Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Specifications Compared

The Harley-Davidson X440 is the latest addition in the small capacity retro roadster space

• The X440 packs a 440cc air-cooled engine making a shade over 27PS and 38Nm.
• Royal Enfield, meanwhile, has tuned the Hunter 350 to make 20.2PS and 27Nm.
• While both bikes look properly retro, the X440 packs quite some modern elements too.

Harley-Davidson recently introduced a new motorcycle in India called the X440. It's priced competitively, showing that the American company wants to compete with Royal Enfield's 350cc motorcycles. Now, let's compare the Harley bike with its rival from Royal Enfield, the Hunter 350.

Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Design & Features

The Royal Enfield Hunter 350 has a classic roadster style with a round headlight, mirrors, taillight, and turn signals. It has a unique teardrop-shaped fuel tank and old-fashioned rotary switches that enhance its vintage look. You can choose between spoke wheels and alloy wheels depending on the version you prefer.

In the higher-end versions of the Royal Enfield Hunter 350, you'll find a combination of digital and analog instruments, which is the same as the Scram 411 model. You can also add an optional Tripper Navigation pod for turn-by-turn directions and a USB charging port for your devices while riding. 

The instrument display includes an analog speedometer with a small digital screen showing the time, gear position, trip distance, fuel level, and an "Eco" mode indicator. However, it lacks a real-time mileage gauge, a distance-to-empty meter, and LED lights. If you go for the spoke wheel version, it has a simpler semi-digital setup with a speedometer, odometer, fuel gauge, and indicator lights.

The Harley-Davidson X440 has a cool neo-retro style and takes some design ideas from the famous Harley-Davidson XR1200. It has a round LED headlight that looks old-fashioned and a modern LED strip with 'Harley-Davidson' written on it. All the lights on the bike are LED. The fuel tank is square-is and holds 13.5 liters of fuel, giving the bike a strong look that matches the one-piece seat. However, the exhaust stands out because it's not flat like classic bikes or tilted upwards for a sporty look.

Even though this Harley-Davidson is meant to be affordable, it has some great features. In the fancier version, the digital screen can connect to Bluetooth and show navigation, phone calls, and messages. In the other versions, the screen shows useful things like how much fuel you have, how far you can go, what gear you're in, and also shows warning lights.

Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Engines

In simple words, the Hunter 350 is quick and lively to ride, but it's not exactly a sporty bike - it's more about having fun than being super fast. The main reason for this is the engine, which is almost the same as the one used in the Classic and Meteor models.

Even though the power and strength numbers are the same (20.2PS and 27Nm), Royal Enfield says they've adjusted the engine's settings a bit. This means that the Hunter's engine feels a bit different from the Classic and Meteor engines. It's more responsive, and the noise from the shorter exhaust pipe is louder and rougher.

While riding, the X440's engine provides really smooth acceleration between 2,000 and 4,500rpm. It's much better than any of the other 350cc air-cooled bikes in terms of acceleration. Surprisingly, this engine doesn't have a problem revving up until it reaches around 6,000rpm, and although there are some slight vibrations at higher speeds, they're under control. 

The bike handles well at low speeds too, and even in 3rd gear, you can smoothly accelerate from as low as 20kph. we’re not entirely certain if the very low-end torque matches up to the Classic 350, but it's definitely way better than bikes like the Honda CB350, which need frequent shifting of gears.

Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Suspension, Tyres & Brakes

The Hunter has a changed front master cylinder, which makes the brakes feel better and easier to control. However, the rest of the braking system is similar to what's used in the Classic and Meteor models. If you need to stop suddenly, just like the other bikes in the family, you have to press the brake lever firmly. The higher-end Hunter Metro version we're testing comes with a safety feature called twin channel ABS.

At slow speeds, the X440 feels wonderfully light and easy to handle, which is a pleasant surprise. Riding this bike doesn't take much effort at all. However, it maintains a strong feeling of stability, and it never behaves unpredictably. In fact, it's both agile and firmly grounded, making it enjoyable to ride even around curves. 

It will quickly motivate you to lean into turns until you almost touch the ground with your footpegs, although this might happen a bit early. For comparison, you'd need to put in a lot more effort to touch the ground with the pegs on a Classic 350, but the bike won't feel as steady as the Harley does at that point.

Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Dimensions

With all these things considered, there's the weight of the bike. It's 177 kilograms, which is 14 kilograms lighter than the Classic 350 - but this difference is mainly on paper. When you actually ride it, the Hunter feels much lighter. This is because the Hunter's frame and structure have been changed quite a bit. This is the first modern Royal Enfield that has 17-inch wheels on both the front and back, which makes it really easy to maneuver. Also, the distance between the wheels (the wheelbase) is 20mm shorter compared to the Classic, and the angle of the front steering has been adjusted to 25 degrees, which is quite sporty for a Royal Enfield bike of 350cc.

People of all heights, experiences, and whether they're Royal Enfield fans or not, will be attracted to the Hunter. Even a quick look at the bike makes you start thinking. The Interceptor 350, also called the baby roadster, has a strong and sturdy look. It has a classic appearance, especially with its teardrop-shaped tank. You could think of it as a modern version of the Classic 350. 

Harley-Davidson X440 vs Royal Enfield Hunter 350: Price

Royal Enfield has priced the Hunter 350 at a mouth watering Rs 1.49 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. And that makes the Harley’s Rs 2.29 lakh price tag (for the base trim) seem a bit pricey, even though the Harley is priced excellently for what it has to offer. 

Verdict

All and all, the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 is quite a gem of a bike for the ones who truly love their roadsters retro. The new J-series platform is characterful and the bike is quite a joy to ride. 

But those who want even a bit of performance from their bikes will like the X440 a lot more. It’s not only quicker but you can also sustain higher speeds on it, making it the better tourer of the two. Even in terms of weight balance, the X440 doesn’t really make the rider feel its heft and handles a lot better than the Hunter 350. 

So if retro is the only thing you’re looking for, the Hunter makes sense. But if you want a bit more than that in the sub-500cc roadster segment, there’s nothing quite like the Harley-Davidson X440.