There has been a huge outpour of disappointment and anger from Pegasus owners.
What’s worse than finding out that you paid more than the value of a limited edition bike? Finding out that the motorcycle is not a limited edition in the first place. This is the dilemma that owners of Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus are going through right now. After the launch of the Royal Enfield Classic Signals 350, they have realised that not only is their bike’s detailing not unique, it also misses out on the very important dual-channel ABS being offered with the Signals 350. MotorBeam received emails from 5 owners of the Pegasus 500 who are livid with RE for launching the Signals 350 ABS.
The reaction is not unreasonable as Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus owners have had to really slog to get their hands on one. First, the dedicated website through which the bike was to be sold crashed and then it did not come back up at the notified time. The delay lasted for a couple of weeks after which the 250 units of Pegasus allotted to India finally went on sale. To be able to own such a limited production bike is a great feeling in itself but only till the time that you don’t realise there’s a mass-produced rip-off in the market not by someone else but by the same company.
The Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus borrows its engine from the regular Royal Enfield Classic 500. It, however, was to get specific detailings that were unique to it only. These were the stencilled numbering on the fuel tank, blacked out wheels, engine and silencer and accessories like the rear panniers. But all these are the same on the new Royal Enfield Classic Signals 350. What’s worse is that the more expensive 500cc bike wasn’t even fitted with ABS.
So what are the probable solutions? The first and the best one according to MotorBeam will be recalling all the Royal Enfield Pegasus’, fitting them with the new safety tech and deliver them back to owners. The company wouldn’t even break a sweat as there are only 250 units in India. Considering that there are only 1000 around the whole world, the recall will be a paltry sum. The second option is to refund the difference money of the Pegasus and the upcoming Royal Enfield Classic 500 ABS. This again means fitting the bikes with ABS and we are completely behind this move as there is no compromise on safety.
One thing that cannot be changed, however, is the fact that after the launch of the Royal Enfield Classic Signals 350, a Royal Enfield Pegasus won’t stand out all that much anymore as it could be mistaken for a differently coloured Signals 350. And we don’t expect the company to give the bikes a new paint job or change the detailing on the Signals 350. That would be too much to ask for and we are trying to be realistic here.
Royal Enfield has been known to produce easy to fix bikes, but never for bikes that don’t break down. Couple this with the company trying to act clever and you have a recipe to lose followers, not gain any. Even if the number of followers turning into haters is small, this could soon turn into large numbers through the virality of social media. And in the fierce world of the automotive industry, everybody counts.
RE Classic ABS Launch
– Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus owners are angry
– Say the company has cheated them in the name of a limited edition bike
– Want refund or get an ABS fitted
