The 2020 RE Thunderbird Cruiser will feature a redesigned split seat, rear set handlebar, and a forward set footpegs
Royal Enfield is likely working on a new cruiser variant of the Thunderbird that will be launched next year in India. Digital artist Shoeb Kalania has created a new rendering of this soon to be launched motorcycle recently.
The cruiser styled Thunderbird was already spotted a couple of times while it was testing on the Indian roads. The upcoming cruiser will get forward set footpegs and a different lower and slightly rear-set handlebar that looks completely different from what you now originally find in the current Thunderbird or the Thunderbird X cruisers.
Besides a new split seat, the upcoming Thunderbird cruiser will also feature a redesigned tail section, new LED taillamps, and a repositioned side turn indicators and number plate bracket. Some other noticeable features include a two-piece grab rail bar which looks almost identical to the unit that you already find in the Thunderbird X model. The upcoming cruiser will share the same telescopic suspension setup at the front and twin-sided springs at the rear.
The braking duties of the motorcycle will be taken care by a disc brake at the front and a disc brake at the rear. A dual-channel ABS will also be offered as standard for the safety of the rider. The upcoming motorcycle will also feature a new semi-digital instrument cluster that will provide some important information to the rider and revised rotary switchgear.
As far as the powertrain is concerned, the Thunderbird cruiser will share the same 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled BS 6 compliant motor with the Classic cruisers. The updated motor will ditch its carburettor setup for a fuel injection system to comply with the stricter BS6 emission norms. The performance will more or less remain identical to the BS-IV models.
The current generation 346cc motor makes about 20.07 PS of power at 5,250 rpm and 28 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. The more powerful 499cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled fuel-injected motor makes about 27.57 PS of peak power at 5,250 rpm and 41.3 Nm of max torque at 4,000 rpm. Both the engines are paired with a 5-speed transmission.