In May 2025, at the "Iron Horse with βTITANIUM Battle Day" held in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Takahiro Michioka, representative of Royal Enfield Tokyo West & Central, and Yasuo Kusuyama of Webike, participated in the "NC350" class for the first time on a Royal Enfield Hunter 350 as "RE-Tokyo & Webike". They fought hard on their first course and first motorcycle! Let's bring you the details!
ROYAL ENFIELD HUNTER 350 and Honda GB350 go head to head on the circuit!
"Iron Horse with βTITANIUM Battle Day" was a two-day event race held at the HSR Kyushu circuit course. The qualifying round took place on Saturday, May 3, 2025, and the final race took place on Sunday, May 4.
The class in which the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 will compete is the "NC350." NC stands for Neo Classic, and only the Honda GB350 and Hunter 350 can participate. This class was newly established in 2024. In 2022 and 2023, it will be held as a one-make class for the GB350, and until 2024, Misuzu Kaneko, who competes on a GB350 from Moriwaki, has achieved three consecutive victories.
Starting in 2024, Erina Nakayama (see Nakayama's report here) will compete on the NC350 from "ROYAL ENFIELD with Moto Junkie" and Naoki Matsumi from "Moto Junkie", and they will continue to compete in 2025. And in 2025, Takahiro Michioka and Yasuo Kusuyama will compete for the first time as "RE-Tokyo & Webike", making it a four-motorcycle race.
The Hunter 350 is the sportiest model in Royal Enfield's 350 series. With 17-inch wheels front and rear, it is possible to participate in the race with the bare minimum of equipment. Nakayama's motorcycle has been heavily modified, but the two motorcycles from "RE-Tokyo & Webike", which are participating for the first time, will compete with the bare minimum of equipment required to race.
"RE-Tokyo & Webike" Michioka and Kusuyama's Hunter 350s are almost identical.
The Yoshimura muffler is impressive, but other safety parts have been removed and the front and rear suspension have been upgraded. The brake pads, hoses and master cylinder have been changed, and steps and an under-cowl have been added. Fuel and ignition are adjusted with a sub-computer, and high-grip tires are fitted.
"If a customer places an order, we can make the same thing. The style is conscious of a normal silhouette that retains the characteristics of a Hunter 350," says Michioka, who created the machine.
"I started thinking about the Iron Horse around the time of Moriwaki's GB350 Challenge, which started in 2022. Every time I read a race report I got excited and my interest and expectations grew. After that, the GB350 class became the NC350 class, and it became possible to participate with the Hunter 350, so it became more of a reality. I had been in contact with Michioka originally, and we hit it off at the end of last year and decided to participate. I simply wanted to race with the people of Kyushu," said Kusuyama.
The Hunter 350 has been modified for racing. It has been turned into a racer with the bare minimum of equipment.
Mr. Michioka (left) is the CEO of Mytech, which operates the Royal Enfield authorized dealers Tokyo West and Tokyo Central. Tokyo West and Tokyo Central are the top Royal Enfield dealers in Japan. Kusuyama (right) is a director of Rivercrane, which operates Webike. Both of them love motorbikes and racing, and they experience the joy of riding them.
The exhaust system uses a Yoshimura full exhaust system sold in Thailand for the Hunter 350.
The footpegs are handmade using Nitro Racing footpegs, with the base plate made by Michioka. These can also be made to order.
The brake master cylinder is a genuine Yamaha Brembo radial, and the lever has been replaced with an Active folding type.
The front forks are fitted with a YSS cartridge kit, allowing adjustment of rebound and compression damping force and preload.
The rear suspension is based on the YSS suspension for the Hunter 350, but Michioka ordered the length. The tires are Pirelli Supercorsa front and rear.
The engine is fully stock. The fuel mixture and ignition timing are adjusted with a Powertronic sub-computer. Stock is about 16 hp at the rear axle, but by installing a muffler and sub-computer and removing the air cleaner, it produces 20 hp. The under cowl is made by Magical Racing. This can also be obtained through Royal Enfield Tokyo West & Central.
The handlebars are up-type, typical of the Hunter 350. The brake calipers are standard, but the pads have been replaced with SBS ones. The hoses are made by HEL, available at Royal Enfield Tokyo West & Central, and are available in a variety of colors.
The Hunter 350 steadily improves its time on its first HSR Kyushu tour
Both Michioka and Kusuyama are based in the Kanto region, making it difficult for them to attend practice, and this qualifying round was their first time riding at HSR Kyushu. However, there are two qualifying rounds on the "Tetsuba" on Saturday morning and afternoon, and a practice run is also scheduled on Sunday morning, so there is plenty of time to ride. This is a great schedule for those from far away.
They smoothly conquered the Course & Hunter 350, with Michioka qualifying third with a time of 1 minute 23.763 seconds, and Kusuyama qualifying fourth with a time of 1 minute 26.628 seconds. Nakayama came second with a time of 1 minute 23.105 seconds, and Kaneko on the GB350 took the lead with a time of 1 minute 20.949 seconds. Kaneko, who is aiming for his fourth consecutive victory, is as fast as you would expect.
"The Iron Horse event itself is very homey and has a great atmosphere. However, the HSR is difficult to master. I still haven't figured out the line. The engine is running well, and I don't think there's much difference between it and the two motorcycles in front. My challenge is to find a line that will let me pick up speed on the high-speed sections and open the throttle early," said Michioka.
"I'm working up a sweat more than I expected! And it turns surprisingly well! The Hunter 350 has a very solid body, which makes handling in the infield fun. The engine doesn't rev at high speeds, but it's easy to handle and not nervous! It has 20 horsepower and a top speed of about 130 km/h, but it's still sporty and fun," said Kusuyama.
Michioka and Kusuyama's times improved with each run. After some practice and some adjustments to the suspension, they were ready to take on the finals.
Michioka is steadily improving with the Hunter 350.
Kusuyama improves his time while conquering his first motorcycle and first course.
I would love to hold a Hunter 350 one-make race someday!
In the NC350 class, the ACS (Air Cooled Single) and WCS (Water Cooled Single) classes raced together in both the qualifying and final races. As a result, there was a tense development with speed differences immediately after the start. And it was Kaneko who broke away first on the NC350.
He was followed by Michioka, Nakayama, and Kusuyama, in that order. On the second lap, Nakayama passed Michioka and moved up to second place. On the third lap, Kaneko recorded his best lap of 1 minute 20.880 seconds and took the lead. After eight laps, he finished in that state.
As Kaneko and the Moriwaki GB350 continue to improve, they are still strong. Let's compare their best laps below.
Kaneko (GB350): 1 minute 20.880 seconds
Nakayama (Hunter 350): 1 minute 22.310 seconds
Michioka (Hunter 350): 1 minute 23.614 seconds
Kusunoyama (Hunter 350): 1 minute 25.292 seconds
Matsumi (Hunter 350): 1 minute 28.513 seconds
Immediately after the start of the final race in the NC350, ACS and WCS classes, Michioka moves inside Nakayama at the first corner.
At the third corner on the second lap, Nakayama overtook Michioka and took the lead.
Kaneko took the lead right from the start.
Nakayama had a bad start and couldn't get into the rhythm. After the race, he said regretfully, "Next year, I want to compete with Kaneko!"
Michioka-san rides the motorcycles himself and works on them himself. With his wealth of experience, he is able to steadily work out the direction of setup and customization.
While Kusuyama says he leaves the details of the machine up to Michioka, he hopes to improve his position before the next race.
Matsumi's Hunter 350 is almost standard. The safety parts, silencer, and air cleaner have been removed, and only high-grip tires have been fitted.
The Hunter 350 challenge continues, already with an eye on the next race!
This is my first time participating. I found a lot of issues. Of course, I need to master the course, but there are still some points to refine with the body. I think that by securing the final, position, and banking angle a little more and fine-tuning the suspension setup, I can finish the Hunter 350 with more cornering!
I have participated in the Taste of Tsukuba with a Kawasaki Z, but since last fall, I have been more curious and motivated to ride a Royal Enfield than a Z. I will participate in mini motorcycle races once or twice a year to keep my body in shape and then challenge the next race. I want to win the next race, but first I want to liven up this race. I hope that one day we can hold a one-make race for the Hunter 350," said Michioka, who seemed quite regretful this time. After the race, he said he has already been doing image training every day.
"The Hunter 350 is a current model, so it's easy to make a racer. Another appeal of the Iron Horse is that it's not too dependent on rigid racing. The NC350 class is a valuable category where you can experience the fun of motorsports with minimal modifications. In the 1990s and 2000s, many one-make races were held by motorcycle manufacturers, and this concept makes me feel like that time has come back. I think the fun will double if the number of motorcycles increases.
And when you finish the race, you want to see the results. I was able to see Kaneko's stoicism, Nakayama's closeness, and the atmosphere from far behind. When I think back, it makes me want to race again and practice. Actually, before the race, I decided to get serious about losing weight after turning 50, and I lost about 5 kg. However, I'm frustrated by the lack of rider skill and being overweight. I don't want to quit now. I'm also concerned about the ranking in the race, but I'm going to continue dieting to win the battle against myself," said Kusuyama.
Despite this being their first time participating, Michioka and Kusuyama seem to be fascinated by the sportiness of the Hunter 350 and the atmosphere of the "Iron Horse". They are also excited about the next race. There are also other dealers who have announced their participation, so the "NC350" class will gradually gain more popularity. Of course, they are still looking for new members to achieve their dream of "one-make Hunter 350 someday!"
By the way, Royal Enfield's Hunter 350 will undergo a model change in 2025. The new model was announced immediately after the "Iron Horse" event. In addition to the color, the suspension, clutch, and position have been changed, and it has been reborn. It's probably a high hurdle to suddenly start racing. However, I would like many people to know about its sportiness.
Everyone on the podium in the NC350 class celebrated the reigning champion, Ms. Kaneko, for achieving her fourth consecutive victory.
Instead of champagne, they fought with carbonated water and everyone got soaked...
Royal Enfield is increasing its presence year by year with its "iron horse."
During the lunch break at "Tetsuuma", a parade run was held with everyone who had gathered for the Royal Enfield fan meeting!
The new Hunter 350 model was announced right after the release of "Tetsuba". It will be introduced in Japan from mid-July. It will be available in three colors: London Red, Tokyo Black, and Rio White (from the left).
