The newly-launched Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is the company’s entry-level offering, aimed at catering to a wider customer base. The new Hunter 350 is available in two basic versions — Retro and Metro, both varying in certain aspects that make them compete with certain motorcycles in the Indian market.
Sporting a retro design, one of the motorcycles the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Metro competes with is the Jawa 42, an iconic name similar to RE. Let’s compare the new Royal Enfield Hunter 350 against the Jawa 42 in terms of pricing, design, dimension, features, and engine specs to see which of the two offers more in terms of the overall package and the cool factor.
Royal Enfield Hunter 350 vs Jawa 42 – Pricing
The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is priced from Rs 1.49 lakh ex-showroom onwards, while the top-spec Hunter 350 Metro Rebel Series is priced at Rs 1.68 lakh ex-showroom. The Jawa 42, on the other hand, is priced between Rs 1.72 and Rs 1.94 lakh.
In terms of pricing alone, the entry-level Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro undercuts the Jawa by Rs 22,000, while the top-spec Rebel Metro version is still Rs 4,000 cheaper than Jawa’s base offering. However, let’s not decide between the two on pricing alone.
Hunter 350 vs Jawa 42 – Design and dimension
The Hunter 350 sports a single headlight, off-set speedometer, a side-slung exhaust, alloy wheels, sleek fenders, and an all-black colour scheme for the engine components. The Jawa 42 has a contrasting design with full fenders, spoke wheels, and a lot of shiny engine components. The top-of-the-line variant gets blacked-out engine components, similar to the RE Hunter.
| Dimensions | Hunter 350 | Jawa 42 |
| Seat height | 800 mm | 765 mm |
| Wheel base | 1,370 mm | 1,369 mm |
| Weight | 181 kg | 172 kg |
| Ground clearance | 150.5 mm | 165 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 13-litres | 14-litres |
In terms of dimensions, both motorcycles are similar in most aspects, apart from the seat-height, which the Jawa is lower than the RE, but manages a higher ground clearance.
2022 Royal Enfield Hunter 350 vs Jawa 42 – Equipment and features
The new Royal Enfield Hunter 350 gets a semi-digital instrument cluster, disc brakes at both ends with a dual-channel ABS, 17-inch wheels wrapped in tubeless tyres, telescopic front forks, dual shocks at the rear, halogen headlight, LED tail lamps and blinkers amongst others.
The Jawa 42 also gets similar features such as telescopic front forks, dual rear shocks, 18-inch front and 17-inch rear wheels, disc brakes front and rear with a dual-channel ABS, halogen headlight, and a semi-digital instrument cluster. Both motorcycles are equally equipped in terms of features and both do not offer smartphone connectivity, however, Royal Enfield offers an array of customisation options for the Hunter 350.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Hunter 350 vs Yezdi Scrambler comparison
Royal Enfield Hunter 350 vs Jawa 42 – Engine specifications and gearbox
Both motorcycles are powered by single-cylinder engines. The Hunter gets a 350 cc unit while the Jawa gets a 300 cc motor with different cooling methods. The Royal Enfield Hunter gets an air and oil-cooled engine while the Jawa gets a liquid-cooled motor.
| Specifications | Hunter 350 | Jawa 42 |
| Displacement | 349 cc | 293 cc |
| Power | 20.2 bhp | 27 bhp |
| Torque | 27 Nm | 27 Nm |
| Gearbox | 5-speed | 6-speed |
On paper, the Jawa offers more power compared to the Hunter 350 while both motorcycles offer similar torque outputs. However, the Jawa 42’s liquid-cooled motor offers better performance as engine temperatures are kept in check effectively and the extra gear is also an advantage.
