Royal Enfield launched the Bullet Trials 350 scrambler-styled motorcycle in India. It is the off-road-friendly version of the standard Bullet 350 and has been priced at Rs 1.62 lakhs (ex-showroom, India). It comes in a single colour option of silver which is accompanied by a green chassis and sub frame, making it look more appealing. While it may look like a compelling product, there are a few alternatives which can be considered in this price range. We take a look at them.
Starting with Royal Enfield, the Chennai-based bikemaker itself has two different motorcycles which are priced similar to the Trials 350. While this new entrant harks back to the olden times, the Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350X is a similarly-priced cruiser which looks modern with blacked-out elements, alloy wheels and trendy colour options. However, it is powered by the same 348cc, air-cooled motor which produces 19.8bhp and 28Nm. Now, while the Trials gets off-road-focussed components, RE also has an outright adventure motorcycle, the Himalayan. Priced at Rs 1.79 lakhs for the fuel-injected version, the motorcycle demands a premium of Rs 17,000 over the Trials 350. What you get is an adventure bike with a 411cc, air-cooled motor which makes 24.5bhp and 32Nm.
Just like Royal Enfield, yet another heritage brand is Jawa which has recently been reincarnated in the Indian market with two offerings; Jawa Standard and Forty-Two. The former is priced at Rs 1.64 lakhs while the latter costs Rs 1.55 lakhs which put them in a similar ballpark as the Trials 350. While the Standard is a quintessential classic bike with old-school design and chrome elements, the Forty-Two looks more modern with blacked out handlebar, bar-end mirrors, off-set instrument cluster and jazzy colour options. Both bikes are powered by the same 293cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine which churns out 27bhp and 28Nm.
Now, the old-school design might not entice every rider who is looking for a cruiser. For them, there’s the UM Renegade Sports S at Rs 1.66 lakhs. Boasting of comfortable ergonomics and low-slung profile, it looks stylish with a distinctive headlamp cowl, alloy wheels and blacked-out treatment on its cycle parts. Powering the Sports S is a 279.5cc, liquid-cooled motor which belts out 24.8bhp and 23Nm. Now, for a much lesser price, one can also go for a modern tourer from Mahindra – the Mojo UT300. At Rs 1.49 lakhs, it offers a quirky styling and comfortable ergonomics along with a 294.72cc, carburetted, liquid-cooled engine which generates 22.5bhp and 25.2Nm.
