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Mark Hinchliffe·
Royal EnfieldBy manufacturerMotorbikes
··3 Comments·2 min read

ABS disc brakes coming to Royal Enfield?

ABS disc brakes coming to Royal Enfield? study

The 2017 range of Royal Enfield have launched in the UK with dual-channel ABS, a rear disc instead of drum brake and a “Redditch” selection of three bright new colours.

There is a stony silence from Australia distributors Urban Moto Imports (UMI) about the likelihood of these coming to Australia.

Perhaps they are still stuck with old stock they want to get rid of and don’t want people holding off for the better models.

Or maybe they are too busy with their new venture of selling MV Agusta motorcycles to the Americans.

Anyway, eventually Aussies should be able to access these models.

ABS and disc added

2017 Himalayan will get ABS and a rear disc
2017 Himalayan will get ABS and a rear disc

ABS has been added to the UK range because of a new Euro rule enforcing ABS on all new motorcycles over 125cc.

Adding ABS also required Royal Enfield to fit a 240mm disc to the rear.

The upgraded brakes are on the 499cc Bullet, Classic and Continental GT and the new 410cc Himalayan adventure bike. The 350cc Classic misses out because it’s not sold in the UK.

None of the models is planned to have disc brakes in the domestic market and it remains to be seen which other markets will get the safety technology.

It would make sense in Australia where most learner bikes now come with ABS.

Also, in India the Classic comes in three new colour options: Redditch Red, Redditch Green and Redditch Blue. Redditch, UK, is the birthplace of Royal Enfield where they were built up until 1967.

All engines now meet the new Euro 4 emissions measures that apply from April 2017.

Apparently the compliance has been achieved by “retuning” the EFI single-cylinder engines as well as a new muffler, which probably means it’s choked up even more.

In the UK, the new bikes also cost $800-$1000 more, so we could expect a similar price hike here.

Current ride-away prices are: Classic 350 $6490, Bullet 500 $8490, Classic 500 $8790, Classic Chrome $8990 and Continental GT $9590. The Himalayan is $5990 plus on-road costs.

Ride the rangeRoyal Enfield range Disc

Meanwhile, if you want to try out the current (2016-model) range of Enfields, UMI has announced a National Ride Day on March 11, 2017, which is Labour Day for some states.

That means all dealers across the nation will make their entire range available for test on the same day, including the new Himalayan.

Test riders will receive a free event t-shirt and light refreshments at the dealership. 

You can register by visiting their website.

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Mark Hinchliffe
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3 Comments

  1. “…That means all dealers across the nation will make their entire range available for test on the same day,…”

    pffft
    the last “national ride day” was a wash out.
    Aside from SYD and MEL, the rest of the country was treated like untouchables and ignored.

    I got the invite, replied, even got a phone call confirming it was on, and when I got there on the day there was no-one there.

    I posted on their FB site, and someone else from WA said the same thing.

    Funny, the posts got deleted soon after….

  2. “In the UK, the new bikes also cost $800-$1000 more, so we could expect a similar price hike here.”

    One of the many bad effects if ABS becomes mandatory. Those budget priced bikes that many people love as a first bike or as an extra bike will cost more. Add $1000 to a $20,000+ bike and nobody cares. But adding that much to a bike that costs around $7000 is huge. Of course there are cheaper ABS systems but they are not good systems. Any system that can’t be switched off should be banned, and they all should be adjustable. And if ABS is mandatory the systems will have to be repaired if they fail. Some BMW systems cost $3500+ to repair (parts only, not including labour). If you wanted to trade in or sell a bike that is worth, for example, $8000 and it needed $4000+ to be spent on it to make it road legal, you wouldn’t be too happy about it.

    1. “Those budget priced bikes that many people love as a first bike or as an extra bike will cost more,” or disappear from the market. I am considering trading one of my bikes for a Suzuki DR650, which is well priced, simple and very capable. I like it just the way it is and don’t want any changes made if they would put the price up. If ABS was fitted to this bike it would probably be the cheapest, nastiest system available. If it couldn’t be switched off it would interfere with my riding both on road and off.

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