Royal Enfield 650 Cruiser: What To Expect?

From expected price and launch timeline to features, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser

Looks like the maker of the iconic Bullet isn’t going to stop with the launch of the Royal Enfield Meteor 350 or the new-generation Royal Enfield Classic 350. The Chennai-based company plans to make the promising 650cc platform even bigger with the development of a cruiser. Recent spy shots of the upcoming Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser have revealed quite a few things about the motorcycle, so here’s a summation of what we can expect:

Expected Price And Launch Timeline

The Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser is likely to be launched here by mid-2021, and it could carry a price tag of around Rs 3.5 lakh judging by the kit the test mule packed. The 650cc cruiser could be called the Royal Enfield Roadster 650, just like the Harley-Davidson Roadster. The name ‘Roadster’ was trademarked some time ago, along with ‘Flying Flea’. Coming back to the motorcycle, the Roadster 650 will compete directly against the Kawasaki Vulcan S, and will be an ideal beginner’s cruiser in the international market too.

Design

The quintessential laid-back stance is evident when you look at the spy shots of the Roadster 650. The front fork is raked out and linked to a wide handlebar. This, coupled with the low seat and forward-set footpegs, makes it highway-friendly. We hope the tear-drop fuel tank holds much more fuel than the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650’s 13.5-litre tank. The pillion seat seems to be neatly fitted on the hidden sub-frame. We wouldn’t be surprised if Royal Enfield gave the option to cruise the streets in a single-seater version. 

Features

Representative Image

The Royal Enfield 650cc cruiser sports a halogen headlamp, bulb indicators, and an LED tail lamp. We wish Royal Enfield offered an all-LED lighting system as standard considering the bike’s premium positioning. The test mule also packs a twin-pod instrument cluster, like the one on the Meteor 350. Like the smaller upcoming cruiser, expect this one also to get smartphone-connected turn-by-turn navigation. It could also get practical details like distance to empty, average/real-time mileage, battery voltage, gear position, and other tell-tale lights on the main pod.

Engine And Underpinnings

The 650cc cruiser from Royal Enfield will use the same powerplant as the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. In the twins, this 648cc parallel-twin air-cooled motor with oil cooler produces  47.6PS and 52Nm, working in conjunction with a 6-speed transmission with assist and slipper clutch. If we’re being really hopeful, we could see Royal Enfield tweak the gearing of the cruiser for a better low-end grunt to suit its demeanour.

Also Read: Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Launch Delayed Yet Again

For the first time in a production Royal Enfield, the 650cc cruiser comes with an inverted front fork. While this feature isn’t exactly in the need of the hour, particularly for a laidback cruiser, it will certainly enhance the premium quotient of the motorcycle. It also gets a new front disc brake with sliding piston caliper. The rear end gets a disc brake, and a dual-channel ABS will be offered as standard. In typical cruiser fashion, the bike rolls on a larger front and a smaller rear wheel, presumably an 18-inch front and 16-inch rear combination. Going by the tread pattern, the tyres appear to be different from the not-so-grippy Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp tyres. Also, the alloy wheels allow for a tubeless tyre setup, making it a lot easier to handle punctures compared to the tubed tyres in the 650 twins.

All in all, the 650cc cruiser sounds really promising for those who want a properly comfortable mile muncher that wouldn’t cost a bomb. Are you excited for the launch of this bike? Let us know in the comments below.