Royal Enfield has officially announced that the Thunderbird X will be launched on February 28 in Delhi. No other detail is out yet, but from what we know, the Thunderbird X will be targeted at the style-conscious buyer.
Likely to be made available in both 350-cc- and 500-cc-engined versions, the Thunderbird X will be, as mentioned earlier, mechanically unchanged. The presence of alloy wheels with rim stripes, glossy bright-coloured tanks, matte black paint on the engine cover and exhaust will be some of the key differences.
The spy shots also show a more street-orientated handlebar, use of grey (and not chrome) paint for the meter console, single-piece seat, and possibly tubeless tyres. The rear-view mirrors too are likely to be the circular ones as found on the Classic sans the chrome. A neatly tucked black-coloured grab rail sits at the end of the seat, but unlike the regular version, there’s no backrest.
Since it’s expected to remain mechanically identical to the regular bike, they will be similar in terms of performance. The Thunderbird 500X will be powered by a 499 cc engine which makes 27.2 bhp@5250 rpm and 4.2 kgm@4000 rpm, while the Thunderbird 350X will use a 346 cc engine that makes 19.8 bhp@5250 rpm and 2.85 kgm@4000 rpm. Both the engines come mated to a 5-speed gearbox on the regular version, but while the 350 cc unit has a carburettor, the 500 cc engine gets fuel injection. ABS is unlikely to be present on the motorcycle.
Pricing and other details will be out on February 28. The company in its official communication mentions that the ‘bold new custom-inspired Thunderbird X’ is a ‘means of self-expression for urban explorers’.
