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The Royal Enfield Goan Classic 350 is a motorcycle that nobody was exactly looking forward to, but it has turned out to be an unexpected surprise. This is a bobber, and as its name suggests, it’s based on the Classic 350, sharing the J-series 349cc engine. Being a bobber, the Goan Classic 350 gets a host of cosmetic tweaks and is also different ergonomically, which translates into a different riding experience. At ₹2.35 lakh (ex-showroom), it’s also more expensive, but that’s the price you’ll pay if you fancy a from-the-factory bobber.
We got astride the Goan Classic 350 in Goa to see how it rides and who it’s for. But before we begin, a short overview of bobbers first and why this bike is dubbed the ‘Goan’ Classic 350.
The idea of the bobber first emerged after World War II in the USA when soldiers, returning home, stripped their service bikes to make them lighter and faster. They slapped on taller handlebars, removed the pillion seat, cut off the rear fender, and slashed the exhaust. And voila, a "bobber" was born — its name derived from a popular haircut for women, the bob cut. Bobbers later became wildly popular, especially among hippies, due to their head-turning looks. Goa, being the hippie capital of India, was the perfect inspiration for the Goan Classic’s name, which pays homage to the bobber style and that counterculture.
The most obvious change to the Goan Classic 350 is in the way it looks. It features a taller, ape-style U-shaped handlebar, a shorter front fender, LED lighting all around, and rides on cross-spoke wheels with tubeless tyres featuring white walls. In fact, this is the first bike on the J-platform to have a tubeless cross-spoke wheel setup. The front wheel measures 19 inches, while the rear wheel has been reduced by two sizes to 16 inches. The bike also gets a lower 750mm seat (55mm lower than the Classic 350) and forward-set footpegs, but more on the ergonomics later. It retains the dash setup, with an analogue cluster plus a digital screen and a tripper pod. At the rear, it has a slash-cut exhaust, a longer swingarm-mounted rear fender, and a new tail-light housing.
All these changes have given the Goan Classic 350 more character, and it’s definitely a more head-turning bike than its sibling. It looks bigger, taller, and longer (in fact, it is marginally longer with a 10mm longer wheelbase than the Classic 350), especially in a single-seat configuration, and commands more road presence — something that even the standard Classic 350 doesn’t lack.
The bike is available in four rather striking colour schemes — Purple Haze, Trip Teal, Rave Red, and Shack Black — and I must say these colours make it look like nothing less than a factory custom motorcycle. They’re vibrant, feature bespoke elements like new graphics, and contrast the white-wall tyres exceptionally well. This bike, even though it harks back to something which is decades old, will always feel special — timeless and stylish.
Royal Enfield is also offering a few accessories with the Goan Classic 350, including a shorter handlebar, bar-end mirrors, leather hand grips, wider footpegs, and a different seat with more cushioning to aid comfort. And, as expected, there’s also an engine crash guard on offer.
Royal Enfield’s J-series engine is a sweet, sweet motor that surprised us when we first rode it on the Meteor 350 and then on the other 350 bikes — the Classic 350 and Bullet 350. It’s a modern mill that performs well while retaining the traditional character, thump, and rumble of an RE engine. The Goan Classic 350, it’s in the same tune as the Classic 350, producing 20.2bhp at 6100rpm and 27Nm of peak torque at 4000rpm. The low-end and mid-range are fantastic, and it’s super tractable. You can be in third gear at as low as 30kmph and it will still pull away relatively easily.
This engine is mated to a butter-smooth five-speed gearbox, which will suffice just fine in the city, but once past the 80kmph mark, you do feel the need for a sixth cog to calm things down and make cruising easier. So, yes, a six-speed gearbox would’ve been the icing on the cake. Especially because the bobber is a bike that urges you to go out and cruise on the highway.
There are some engine vibrations felt at city speeds on the handlebar and footpegs, but they’re not even half as much as RE’s of the past, which were known to be bone-shakers. This is one of the most refined engines to bear the Royal Enfield name, and that’s evident when you look at the rearview mirrors, which remain steady as a rock, even at higher revs.
The Goan Classic 350 has a revised rider geometry because of its taller handlebar, lower seat, and slightly forward-set footpegs. It’s 2kg heavier than the Classic 350, but that’s really a negligible difference when you're talking about a 197kg kerb weight with 90 per cent fuel. Off the stand, you do feel its weight, but that gets hidden quickly once you start moving. The upright riding posture isn’t aggressive and feels natural, reminding me of the Thunderbird 350. I reckon if the handlebar grips were tilted slightly downward, it would have been more comfortable.
If you do feel the handlebar is too upright for you, you can opt for the lower U-shaped version from the accessories catalogue, which will certainly make things comfier. The forward-set footpegs are just the right amount ahead, making them comfortable both in the city and on the highways. The rider seat is wide and comfortable. What isn’t as comfortable, though, is the ride quality. The front feels fine, but the rear is noticeably stiffer than that on a standard Classic 350, even though it has 15.3mm longer travel. One reason for this is the seat itself, which has no support at the rear to absorb shocks, as it’s front-hinged like traditional bobbers. But that's a compromise I’m willing to make, as the floating seat makes this bike look sweet. Ride quality should improve marginally with a pillion, and yes, you can opt for a pillion seat on the Goan Classic 350, which can be easily removed by removing just two bolts.
On the handling front, the Goan Classic feels very similar to the Classic. It's underpinned by the same twin downtube spine frame. It’s sure-footed at any speed and tips into corners nicely for what it is. The brakes feel adequate, with good feedback and bite, and the dual-channel ABS adds peace of mind. But this is a bike best enjoyed when ridden smoothly, rather than aggressively.
At ₹2.35 lakh (ex-showroom), the Goan Classic 350 costs around ₹42,000 more than the standard Classic 350’s starting price, but that’s an amount many will be happy to shell out, just because of the way it looks and for the way it makes you feel. And rightfully so. Yes, it is slightly firmer, but that isn’t a deal-breaker. It’s utterly gorgeous and a usable, modern bobber that is destined to never go out of style. Royal Enfield has hit it out of the park once again.
