Royal Enfield is working on higher displacement
motorcycles with a capacity of over 700 cc to take on the likes of Triumph and
Harley Davidson, reports ET Auto. Royal Enfield is reportedly
developing 12 new motorcycles, based on four new platforms - J, P, Q and K. The
J platform will spawn new generation Classic, Bullet, Thunderbird and Himalayan
bikes, while the P architecture will spawn the Interceptor 650 and the
Continental GT 650 twins. The Q architecture-based motorcycle will rival the Triumph Thruxton,
white the K platforms will be used to develop above 700 cc bikes that will
compete with the Harley Davidson and the Triumph bikes.
The higher Royal Enfield motorcycles will be
introduced after 2021. The company aims to be a global leader in the
middleweight motorcycle segment (250 cc to 750 cc). While the report hasn't
revealed specifics about the new bikes, we can expect Royal Enfield to toy with
ideas like Scrambler, Cruiser, Cafe Racer and Bobber. The company has been working
on improvong its production facilities to manufacturer the new high-capacity
bikes.
Another area of focus has been acquiring top talent.
The company recently hired Shubranshu Singh as its head of global brands who
has extensive experience from the entertainment and consumer industries.
Moreover, rumours are rife that former Triumph India head, Vimal Sumbly will
join the company to lead its Asia-Pacific business. The company had earlier
appointed Rod Copes, an ex-Harley Davidson employee, to lead the North American
operations.
That said, the company's immediate focus is on the
launch of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. The motorcycles share
the engines, chassis, mechanical and other functional bits. The twins employ a
new 648 cc, parallel-twin cylinder, 8-valve motor with oil cooling and fuel
injection. The engine is capable of producing 47 bhp of power and 52 Nm of peak
torque and is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with a standard slipper clutch.
