The new Royal Enfield cruiser inspired by the KX Concept and utilising the firm’s 650cc powertrain has been spotted out in the wild again but this time almost entirely undisguised and seemingly close to an official reveal.
The model was first papp’d by an eagle-eyed reader in Royal Enfield’s native India in September revealing perhaps the closest relation for a model to the KX Concept launched to a hugely positive response back in 2018.
However, this shot being shared widely across Indian publications shows it looking very close to production and revealing more details that were previously sheathed.
While Royal Enfield hasn’t publicly acknowledged the machine’s existence, which thus makes the finer details speculation for now, it is almost certainly the next model to be built on the firm’s 650cc-line following on from the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650.
To set it apart, the Cruiser features a teardrop fuel tank and single-piece handlebar, plus a low-set seat which we could see from the original video in September, which showed it being driven.
Up front, a familiar Royal Enfield retro-focused face is present, together with a pair of USD forks, while Royal Enfield has drawn upon the KX Concept for inspiration in completing the low-slung rear-end with eye-catching dual exhausts.
It isn't clear if this is effectively 'the' production version of the KX Concept though, with some no doubt hoping another model is in the pipeline that perhaps stays truer to its striking modern-retro appearance.
Assuming this model adopts the same running gear as its 650 counterparts, we can expect around 47bhp and 52Nm of torque approximately, plus a six-speed gearbox.
With Royal Enfield one of the most prolific manufacturers when it comes to getting a model from drawing sheet to dealerships quickly, this finished-looking prototype suggests a launch is around the corner, albeit after the crucial Meteor 350, which has been hit by a series of delays recently.
