Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500X cruiser motorcycle spied at dealership; Launching soon

Royal Enfield will soon launch a new variant of the Thunderbird called the Thunderbird 500X. The new cruiser will have new features and cosmetic changes. The Thunderbird 500X looks like Royal Enfield’s attempt to take a chunk of Harley Davidson Street 750 sales.

This explains the various design changes on the new bike. The bikes have been spotted at a Royal Enfield dealership, giving rise to speculation that they’ll soon be launched in the Indian market. With the Auto Expo 2018 just months away, the Thunderbird 500X could also be displayed there.

Coming to the actual changes on the bike, the Thunderbird 500X gets new paint schemes that feature lively colours such as electric blue, candy red, white and yellow. The engine and other cycle parts are blacked out for rich contrast. The footpegs have been moved front while the handlebar is a much more flatter unit.

Overall, the Thunderbird 500X is expected to give the rider a true-blue riding stance of a cruiser. This makes the Thunderbird 500X very similar to the Harley Street 750 in terms of design and riding stance. The exhaust muffler is new, and is longer than the current unit.

The twin seats have been replaced by a longer, single unit, and the pillion backrest has been ditched. The rear mudguard has also been modified to give the bike a chopper look. The wing mirrors get a matt black finish and so do the turn indicators.

Another big change is alloy wheels, which give the motorcycle maker the flexibility of adding tubeless tyres – two features that have never been offered on a Royal Enfield, ever.  The instrument cluster and the headlamp nacelle have also been blacked out. An electric starter and disc brakes on both wheels will be standard. There’s no indication of ABS being offered yet. The Thunderbird 500X is expected to be pricier than the current model, which is priced at Rs. 1.9 lakhs.

Via Rushlane