Royal Enfield has been selling ABS-equipped motorcycles complying with international safety norms in foreign markets for quite some time now. However, for the home country, the bikemaker has started to offer ABS only now, in the form of the newly launched Classic 350 Signals. Let’s see what the new Royal Enfield is all about.
What’s New?
Design & Features:
The Classic 350 Signals edition is a tribute to Royal Enfield’s 65 years (since 1952) of association with the Indian Armed forces. In fact, the cult bikemaker is still the largest supplier of motorcycles for the Indian Army. Coming back to the bike, it comes in two new colour schemes: Airborne Blue and Stormrider Sand. The body panels are painted in these colours, while other parts like the frame, powertrain, rear suspension and exhaust are finished in black. For exclusivity, the stencilled number on the fuel tank is unique for each motorcycle. It also features a premium Royal Enfield badge and special insignia. There’s a subtle ABS sticker on the front fork as well.
The instrument cluster is also more practical now, thanks to the inclusion of a low-fuel light and ABS light in place of the ammeter. The main console remains the same though, with readouts like speedometer, tripmeter and odometer along with other tell-tale lights. The seat features a premium dark tan cover, and Royal Enfield provides a range of over 40 genuine motorcycle accessories that comes with a two-year warranty too, just like the motorcycle itself. Some of them include water resistant military style panniers, steel engine guards and seat covers with 3D mesh technology which Royal Enfield claims to be more comfortable. RE is also offering windshield kit, cast aluminium wheels and solo rear racks for added practicality.
Mechanicals:
For braking, it uses a 280mm front and a 240mm rear disc (same as the one in the Gunmetal Grey colour), with dual-channel ABS. The ABS is not switchable, though. Apart from this, everything, right from the single downtube frame with the 35mm front forks and twin gas-charged rear shock absorbers, remains unchanged. However, the 19-inch front and 18-inch spoke wheels now get black finished rims but continue to wear 90-section front and 110-section rear MRF Nylogrip Zapper tyres.
What’s not?
Engine:
Royal Enfield has not made any changes to the Classic’s heart apart from draping it in black. You still get the same 346cc single-cylinder triple-spark air-cooled motor that’s good for 20PS of power at 5250rpm and 28Nm of peak torque at 4000rpm. Transmission duties continue to be handled by the 5-speed unit.
Pricing & Rivals:
The Royal Enfield Classic 350 Signals edition bears a price tag of Rs 1.62 lakh, making it Rs 23,000 more expensive than the standard variant. In its segment, the only other ABS-equipped competitor is the Bajaj Dominar 400 (Rs 1.62 lakh). The UM Renegade Classic (Rs 2.03 lakh) is also another rival for this motorcycle but does not have ABS, even as an option (all prices, ex-showroom Delhi).
Source: zigwheels.com
