A rather interesting Royal Enfield Classic 350 test mule has just been spotted doing the rounds on public roads. This isn’t just any old prototype, though; the big news is a handwritten ‘E85 fuel’ sticker slapped right on the tank. It’s a massive hint that Royal Enfield is getting serious about flex-fuel compatibility for its best-selling J-platform bikes.
The timing is spot on, too, following the Indian Government’s release of draft rules aimed at bringing higher ethanol blends, like E85 and E100, into the mainstream.
What’s New on the Classic 350 Flex Fuel?
While the bike keeps that iconic Classic 350 silhouette, there are a few cheeky tweaks to spot:
- The Sticker: The “E85 fuel” marking is the main giveaway that this unit is part of an alternative fuel testing programme.
- New Paint: It’s finished in a fresh shade that isn’t currently available in the existing Classic 350 range.
- Wheels: Instead of the traditional wire spokes, this mule is sporting alloy wheels.
- Mechanicals: Beyond the fuel system tweaks, the hardware looks largely unchanged, suggesting they are focusing on fuel compatibility for now.
The Wider Flex-Fuel Shift
This move aligns with the government’s push for cleaner biofuels. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has been quite blunt about the situation, suggesting there’s “no future for petrol and diesel vehicles” in the long run.
Royal Enfield isn’t the only one jumping on the bandwagon. Several other manufacturers have already showcased or launched flex-fuel ready vehicles recently. Honda launched the CB300F Flex Fuel in October 2024 for Rs 1.7 lakh. There are however couple more in the pipeline like the – TVS Raider 125 Flex-Fuel, TVS Apache RTR 160 4V FI Flex-Fuel, Bajaj Flex-Fuel Prototypes, Yamaha FZ-S FI Flex-Fuel and Suzuki Avenis / Access Flex Fuel.
What Does This Mean for Riders?
It is still early days, so there is no official word on a launch date just yet. However, because the Classic 350 sells in such massive volumes, a flex-fuel variant would be a huge step in meeting future emission norms and cutting down on petrol reliance. This government is also yet to decide a full fledged plan on this, a draft policy for the E85 has been prepared and from what we can understand, at least in the beginning E85 Petrol will be sold as a separate option at the Petrol bunks. This is primarily because the current E20 compatible and older vehicles cannot run the E85 blend.
