Royal Enfield has announced new investments in R&D, for updating their entire line-up to modern tech. One of the first motorcycles to get updated, is the Classic 350 and Classic 500, both of which are currently on test in Chennai.
Classic 350 is the best selling Royal Enfield motorcycle. It registers about 40k units of sales every month. This means more than half of RE sales come from Classic range; making it a very important motorcycle for RE.
Royal Enfield is working on giving their best selling Classic range of motorcycles a thorough update. Not only the engines (350cc and 500cc) will be updated to comply with BS6 emission norms, it will also be based on an all new chassis. The motorcycle has once again been spotted on test, but this time wearing official accessories.
The RE Classic on test is seen with saddle bags, crash guard, wind deflector, pillion backrest, etc as accessory. The rider too is wearing full riding gear – boots, riding pants, riding jacket, gloves and helmet; all of which is RE merchandize. What better way to promote your merchandize than to make your test rider wear them – as the spy shots usually get circulated widely.
2020 Royal Enfield Classic is seen with a minor styling revision. Styling changes include a shorter rear fender, new tail lamp housing, larger fuel tank, new exhaust, new air filter box and grab rails for pillion. Rear seat is also looking considerably larger. Other changes include; chain and sprocket on the left side of the rear wheel, while disc is on the right. This is opposite of current setup. Kick start system is not seen, this could imply that the new RE Classic will get FI instead of carb, just like the 650 Twins.
Updated engine and new chassis are expected to improve the riding dynamics improve thoroughly. Vibrations will be as good as gone, braking performance will be better, and so will be acceleration. Current Classic 350 ABS costs Rs 1.53 lakhs, ex-sh. Expect price of BS6 variants to be considerably higher.
