Royal Enfield recently introduced the Meteor 350 in India, as a replacement for the Thunderbird 350 and 350X. The RE Meteor uses the brand’s new ‘J’ platform, which will also underpin the upcoming new-generation Classic 350 and Bullet Standard 350. Apart from that, the Meteor also gets a completely new engine and a few premium features, like a TFT display for turn-by-turn navigation, dubbed ‘Tripper’ by the manufacturer.
The Tripper navigation feature is a first for a Royal Enfield motorcycle, and this technology is expected to make its way into the Classic 350 as well. It is quite a useful feature, especially for long-distance touring. We also expect a few more changes to the instrument console of the Classic 350, like the inclusion of an LCD display as well.
The instrument console current Classic 350 is a fully-analogue unit, which only offers a speedometer, an odometer, and a few tell-tale lights. It doesn’t get a tripmeter or even a fuel gauge, which is extremely inconvenient. The LCD readout will offer these missing features, along with a clock and a gear position indicator. In older spy pictures, we’ve already seen the layout of the new console, which has arrangement for both the LCD and TFT display.
The next-generation Bullet Standard 350 will be a budget-oriented model, and thus, it will probably miss out on the tripper navigation feature. That said, we still expect it to have a semi-digital console, with all the other above-mentioned features. Other than that, the Meteor’s SOHC engine will also replace the pushrod-actuated motor on the Classic (and the Standard).
The new powerplant is a 349cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder unit, which generates a maximum power of 20.2 HP (at 6,100 rpm) and a peak torque of 27 Nm (at 4,000). This engine is much smoother than the older one, with all the harsh vibrations removed, and is quite rev-happy as well. The signature “thump” will be present, but it will be a little mellower than before.
The gearbox will be a 5-speed unit, with smoother and slicker shifts, and the performance is expected to be much better. The new-gen Classic 350 will preserve the design of its predecessor, with only a few minor changes. As for the price, we expect it to soar around the Rs. 1.7 lakh mark (ex-showroom price).
