2 New Royal Enfield Bikes Incoming?

The bikemaker has applied for trademarks of the names ‘Hunter’ and ‘Sherpa’

[Update: Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Spotted Sans Camouflage, Launching Soon]

The ‘Hunter’ moniker has been approved whereas ‘Sherpa’ is awaiting clearance.  ‘Hunter’ is likely to be an upcoming scrambler. ‘Sherpa’ might be the name of its upcoming lighter, affordable motorcycle.

Representative Image

Royal Enfield has applied for trademarking two names: Hunter and Sherpa. Hunter moniker has already been approved whereas ‘Sherpa’ is awaiting clearance. Interestingly, Royal Enfield used to sell a two-stroke motorcycle named ‘Sherpa’ in the 1960s. It was a 173cc roadster, armed with a four-speed transmission and a claimed top speed of about 95kmph.

Given Royal Enfield’s history of naming their modern motorcycles after their vintage forefathers, it leads us to believe that the upcoming affordable, lighter motorcycle, as reported earlier, might just carry the Sherpa name tag. 

On the other hand, there aren’t any motorcycles under the Hunter moniker that Royal Enfield has sold before. That said, the aforementioned report does hint at multiple motorcycles under the platform codenamed J1C, and this moniker could be for something more trail-friendly, perhaps a scrambler variant. 

Royal Enfield Sherpa

Expect both motorcycles to be powered either by an all-new motor between 200cc and 300cc or a heavily reworked, downsized engine derived from the Royal Enfield Himalayan. Royal Enfield could launch the Sherpa first as it is a more versatile motorcycle than the Hunter, which is specialised for trail riding. Expect the motorcycle to get a single-channel ABS with a drum brake at the rear. Suspension bits might include telescopic front fork and twin rear shock absorbers.

The brand could introduce the motorcycle in mid-2020 and it is likely to be less expensive than the most-affordable Royal Enfield currently available: the Bullet 350 single-channel ABS variant. This motorcycle retails at Rs 1.14 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), but considering the inevitability of the entire lineup’s baseline pricing going up, it is bound to get dearer by around Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. 

In essence, the upcoming motorcycle(s) give budget-conscious riders an avenue to enter the world of Royal Enfield.