Harley Davidson better watch out, the Royal Enfield Thunderbird is here. Borrowing plenty of styling bits from what seems to be the Harley Davidson Sportster and no that isn’t a bad thing at all as you’ll find out in just a bit, Royal Enfield has pulled the wraps off the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. The Thunderbird 500 looks gorgeous from many angles and has some bits that elevates it to an all new level in Royal Enfield’s line up.
The Thunderbird 500 represents a big challenge to the upcoming Low Cost Harley Davidson the American firm is said to be developing and here are a few bits on the Thunderbird 500 that could make it the king of Indian highways as well as a usable everyday motorcycle.
* The Thunderbird 500 features the same 500cc, fuel injected UCE engine found on the Classic 500 range of Royal Enfields.
* This motor is good for 27.2 Bhp of peak power and 41.3 Nm of peak torque.
* The engine now sees black powder coating.
* A 55W projector headlamp, new LED tail lamp and turn indicators. Now, this is something.
* The footpeg-handle geometry has been revised on the Thunderbird 500.
* Now, you get a kicked out riding position with the front footpegs moving forward with the handlebar getting flatter.
* The biggest surprise is the addition of the rear disc brake.
Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 UCE
* Fatter 41mm telescopic forks on the front.
* Oval section swing arm that Royal Enfield says will provide good high speed stability.
* Redesigned twin pod instrumentation with speedo, tacho and fuel guage with two digital tripmeters.
* Split seats make it into the equation along with a brand new grab rail and back rest design.
* Seat can be opened by means of a lock in the side box.
* Bungee mounts are standard highlighting touring friendly character.
* On the cosmetic front, the tank now gets the Thunderbird logo in matt black finish, with the Thunderbird 500.
All in all, the Thunderbird 500 looks all primed up to become an outstanding long distance touring package if priced right and if quality levels are maintained. Expect a price a few ten thousand higher than the Classic Chrome, making the Thunderbird 500 the flagship motorcycle of Royal Enfield’s portfolio. The erstwhile AVL engined Thunderbird pulled Royal Enfield out of the doldrums and it is only fitting that the legendary motorcycle maker will head into the future with the Thunderbird 500 as its flagship variant. End of 2012 is when the Thunderbird 500 is anticipated to be launched in India.
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