Royal Enfield has been modernising its profile over the past few years. First there was the Himalayan – a ‘modern’ adventure bike – and then the all-new twin-cylinder 650cc machines revealed at EICMA. Now it has taken the wraps off the Thunderbird 500X and Thunderbird 350X in India.
Dubbed Rumbler in Oz due to copyright issues with the Thunderbird name, there’s nothing too radical about the new X variants, but some judicious styling changes transform them from wannabe Harleys into something slightly more appealing.
The addition of bright tank colours and black paint in place of chrome transforms the looks. Add alloy wheels and a modern-looking sculpted seat and suddenly the Rumbler will turn heads.
It’s still old-school in tech terms. The engine is Royal Enfield’s older twin-spark single, in 499cc or 346cc form, and the chassis is a steel-tube frame with non-adjustable suspension – apart from five steps of rear preload.
While we’re yet to see if the Rumbler X will be sold in Australia, a move that will presumably depend on the market’s reaction to the less attractive base model which has just been launched Down Under, the styling changes could give a hint into the look of Royal Enfield’s traditional singles in the future.
By Ben Purvis
