The upcoming Royal Enfield motorcycle will be launched by the end of this month or by early July
Do you remember Royal Enfield Thunderbird? Of course, you do. It was one of the most popular cruiser motorcycles in India. Thunderbird was replaced by Meteor 350 which is currently on sale in India. Thunderbird was available in a more sporty looking variant called X. These motorcycles were named Thunderbird 350X and 500X.
Even though X variants had the same overall design, they came with a completely different appeal. Both versions of Thunderbird X were more street-oriented. They came with alloy wheels, 19 inch in the front and 18 inch at the rear, wrapped with tubeless tyres; which was a first from Royal Enfield.
X variants had a sporty appeal and eye-candy colours. They got short handlebars unlike the tourer-friendly chopper-style handlebars on the standard Thunderbird. They also got a single-piece street-style seat. Even the pillion backrest found on tourer-friendly standard Thunderbird 350 and 500 was removed in 350X and 500X.
Royal Enfield Meteor 350X
Royal Enfield is likely to implement a similar strategy with their Meteor 350. If that is the case, Meteor’s cruiser form factor will be transformed into a street-styled motorcycle. With this move, Royal Enfield will offer a youthful variant of Meteor 350.
New report claims that 2022 Meteor 350X will have many updates. One of the biggest change is that it will get a smaller 18” alloy wheel in the front, as against 19″ seen in current Meteor. At the rear, it will continue to have the same 17” wheel like regular Meteor.
It might get a flatter handlebar which would make the rider lean a little towards the front. These handlebars will make it easier to turn the motorcycle in urban areas. Changes to seat design will also be made, to accommodate the new handlebar / riding style. Also expected on Meteor 350X are youthful colour options appealing to a younger audience.
Specs and Launch
Royal Enfield will launch Meteor 350X with the same engine as seen on current Meteor. This is a 349 cc unit making 20.2 bhp @6100 RPM and 27 Nm @4000 RPM. It is mated to the same 5-speed transmission unit. Meteor 350X will deliver similar fuel efficiency of around 30-40 kmpl. It will get same 300mm rotor at front with a twin-pot caliper and 270mm rotor with a single-piston caliper at rear. Dual-channel ABS may be offered as standard.
Weight of Meteor 350X might be slightly lowered due to changes mentioned. But what won’t be lowered is its price. Meteor 350X could cost around Rs. 8,000 to 10,000 more than the base Fireball variant of current Meteor. We expect it to be launched by the end of this month or in early July. This means it will launch before the upcoming Hunter 350, yet another street-friendly motorcycle from RE.
