It is not news that Royal Enfield is working on a range of products for the coming years. Powered by its next-gen ‘UCE 350’ power plant, the motorcycles are aimed at different buyers’ categories including women and first-time riders. As a start, the Chennai-based motorcycle manufacturer will introduce the Meteor 350 which is essentially a replacement to the Thunderbird 350.
Royal Enfield has updated all its products to BS6 specifications. In the process, the company has discontinued the ‘500’ range due to poor demand. As a tribute to the decade-old model line, it introduced the limited-run BS4-compliant Royal Enfield Classic 500 Tribute Black. Sold only through a dedicated online platform, the motorcycle did not sell in considerable numbers. In fact, Royal Enfield had predicted this and set the production process on a made-to-order basis.
In the meantime, the internet got hold of several details regarding the brand’s upcoming products, including leaked trademark applications. Besides ‘Meteor’, Royal Enfield has also trademarked names such as ‘Sherpa’ and ‘Hunter’. Another set of reports state that the company intends to launch an all-new motorcycle (internally dubbed ‘J1D’) alongside the near-production-ready Meteor 350 (or ‘J1C0′). At the moment, rumours claim that ‘J1D’ refers to the upcoming Royal Enfield Hunter.
RushLane reader Akshay Nandakumar has spotted an unknown Royal Enfield test mule on the Chennai-Trichy highway. Evidently, the motorcycle was heavily camouflaged with make-shift body components. Even though one can notice some interesting highlights, the question remains whether this could be an early avatar of the Royal Enfield Hunter.
At least in terms of looks and proportions, its power plant remains identical that of the Meteor. Hence, we can be sure that the air-cooled motor packs roughly 350cc in OHC (Over Head Cam) configuration. The seating position is relatively upright as in the higher Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. The single-pod instrument console should be a semi-digital unit with Bluetooth connectivity as per recent reports. Its suspension setup is pretty much conventional while the exhaust is quite stubby.
Adding to the bulk formed by its large headlamp and fuel tank is the seemingly temporary crash guards. Amidst the motion blur, its wheels could be made out as a fresh 5-spoke design. At the rear, its LED taillamp is flanked by halogen turn signals. Over the past few months, there have been multiple reports stating that the Hunter or J1D would be targeted at lady riders. Considering the size of this test mule (if it is indeed the Hunter), we do not expect either product to be the same.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
