Royal Enfield is working on a 650 cc cruiser motorcycle. A testing prototype of this upcoming model has been spotted testing on public roads in India. The motorcycle manufacturer has not yet revealed any plans of an impending launch. However, the test mule appears to be near-production and we thus expect its India launch soon.
The new Royal Enfield cruiser motorcycle is likely powered by a twin-cylinder 650 cc engine. It is worth noting that the company already has two products powered by a 650 cc block – the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. We thus expect that Royal Enfield will use the same block, albeit in a different state of tune, for its upcoming cruiser.
Some points that we have noticed from the few available spy shots is the availability of two exhaust tips, an all black engine case, and an oil cooler mounted on the front side of the frame. The bike looks to have a completely new platform. This is indicated by the different tubing structure and a more inclined angle of the rear shock absorbers. Another major highlight seen on the RE 650 Cruiser is the presence of Up-Side Down (USD) forks at the front. This makes it the first bike in Royal Enfield’s portfolio to get a USD setup.
The overall design of the bike is all-new. It gets a long wheelbase, short seat height, and front set foot pegs. This results in a laid back riding posture. It will also help in ensuring that the rider’s legs are kept away from the hot engine block. It is very difficult to judge from the limited spy shots, but it looks like the front wheel of the Royal Enfield 650 Cruiser is bigger than the rear wheel. This design tactic is often used by large motorcycle manufacturers to improve the overall stance.
The design language used for the 650 cruiser motorcycle appears to be inspired by the Concept KX that was displayed at the EICMA show 2018. However, it gets a bigger teardrop-shaped fuel tank, large circular headlamp cluster, and fat rear tyres.
We expect Royal Enfield to launch the 650 cruiser bike later next year. The company is also prepping to launch the Meteor 350 motorcyle around Diwali 2020.
Image Credits: Karthick Jay