Royal Enfield Developing a 650cc Motorcycle

After stepping into a completely new segment with the Himalayan, Royal Enfield (RE) is now reportedly working on a 600cc-650cc motorcycle. The bike would be based on a twin-cylinder engine and is meant to hit International markets of US and Europe in its initial phase. Earlier, there were speculations of an India-bound 750cc parallel-twin motorcycle that is expected to arrive later this year, a source confirmed. Twin-cylinder and parallel-twin engines have two cylinders, which eventually helps in pumping out more power and better punch than the conventional single-cylinder engines.   

Codenamed as P61, the new 600cc-650cc motorcycle is slated for launch next year and will focus on riders who look for proper street cruisers with a reasonably powerful engine. Royal Enfield aims to become the leading player in the 200cc to 750cc segment. Royal Enfield is hoping that this upcoming model does well in international markets and if things go as expected, one can expect to see it cruising on Indian roads too. 

Commenting on the new bike, Mr. Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield stated, "Our current motorcycles really don't hit the right highway speeds. We have the next platform, which will address that need." To gain a more commanding position in the International space, Royal Enfield has set up a technical centre in the UK with a marketing & distribution subsidiary in the US. The CEO, too, has moved to London last year to keep a track of global operations more effectively. If some reports are to be believed, the firm is also developing more powerful versions of its two popular motorcycles - Classic and Thunderbird and these have been codenamed as D41 and D61 respectively.  

With the new Enfields going through development stages, the Indians can finally dream of newer and better RE machines. Keeping Himalayan aside, the company had not updated its product lineup for quite a long time. Once launched, the bigger Royal Enfield motorcycles could give a stiff competition to the renowned American giant Harley-Davidson, whose Street 750 has already set a benchmark in the respective segment. Talking of price, where the Harley Street 750 comes at Rs. 4.52 lac (ex-showroom, Delhi), Royal Enfield would definitely try to keep things competitive and is expected to retail its 650cc/750cc bikes at a much lower price than the American firm. So, if you are planning to go for a Harley at the moment, wait for a few months as who knows, a Royal Enfield might land up to fulfill your dreams at a much better price.

Also Read: Exclusive: Royal Enfield to Bring its 750cc, Parallel-Twin Motorcycle by Year End