[Video] Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X/500X SPIED testing in India

Days after the first spyshots of the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X/500X at a dealership, the bike has been spied testing on the road. Here is a video that shows the test mule of the Thunderbird 350X/500X being ridden at high-speed somewhere near Chennai, the city that hosts multiple Royal Enfield factories.

The bike, in both 350X and 500X forms, is expected to be launched in early 2018. From the video, it is hard to make out whether the bike being tested is the 350X or the 500X. What is clear though is the longer exhaust and rear-end styling, both of which confirm that the bike being tested is the new Thunderbird 350/500X.

The Thunderbird 350X and 500X will feature similar styling. They have been designed to look similar to the Harley Davidson Street 750. Both bikes get alloy wheels, flatter handlebars, new paint schemes, blacked-out engines, kicked out footpegs, blacked-out exhausts, cleaner tail profiles and full seats.

Dechromed and more cruiser-like, these bikes are expected to be the flagship 350cc and 500cc Thunderbirds. The difference between both bikes lies in the engines. The 350X model gets the smaller, 346cc unit construction engine (UCE) with 19.8 Bhp and 28 Nm while the 500X model gets the 500cc UCE with 27.2 Bhp and 41 Nm. Both bikes use 5 speed manual gearboxes.

Disc brakes on both wheels are standard on both bikes but we’re not sure if Royal Enfield has added ABS yet. The presence of alloy wheels on both bikes is a key change as this would allow Royal Enfield to finally offer tubeless tyres. We expect both the Thunderbird 350X and 500X to be showcased at the 2018 Indian Auto Expo.

They’re also expected to go on sale soon given that they’ve already reached dealerships. Expect to pay a slight premium over the regular Thunderbird twins. With the launch of the Thunderbird 350X and 500X models, Royal Enfield will finally have a true-blue cruiser in its portfolio of retro motorcycles.