Spied - Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 caught in lens at Chennai

Just a day before, we posted an article saying that Shah Rukh Khan rides Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 in Yash Chopra’s latest upcoming untitled film shot in London. Now the company seems to be committed to launch as the Thunderbird 500 was recently caught testing in Chennai. Thanks to Motor Vikatan on FB page for the snap.

Iconic motorcycle maker Royal Enfield first unveiled matte-black Thunderbird 500 at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo which was the showstopper at the Royal Enfield pavilion. Though the price has not been officially announced we assume it to be priced close to INR 2 lakhs, for it features an impressive amount of kit, including the follows;

The engine now sees black powder coating
An instrumentation console with dual digital tripmeters
Completely redesigned seat which offers better seating posture
Lock mechanism to open the seats
Pillion seat can be removed to carry more bags and ride longer trips!
Bungee hooks, useful when cruising towards long destinations
Handlebar modified for better ergonomics
Royal Enfield logo on the all new foot-pegs
New design mirrors and the LED tail lamp
The main ignition lock also functions as a central steering lock
Hazard lamps in the switch gear, a first for a motorcycle manufactured in India
The new headlight with a 55W projector lamp for its low beam and a 55W halogen bulb for the high beam
41mm thick forks in front and an oval section swingarm at the rear to allow the rider to handle the additional power.
The biggest surprise is the addition of the rear disc brake. The braking system is supplied by Bybre, a fully owned subsidiary of Brembo.
Large 20-liter fuel tank with the tank cap placed asymmetrically on the top right hand side of the tank, instead of the conventional central mounting; another distinctive styling element of the Thunderbird 500.

All these changes are primed to make the Thunderbird 500 a truly superb cross country tourer. The styling though, seems to be heavily inspired by a certain Harley Davidson Sportster. It will be launched in India sometime in 2012 and once it meets the Indian demand will start exports.

Under the skin, the Thunderbird 500 features a fuel injected, twin spark 500cc unit construction engine produces a peak power of 27.2 Bhp and delivers a prodigious peak torque of 41.3 Nm. The engine is mated to a five speed gearbox and uses maintenance free hydraulic tappets. (See more pictures and technical specifications of Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500, below the jump)

Also see – 2012 Auto Expo – Royal Enfield unveils the Thunderbird 500

See more pictures of Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 –