From a revamped Bullet 350, a liquid-cooled Himalayan, to a pair of 650cc cruisers, RE has a lot in store.
Royal Enfield is going to be on a bike launch spree in the following months, with as many as eight different models in the pipeline. There might be even more still, but these 8 have all been spied testing which fuels the expectation of them going on sale within the next year.
Five of these upcoming bikes are powered by the 650cc parallel-twin engine, currently found in the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. The stalwart of the Chennai-based marque’s range, the Bullet 350, is also set to receive a J-platform engine based generation change. And for the first time ever in Royal Enfield’s 121-year history, it is working on a liquid-cooled engine, set to underpin another two models. Read on to find out more details.
Upcoming Royal Enfield Bullet 350
The Bullet 350 holds the record for the longest continuous two-wheeler model in production, ever since its inception in 1948. In its current incarnation, the stalwart of RE’s range remains the only model in its 350cc lineup to feature the older, more utilitarian UCE engine, while its contemporaries are powered by the newer J-platform engine. All this is set to change, however, with spy shots of the latest Bullet 350 confirming it will receive the same J-platform engine and accompanying underpinnings. Royal Enfield’s Rider Mania event is set to be held from November 18-20 and it’s possible that the updated Bullet 350 might be unveiled there if not before that.
Liquid-cooled Himalayan 450
The Himalayan 411 has been around since 2016 and since then it has established itself as a simple yet capable go-anywhere bike. The company has improved the bike with each update since, however, one of the most-frequently levied requests, is the demand for more power to further strengthen its mile-munching abilities. To satiate these requests for more power, RE has been working on a larger, more modern liquid-cooled Himalayan 450. This new Himalayan, by the looks of it won’t trade its off road ability for supposedly improved mile-munching ability, since it gets 21/18-inch wire-spoke rims at both ends and better suspension componentry in the form of a USD fork and monoshock.
Himalayan 450-based naked bike
This naked bike is intended to be what the Scram 411 is to the current Himalayan, promising more accessibility with road-biased features such as a lower seat height and smaller, cast alloy wheels. While not much is known about this model, spy pics suggest it uses the same liquid-cooled engine as the Himalayan 450 and features a telescopic front fork (as opposed to the USD fork on the Himalayan 450). The seat is a single-piece unit, which maybe set at a lower height than on the Himalayan 450, making it much more accessible to the ground. It also appears to use the same fuel tank. This new bike, when it is launched, will sit below the Himalayan 450, both in terms of price as well as features. Both the 450 Himalayan models are still some time away and we don’t expect to see them until the second part of 2023.
Royal Enfield Super Meteor and Shotgun 650
The 650cc duo of the Super Meteor 650 and the Shotgun 650. While both bikes are expected to launch quite soon and while they should share most mechanicals, the rider triangle is a key area of difference between the two.
The Super Meteor 650 is the more relaxed of the two, with a feet-forward position and a more swept-back handlebar putting the rider in more of a sofa-like seating position. Contrastingly, the Shotgun 650 has mid-mounted footpegs and a shorter handlebar which seats the rider in a more standard and upright position.
The styling is another area where these two bikes differ, with the Super Meteor 650 sporting a more traditional cruiser look with long, swooping fenders and straight twin exhaust pipes that are finished in chrome. The Shotgun 650, on the other hand, has more blacked-out components with slightly upswept dual exhaust pipes and shorter, chopped fenders.
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 with cast alloy wheels
Ever since the introduction of the 650 twins in 2019, they have remained largely the same, save for a BS6-emission compliance update and the introduction of new colours. One of the most asked-for updates are tubeless tyres, currently not an option, with the tubed wire-spoke wheels the 650c twins come equipped with. However, a test mule of the Continental GT 650 was spied recently with cast alloy wheels and a circular tail lamp, indicating that both models might receive a mild update soon. The alloy wheels also bring with them the possibility of equipping the bike with better rubber than the CEAT Zoom Cruz tyres that currently come shod on both bikes.
Faired Royal Enfield Continental GT 650
One of the most popular aftermarket modifications made to the RE Continental GT 650 is the addition of a full-fairing, enhancing its retro racer vibe even further. While this currently isn’t an official accessory or a variant from RE yet, a test mule that was spied with a bikini fairing says it might be a possibility in the future. This test mule was spotted only with a small front fairing but carried mounting points for a full-fairing to be fitted to the bike. Royal Enfield uses a race-prepped, semi-faired version of the Continental GT 650 already in the Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup, dubbed the GT-R 650.
Royal Enfield 650cc Scrambler
Out of all the aforementioned bikes, this is currently the only one not to have been spied on our shores, possibly because it is still in the nascent stages of its development. This 650cc scrambler has a two-into-one exhaust with a stubby muffler design not seen on any 650cc model from RE before. It runs on off-road sized (likely 19/17-inch or 19/18-inch) wire-spoke rims and has a USD fork and twin hydraulic shocks. Considering this bike has only been spied once and that too overseas, it appears that it will still be some time before we see a production-ready version.
With the 2022 EICMA trade show in Italy and the Royal Enfield Rider Mania event in Goa less than a month away, expect to see some exciting action from the storied bike maker in the coming months.
Which upcoming Royal Enfield bike has piqued your interest the most? Let us know in the comments section below.