Should I wait for the Bajaj-Triumph 400 or buy Royal Enfield Classic 350?

I have been eagerly awaiting the upcoming Triumph motorcycles and after seeing your recent article that this bike will have a 400cc engine, I am confused about whether I should buy the Triumph or a Royal Enfield Classic 350.

Rohan Chaudhary, Nashik

Autocar India says: The Triumph 400cc engine will surely make a lot more power than the Royal Enfield, not only because it is bigger but because it has a more advanced design with features like liquid cooling and a 4-valve head with dual overhead camshafts. We expect that the Triumph will be positioned higher than the Enfield in terms of price. The question is how aggressive Bajaj and Triumph will be with their pricing as both companies will surely want to take a bite from Royal Enfield’s market share. We’ll know the answer to this in the coming months.

There is also the question of engine character and the type of performance that both will offer. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 has excellent low rpm performance and a slow beat from the engine that makes it quite characterful and enjoyable to ride in urban environments.

The Triumph will surely be much faster and probably have a different character, with more focus towards a strong mid-range performance. However, this bike will surely be engineered to have more of an effortless, easy-riding character than the likes of the Bajaj-built KTMs. 

Either way, the upcoming Triumph 400s are among the most exciting new launches of 2023 and will be worth waiting for before making a decision.