{"id":242163,"date":"2023-10-18T09:49:40","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T09:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/?p=242163"},"modified":"2023-10-18T09:49:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T09:49:40","slug":"has-royal-enfield-overused-their-j-series-engine-platform-in-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automotobuzz.com\/news-features\/has-royal-enfield-overused-their-j-series-engine-platform-in-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Has Royal Enfield overused their J-Series engine platform in products"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once the new platform was given a thumbs up by the buyers they adapted the same engine on the new-gen Classic<\/h2>\n

BHPian pranavshet<\/strong> recently shared this with other enthusiasts.<\/p>\n

The sales numbers might paint a different story but I feel RE has used it’s J Series & twin cylinder engine a bit too much in their products without much differentiation.<\/p>\n

For instance,<\/p>\n

When the J series engine came out on Meteor it was praised for its refinement and tractability. It was an improvement of leaps and bounds when compared to the old UCE Engine platform.<\/p>\n

Once the new platform was given a thumbs up by the buyers they adapted the same engine on the new-gen Classic albeit with minor differences in gearing and ECU maps.<\/p>\n

For me, the engine of any motorcycle is like a soul. It has to match with the aesthetics of the vehicle i.e. the soul and body should be in sync. The engine character has to match the personality of the vehicle.<\/p>\n

They could have tweaked the motor on Meteor to eke out a few more horses. But they didn’t.<\/p>\n

The Biggest bummer for me was when they used the J series engine in the same tune on the Hunter. The product as an idea is excellent, it might be a great product in isolation but it would have stood out if it came with a performance of say 24 ps and 30nm of torque. People would have still purchased it if it was 3-4k more expensive than the classic. It is positioned as a sharp city bike and not for long tours.<\/p>\n

They tried to capitalize through pricing. In the process, they have created competition among their own stable mates( Meteor, Classic, Hunter & now the Bullet). Hunter over the last 6 months has started to cannibalize classic sales. Even the new classic and Bullet are virtually identical<\/p>\n

Now that competition from Triumph and Harley is heating up RE might start feeling the heat.<\/p>\n

Even for their 650 cc engine platform, they could have launched Interceptor with a relaxed state of tune & continental GT with a sportier state of tune. That would have been a good differentiator.<\/p>\n

Though the Super Meteor is the best world-class motorcycle to come out of any Indian manufacturer by far in terms of design, quality, and aesthetics, they repeated the same mistake ie using the engine with the same state of tune as of the earlier 650cc models. Only the Airbox had become bigger.<\/p>\n

I know they didn’t do it to match A2 License norms.<\/p>\n

But, do motorcyclists buy motorcycles looking at A2 license norms and other Jargon? Probably not, For Him\/ Her it’s an emotional purchase.<\/p>\n

I have been observing this trend from RE for far too long. The products are excellent in their own right, just that their soul has to be matched with the nature of the motorcycle.<\/p>\n

They have been dragging their engines across products like a rubber band.<\/p>\n

Would love to know your thoughts on the same. Should companies do things that are right for a product from it’s positioning perspective( How it must actually be if developed from scratch) and not from a cost perspective like engine sharing etc?<\/p>\n

Just felt like penning down my thoughts on the same.<\/p>\n

Warm Regards<\/p>\n

Pranav<\/p>\n

Here’s what BHPian aargee<\/strong> had to say on the matter:<\/p>\n

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Just FYI<\/p>\n