Royal Enfield At EICMA 2019: Stall Wrapup

From a juicy-looking custom flat-tracker to funky colours for the Himalayan, here’s what Royal Enfield had in store for us at 2019 EICMA

Compared to the 2018 EICMA, Royal Enfield had a rather lukewarm lineup this time. That said, there were quite a few bikes which grabbed attention. From delectable custom motorcycles to new colour options for an already existing bike, here are the highlights of the show:

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Twins FT Custom:

Back in 2015, Royal Enfield’s parent company Eicher Motors acquired UK-based motorcycle performance company, Harris Performance. The company showcased a custom flat tracker based on the Interceptor 650 called the FT Custom. It gets an in-house designed downtube frame and fork to suit its flat-track demeanour and also features an S&S big bore kit which increases the displacement from 650cc to 750cc!

Himalayan gets new colours:

In our opinion, Royal Enfield’s spartan-looking adventure tourer, the Himalayan, looks best in the Sleet avatar. But Royal Enfield has shown that it can look funky in other shades as well with the unveiling of not one but three new colours: Rock Red, Lake Blue and Gravel Grey. Of the three, the Gravel Grey particularly caught our attention as it exudes a stealthy appeal. 

Apart from the cosmetic changes, the bike remains mechanically unchanged. Expect Royal Enfield to update the Himalayan with these new colours along with BS6-compliance by the end of this year or early next year.

Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Trials makes EICMA debut:

Royal Enfield showcased the Bullet Trials 500 Works Replica for the first time at the 2019 EICMA. Interestingly, the two bikes shown at the show were both 500cc models but with different colours: red and green. On the other hand, the 500c model sold in India is only available in green while the red paint job is reserved for the 350cc model. 

Did you know that that the green colour variant was inspired by the colour of English rider Johnny Brittain’s Bullet 350? Brittain won numerous Trials titles astride his Bullet 350 in the 1950s. While the Trials Works Replica looks pretty cool, you might be better off with the Himalayan if you plan on doing some good old offroading. 

Other custom Royal Enfield bikes:

The cult bikemaker also showcased the “Nought Tea GT”, a customised version of the Continental GT 650. There are two versions: Version 1.0 and 2.0. Built by Harris Performance, both versions were showcased at the show. The Chennai-based manufacturer also showcased another custom motorcycle it co-developed with French mod house Baak Motocyclette. 

Royal Enfield also had a couple of really interesting mods based on the 650 twins and Himalayan at the show. Most of these bikes were showcased earlier this year at the 2019 Wheels and Waves festival in France. 

Apart from these, Royal Enfield also showcased its current lineup, including the Classic 500, Bullet 500 and the 650 twins.