After years of being a simple motorcycle brand, Royal Enfield is slowly adapting to modern times. The new Super Meteor 650 is the most modern Royal Enfield yet, and we recently informed you about the company’s plan to reveal five new 450cc motorcycles. Now, Royal Enfield’s upcoming 450cc roadster has been spotted in the flesh, giving us an insight into RE’s future.
The Royal Enfield 450cc Roadster Looks Refreshing
The spy shots reveal a refreshing motorcycle. It looks unlike anything in RE’s portfolio, courtesy of its tall, slim aesthetic. The tank has unique lines and extends to a long single-piece seat. A noteworthy detail here is the all-LED illumination complete with sleek BMW S 1000 RR-like LEDs outback that double up as the brake light. There’s no instrument cluster here on the mule, but we expect a simple, digi-analog setup from the production variant.
Besides this, we can also spot a new tubular chassis. Unlike the usual double cradle setup, the mule boasts a bridge-type frame featuring a bolt-on subframe. This pairs up with beefy telescopic forks and monoshock, while rolling on what looks like 17-inch alloy wheels. The braking setup, however, is typical Royal Enfield with single rotors at either end.
The Royal Enfield 450cc Roadster Features An All-new Engine
All aforementioned bits may be exciting, but the star of the show is RE’s new 450cc engine. Instead of being a bored-out 411cc mill from the Scram 411, it will be an all-new mill featuring modern internals, liquid cooling, and a bespoke exhaust system. Thanks to all this, plus a rumored four-valve setup, you can expect it to belt out upwards of 40 horsepower, almost twice the Scram 411’s 24-HP. If so, this would bring the motorcycle right in contention with the new Honda CL500. Meanwhile, you’ll also find this mill in Royal Enfield’s other four 450cc models.
What About The Royal Enfield Himalayan 450?
Between this roadster and the Himalayan, the latter will be the more premium Royal Enfield. This is because the Himalayan 450’s test mule boasted upside-down forks, spoke wheels, 21-incher up front, and split seats. Thanks to such differences, we don’t think the "Scram" moniker will fit this roadster-like offering well. Instead, Royal Enfield should dub it the Hunter 450, taking the Hunter name ahead. Regardless of the name, the new motorcycle should break cover next year, right after RE debuts the Himalayan 450.