Royal Enfield developing above-700cc motorcycles to rival Triumph & Harley Davidson - Report

31/08/2018 - 12:11 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Twin, Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Twin, Royal Enfield Ajinkya Lad

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.

Custom Royal Enfield 650 Lockstock Dragster Right — Royal Enfield is planning 12 motorcycles on four new platforms to become the world leader in the middle-weight segment. (Custom Royal Enfield 650 Lockstock Dragster pictured).

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.

Custom Royal Enfield Continental Gt 650 — The company is reportedly working on a Triumph Thruxton rivalling cafe racer. (Custom Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 pictured)

Also Read: No Royal Enfield Himalayan 650 variant in the short-term plan, RE's President tells IAB

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.

[Source: ET Auto]