2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Spotted Testing With Several Improvements & New Engine

The 2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 has been spotted testing. The spy images preview the changes we can expect on the Royal Enfield Classic that is set for a launch next year. The Royal Enfield Classic 350 and classic 500 have been in need of an overhaul for a long time and they are finally getting it as part of the upgrade to BS-VI.

Royal Enfield is one of the best-selling motorcycle manufacturers in India and has for decades been the only manufacturer offering motorcycles in the 350-500cc range at an affordable price. It would be an understatement to say that most Indians love and adore the Royal Enfield brand and its motorcycles.

2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Spotted Testing

However, the motorcycles were far from being good to ride and were riddled with problems. The vibrations produced by the engine coupled with the low power and torque output is just an example.

Adding to this was the build quality that felt utilitarian and raw instead of premium. Happily though, Royal Enfield is on track to solve these issues, and the launch of the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 is proof of just what Royal Enfield is actually capable of.

The 650 twins were a revelation to us and most of the motorcycling world, and we were really impressed when we rode the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650. Riding these two motorcycles left us thinking that Royal Enfield could massively improve the other models it has on sale like the Bullet, Thunderbird and its best-seller — Classic.

2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Spotted Testing

We had recently reported that sales of the Classic, Bullet and Thunderbird 500 models had dropped by upto 74 percent and we believe it is because of quality issues. Buyers just find it easier to reach higher and invest in the 650 twins as they are built with greater quality and of course have more performance.

Royal Enfield though has other plans — to update the Classic, Bullet and Thunderbird. Rushlane has posted pictures of the 2020 Royal Enfield that was spotted testing and the pictures immediately show Royal Enfield implementing lessons learnt from the 650 twins.

It clearly shows that the rake has been decreased and this is bound to make the bike handle better. The motorcycle will also come with an LED headlamp. However, the headlamp mount integrated with the analogue instrument cluster remains the same. The spoke wheels with tubed tyres also remain the same.

2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Spotted Testing

The fuel tank design has been changed slightly and the motorcycle gets new seats. The bare basic, utilitarian footpegs have given way to premium looking and feeling units, similar to what we have seen on the 650 twins. The rear brake pedal too is all-new.

The biggest change though comes in the form of a new engine. The current Royal Enfield engine has been around for a long time now. It would be next to impossible for Royal Enfield to make it BS-VI emissions compliant with the current hardware.

The company has therefore made several changes to the engine. We see that the engine head is not as large as it is on the current model, so we can expect it to feature changes to the valvetrain.

The transmission and alternator cases are also brand new, but we aren't sure if changes have been made to the transmission or alternator. The other major change is the omission of the kick-starter. The exhaust looks just the same as the current model, but RE would have reworked it for BS-VI. The new models will come with fuel-injection to help improve emissions and fuel efficiency.

Thoughts On 2020 Royal Enfield Classic 350 Spotted Testing With Several Improvements

It was time Royal Enfield made some serious changes to its best-sellers. Seems like the April 2020 BS-VI emissions norms deadline put the pressure on RE to hasten the process of updating its motorcycles.

The updates will not be seen only on the Classic but also on the Bullet and Thunderbird models. We can expect a similar chassis and engine sharing model to be implemented. All three models and all their variants (350 & 500) will end up sharing components.

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Read more on: #spy pics #royal enfield
Article Published On: Monday, June 24, 2019, 12:01 [IST]
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