Royal Enfield has used the Thunderbird name before on their cruisers
Royal Enfield motorcycles have impressed enthusiasts with their vintage charm and retro appeal. Of late, RE motorcycles have also been impressive where engineering is concerned. Already a ruler in the 350cc and 650cc segment, the company wants to expand its portfolio further in these segments.
The Chennai-based company has been working on a new breed of motorcycles. We can expect their next new offering in the month of August, likely to be called Hunter 350. They also have the Bullet 350 new gen, as well as an all new 450cc scrambler and adventure-tourer planned for sometime next year.
Royal Enfield Thunderbird 650
Apart from these, we have also seen spy shots of new RE motorcycles based on 650cc platform. One was rumoured to be Super Meteor 650 and the other was rumoured to be based on Shotgun 650 concept. Speaking about the Super Meteor 650 cruiser, there is an interesting update. It seems like it might not be called Super Meteor, but Thunderbird 650.
Royal Enfield had Thunderbird range of cruiser motorcycles on sale for many years, before they were discontinued to be replaced by what is now called Meteor. This left RE fans wondering as to why Royal Enfield was dropping such a good brand name like Thunderbird. Well, that is probably because they had bigger plans. Literally bigger plans. Earlier, the Thunderbird range was seen in 350cc and 500cc format. If the latest leak is true, the next Thunderbird we see from Royal Enfield, will be the biggest ever, with a 650cc engine.
Royal Enfield official service page had a listing for a surprising new motorcycle, which does not currently exist. The name was – Thunderbird X 650. It is highly likely that this is the name of the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser motorcycle, and got leaked on an official website by mistake. Royal Enfield has rectified this error by taking off the Thunderbird X 650 name from their website. But not before screenshots were saved and shared.
Thunderbird X 650 might be a sportier variant of Thunderbird 650, like Thunderbird 500X was to Thunderbird 500. We have seen the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser with alloys as well as with spoke wheels. It is possible that the version with spoke wheels is called Thunderbird 650 and the one with alloys is called Thunderbird 650X or Thunderbird X 650.
Royal Enfield Thunderbird 650 – Specs & Launch
If Royal Enfield Thunderbird 650 and Thunderbird X 650 gets launched, they will come with 650cc parallel-twin engine. This engine does duty on the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. These are the smoothest and the most vibe-free Royal Enfield we have ever tried. It makes 47 bhp of power at 7250 RPM and 52 Nm of torque at 5250 RPM. It is coupled to a 6-speed transmission and also gets oil-cooling and slipper clutch.
Speaking about launch timeline – the latest test mules appear fairly production-ready. It is likely that Royal Enfield could unveil the Thunderbird 650 (if not launch), at the EICMA 2022. Being a global motorcycle brand, Royal Enfield has unveiled something special at EICMA almost every year. Will it be the Thunderbird 650 cruiser this year?
Source
Source: Bike - rushlane.com
