For long now, brands like Harley-Davidson and KTM have evoked the feeling of riding brotherhood among the riders across the globe. Yet, India remained largely untouched of this brotherhood, given the fact that the domestic market is obsessed with commuter motorcycles. In came Royal Enfield, a brand that has successfully managed to replicate Harley’s success in the East, especially in the last one decade. The once British brand, now owned by India’s Eicher Motors has manufactured ionic bikes like Classic 350, Standard, Electra and Thunderbird.
Such is the brand affinity of the Royal Enfield that from the highest roads in the north to the beautiful coastal roads of the south, you can see a multitude of riders on one of these bulky yet comfortable bikes. To honour such die-hard fans, Royal Enfield has worked hard to innovate new products over the past few years. Their newest product can very well be the 750 Interceptor, company’s first bike to take rival premium brands like Harley-Davidson and Triumph Motorcycles. Here’s everything we know about the new RE 750cc so far!
Design
Royal Enfield has always been a quintessential cruiser manufacturer, a forte that made it such a cult brand in India. But the company has now diversified its product range to a Cafe Racer called the Continental GT, and an adventure-tourer called the Himalayan. Sadly, the new 750cc motorcycle will not be a different body-type, but a larger capacity bike based on the Continental GT itself. As per various spy videos and images, the company will name the 750cc bike as Interceptor and it will have a parallel twin motor with dual exhaust setup. Rest, the design will be Cafe GT inspired.
Engine
What makes the newest Royal Enfield product anticipation worthy is the fact that it will be the first Indian product to house a higher capacity engine – a 750cc motor. Royal Enfield has always been the pioneer of larger capacity engines in India, and they will take forward the legacy with the new 750cc mill. Understandably, Royal Enfield will combine two 350cc engines used in the Classic 350, which is the company’s new Unit Construction Engine (UCE) setup. The parallel engine arrangement will produce 50 hp of power and 60 Nm of torque, again the highest by any Indian manufacturer.
Such heavy engine and power will need a revamped and rigid chassis. It is also assumed that a 270-degree crankshaft will be used, while there will be a disc brake on both the wheels, and an ABS on the front. The rear wheel will come shod with 160 section tyre, while the front will have a 120 section tyre. It also gets a longitudinally placed radiator to dissipate the heat. Carberry, an independent company has already launched its 1000cc-engine equipped Royal Enfield.
Launch
The new Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor will be showcased at this year’s EICMA which takes place in Milan, Italy every year in November. There is a chance that the 750cc Enfield may only be launched for the European markets first, followed by the domestic market. But there’s no definite timeline for the India launch as of now. Hopefully Royal Enfield will launch the new product in India as early as Q2 2018.
Competition
When it goes on sale next year, the new Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor will compete against the likes of the Harley Davidson Street 750 and Triumph Bonneville. Apart from these, Royal Enfield will also eye a market share of bikes like the Ducati Monster 797, Kawasaki Ninja 650 and Honda CBR650F. However, the 750cc can create a dent in the 500cc market too, as customers who are willing to buy a 500cc motorcycle can end up paying more to opt for a 750 cc bike. This can be problematic for the brand’s own 500cc motorcycles like the Classic 500 and the Continental GT.
Price
Last is the most crucial aspect that will decide the success or failure of the new 750 Interceptor. The expected price tag of Royal Enfield 750cc motorcycle is somewhere close to Rs 3.3-3.7 lakhs. However, if the company manages to price it below Rs 3 lakh, it will be a massive win for the company. While the new product will be the most expensive Royal Enfield ever, it will undercut the cheapest 750cc bike in India by almost Rs 1.5 Lakhs, making it the most affordable high-capacity bike in India.
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