This Is The Royal Enfield Hunter Rival You Will Crave

The Royal Enfield Hunter is an ideal beginner motorcycle that excels as an urban runabout. It has style and packs a humble yet reliable single-cylinder engine. It is very accessible with a compact form factor and a low seat height. Now, though, there is a new player in town, aiming to beat the Hunter at its own game.

The coveted and now-revived BSA Motorcycles has revealed a peppy urban runabout called the Bantam. It is causing quite a stir, with more power, less weight, arguably cooler design features, and most importantly, a more affordable price tag. Looks like the BSA Bantam is Royal Enfield Hunter 350’s kryptonite!

The New BSA Bantam Is A Cool-Looking Roadster

Fuses Retro And Modern Visual Elements

The BSA Bantam is a visual treat that neatly blends retro and modern cues in just the right amount. The retro vibes are strong, featuring old-school gaiters on the fork tubes, a simple twin shock setup at the rear, and a circular headlamp assembly that can also be equipped with an optional grille. It features a short muffler that stands out with its unique stainless steel finish. Every other component is blacked out, which helps each of the Bantam’s vibrant colors stand out.

It has a stout stance, thanks to a 29-degree rake, which also contributes to its shorter wheelbase and will help it be nimble on the roads. The alloy wheels have a distinctive design, and the bench seat is slightly elevated towards the rear. While the technology features have yet to be disclosed, the images reveal a circular LCD and LED lighting all around.

A Peppy Single-Cylinder Engine And Simple Underpinnings

Enough To Outclass The Hunter 350

A 334 cc single-cylinder engine powers the BSA Bantam. This is a modern mill equipped with liquid cooling, spark ignition, and a DOHC engine. So it is superior to the Hunter 350’s air-cooled SOHC mill. While we aren’t quite familiar with this engine, India has been reaping the benefits of this peppy single on the likes of Jawa and Yezdi offerings. The BSA produces 29 horsepower (compared to 20 horsepower on the RE), which is achieved early at 6,100 RPM, compared to the Hunter’s 7,750 RPM. The performance profile is also more favorable for the Bantam, with a higher compression ratio of 11:1 (compared to the RE’s 9.5:1) and an oversquare engine construction.

The underpinnings are fairly simple, with the Bantam’s single sitting cocooned in a steel tube frame. The chassis is suspended using non-adjustable hydraulic forks up front and preload-adjustable dual shocks at the rear. Braking duties are courtesy of ByBre (a Brembo spin-off) hardware. It has a 320 mm disc up front and a 240 mm disc at the rear. Both ends get floating calipers, and dual-channel ABS is standard. Grip duties are taken care of by road-focused 100-section front and 150-section rear tires wrapped around 18-inch front and 17-inch rear alloy wheels.

This Royal Enfield Hunter Rival Is Yet To Launch In America

Currently, On Sale In The UK For A Cheaper Price Tag Than Its Rivals

The BSA Bantam promises to be an exciting alternative to the popular Royal Enfield Hunter 350, which, for the record, has sold over 500,000 units since its introduction in 2022. We have yet to bank on this entry-level heat, as BSA has not detailed a timeline for the Bantam’s launch in the US. However, there is hope, as BSA has established its official website for the USA. So, along with the Honda GB350S, there is yet another banger of an entry-level roadster that we are eagerly waiting on. The fact that the £3,499 Bantam is priced cheaper than the RE Hunter 350 (£3,999) and the Honda GB350S (£3,999) dials up its desirability even further.

2026 BSA Bantam Specs And Price