Royal Enfield is working hard to put its upcoming 650 cruiser line-up through final rounds of testing
Upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc test mules have run the gauntlet of testing in every condition for quite a number of years. Royal Enfield will be launching these not only in the domestic market but also overseas and obviously wants them to succeed from the word go.
If grapevine is to be believed, the long-awaited Royal Enfield 650 cruiser line-up is all set to make its debut in mid-July this year. As that time approaches, the bikes were caught testing totally undisguised in near production-ready format by Madras Tribe channel.
Royal Enfield 650cc Cruiser, Super Meteor
Though it is not yet clear how many new 650cc motorcycles are planned for launch, it is safe to predict that there would be at least two models. As can be seen in the spy video below, one motorcycle has a cruiser stance, while the other is more like Meteor.
Upcoming RE cruiser 650 is expected to be longer and lower with the rider sitting in a relaxed feet forward position, while Super Meteor 650 will have a conventional stance with the rider sitting in a more upright position.
Cruiser 650 will come equipped with LED headlight, upside down forks, alloy wheels shod with tubeless tyres and forward-set footpegs placed near the front of the engine covers and right next to exhaust downpipe in typical cruiser fashion. Both bikes will have single disc brakes at both ends with dual-channel ABS. Instrument cluster will be a semi-digital twin-podded affair with a tripper navigation system also on offer.
Super Meteor 650 will likely have a halogen headlight, wire-spoke wheels, a conventional telescopic front fork and mid-set footpegs. What would remain common is layout and design of the frame, shape of the fuel-tank, side panels, exhaust system though on the Cruiser 650 it will be finished in chrome while on the Super Meteor 650, it will be finished in matt black.
Common engine, gearbox
Royal Enfield will be using the same engine and gearbox from the Interceptor and 650 twins. State of tuning might be altered on the bikes but the 648cc parallel twin engine will have the same output of 47 hp and 52 Nm of torque, like on the 650 twins, mated to a 6-speed transmission with revised gear ratios for more relaxed cruising and higher speeds on highways. Instead of brushed aluminium finish, on the upcoming bikes the engine will be finished in black.
The Cruiser 650 could get a 130-section rear tyre mounted on a smaller wheel than the front in typical cruiser configuration, while the Super Meteor 650 will also have different-sized wheels and tyres. Speculation is rife of there being a third model in the cruiser line-up which is being called Classic 650 but at the moment Royal Enfield is holding cards close to their chest and all information will only be disclosed near the launch date.
