Looking for a retro classic motorcycle under 3L: What are my options?

While servicing and service quality is poor across brands, product quality is important.

BHPian skriz26 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Confused to choose between Bullet 350 – TVS Ronin – Honda Highness – Yezdi Jawa

I owned a 1989 Model Yamaha RX 100 until 2019. The rush of madness made me sell my Bike and move to a Car. Choose comfort over love. Despite multiple requests from my mechanic not to sell the bike, I sold it. I bought a used i20 in 2019. Have been using scooters for groceries or veggie shopping since then.

Since last year, I have been travelling and working out of Bangalore & Chennai on alternate weeks. Bought a used TVS Radeon for local commutes and that has reignited my love for motorcycles again. I sold one of the 2 scooters in Chennai and decided to buy a new Radeon here too. I liked its dynamics, and seating and there is an indescribable character for a commuter bike.

Slowly, I started looking at used Jawas, Thunderbirds, etc., When the Harley X440 and Triumph Speed were launched, I convinced my Home minister to buy a bigger and better bike once and for all since my usage was minimal. The car would be my main mode of transportation, a weekly commute to the office (40 Km) and the rarest of the rare rides between Bangalore & Chennai.

I have test-ridden the following bikes

• TVS Ronin (thrice)
• Royal Enfield Hunter
• Royal Enfield Scram 411
• Royal Enfield Bullet 350
• Yezdi Roadster
• Jawa 42 2.1
• Yezdi Scrambler
• Honda CB350 RS – Used one.

While I know the perfect bike doesn’t exist, I still look for it.

My expectations are:

• Comfort & Convenience. Good Suspension is the first need.
• Classic retros are my kind. Don’t want speed or racing monsters.
• Hassle-free ownership.
• Longevity. Want the bike to last for 10 years.
• Proper service network.

Here are my thoughts after the test rides.

TVS Ronin – A very very good bike let down by lack of torque. Technically, the bike is easily the best amongst everything that is listed. USD Forks, Excellent Monoshock Suspension – which is adjustable, great seating position, very good weight distribution, Slipper assist clutch. I couldn’t test the top end, but I could feel this would struggle to go beyond 80-85 on highways. Its chain setup is fully covered to protect against mud & dirt to avoid frequent lubrication and wear & tare. And, I miss the heal gear extender.

Royal Enfield Hunter – Rode it twice. The bike is nimble and racy compared to Ronin. But, the suspension is crap. Flyover joints tossed me at 60 KMPH. No wonder you see so many bikes on the resale market. Seat was another pain point. Wasn’t comfortable even during the short rides. It’s a BIIIGGGGG NOOOOO.

Royal Enfield Scram 411 – One of the BEST in terms of feel, riding posture, driving dynamics, grunt, etc., I am all good for this bike. The only gripe is the Pillion seating. My wife doesn’t like climbing to get seated. So, this would be rejected. Another gripe is the lack of Alloys and Tubeless tyres. When Suzuki can provide Alloys and Tubeless tyres on its V Strom, why can’t Royal Enfield?

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 – I don’t like the classic because it is abundant on the road. This is its twin with slightly modified looks. It is being said that amongst all the 350 CC bikes, the Royal Enfield Classic Reborn is the best. So, I am all good for this. Suspension, Driving triangle, laid back character, enough torque for long drives. But, it will be a pain in traffic given the hard clutch and 195 KG weight. When the Cast Iron bullets of the 2000s n 90s weighed only 160 Kg, why is it so damn heavy despite not even being close to the old generation bullets in terms of character.

Yezdi Roadster – Good bike but feels heavier than Bullet. Trust factor is a big question mark. Spare availability is a question mark too. Suspension was hard on the default setup. Had to downshift soon after you released the throttle.

Jawa 42 – While I have been a fan of this bike ever since the first version launched, I didn’t like it when I rode one. The Handlebar is too flat and I had to bend and reach for it. I have to either use a handlebar riser or modify the seat for better riding. I don’t like doing either of them.

Yezdi Scrambler – Heavy but better to handle. The suspension was better tuned than Roadster and Jawa. The only bike I was confident to stand on while riding. But, the tubed tyres push me away from it.

Honda CB350 RS – Used model – 2021. Too good. Perfect suspension and a super smooth engine. While the downshifts are necessary like Yezdis / Jawas, it wasn’t a burden or hurdle. It was so damn smooth to shift and was able to stand on the footpegs even during slow movements in traffic. Highness gets a Heal extender for gear shifts and a relaxed riding position. I prefer that. Unfortunately, I am hearing a lot of bad-mouthing from owners on forums related to Honda’s poor servicing, Wobbling issues, Chain Sprocket issues, etc., in less than 2 years. Am concerned a bit about making the purchase.

Looking at all this, Ronin makes perfect sense despite lacking torque for highways. Even the torquier RE and CB35O can cruise only at 100 KMPH on highways in its smooth operation. Ronin, by the feel of it, would drive at 90. But the trade-off is too good compared to others.

While servicing and service quality is poor across brands, product quality is important. There have been reports of faulty speedos on RE and despite selling in volumes Service network could not arrange these on time. RE spares are taking a month is what the users complain about. I have 2 classics in my home and I see that. We have stopped going to RE service centres for better servicing. When issues like wobbling are reported consistently on Highness, how can it be relied on?

I could only curse Suzuki and Yamaha for their lacklustre products. All it needed for Yamaha was to launch a new roadster like XSR in India and they gave us FZ-X. It is nauseous when I see it in the flesh. They have 2 different 150 CC engines. They have the chassis. All that was needed was an attractive fuel tank and side covers. RX100, Bullet and Yezdis are iconic because of their metal tanks.

I am not buying Ronin because TVS could launch something similar with a better engine out of the blue. They have everything in place. Soon after I bought the 2022 Baleno, Maruti launched Fronx. I don’t want that to repeat for me.

Here’s what BHPian davelok had to say on the matter:

I too was quite keen about the Ronin, but the test ride did not thrill me in any way. I waited for the Xpulse 200T 4v too, but it also ended up being unappealing. I wanted something more like the Scram 411 but with more power and less weight.

That’s when the Triumph Speed 400 was launched, and I booked it immediately. It is a great city bike and a good occasional (weekly) highway bike.

You should do a test ride, and if you like the ergonomics, power delivery, and value proposition, it may very well end up being the perfect bike for you.

Here’s what BHPian Rajeevraj had to say on the matter:

You have mentioned the X440 and the Triumph 400. Did you do rest rides and eliminate these? If not suggest you do a couple of test rides of these latest entrants in the market. For your use case looks like the Speed/Scrambler 400 will be an ideal choice.

Here’s what BHPian aargee had to say on the matter:

Let’s see how many points each of these motorcycles scores:

• TVS Ronin – 1,2,5
• Royal Enfield Hunter – No is your answer
• Royal Enfield Scram 411 – You can opt the new 450 instead of this
• Royal Enfield Bullet 350 – No is your answer
• Yezdi Roadster – One word: Avoid
• Jawa 42 – One word: Avoid
• Yezdi Scrambler – One word: Avoid

• Honda CB350 RS – Spares are going to be an issue + otherwise meets 1, 2,3 & 4. Cannot add #5 because regular Honda ASC don’t service the bikes from Bigwings unless you know them personally. The same can be said about spares as well. So this is good as long as you’re able to manage rapport with ASC

There’s one motorcycle that you may want to consider: Triumph 400 that will meet 1, 2, 3 & 4. Since you’re in Chennai & if you don’t intent to ride between Chennai & Bangalore only, #5 may not be an issue.

Here’s what BHPian sreejithkk had to say on the matter:

I was in similar situation 1.5 years back. I am a laid back rider, and 6ft 2 inches tall, returned to Motorcycles after a decade. I have test ridden Hunter, Ronin, Classic and H’ness and it was a tough time to decide between Classic and H’ness and eventually settled for H’ness. If Classic350 had come with alloy wheels in the same price range, I would have settled for Classic. (Here in Kerala, on road price of Classic dark edition which comes with alloy wheels and tubeless tires are 40K costlier than hallycon Dual channel model which just cost 2.4L on road. H’ness costed 2.5 L). However, if I am in similar situation again, I would buy classic 350 and will later switch to alloy and tubeless tires. H’ness is great bike for good roads and highways, but in my regular commute where there are lots of junctions and potholes, where the speed varies consistently between 20kmph to 60 kmph, H’ness requires too much gear changes and I am kind of tired of the same. I do not face any other issues with H’ness so far, like wobbling or rusting etc. Only concern is it is not a relaxed machine on the roads I mentioned due to frequent gear changes. So i would recommend Classic /Bullet if your road speed is consistently varying between 20 to 60 kmph. However if it involves higher speed riding in highways, H’ness is an extremely relaxed bike. It is also flickable in the city, but Honda just ruined the experience by selecting the lower final reduction (smaller 35T rear sprocket).

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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