We compare the new-age retro-styled bobber with the modern version of an iconic vintage motorcycle, in detailed images
Royal Enfield has been participating at the EICMA auto show for quite some time now. The Chennai-based bike maker unveiled one of its most radical concepts, the Concept KX, at the EICMA 2018. And now, the company has taken the wraps off another exciting offering, the SG650 Concept bobber at the ongoing EICMA 2021. How does the modern version of the 1938 Royal Enfield KX stack up against the new-age concept bobber? Let's find out via images.
While the newly showcased SG650 Concept looks fairly close to production and gets an authentic bobber styling with a few neo-retro touches. The Concept KX which was showcased at the EICMA 2018 had got a slim and vintage look with a few muscular elements added here and there to go with its bigger engine.
To carry the retro look, both motorcycles are offered with circular LED headlights. However, the Concept KX had also got split-type LED DRL's, which the SG650 Concept misses out on. While the headlight of the Concept KX had fork extensions to cover the front girder-type suspension, the headlight of the SG650 is housed in a muscular cowl.
Moving on to the side, you notice that both motorcycles come equipped with a single piece wide handlebar, cantilever seat, and chopped fenders. Apart from the engines, another difference here happens to be at the exhaust, as the SG650 gets twin peashooter exhausts mounted on either side, while the Concept KX had twin-stacked exhaust cans mounted on the right.
The SG650 concept bobber draws power from the same 648cc parallel-twin air/oil-cooled engine that we have witnessed on the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. Meanwhile, the Concept KX was powered by a new 838cc V-twin air/oil-cooled engine housed in a split-cradle frame.
The underpinnings on the SG650 concept bobber include a modern inverted telescopic fork at the front and twin preload-adjustable shock absorbers at the rear. Meanwhile, for braking, it mounts twin solid discs up front and a solid disc at the rear. On the other hand, the ride of the Concept KX was taken care of by unconventional but old-school looking girder-type forks at the front and a modern monoshock unit at the rear which is hidden right below the seat, while for braking it employed twin petal discs up front, paired with Bybre calipers and a single disc brake at the rear end.
While the SG650 concept bobber rides on solid alloy wheels with twin cutouts wrapped in fat Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres, the Concept KX runs on body-coloured alloys wrapped in Maxxis tyres.
