- Both motorcycles are now available with ABS option
- Thunderbird 350 ABS is now the cheapest dual-channel bike on sale in India.
- Royal Enfield is gradually fitting ABS in all its motorcycles
After launching the ABS variants of the Thunderbird 350X and 500X, Royal Enfield has quietly launched the ABS variant of the standard Thunderbird series. Equipped with dual-channel ABS, the Thunderbird 350 has been priced at Rs 1.54 lakhs and the Thunderbird 500 at Rs 2.05 lakhs (both ex-showroom, Pune). Royal Enfield will be gradually updating its entire range with ABS. This is in accordance with the recent government mandate which requires all motorcycles powered by a 125cc motor and above mandatorily need to be equipped with ABS safety feature by 1 April 2019.
Interestingly, in terms of price, the Thunderbird 350 ABS is costlier than the non-ABS variant by only Rs 4797, which is a marginal cost for the added safety. And to add to that, the Thunderbird 350 ABS is now the most affordable dual-channel motorcycle currently on sale in the market.
Besides the addition of ABS, both motorcycles remain absolutely the same. The Thunderbird 350 is powered by a 346cc air-cooled motor churning 19.8bhp of power and 28Nm of torque. Meanwhile, the Thunderbird 500 gets a larger 499cc air-cooled mill that pumps put 27.2bhp of power and 41.4Nm of torque. Both motorcycles come mated to a five-speed gearbox.
