Royal Enfield has attempted to refresh the appeal of the Thunderbird with the Thunderbird 350X. The bike shares the market space with two of its siblings; the Thunderbird 350 and Classic 350. We find out how this sibling rivalry goes down.
Design and features
In terms of design, the Thunderbird 350X and Thunderbird 350 look identical. However, the standard Thunderbird 350 gets ape-handlebars, split seats, a pillion backrest and is embellished in chrome. The 350X on the other hand has a completely different approach and target audience. It gets shorter handlebars and grab rails, a one-piece seat, alloy wheels and funky colours to appeal to a younger customers.
The Classic 350 sports a design language inspired by street bikes from the 1960s. It gets a riding position that is slightly more upright than the Thunderbirds. The classic-inspired motorcycle gets oodles of chrome to boost its appeal.
Nevertheless, both the Thunderbird 350 and 350X are equipped with more modern characteristics like a small digital display in the twin-pod instrument cluster and a projector headlamp with LED DRLs. The Classic 350 misses out on both.
Engine
All three bikes are powered by the same 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 19.80bhp at 5,250 rpm and 28Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. This unit is mated to a five-speed gearbox and final chain drive.
Cycle parts
The Royal Enfield Classic 350 rides on 35mm telescopic forks up front while the standard Thunderbird 350 and Thunderbird 350X get 41mm telescopic forks. Suspension duties for the rear are taken care of by a twin-shock setup on all three bikes.
Braking duties on the bikes are similar on the front end with a 280mm single disc. However, both the Thunderbirds benefit with a 240mm rear disc as standard while the Classic 350 makes do with a 153mm drum brake.
Pricing
The Classic 350 retails at Rs 1.39 lakhs while the Thunderbird 350 comes with a Rs 1.49 lakhs price tag. Meanwhile, the Thunderbird 350X is the most expensive of the lot with a price tag of Rs 1.56 lakhs.
