In a potentially major development, Royal Enfield may launch its Royal Enfield Scrambler 500 motorcycle by March 2019 with deliveries expected to start from April 2019 on-wards. Previously, a Scrambler 500 was seen at a Royal Enfield dealership and this was perceived as a one-off modification customised for a buyer. However, recent reports state that this was a bike which sported a number plate that had On test by ARAI clearly mentioned on the same. This indicates that Royal Enfield is working on the production version of a Royal Enfield Scrambler 500.
This will be the first factory-produced scrambler motorcycle from Royal Enfield in the Indian market. The Scrambler 500 may be derived from the Classic 500 with characteristic design touches including the single seat and luggage mounting rack, up-swept exhaust setup, knobbly tyres and spoke wheels and raised fenders at the rear. There could also be standard dual-channel ABS in sync with upcoming safety regulations which will be implemented from April 2019 on-wards.
The engine may be sourced from the Classic 500 without any changes. However, this should be BS-VI compliant and the 500 cc mill will churn out 27.2 PS and 41.3 Nm of peak torque. This engine will be paired to a five speed gearbox and the Scrambler 500 is expected to be costlier than the Classic 500 by approximately INR 20,000.
