Royal Enfield Classic 500 and 350 launched in India! All the details, with prices

News | admin | November 5, 2009 at 12:00 am

Prices:
Classic 500: Rs 1.38 lakh (On-Road, Delhi).
Classic 350: Rs 1.10 lakh (On-Road, Delhi).

Engine:
Classic 500: 499cc UCE, Fuel Injected, 27.2 bhp@5250, 41.3Nm@4000rpm.
Classic 350: 346 CC, Twin-Spark, Carbureted, 19.8bhp@5250, 24Nm@4000rpm.

Royal enfield has finally unveiled the Classic 500 and Classic 350 machines in Delhi. The new bikes are not going to be called ‘RE Bullet Classic’ but just RE Classic. RE has priced the bikes rather reasonably, and their on the road pricing for the RE 500 EFI is infact marginally lower than what we had anticipated (1.5 lakh OTR). However, if you still find that price a bit too high, you can go for the smaller engined variant of the bike, the ’350 Twin Spark’, which will retail for an even more reasonable 1.1 lakh Rs. (On-Road, Delhi). Check out the detailed specifications at the end of this article.

The key differences between the 500 and 350 versions, apart from the engine and fuel injection are their dimensions. Surprisingly, the smaller engined Classic 350 is longer and taller than its big brother. The RE classic 350 is longer than the 500 by 20mm and taller by 30mm. The 500 weighs about 7 kg more than the 350 with 90 percent fuel and oils on. Another key difference (according to the RE official specs) is the fact the the 350 rides on 19 inch wheels at the front, while the 500 does with an 18″ size. The rear wheels of both the bikes are 18″ though.

The 350 cc engine bike has a carburetor, and not an EFi unlike its bigger sibling, and that’s one of the reasons why it’ s substantially cheaper than the 500.

The Bullet Classic 500 is powered by a 499cc, single cylinder Unit
Construction Engine (UCE in RE lingo) putting out 27.2bhp of power at 5250
rpm and a monumental peak torque of 41.3 Nm at a lowly 4000rpm. The
unit construction engine is a massive improvement over the traditional
Royal Enfield engines which have an external clutch and gearbox. UCE wraps the two elements within its crankcase, aiding a more
compact size, lesser transmission losses, lesser friction and better
reliability.

Royal Enfield has also dumped the traditional carburetor for a modern
electronic fuel injection system on the new Classic 500 so as to facilitate
better air-fuel mixture optimization, smoother operation, better power
delivery over a wide range of altitudes, and cleaner emissions. The
UCE, along with EFI makes the Classic a Euro – III compliant machine.
We are sure the introduction of EFI on the Classic will enable avid
Bullet tourers to scale the heights of the Himalayas with more
confidence.
In the pictures, the Bullet Classics look stunningly
gorgeous, what with that immaculate paint finish, that slight curvature
at the end of the exhaust tip and that retro styling. The lack of
pillion seat may take a bit of functionality away from the new bike,
but it endows it with exclusivity, character and style unmatched by any
RE till date. We are head over heels about the new Bull’s seductive
looks. The Bullet Classic fuses the heritage look of the Bullets of
yesteryears (British Enfields during the end of World War 2) with
modern technology, and we are in love with the combo.

What’s commendable is the attention to detail that RE has paid while
designing this Bullet. The classy choice of colours, the immaculate
paint finish, the oval tool box, the aluminium finish brake and clutch
levers and the vintage headlamp – this machine has the good to set the
imagination of a Bullet aficionado on fire.
From what we know, the
Bullet Classic is going to be the quickest, fastest, the most stylish
AND the most expensive Bullet ever presented in the Indian market. The
LB 500 retails for around Rs 110,000 OTR in the Indian market. Now add
to the price EFI, better finish, better detailing, more exclusivity,
more aspiration value and the sticker price of 1.28 ex-showroom Delhi looks jusitifiable. We are sure
hundreds of Bullet aficionados will happily shell out that much for
such a bike.

Specifications:
Engine: Single Cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled OHV / Single Cylinder, 4 Stroke, OHV, Dual Spark Ignition Engine, Air Cooled
Capacity: 499cc / 346 CC
Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection / Carburetor-BS29 UCAL
Starting: Electric Start / Electric start
Maximum power: 27.2 bhp @ 5250rpm / 19.8 bhp @ 5250 rpm
Maximum Torque: 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm / 28 Nm @ 4000 rpm
Brakes (front): disc brake single 280mm disc with 2 piston caliper / Hydraulic Disc Brake (Disc dia 280mm)
Brakes (rear): drum brake (152mm) / Internal Expansion (Drum), 6″
Fuel tank capacity: 14.5liters / 14.5 litres
Weight: 187kgs / NA