Royal Enfield 650 cc Adventure Motorcycle In The Works

It has been rumoured for over a year now, but now it is confirmed that Royal Enfield is working on a new 650 cc adventure bike, which will make use of the same 650 cc air/oil-cooled parallel-twin engine that does duty on the Interceptor and the Continental GT 650. And while the engine will be the same, expect a lot of re-working in terms of chassis, suspension and other cycle parts. Now, the other question is whether a 270 degree firing order parallel-twin engine works for an adventure bike? And, what about the weight? The Interceptor itself is 200 kg while the newly unveiled Super Meteor 650 is around 241 kg. It will be interesting to see how Royal Enfield tinkers with the 650 cc ADV to manage weight and engine output. 

Also Read: Royal Enfield 450 cc Engine Line-Up Detailed

The other big question will be, how will it line up against the upcoming Himalayan 450. Sure, the positioning will be different, but we suspect that the engine output and the features on offer will be bone of contention here. If there is no significant difference, then the 450 might end of cannibalising the 650. Also, the price strategy employed for both motorcycles will be interesting to see.

The document shows that the motorcycle will have a typical ADV stance. It will be tall, upright and have a rider seat and ground clearance which is similar to the Himalayan. Then, there will be a windscreen as well and expect the rider’s perch to be quite comfortable. Spoked wheels, adjustable suspension, electronics like ABS and traction control are expected on the motorcycle as well. 

The design silhouette also shows an upswept exhaust, a bash-plate and a bigger front wheel, likely to be a 21-inch unit and a smaller rear wheel, maybe a 17 or a 16-inch unit.  

The exciting part is that there are a lot more models planned on the 650 cc engine platform apart from the Adventure bike, the Shotgun and the Scrambler. First of these is the new Super Meteor of course, which will be launched early next year. Coupled with the all-new 450 cc line up and now the new 650 cc models, expect RE to launch at least 7-8 new models in the coming few years.