More rumours of new engines for Royal Enfield

We haven’t heard much from Royal Enfield lately. That’s surprising, because the manufacturer has been very busy trying to conquer the world market in the past few years. So why the silence? Could there be something hush-hush going on?

The word from the Indian moto-press is that Royal Enfield is very busy working on new engine platforms. In some ways, Royal Enfield faces the same challenges as its North American counterpart, Harley-Davidson. The made-in-India manufacturer has done a lot to update its lineup in the past few years, but most of its motorcycles are still based on decades-old designs.

For a long time, that was no problem; the classic look was part of the charm for Royal Enfield’s fans. But now, constantly-shifting emissions guidelines mean Royal Enfield needs to update its lineup if the company wants to continue to penetrate foreign markets. As we’ve said before, big single-cylinder engines are on the way out, and that’s the powerplant Royal Enfield has relied on for years.

So, rumours of a new 750 cc parallel twin engine are stronger than ever. Royal Enfield is also reportedly working hard on refining a 250 cc single-cylinder engine. Neither rumour is provable right now, but those numbers make sense, as the mid-sized parallel twin seems to be the world’s favourite choice to replace the big thumpers of the past, and smaller 250 singles are able to skate by some emissions standards their bigger counterparts aren’t able to.

The news of the new engines does not necessarily mean the older singles will be canceled, as Royal Enfield can still sell plenty of them in its home market, as long as the motors meet Indian emissions standards. However, it means we might not see some of those bikes available for much longer in international markets, in countries with rigorous emissions standards.