Royal Enfield 650 Cruiser. Image – Deepak
Going by the latest spy shots, there could be multiple variants of KX650 cruiser which offer different riding dynamics
Royal Enfield a couple of months ago announced that it will be launching at least one model every quarter for the next seven years and it set the ball rolling with the launch of its new cruiser Meteor 350. This motorcycle features a brand new chassis and engine which marks the beginning of the new generation of motorcycles from the bikemaker.
The brand is looking to extend its line of cruiser motorcycles as it is planning to launch a cruiser bike on the 650cc platform. Internally codenamed KX650, this motorcycle has been spotted testing on multiple occasions in recent months. It draws its design inspirations and its name from KX Bobber Concept displayed at EICMA in 2019.
It has now been spied once again, but this time with an added accessory – pillion backrest. Earlier spy shots of the Cruiser 650 did not feature a pillion backrest. The latest one, credit to automotive enthusiast Deepak, shows the upcoming 650 cruiser with a pillion backrest.
Two new 650 Twins Incoming
Earlier sets of images showed test riders sitting in a typical feet-forward cruiser-like position. However, in the new crop of images, the test rider is seen in a more conventional riding position with his feet coming straight downward rather than forward. The foot-pegs are more towards centre rather than forward.
Royal Enfield 650 Cruiser
On the earlier spotted test mule, rear subframe of the bike was not visible which is visible in the current images. Also the motorcycle spied earlier had a visibly longer rear fender than the current test mule.
Looking at this motorcycle, it misses out on a long, low stance which could be seen in the test mules of earlier spy shots. This gives us an indication that this might be a totally different model based on the same platform and featuring the same engine. One could be the cruiser, while the other could be the Classic 650 or the Meteor 650.
Different dynamics
However, hardware setup in this iteration of the 650cc cruiser is likely to differ from those found in 650 Twins- Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. This bike features metal tubing along its sides which is contrasting with the one spotted earlier. Its suspension setup will be slightly different as it will consist of upside-down USD forks at front and twin shocks at rear which is mounted at a greater angle than what is seen on 650 Twins.
The test mule seen in the last images does not look like the final production-spec model. However, with Royal Enfield’s aggressive launch plans, we can expect this bike to make its debut sometime later this year itself. Other notable additions seen on this test bike are a wraparound engine guard, a tall windscreen and mounting points for rear pillion grab rails.
Expected Powertrain Specs
Coming to its powertrain, it will be powered by the same 648cc parallel-twin air-cooled motor which does its duty on the Interceptor and Continental GT. This unit pushes out an output of 47 bhp and 52 Nm of peak torque. It will be mated to a six-speed gearbox. More details on this are likely to be revealed by Royal Enfield in the coming few months.
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
