Royal Enfield has decided to discontinue the Bullet Trials 350 and the Bullet Trails 500 in India. With barely a year since their launch,the company has taken off both the models from its official website. While there has been no official update from Royal Enfield India regarding the discontinuation of the models, as per some dealers, it is confirmed. The reason for discontinuation is thought to be the low sales for the bikes.
Both bikes were introduced as a means to use up the existing BS4 stock and offer a new motorcycle with a rich heritage and legacy from Royal Enfield motorcycles of the 1950s. Both Trials motorcycles are based on the Bullet 350 and the Bullet 500. While the Bullet 350 did make the BS4 to BS6 transition, the Bullet 500 did not and neither did the Trials Twins. The Trials did not enjoy a good run compared to all other REs and and this may be attributed to the single-piece seat and a purpose-oriented design which didn’t find much liking among those who like REs for all other reasons.
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The Bullet Trials were launched in March, 2019 with the Trials 350 priced at Rs 1.62 lakh whereas the Trial 500 priced at 2.07 lakh. Many did like the idea of an off-road friendly Bullet but were more convinced about it being an on-road machine. As inventory continued to rise, some dealers came up with an innovative idea to give the Trials motorcycles a Classic makeover. However, that could not help the bike either. We found it to be quite a lot of fun, but for the nostalgia it wanted to invoke among bikers, its weight stood in the way along with RE’s other accomplished machine, the Himalayan.
The Trials 350 used the same 346 cc single-cylinder engine from the Bullet 350 which churned out 19.8 bhp and 28 Nm and was paired to a 5-speed gearbox. The Trials 500 used the same engine as the Bullet 500 which is a 499 cc single-cylinder motor making 26.1 bhp and 40.9 Nm of peak torque. It was a carbureted engine and used the same 5-speed gearbox as well.
On the brighter side, Royal Enfield is now among the first automotive companies in India to have successfully sold all existing inventory of BS4 motorcycles across dealerships, the company said in a statement. So, Royal Enfield has now become fully compliant with the new Bharat Stage VI (BS6) emission regulations ahead of the mandated timeline of April 1, 2020. All Royal Enfield stores across the country are set to retail only BS6 compliant motorcycles starting March 21, 2020. While the Classic and Bullet models have already been updated,the BS6 Thunderbird 350 and Thunderbird 350X are expected to be launched soon.