Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X to join 500X model at launch

Royal Enfield won’t just launch the Thunderbird 500X in India soon, but will also launch a 350cc model alongside it. The new 350cc Thunderbird will be called 350X, and the bike is expected to get the same design details and features of the 500X model.

The Thunderbird 350X model has already been spied at a Royal Enfield dealership. It is expected to launched in early January 2018, along with the 500X. It will command a premium over the regular Thunderbird 350 due to the new design and additional features. We expect it to be priced at a premium of Rs. 10,000 over the regular Thunderbird 350. So, the 350X is likely to be priced at Rs. 1.58 lakhs.

The main changes on the Thunderbird 350X are stylistic. The bike gets new colour schemes. The engine gets fully blacked out. The headlamp and instrument cluster get black and satin paint shades. The seat is new while the exhaust muffler is longer. The bike also gets a chopped rear mudguard.

The handlebar is flatter and the footpegs are set forward. This will give the rider a relaxed stance, and make the Thunderbird 350X a proper cruiser. Notably, these are the same changes on the Thunderbird 500X as well. The only key changes between the 350X and 500X are fuel injection and the more powerful 500cc engine, both of which are available on the latter.

A 346cc unit construction engine (UCE) is expected to power the new bike. The power and torque figures of the engine will be the same, at 19.8 Bhp and 28 Nm. This engine will be paired with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Disc brakes will be offered on both wheels.

There is no confirmation if Royal Enfield will add ABS to the Thunderbird 350X and 500X yet. The Indian government has mandated that all new bikes with engine capacities more than 125cc launched after April 1st 2018 should have ABS as mandatory. So, Royal Enfield will surely add ABS eventually to all its bikes even if not at launch.