After so many years, Royal Enfield has finally launched a new variant of their existing Thunderbird model, the Thunderbird X. The “X” stands for the Urban street factor and the hint of individuality which the bike offers. Royal Enfield took design cues from its users and created a bike which its customers were already making in the first place, by customizing motorcycles from their existing lineup. The bike looks fresh, light and suited for the urban environment, exactly what the Company intended it to be. So let’s take a closer look at what has changed from the previous model and what is still the same.Alloy Wheels:
The biggest and greatest change in the new “X” model is the inclusion of alloy wheels. It is the first time in company’s recent history when they have introduced a set of alloy wheels for their bike. With alloy wheels, come tubeless tyres, which are really a lifesaver. Now you can stop worrying about a punctured tube and ride wherever your heart desires. The Alloys are provided by the company so you can also stop worrying if they will break or not, cause they won’t.Shorter Handlebar:
The second characteristic which made the older Thunderbird a little unfit for the Urban environment were the big handlebars. Though on a long ride on the highway, they were nothing short of a blessing but inside the packed traffic jams of the city, they become a little big to handle. The new shorter handlebar is good enough for traffic carving, lane splitting and city cruising. You need to have a long arm reach to fully turn the bike because the handlebar is placed a bit ahead.Single seat:
The standard Thunderbird model comes with a dual seat setup while the “X” version has a single seat design. The new seat gives the bike a modern look and even corrects the "over-softness" of the previous seat, which was a problem during long rides. The new seat is soft yet firm enough to sit on for longer hours. New rim stripes and seat stitching:
To colour match, the alloy wheels and the seat of the Thunderbird X, matching Rim stripes and seat stitching with the same colour as the fuel tank is given. This lends the bike a more customized look and adds to the overall finesse to the “X” factor of the motorcycle.
New tail section:
The rear of the bike is also changed. We now get a backrest free rear section coupled with all newly integrated grab-rails. Despite the colour on the fuel tank, all the components on the motorcycle except the fuel tank are blacked out. The new section now looks much more modern and urban because of the new setup. The LED tail light completes this overall look.Besides these design changes there are no mechanical changes, and underneath it all, we still have the old Royal Enfield Thunderbird. This means that though we have a great and capable tourer with a massive 20 litres fuel tank we still have nasty vibrations all over the place. The costs around Rs 1.56 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi and has a waiting period of 50 days. For everything related to motorcycles stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey
