Call me a romantic, call me a sucker, call me whatever, but I will always fancy the idea of a motorcycle tour along narrow back roads, riding a classic parallel twin standard. Maybe that’s because I enjoy watchingJake Rides AwayorChris Ironhardtin the winter months, when touring is practically impossible here in the snow belt. Maybe it’s because that’s how I started my own riding career, on various ill-maintained, small-cc UJMs.

Whatever the reason, I always end up wondering what I’d ride, if I was going to buy another practical all-rounder similar to those machines, something reliable and affordable. And these days, that might mean a new Royal Enfield instead of a knackered old Japanese commuter—a bike like the Classic 350.

A classic reborn

For decades, Royal Enfield’s 350 platform was the foundation of its home market in India. It was an aspirational machine in a market where bikes around 100cc were the norm. Royal Enfield also sold these bikes in overseas markets, where they were received much less enthusiastically due to quality control problems and general limitations of the outdated design.

But as the 2000s came along, Royal Enfield started updating its machines, first with EFI and then ABS and other modernities. These bikes were much-improved, but eventually even that wasn’t enough to keep them saleable, and in 2021,we got an all-new Classic 350, based around the same air/oil-cooled engine as the Meteor 350. See below:

Like the original Classic series, the new machine has a Brit bike heritage and comes with a simple motor (this time, rated for about 20 horsepower at the crank). However, with updated counterbalancer, you can expect a much smoother ride than before. There are plenty of factory farkles available, if you want luggage racks or GPS or other touring-friendly bits.

People-mover

While Royal Enfield is a premium bike in India, these machines are still useful everyday transportation, unlike, say, a Harley-Davidson Breakout or some other big-dollar bike in our Western world. Along with commuting purposes, the Classic 350 is also a machine that you will see pressed into touring duty at home in India and increasingly, in other developing world markets where a 350 is still considered a big bike. Just as you saw inmates battling the Himalayas with previous carbureted Royal Enfields, expect to see this new 350 hauling them through the mountain passes in years to come. You don’t need an adventure bike to have an adventure, you just need to be inthe right place with the right mindset!

This bike here

The bike in the photos here isfor sale in Arkansas, and listed down in the Flea Market forum. Says seller @Tefloncandy:

2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Reborn –$4000
Location: Bella Vista, AR 72714
Miles: 570
Condition: 2 scrapes and 1 super small dent (as purchased from the Dealer)
Trade Options ($up or $down within $1500): Motorcycles or other cool motorized options

Description:
2022 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Reborn that I purchased new from Engel Motors in KC earlier this year. I am the only owner and to that end I haven’t ridden it like I had hoped. My other bikes have taken priority. The bike has had its first oil change and valve adjustments. It’s ready to ride.

Farkles:
Power was run from the battery to the handlebars for your GPS or power socket
Ram Mount
Side Carrier Racks
Canvas RE Military Bags
RE Skid Plate

看起来就像那些配件适合旅行their intended purpose; @Tefloncandy says he took the bike to the Nappa Valley over Christmas.

And, this sounds like a pretty fair price, considering the machine is almost brand-new and comes with a few useful accessories. You can see more photoshere. This looks like a great way to pick up a practical backroad tourer for a few bucks off brand-new price, and if you were looking for a budget fly-and-ride, maybe this would do the trick? Riding across America on back roads will always be more fun, you just need to take more time to see the country that way.