Royal Enfield bikes are unique in that they stick to what they believe in they don't change themselves to follow what others do nor do they overload their bikes with over-the-top electronics they continue to keep the true essence of motorcycling and life by offering a pure and raw riding experience which the old-school mature and seasoned bikers still prefer so does the new Benelli Imperial 400 have what it takes to really detune the king who has been kind of running a monopoly in its segment.
Design and Features
let's start with the specs-wise, the overall height of the Imperial a is up by 30 mm width is up by 30 mm as well and the overall length is up by 10 mm. as a result of the increased length the Imperial gets a longer wheelbase of 1440mm compared to 1390mm of Royal Enfield classic 350, the Imperial is offering a ground clearance of 165 mm compared 235 mm of the classic 350, higher ground clearance means hassle-free riding experience through the city, where we have to tackle what choose to call vehicle breakers rather than speed breakers, and this also serves as an advantage while venturing on to the more challenging terrains. The seat height of the Benelli Imperial again does offer lower seat height despite the high clearance. The classic 350 comes to the seat height of 800 mm so shorter riders and average height riders would feel more comfortable riding the Imperial and also because of the slightly forward Set ride of footpegs people up to like 6 feet tall should feel comfortable riding the Imperial. The tank capacity, 12-liter tank doesn't offer good tank range; the classic 350 just edges past the Imperial here by offering a 13.5-liter tank which is also not sufficient for touring. The Imperial a weighs 205 kgs, whereas the classic 350 weighs 194 kgs. so this clearly gives the ride and feel the weight advantage but the Imperial Compensates for this by offering more power and more torque. Talking about the speed of the console, the imperial is a clear winner here because of the twin-pod layout and also including a fuel gauge and a gear position indicator which the Royal Enfield classic motorcycles continue to lack. Imperial Has dual-channel ABS, a standard that cannot be turned off, Royal Enfield on the other hand offers single-channel abs across different variants of classic 350. the newly launched 350 s of a single-channel ABS whereas the signal sedition gunmetal gray and other models offer dual-channel abs and the braking is equally good on both the bikes, but imperialist brakes to be slightly more effective because of the larger 300mm front disc.
Engine power
Powering the Imperial is a single-cylinder air-cooled fuel-injected for valve 374 CC engine, that puts out 21 PS of max power and 29 Newton meters of max torque we get a 5-speed gearbox .the classic 350 on the other hand comes powered by a single-cylinder 346 CC air-cooled carbureted engine that puts out 19.8 peers of max power and 28 Newton meters of max torque and we get a 5-speed gearbox. The Imperial a has a 300 mm disc upfront when compared to the 280 mm disc for the classic 350 and at the back, both the bikes get a 240 mm disc. the suspension we get 41 mm telescopic folks upfront for the imperial a whereas the classic 350 gets 35 mm, telescopic folks, upfront. so the front end feel is slightly better on the imperial 400.at the back both the bikes get wind gas-charged shock absorbers, which offer a comfortable ride .shocks on the imperial a was slightly on the stiffer side maybe to offer better high-speed stability, but the imperial a inches past the classic 350 because of the 41 mm front folks. both bikes get a 19-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear wheel, this shows how evenly matched both the bikes are. tire width the classic 350 gets a 90 by 90 tire upfront compared to 100 by 90 tire of the Imperial, and at the back the Imperial a clearly scores the wind by offering a wider 130 by 80 compared to the 110 by 90 rear tire of the classic 350. So the Imperial offers a slightly better Road grip while cornering and also gives you more confidence.
Riding Comfort
Riding experience seating posture is comfortable on both the bikes, but I feel the Imperiale offers slightly better sorted riding posture because of the wider handlebar and slightly forward set rider footpegs. talking about top speed, neither of these machines is about achieving the top speed because these are not sport bikes .the imperial kind of is more enjoyable when it comes to ringing the throttle wide open each time you hit an empty stretch, the classic 350 feels more comfortable holding its own and riding with a relaxed state of mind the clutch feel is slightly heavy for both, and lighter clutch pull would reduce the fatigue while riding through city traffic the throttle sensitivity. the throttle modulation is again more interesting and gives you that Thruxton kind of a feel on the imperial, and the acceleration is nice and clean and linear thanks to fuel injection .the classic 350 is a more relaxed thumper among the two and the acceleration when you ring the throttle wide open is not as clean as the Imperial a because the classic gets a carburetor instead of fuel injection. The classic 350 claimed close to 40 km, there's no official claim for the Imperial as such but I think we can expect anything close to 35 to 38 km PL from the Imperiali 400 in real-world conditions. talking about vibrations, the imperial you do feel the vibrations in the lower rpm but once past 60 or 70 km/h the vibrations completely vanished, and we have a smooth mid-range right top speed up to 130 or even 140 kilometers per hour, Royal Enfield, on the other hand, you do feel the vibrations only when you are trying to wave it harder like trying higher revs and lower gas that's when the vibrations are most annoying and most apparent on the classic 350. but if you shift up early with relaxed acceleration and go a little easy on the throttle you don't really feel the vibrations all that much so riding style really matters a lot when it comes to enjoying the Royal Enfield.
Price
The classic 350 has different variants starting from as low as 1.4 6 lakhs ex-showroom prices and goes up to 1.64 lakhs for the signals Edition with dual-channel abs. The Imperial 400 has been launched at 1. 69 lakhs ex-showroom which is outstanding considering the kind of features it has an offer. both the Bikes are good in their own separate ways, they are similar in a lot of ways too. Benelli is really targeting Royal Enfield's market share but despite the specs and the numbers being in favor of the Imperial. Royal Enfield has its own special charm and legacy that no one can deny Imperial is an outstanding attempt by Benelli to shake the market up and almost dethrone the king, but Royal Enfield is a legendary legacy that can never be matched by Imperial.
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