Fuel efficiency in city limits has been usually around 37-38 km/l.
BHPian sumanthkr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
My Hunter 350 is just over two months old now, of which there was 1 month of no riding due to a leg injury I had (not related to the bike).
The bike saw a slightly noticeable smoothness after the scheduled 45 days 1st service when I had done barely 450kms, until which I consciously did not ride fast.
After the service, I took it for a few short spins around the city – I have not done any long rides yet.
Observations
The bike is fast (feels so) of the blocks, the same as I had observed earlier in first impression.
I have only done 90kmph, because
- I have not really hit a proper highway that supports good speeds
- Also, the bike does not urge you to accelerate past 85-90, beyond 75-80 I felt the acceleration is not so engaging
- More importantly, I am also not keen on pushing as I want to ride more before I start doing 100-110 on a motorcycle
Mileage
One interesting thing happened during a recent spin, where I did 220 km, It was kind of unplanned, that about 70% distance was not in city traffic, I filled up the tank and started, and in 2 days’ time I again did 127 km spin again about 2/3rds distance was not in city traffic (outskirts), after 347 km when It was yet to show the Reserve indication, I filled it up again – it filled up at 7.8 litres!!
I had already tracked the odometer to be quite accurate and I can vouch that the 347 km almost exactly matched the Google Map distance.
That means I got an FE of 44 km/l during this spin spread across 2 rides where roughly 2/3rd the distance was outside city limits – but not exactly highway conditions. I usually rode in the 60-80 km/h range as the roads permitted, occasionally held up to 90kmph.
I usually am not particular or picky about FE but this was just to see what the new bike offers. In city limits, it has been usually around ~ 37-38.
All said I have merely clocked 1550kms so far.
Brakes
The front brake has been more reliable in my experience, the rear brake when I occasionally only used the leg break – was not so very confidence-inspiring, am not sure why.
Learning
I am trying to deal with crosswinds, I bought a safety jacket with Level 2 protection (my jacket model does find a mention in Team bhp (Royal Enfield launches riding jacket made from recycled plastic)) but still learning to deal with crosswinds, and I weigh just 60 kg at 181 cm height, a skinny person, I feel the crosswinds do affect me right now and I am requiring to slow down and slide to the left a bit whenever crosswind gets heavy on me. I do not know yet if Crosswinds plays differently based on the rider build being skinny or otherwise etc.
I did try leaning forward – a little more aggressively, it helped a bit, but am not used to that riding position so could not hold that for long.
Any tips from experienced riders are welcome wrt to crosswinds and headwinds.
I do have the company’s standard windshield.
Another learning was, that I picked up L size helmet because I felt the M size was too tight, but then realized that it is better to have a tighter helmet and deal with that inconvenience. When the crosswinds got heavy I could feel the helmet wobble ever so slightly, it was not as if It was shaking, but just that at 80-90 speed when in breezy conditions I realized the value of a snug fit helmet and realized it was the hard way, the discomfort of the slight wobble scared the shit out of me initially – but then later got the assurance that it was a mere sensation as it was not a snug fit.
Am looking to get a snug-fit helmet, especially with the Motoverse Goa ride (from Bengaluru where I reside) coming up in November. I am eagerly looking forward to, thanks to Arun sir GM of Accelerate Motors and lead of the very active Accelerate Motors club for infusing confidence in new riders like me, that I signed up for such a long ride.
I might retain the current helmet for city commutes where a snug fit feels very annoying.
Engine heating
I found that the bike is happy for an hour or an hour plus. Only once after about 90kms of continuous riding, I felt a little bit of engine heat, it was not uncomfortable at all. So far, so good!
Suspension and tires
My observation on suspension remains more or less the same as the initial impression. I did feel the advantage of the firm suspension on the occasional spins outside the city, although it can still do with a better rear suspension.
The same goes with the tires, am not experienced with motorcycling, but I can tell that the bike can do with better tires. My own confidence with cornering abilities is slowly growing, it is holding up alright but felt it could have been better.
All in all am happy I picked up the Hunter instead of waiting for the Himalayan 450, as I can learn with this smaller and easier-to-handle bike. As I learn with experience, I can better assess after a couple of years maybe as to what kind of bike suits me best.
Keyword: 2 months with my RE Hunter 350: Changes observed after its 1st service