Recently, Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Eicher Motors stated that the Royal Enfield Classic filled a gap that no one knew existed. He noted that the Classic range is the company’s biggest commercial success. Meanwhile, product development is working on another motorcycle with the Classic badge, a Scrambler, which was spotted testing in India earlier this month.
Also read: Royal Enfield has an "amazing generation of new products" for BS-VI - Siddhartha Lal
Overdrive reports that the Royal Enfield Classic 500 Scrambler is expected to launch in India in March 2019 while the deliveries would commence a month later. There is no announcement or acknowledgement from Royal Enfield on new variants. It is still not certain what the motorcycle will be named, but it will be the first factory-built scrambler in India.
IAB reader Suraj Suprabhan had shared the images of the motorcycle from one of its test runs this month. Contrary to the expectations, the source report claims that the Classic 500 Scrambler would use the 499cc, single-cylinder BS-IV compliant engine from the Royal Enfield Classic 500 that produces 27.5 PS of power and 41.3 Nm of peak torque. Royal Enfield will have a year to sell the Classic 500 Scrambler in that spec before they are forced to upgrade the motor.
The previous sighting of the test mule revealed knobby off-road biased tyres, short fenders at both the ends and a tall and wide handlebar with a centre brace, rider only seat, rear parcel rack and an upswept exhaust. The Scrambler uses the same fuel tank and side panels as the standard Classic 500. Surprisingly, the fuel tank had a chrome finish while the side panel received a silver paint, but we believe this is a temporary arrangement on the prototype.
Ergonomics would be upright, and the tall handlebar should offer better access while off-roading.
Also read: Siddhartha Lal: Future of Royal Enfield Concept KX still under consideration
The front suspension comes with fork gaiters to protect the units against various elements that could damage the oil seal. Given that the motorcycle is tentatively arriving in March, it would come with dual-channel ABS as standard to comply with the latest safety norms. The motorcycle is expected to carry a premium of up to INR 35,000 over the Classic 500.
[Source: Overdrive.in]
