Apart from a 650cc cruiser, Royal Enfield is also planning to launch a new generation model of Classic 350 next year
Royal Enfield is planning to put its foot down with the bikemaker planning to launch as many as 28 new bikes in the next seven years which means at least one new motorcycle every quarter. One of those bikes is speculated to be a cruiser motorcycle based on the 650cc platform which has been previously spotted on many occasions.
Reportedly, the design inspiration behind this cruiser bike codenamed KX650 is the KX Bobber Concept which made its world premiere at the EICMA 2018 in Milan, Italy. Although actual images of the KX650 spied earlier turns out to be a lot different from the KX Bobber Concept.
However, an Enfield motorcycle owner and enthusiast seems to have taken serious inspiration from KX Concept and modified his Classic 350 following the bobber’s design language. Uploaded on his social media handle, Sofyan Hasan has been riding this bike, which he has named Green Goblin.
Going by the images there are a number of modifications the owner has made to the bike. Everything has been done by the owner himself, from designing to actually making it.
Design Modification on Green Goblin
For starters, it gets a new seat which sits much lower and is much thinner than the stock one. Both front and rear fenders have been chopped into half making them shorter.
Another major change is its fuel tank which gets a flat contour on sides with a prominent bifurcation created between the top and side profile. This gives it a slight aerodynamic look. More importantly, it seems to get a different front suspension setup with conventional twin shock absorbers in place.
The bike in picture gets standard wire-spoked wheels. Handlebars also seem to be taller than usual just like those offered in a proper cruiser. Front end also gets a slight rake in its angle which further gives it a lower stance and increases its wheelbase slightly which means a more planted ride. The owner says that all mod jobs have been carried out personally by him and cost him around USD 2,000 (about Rs 1.48 lakhs) in total.
Royal Enfield’s next cruiser in line will be the production version of KX650 which is expected to come out sometime next year. It will be powered by the same 648cc parallel-twin engine which is offered in Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. This unit kicks out 47 bhp and 52 Nm of peak torque. A lot of its styling cues are expected to be borrowed from the recently launched Meteor 350.
Meteor 350
The Chennai-based manufacturer launched its latest cruiser offering last month. It is underpinned by an all-new J platform and is powered by a brand new 349cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine which pushes out 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque. It is offered in three variants- Fireball, Stellar and Supernova at a starting price of Rs. 1.75 lakh (ex-showroom).