With Suzuki Intruder out of the way, we can now focus on Royal Enfield and what kind of rider should buy it. Although I am not being accurate while generalizing Royal Enfield bikes under one name, all of them ride almost in the same way, with the exception of Himalayan. So it doesn’t matter which model you choose, the basic characters will remain the same. Let’s take a look at what kind of rider should buy a Royal Enfield.
Royal Enfield is a brand known for making low powered cruisers which double up as everyday commuters. The company sells around 70,000 units each month because these motorcycles look retro and have a classic bike charm to them. Moreover, these bikes project themselves as big and tough but they ride slower than a 125 cc TVS Victor. That’s exactly what makes them sell so much, Royal Enfields are those bikes which are easy and safe to ride and they give you the appearance of a seasoned rider by overshadowing your riding speed with it’s classic and retro look.
In today’s world of Motorcycling, Royal Enfield is mainly known for making low powered single cylinder bikes, who are good enough to ride around town at the speed of 80 km/h. This wasn’t the case back in the day. In 1960’s, Royal Enfield used to make twin cylinder roadsters which could do a 100 Miles per hour easily. One such bike was Royal Enfield Interceptor (1960), which was the fastest motorcycle the company has ever made.
Classic 350 as the name suggests has a 346 cc engine yet it still can give you fuel efficiency of 40 km/l. Comparing different engines in its class we can see that the 375 cc engine on the Duke 390 return 25-30 km/l and 375 ccs triple spark on Dominar 400 returns around 28-35 km/l. Both of them are awesome performers but lose to Classic 350 in terms of fuel average or mileage. So let’s take a look behind the engine of the Classic 350 to understand how it can deliver higher average figure.
We are again talking about the Royal Enfield, but if a company has been around for more than 100 years, then they deserve to be talked about. Today we are discussing a motorcycle which apparently left the country a few months back because it wasn’t receiving any love from the people. On the other hand, people say that the bike wasn’t everything they had hoped for. So let’s just take a deep breath and understand all the reasons why the Continental GT was a great bike and also why it wasn’t. Let’s talk about the positives first.
After so many years, Royal Enfield has finally launched a new variant of their existing Thunderbird model, the Thunderbird X. The “X” stands for the Urban street factor and the hint of individuality which the bike offers. Royal Enfield took design cues from its users and created a bike which its customers were already making in the first place, by customizing motorcycles from their existing lineup. The bike looks fresh, light and suited for the urban environment, exactly what the Company intended it to be. So let’s take a closer look at what has changed from the previous model and what is still the same.
One of my friends bought a new Royal Enfield Classic 350 BS4 recently. I was also there with him as he had urged me to take care to not let anyone rip him off in the name of accessories or “extra charges”. After waiting for 2 hours, let me repeat, after waiting for 2 gruesome hours we got our bike delivered. Apparently, it wasn’t the preparation of bike which took so much time; it was all the confusion in the showroom. Anyways, showroom services are a talk of another time; let’s get back to the bike.
Today we are going to talk about one of those problems, the nasty “Kickbacks” which everyone who has owned a Royal Enfield has had a delightful chance of experiencing. So let’s jump in.
Though a part of bikers are greatly attached towards the brand, there are equally or much more people who hate the brand for what it is. Harley Davidson is a similar manufacturer who is on the same boat when we think of International markets. Here's a deep dive analysis about the quality and technology, that goes into the Royal Enfield motorcycles, bringing out the reasons behind a strong negative feedback.
Turn on the engine, you hear a little different exhaust note, not very similar to the regular RE motorcycles. The exhaust sounds pleasing with popping noise (clangs) that it makes often. RE have fitted a new engine called the LS410, LS meaning long stroke and 410 stands to its cubic capacity.