The spec sheet of the hotly-teased Hunter 350 has finally been revealed and the differences are more than just skin-deep. For starters, the bike tips the scales at 181kgs, which is 10 kgs lighter than the Meteor 350 and 14kgs lighter than the Classic 350, despite having a fuel tank similar in size to the aforementioned duo, at 13 litres.
New bodywork and bespoke components
Shaper geometry compared to its siblings
Metro variant gets dual-channel ABS as standard
The entire bike has been gone through with a fine-tooth comb, the only major component left untouched being the engine. The aforementioned weight savings have been possible through all-new wheels, a stubbier exhaust, new headlamp and taillamp as well as minimalistic bodywork. The handlebar, fenders, suspension componentry, airbox, steering yoke and the brand-new exhaust are all bespoke to the Hunter 350.
Fueling and ignition timing have been tuned to suit the Hunter's peppier character to make it that extra bit more responsive. That should further complement the revised geometry which is considerably sharper than its laidback siblings. The shorter 1370mm wheelbase (1390mm on the Classic 350 and 1400mm on the Meteor 350) combined with the sharper rake angle of 25° (compared to 26° on its siblings) will definitely help the Hunter 350 score some brownie points in the handling department.
Tyres on the Hunter 350 are a welcome change as well (compared to other REs) with 17-inch cast alloy rims at both ends shod with tubeless tyres, the sizes of which are 110/70-17 (front) and 140/70-17 (rear). Suspension duties are taken care of by a 41mm telescopic fork at the front with 130mm of travel while 6-step preload adjustable twin emulsion shock absorbers with 102mm of travel, take care of things at the rear. Braking duties are handled by a twin-pot caliper biting down on a 300mm disc at the front with a single-piston unit clamping down upon a 240mm disc at the rear. The Metro variant of the Hunter 350 gets dual-channel ABS as standard.
We will be riding the Hunter 350 shortly and our review will follow soon, so stay tuned to hear from the horse’s mouth how the Hunter 350 fares in the real world.