New Royal Enfield Classic 350
Last year in H2, Royal Enfield had started shipping its 350cc motorcycles without the gear indicator due to shortage of rare earth components
Royal Enfield 350cc bikes such as Classic 350, Goan Classic 350, Hunter 350 and Meteor 350 were shipped last year without the gear indicator. Instead of the gear position indicator, these bikes were equipped with a neutral position indicator. Bikes that were shipped without the gear position indicator were the ones manufactured after August 2025. These bikes have now started receiving the gear indicator for free.
Installation at authorized service centres
Owners of affected bikes are likely to be contacted individually to get the gear position indicator fitted on their bikes. Last year, Royal Enfield had issued a statement, saying that there was a shortage of rare earth materials. Due to this, the supply of magnets used in gear position sensors was impacted.
Royal Enfield 350 Bikes Gear Position Indicator
To ensure deliveries were not delayed, Royal Enfield had come up with a simple, yet effective solution to install a neutral indicator on these bikes. Royal Enfield had also promised that as soon as the supply chain issues were resolved, the gear position indicator will be retrofitted on the affected bikes at no additional cost.
Owners can check on the Royal Enfield mobile app to know if there are any notifications about component availability. Another option is to check with your Royal Enfield authorized service centre to know if the bike is eligible for free gear position indicator retrofitment. The full cost, including the component cost and installation charges, will be borne by Royal Enfield. The retrofit will be completely free of cost for users.
It is apparent that the shortage of rare earth components has eased following corrective measures taken by various entities. These efforts include increased local production and long-term agreements with countries like the US, Japan and Argentina. Interestingly, India is one of the top nations in terms of rare earth reserves and resources. However, there is an urgent need to scale up production significantly.
Useful for riders
A gear position indicator can be useful, especially for new riders. Changing gears can get a bit tricky for new riders in case of bikes with the neutral located between the first and second gears. This is the case with Royal Enfield’s 350cc bikes. With a gear position indicator, users can see the current gear and manage it quite easily. A gear position indicator can also be useful for experienced riders in specific scenarios.
With the new J-series engine platform used in Royal Enfield 350cc bikes, users have reported major improvements in gear shifting. The clunky gear action seen with older bikes has been completely eliminated. Gear shifts with the J-series box require minimal effort and are characterized by quiet mechanical clicks. J-series engine has strong low-end torque, which reduces the need for frequent gear shifts during traffic situations.