Royal Enfield Classic 350 ABS in Silver & Ash colours launched

Royal Enfield has launched two more ABS equipped bikes in India, or rather two new colours for the Classic 350 ABS.  Silver and Ash coloured Royal Enfield Classic 350s are now available with dual channel ABS. Both motorcycles are  priced at Rs. 1.53 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi.

Apart from the addition of dual channel ABS, there are no other mechanical changes. The Classic 350 continues to use a long stroke, air cooled four stroke engine that displaces 346cc. This motor produces 19.8 Bhp of peak power and 28 Nm of peak torque.

An old school engine, it operates on an overhead valve layout, and uses hydraulic tappets to convey the rotation of camshafts to the valves. A five speed manual gearbox is standard with this engine, which currently uses a carburetor for fueling.

In 2020, Royal Enfield is likely to replace the carburetor with fuel injection on all its motorcycles including the
Classic 350, Electra and Bullet 350. This is in order to meet the upcoming Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms, which
will be a lot more stringent than the current BS4 norms.

Coming to the ABS equipped version of the Royal Enfield Classics, it’s a good move from the company to go for a dual channel ABS unit when they could have met regulatory requirements even with a single channel ABS unit. Apart from the 350cc range, Royal Enfield has also equipped its 500cc and 650cc bikes with dual channel ABS. In fact, it’s the only Indian motorcycle maker to offer dual channel ABS as standard on all its motorcycles.

A dual channel ABS is a lot more effective compared to the single channel unit as it acts on both the front and rear wheels. This gives the motorcycle better grip on both wheels during braking. ABS is not only useful in preventing skids caused due to locked brakes, it also allows the motorcycle to be steered during braking.

This is a very important thing as the ability to steer under hard braking can allow the motorcycle rider to avoid the obstacle by steering around it. This is something that a lot of people don’t understand about ABS. So, ABS is actually a life saver that is well worth the premium it commands.

On a motorcycle, the margin for error is much lesser than in say a four wheeler. This makes it all the more important  for the motorcyclist to have all possible safety features. Among such features, ABS is one of the most effective and  affordable ones. So, simply opt for a dual channel ABS equipped bike if it’s available. It’s well worth the extra money.