Royal Enfield Teases Big-Engine Bobber Motorcycle Before EICMA

The Royal Enfield bobber will be unveiled at EICMA 2018 on Nov 6. This is likely to become the brand’s flagship.

This new Royal Enfield bike will be unveiled at EICMA 2018 on November 6. 

Photo: Royal Enfield

With the India launch of the Royal Enfield twins - the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 - around the corner, the company has already started work on a new bike that has tickled the curiosity of bikers.

In a recent series of posts on social media, Royal Enfield has shown the silhouette of its next upcoming bike, which it will be unveiling at EICMA 2018 in Milan on November 6. EICMA stands for Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo-Motociclo Milano, an annual expo of cycles and motorcycles in Italy.

Initial speculation on the silhouette was that this was a bobber style motorcycle with a 650 cc parallel-twin heart. (Yes, we tried using X-ray eyes to look through the wraps.) The engine profile, radiator, twin-exhaust, long-wheelbase, single-seat sort of pointed to this being a bobber - on the lines of Triumph's bobber based on the Bonneville T120.

However, a new report emerging from Autocar Professional suggests that the heart is going to be much larger.

The new Royal Enfield motorcycle to be unveiled at EICMA may be an 830 cc, V-twin, two-cylinder, liquid-cooled motorcycle, in bobber styling which will become its flagship offering soon.

The magazine quotes an anonymous source familiar with the development of this motorcycle. It says it may have precise displacement of 834 cc. This engine was apparently born out of Royal Enfield's parent Eicher Motors' alliance with Polaris - the makers of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). This alliance had produced the Multix multi-utility vehicle, which didn't find too many takers.

Polaris is known for its Indian brand of motorcycles globally, and these bikes also sell in India - albeit in the super-premium motorcycle segment. It will be interesting to see how this bobber from Royal Enfield finally takes shape. It will compete with Triumph and Harley-Davidson bikes.

Hang in there for a few days and we will get you all the details on this bike. Meanwhile, you may want to watch the review of the 650 cc twins, as these bikes are launching on November 14 in India.