The move comes as Royal Enfield doesn’t want to compromise on the safety of its buyers.
Royal Enfield, after introducing its first bike with ABS in India, the Classic Signals 350, will be updating other bikes too with dual-channel ABS. It has been a delayed move but it’s good to see that it is finally responding to the market demand and the stricter safety regulations of the Indian Government.
The Royal Enfield Classic Signals 350 has already gone on sale in different parts of India. Next month will see the Royal Enfield Classic 500, Himalayan and Thunderbird 500 getting the added safety net. Although any safety is good safety, the adventure-oriented Himalayan especially needs it. Other mechanicals on the bikes will remain the same but the company might go ahead and give them a new paint scheme.
After Royal Enfield’s larger displacement bikes, the Thunderbird 350 will be getting an ABS. It will, however, be interesting to see if the Royal Enfield Bullet range gets a single-channel or a dual-channel. This is because it doesn’t come with a rear disc brake.
These are not the only bikes to get an ABS. The Royal Enfield GT 650 and Interceptor 650 that will be launched very soon will be coming with a dual-channel ABS as standard. They will become the Chennai based manufacturer’s most powerful and the only twin-cylinder bikes on sale.
Expect the prices of the Royal Enfield bikes to go up by some amount with this new safety feature. Even though the prices aren’t yet out, if you have your eyes set on getting a Royal Enfield Classic 500 ABS or Himalayan ABS, then dealerships have started accepting bookings for a token amount of Rs. 5000/-. Deliveries for the former will begin after 15th September 2018 while for the latter, they will begin from the second week of September 2018.
RE Classic 500 ABS
– After the Classic 350, the Classic 500 will be getting an ABS
– The Thunderbird 500 too will be installed with a dual-channel ABS
– The Himalayan will also get a dual-channel ABS