Royal Enfield is working on a slew of new launches for the Indian market and as many as three new motorcycles could arrive within the next twelve months
Royal Enfield has been having an eventful year to say the least as the long-awaited new generation Classic 350 debuted a few weeks ago and the Continental GT Cup one-making racing championship was also announced recently. The homegrown retro motorcycle manufacturer will further expand its 350 cc range with the debut of a host of new offerings.
This will help in consolidating its presence in the middleweight space as the same formula of the new twin cradle chassis and the J series engine will be leveraged to full effect. The combo was launched first last year with the Thunderbird replacing Meteor 350 and the similar mantra has been well received in the new-gen Classic 350 as well.
The brand is expected to launch the Hunter 350 scrambler to rival the likes of Honda CB350 RS and the upcoming Yezdi roadster in the early parts of next year. It could be preceded by the more road-biased Himalayan dubbed the Scram 411. Having already been caught on camera undisguised, the Scram could be positioned below the Himalayan adv.
While using the same powertrain, it will be devoid of some elements from the Himalayan to make it more road-friendly and expect the prices to be around Rs. 1.80 lakh (ex-showroom) upon arrival in the closing stages of this year. The Hunter 350, meanwhile, will be powered by the same 349 cc single-cylinder air- and oil-cooled engine from the Meteor and Classic.
It could continue to produce 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque, paired with a five-speed transmission. The features list will comprise telescopic front forks, twin gas-charged rear suspension, dual-channel ABS system, Tripper Navigation, etc and a host of accessories and a long list of colour schemes could be made available.
Last but not the least, RE is predicted to introduce a cruiser based on the 650 cc engine platform in the second half of next year, capitalising on the momentum created by the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 in the Indian as well as international markets. It will likely feature first-for-RE upside-down front forks and the parallel twin-cylinder 648 cc engine could develop around 47 PS and 52 Nm.