The 2020 BS6-Compliant Royal Enfield Thunderbird X has been spotted testing again on the Indian roads. The retro-modern cruiser has been spotted with alloy wheels, lack of backrest and a different set of components than the present-gen model.
The first change comes in the form of an all-new exhaust system, resulting in BS6-compliant setup for the upcoming emission norms that will be enforced from April 1, 2020. The cruiser motorcycle will come with a reversed chain as well as disc brake placement, clearing the fact that Royal Enfield will make considerable changes to the lineup through the new frame and swingarm combination.
Royal Enfield will facilitate part sharing to the next level through their 2020 lineup as the suspension setup, disc brakes, ABS, chassis, and fender design could stay similar on all the bikes. The rear suspension has seen an upgrade on the 2020 variant of the Thunderbird series, showing intentions that the brand will use better than ever components to enhance the decade-old ride experience that almost never changed in the recent times. The alloy wheels are expected to stay exclusive to the Thunderbird X series as the 2020 Classic and Thunderbird series are expected to come with spoked wheels like the current-gen models.
2020 BS6-Compliant Royal Enfield Thunderbird X has been spotted with matte-black rear-view mirrors and the test number plates confirm that the brand is eager to switch to the next generation by late 2019 or as early as the first month of 2020.
Royal Enfield has already introduced dual-channel ABS in the lineup earlier this year and going by the same trend, the brand will be equipping the 2020 variants with fuel injection to make them better in terms of mileage, power delivery, and emissions.
The price tags will rise significantly for the 350cc models as the 500cc variants are already available with electronic fuel injection system. At present, the current-gen Royal Enfield Thunderbird X is available in India with a starting price tag of INR 1.63 lakh (ex-showroom).
Images Source: Santhosh Kumar
