similar experiences with the dealers here in the US. When I bought my Interceptor the dealer had to special order an oil filter! They didn’t have one in stock! In fact, the Royal Enfields were hidden away with the used bikes so the Italian and German bikes wouldn’t be sullied by their presence.
I now live in one of the best riding areas in the country and we still don’t have a Royal Enfield dealership. That’s ok. I do all my own maintenance anyway. Here in the US we have a federal law that says anyone can perform required maintenance without impacting the warranty.
I have a “touring bike” if I need to go far, fast or carry my wife. That’s the only reason I can see for getting rid of your Hunter. And even then you should keep it 😁
Thanks for reaching out. I make these videos to interact with enthusiasts like yourself - i learn a lot from these conversations 😊🙏🏼 the Classic surely looks better. 👍🏼👍🏼 i am slowly learning the art of motorcycle maintenance but I have a long way to go still😊
It's disappointing to hear of your dealer problems, it could put a real downer on the whole ownership experience. Fortunately I agree that the Hunter is a great bike. It seems to be more than the sum of it's parts and has something special about it, hence more smiles per mile (Km) 😁👍
Glad you are enjoying your Hunter. Its a fabulous little thing. We are having some lovely weather here so I may record another video soon😊👍🏼
This bike is such a good companion. I've done 1200 kms so far. I'm new to riding to so I'm taking my time to master some skills like rev matching for smoother shifts. But even with hit and misses this bike is so forgiving ❤️
Btw your brake lever seems bent a bit. Did you take a fall?
So good to hear that you are enjoying getting into motorcycles and liking your Hunter. My brake lever got squeezed against my garage wall as I tried to get it past my car😊👍🏼 thanks for reaching out and safe rides
I have a Meteor and its the greatest bike ever 👍😁
Nice👍🏼 enjoy the Meteor
The business about no spare parts is not confined to Royal Enfield. The way I have dealt with the issue is to work out what parts I need to have in stock to keep the machine running for a certain time and buy the parts at the time of buying the machine. Sure, the company should be providing the parts and the service, but by not providing the parts supply and a reliable service they have guaranteed they will not get the income from servicing your machine. It boils down to who will win the war of carrying the parts and service costs versus risking being unable to supply parts and services when needed. Either you or the dealer will end up making the decision about carrying those costs. The choice is yours to make, if you choose not to accept the costs, you risk not having a serviceable bike when you want it most. The dealer risks going out of business.
Agree with you👍🏼 i found the RE dealership near me to be very ordinary in attending to customers as well. If spare parts dont then their attitude will surely drive them out of business
Hey!! La motocicleta es hermosa, y a parte ese color es el que más me gusta. Pero cuando llegó a Argentina estaba lejos para poder adquirirla, y ahora está a años luz, con la inflación que existe, todos los productos importados se cotizan en dólares americanos, y está realmente caro. Y como si fuera poco hay intereses familiares más importantes que mis hobbies. Así que por el momento, disfrutaré del gozo de otros moteros a través de sus cámaras y viajaré con ellos. Felicidades y sigue disfrutándola!!
Cordial saludo desde Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina!!
Hey Tandil, thank you for such a warm message. I hope you get your dream motorcycle very soon. All the very best. :)
@@TheHalfNomadGracias!!
Fuerte abrazo a la distancia!!
how’s the vibration of the bar end mirror compared to stock?
VEry minimal, extremely happy with the bar end mirrors😊👍🏼
I get all my parts online. No problem.
Thats great
Which go pro model are you using brother
I use an Osmo Action camera
what is that bike gloves
Summer gloves
what happened to your front brake lever?
Squeezed it against my garage wall😊👍🏼