Nitin Gadkari’s Favourite Royal Enfield Is Here! » MotorOctane

Nitin Gadkari has just announced that the future of petrol and diesel is not quite fruitful and has urged people to prepare for E85 and E100 flex fuel that will be implemented in India. Amongst this shocking announcement, Royal Enfield seems to have the answer prepared for this situation, too. Curious to know more? Well, here are all the details about this new Royal Enfield!
Attention Readers! Join us on the WhatsApp Community for daily auto news updates.

Nitin Gadkari’s Favourite Royal Enfield!

While we expected many brands to raise questions against Nitin Gadkari’s announcement, one of the key bike manufacturers seems to have something else in the bank. In Chennai, a Royal Enfield bike was spotted testing, and no, it’s not an all-new model. The spotted test mule was of a Royal Enfield Classic 350, which had an E85 fuel sticker on its tank. This isn’t really a big surprise, considering the brand has already showcased its Classic 350 Flex Fuel at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2024.

However, seeing it in flesh and undergoing testing just shows the brand’s rigour towards offering future-proof motorcycles, like the Flying Flea electric bikes, as well as this new Flex Fuel Classic. The test mule also reveals a new colour scheme with a “Sand Storm” coloured fuel tank, new alloy wheels and a few more details. However, apart from these details, the Classic 350 largely remains the same. So, what exactly has Royal Enfield done with this bike to make it E85/E100 compliant?

Also Read: Popular SUVs Get Cheaper By Up To ₹5 Lakh!

Royal Enfield Classic 350 Flex Fuel – What To Expect?

The Classic 350 we currently have is E20 compliant, meaning it is capable of using ethanol-blended petrol (20% Ethanol & 80% Petrol). And now, we have come across an E85-compliant Classic 350. So, here’s what Royal Enfield has done to the bike to make it compliant with high-ethanol blended fuel:

• Fuel Delivery System – RE would have to install larger high-flow fuel injectors along with a heavy-duty corrosion-resistant fuel pump. The brand also must have installed specialised seals, gaskets and fuel lines which can cope with high exposure to Ethanol.
• ECU updates – RE may have to install a dedicated sensor in the fuel line to measure the ethanol-petrol ratio. The ECU will also need a remap to accommodate the high octane rating of Ethanol for accurate ignition timing.
• Engine Modifications – Ethanol works best under high pressure in the combustion chamber, and RE may have to increase the compression ratio. Royal Enfield may also have to install some sort of pre-heating system for cold starts, as ethanol evaporates poorly in cold temperatures. 
• Corrosion Protection – Ethanol is hygroscopic (attracts water and moisture), which could cause rusting in the metal tanks and other metal components. To avoid the same, RE may have to apply an anti-corrosive coating, which could last for a long time.

Apart from that, we believe that the bike will remain the way it is now. It will get the same 349cc engine producing 20bhp and 27Nm of torque along with a 5-speed gearbox. We can expect Royal Enfield to launch this by the end of this year or early next year! 

Source

Also Read: 5 Exciting Cars Coming Next Month – Should You Wait?