If you’re a bikemaker with a successful, globally accepted platform, you will probably expand it with an assortment of diverse motorcycles. We’ve seen all leading companies - Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, Honda, Ducati - do it, and now, Royal Enfield is gearing up to join the bandwagon with its 650cc platform. The recently introduced Super Meteor 650 is proof of this, but what tickles our belly more is the upcoming Scrambler 650. It’s been spotted testing in India, so we thought we’d come up with a render of how its production variant could be. Here’s what we came up with.
The Royal Enfield Scrambler 650 Will Take Inspiration From The INT 650
Yes, you read that right. The Scrambler 650 will essentially be a derivative of the Interceptor 650. That’s what the render depicts too, as the round headlight, gaited telescopic forks, and fuel tank all come from the most affordable RE 650. We even expect the handlebar (the INT already has a tall unit) and dual-pod instrument cluster to remain as is, but only time will tell that.
What will be different then? Well, plenty. Taking inspiration from the Triumph Scrambler, our rendition of the RE Scrambler rolls on beefier, off-road-ready dual-purpose tires, unlike the Interceptor’s road-biased CEAT rubber. This is something the spy shots have confirmed, along with the presence of spoke wheels. The chunkier rubber, along with an expected bigger front wheel, will help the Scrambler ride taller than its road siblings and attack obstacles with a bit more confidence.
The Royal Enfield Scrambler 650 Will Employ The Same 648cc, Parallel-Twin Engine, But With Fine Tweaks
Amidst all this will lie Royal Enfield’s lauded 648cc, parallel-twin engine. Though it’ll produce the same 47 ponies, we expect RE to throw in a new engine map for more off-road-friendly power delivery. Also new will be the exhaust system, as the Scrambler will adopt a single-sided setup with trick-looking headers. We took this one step ahead in our render, though, and imagined the motorcycle with an up-swept exhaust. The real deal might have a low-slung single unit, but this sure looks cooler. Don’t you think?
Same goes for the suspension. The Scrambler will roll on upside-down forks and dual shocks identical to the Super Meteor (although with more travel), but we’ve stuck with the gaited telescopic units here to keep the old-school flavor intact. And since we were already going over the top, we also threw in a sleek motocross-inspired fender below the headlight. Besides this, the new 650 will feature the same single-disc and ByBre braking package at both ends.
When Will The RE Scrambler 650 Break Cover?
Given the spy shots, Royal Enfield should launch the Scrambler 650 in a couple of months' time, and trusted Indian websites are reporting the same. Once out, the bikemaker will first launch it in India, followed by Europe, and then America. It did the same with the Hunter 350 and the Super Meteor, so don’t expect any surprises here.