After introducing its Tripper GPS system for the Meteor cruiser, then adding it to the Himalayan adventure bike, it seems Royal Enfield is now planning to add it to the Classic 350.
The Indian moto-press says the plan is to give the Classic 350 the optional Tripper navigation system sometime in 2021, as part of a generational upgrade. Basically, the plan is supposedly to have the Classic 350 and the Meteor built on the same platform, reports RideApart.
This would mean the updated Classic would be a much different machine than the current model, which is really just an updated ’60s model. However, it would also mean the new Classic would have more time on salesroom floors; the current model will be pushed out by emissions regulations before too much longer, as the standards are constantly updated.
The Tripper navigation system is a clever way of updating Royal Enfield’s models without spending a lot of money re-designing the bike. Basically, the Tripper GPS is an add-on module that sits next to the gauge cluster, using Google Maps tech to offer turn-by-turn nav. It’s cheap to integrate to the bike, and doesn’t need a lot of fancy-pants behind-the-scenes programming.
Whether we’d see it in Canada, or not, is another question entirely. Royal Enfield hasn’t pursued the Canadian market with too much vigour, so it might be a while before it shows up, if ever. If it does, it’ll be a much different, and better, machine than the crude rattletraps the company was foisting on customers only a decade back.
