2018 Royal Enfield Bullet with ABS to be launched soon in India

With the Indian government set to introduce ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) as standard in the two-wheelers from April 1, the Chennai-based niche-bike maker Royal Enfield is reportedly gearing up to upgrade its range of motorcycles in the coming months.

According to the emerging reports, Royal Enfield's Bullet will be the first motorcycle from the brand to be upgraded to conform the new norm. Royal Enfield Bullet range consists of three models—Bullet 500, Bullet 350 and Bullet ES—and all these motorcycles are expected to get ABS. A report in CarblogIndia indicates that the latest version of the Bullet will be launched in the first week of April and sales are expected to commence immediately after that.

Royal Enfield is likely to introduce single-channel ABS in its models. ABS will be the only change in the upgraded models of the Bullet. The 2018 versions of the Bullet with ABS could see a price hike in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 12,000. The safety feature ABS will also be added to the other models of Royal Enfield in the coming months. Thunderbird motorcycle will be the next model from Royal Enfield to get ABS, which will be followed by the Himalayan.

Mechanically, the Bullet 500 will continue to be powered by a 499 cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine. The engine is tuned to churn out 27.2 bhp of power at 5,250 rpm and 41.3 Nm at 4,000 rpm, mated to a 5-speed constant mesh gearbox. The Bullet 350 and Bullet Electra, on the other hand, get 346 cc single cylinder, 4 stroke engine developing 19.8 bhp at 5250 rpm and 28 Nm at 4000 rpm.

The Indian government has made it mandatory for all two-wheelers to offer either the ABS or the combined braking system (CBS) as standard. The existing bike or scooters on sale are required to be upgraded with ABS. The ABS is compulsory for the two-wheelers with an engine capacity above 125 cc while the models with engine capacity below 125cc should either offer the ABS or CBS.