According to recent reports, the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X will be available in a new colour namely ‘Gateway Orange’ from next month. The bright orange colour is already available in the Thunderbird’s 500cc variant while the reports also suggest the discontinuation of the Thunderbird 500X by March 2020 since the new emission norms will commence in India from April 1 next year.
In addition to this, the Thunderbird 350X will be getting fuel-injection to meet the upcoming emission norms. Powering the motorcycle will be a BS6-compliant 346cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine. The power and torque figures of the updated model have not been revealed yet while the BS4 model is capable to generate a maximum power of 19.8HP @ 5,250 rpm and a peak torque of 28Nm @ 4,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed transmission.
The brand is expected to launch the all-new next-gen model of the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X by mid of 2020 and one can expect it to feature multiple cosmetic as well as mechanical changes. The 2020 Royal Enfield Thunderbird has been spotted multiple times testing on the Indian roads. The brand has equipped the motorcycle with revised styling, new headlamp design, single pod instrument console as well as a redesigned fuel tank.
The Royal Enfield Thunderbird X series was launched back in 2018 and features premium features making it one of the most cherished motorcycles under the brand’s portfolio despite getting a heavier price tag of INR 1.63 lakhs (ex-showroom).
The recent reports also suggest that the brand will be discontinuing all of its 500cc range of motorcycles before the implementation of new emission norms in the country. Since the 500cc motorcycles have not witnessed a bright sales record in the past, making their engines compliant with the BS6 emission norms will not be a cost-effective option. The 500cc motorcycles are currently available with the brand under the Royal Enfield Bullet, Thunderbird, and the Classic series.