5 Royal Enfield Motorcycles That Are Surprisingly Cheap

If you're in the market for a motorcycle but don't want to break the bank, a great brand to go with is Royal Enfield. The company, now headquartered in India, was founded in England and is one of the world's oldest global motorcycle manufacturers. Since producing its first motorcycle in 1901, the brand has innovated and built upon its line of bikes, creating vehicles that are beloved by the community of Royal Enfield motorcycle enthusiasts that have evolved around the company.

Besides their cool, vintage design and straightforward, reliable mechanics, Royal Enfield motorcycles are also versatile and able to handle a wide range of conditions, from pristine highways to rugged, off-road terrain. Plus, they are relatively affordable, especially compared to other major motorcycle brands. If you're looking for an entry-level bike or just trying to save money on your next vehicle, you'll find that Enfields are typically budget-friendly. 

The most expensive current model, the Continental GT 650 Mr. Clean, retails for $7,149, and Royal Enfield sells other new bikes that are over $3,000 cheaper than that, with several options in between. Here are five Enfields that are both surprisingly cheap and widely available today.

The most affordable Royal Enfield currently available — and the only Enfield that starts at less than $4,000 — is the Hunter 350, a fantastic bike that you can buy for just $3,999. It stands out from the rest of the pack in other ways, as well. 

The Hunter 350 is the only production model from Enfield that sports 17" front and rear tubeless tires, allowing you to avoid flats. Other features include dual anti-lock brakes and a USB port to keep your phone charged. The bike will also give you a retro feeling with its rotary switch cubes and very cool analog speedometer, which includes a digital LCD display as well.

Don't let the nostalgic accessories fool you, though, because the bike is powered by a modern 349cc engine that can produce 20.2 brake horsepower and 19.9 ft/lbs of torque. The Hunter 350 comes in six colors. The Dapper model, which is the cheapest Enfield on the market at $3,999, comes in white, ash, and gray. The Rebel model is an additional $200 and is available in blue, black, and red.

The name Classic 350 really fits the model because, in a lot of ways, it's the quintessential Royal Enfield motorcycle. It's evocative of the legendary Bullet and has the trademark teardrop tank, the casquette headlight, and an engine that purrs but still has a little growl to it. It's based on a postwar design that gives it a look that feels both old and new at the same time, and its modern 349cc engine produces 20 horsepower. The Classic 350 is a workhorse bike weighing 430 pounds without a rider and equipped with twin emulsion rear shocks, large-diameter disk brakes, and a suspension built to handle rockier roads.

The Classic 350 starts at $4,599 with its Halcyon model, which comes in black, green, and gray. Both its Dark variant, which is available in gunmetal gray and stealth black, and its Signals variant, which is available in marsh gray and desert sand, cost $4,699. You can also get the Classic 350 Chrome model for $4,799 in two different colors — red and bronze.

The Meteor 350 is another relatively cheap motorcycle, but that doesn't mean it's low-quality. A single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-oil cooled 349cc engine is enough to both get you around town and explore dirt roads in the country. It's also gorgeous looking, evoking bikes from previous decades with its teardrop tank and an analog speedometer, which has a digital display built into it that will provide a clock, odometer, fuel gauge, gear indicator, and dual trip meters. It's got a wide seat and isn't too high or too low off the ground, which should make it a comfortable ride for even casual motorcycle riders.

The cheapest Meteor 350 model is the Fireball, which costs $4,699 and comes in four colors: red, yellow, blue, and matte green. The exhaust on the Fireball is black, while the Stellar series, which comes in red, blue, and black, costs $4,799 and has a chrome exhaust as well as a passenger backrest. The most expensive Meteor is the Supernova, which is available with a windshield along with the backrest and chrome exhaust. With those perks, the Supernova will set you back $4,899, giving you a quality bike for under five grand.

If you're looking for an Enfield that skews a little sportier, the Scram 411 is a solid scrambler that packs a punch for its modest price. While you can use it to drive around the city, the bike really shines when you're taking it through hilly terrain, including up and down fairly steep slopes. Royal Enfield's Himalayan might conjure up images of imposing peaks, but the similar Scram 411 is meant to be lighter and more maneuverable when tackling off-road terrain. Its 19" front tire is smaller than the Himalayan and it has a streamlined dash, enabling the rider to focus on not much more than the rocky ground underneath.

Its LS410 fuel injection engine is made for high altitudes and paired with a five-speed transmission built to keep gear changes to a minimum when driving through the mountains. It's capable of over 24 horsepower and 23 ft/lbs of torque. The 411 in its name comes from the single-cylinder, air-cooled engine's 411cc displacement. 

The Scram 411 retails for $5,099 and has a myriad of very cool looks. Its variants include the white and red White Flame; silver, black, and teal Silver Spirit; black and red Blazing Black; blue and yellow Skyline Blue; and a graphite model with three highlight options — yellow, blue, and red.

While still relatively inexpensive, the Himalayan is a little costlier than some Royal Enfields, thanks in part to its 411cc engine, which is beefier than what you'll find on the Meteor and some other models. The Himalayan isn't just one of the best current Enfields but one of the best Royal Enfields ever made.

Like the Scram 411, the Himalayan can generate 24.3 brake horsepower and 23.6 ft/lbs of torque and has a five-speed gearbox. Unlike the Scram, it has a larger 21" front tire, with a suspension that gives the bike 7.9 inches of travel in the front. It also has brush guards to protect the tank and a modest skidplate under the motor, so you can easily drive the Himalayan on or off the road. Plus, the anti-lock brakes are dual-channel but can transition to single-channel, thanks to the ability to deactivate the rear wheel's ABS.

All six color schemes available for the Himalayan cost $5,449, which is about midway between the cheapest (the Hunter 350 Dapper) and most expensive (the Continental GT 650 Mr Clean) Royal Enfield motorcycles currently on the market. You can purchase a Himalayan in Pine Green, Mirage Silver, Granite Black, Rock Red, Gravel Gray, and Lake Blue.