If you could recollect, we had posted spy shots of a group of Royal Enfield motorcycles on their ARAI test run through the streets of Pune. With visually no difference whatsoever in the existing lineup of the Classic range and the test mules, we were wondering as to what was cooking at the Royal Enfield headquarters. The best we could assume was that Royal Enfield might be testing a carbureted and cheaper variant of the Classic 500.
Courtesy of Bike India Magazine, who have posted a teaser caricature of a Royal Enfield bike with a tagline saying ‘COMING SOON’, it’s being reported that Royal Enfield are bringing back the Bullet 500 after nearly a decade. Now if we have to go back to the spy shots of the test bikes, it’s evident that the new motorcycles would retain the Classic UCE 500 engine albeit a carbureted one. Royal Enfield followers who wished for a Bullet in typical vintage green shade would be the most happiest as Royal Enfield plans to introduce the motorcycle in forest green colour.
Though power figures are stated to be in similar territory of the EFi models, the actual figures need to be seen. Assuming the new bike which is similarly styled as the Classic 500 producing similar power and torque output with a cheaper price tag (assumed around Rs.20,000 less) would dent or rather render the Classic 500 EFi into unsold category. Again using the spy pics as a reference to the latest news, we assume that most of the parts on the new motorcycle would be similar to the Classic 500 EFi.
What needs to be seen is how will the introduction of the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 affect sales of the Classic 500 and the cheaper price tag might even tempt Classic 350 buyers to the Bullet 500.
Maybe they could reintroduce the front drum brake too