Could Sherpa And Hunter Be The Name Of Upcoming Royal Enfield Bikes?

[Update: The Royal Enfield Meteor 350 has been spotted in a production-ready state. The bike is likely to replace the Thunderbird 350X. Head here for more details.]

• Royal Enfield is working on a new lightweight and affordable motorcycle, which could be called Sherpa.
• We expect Royal Enfield to launch the Sherpa by mid-2020.
• The bike maker could call its upcoming scrambler Hunter.

The next-gen Classic 350 and the Thunderbird 350 X are not the only new motorcycles that Royal Enfield is working on. Just a few days back, we told you RE was planning to add a new range of lightweight and affordable motorcycles. And now, the Chennai-based bike maker has filed trademarks for two new names: Sherpa and Hunter.

Also read: Is This The BS6-compliant Royal Enfield Himalayan?

Royal Enfield Sherpa

 This is not the first time this year that Royal Enfield has filed a new name -- remember when the brand had filed a trademark for Meteor? If you are a true Royal Enfield fan, you’d know that the bike maker used to manufacturer a motorcycle called Meteor in the ‘50s, but what about Sherpa? Well, if you flip through RE’s catalogue, you will find that the brand used to make a 175cc motorcycle called Sherpa in the mid-60s. And now that rumours of RE making an affordable motorcycle have surfaced online, we believe the first one could be called Sherpa. 

Royal Enfield might use the new J1C platform to manufacturer an entry-level scrambler as well, which, we believe, could carry the Hunter moniker. As of now, there’s no information on the upcoming motorcycles, but we expect them to be powered by either an all-new engine or a heavily revised version of Himalayan’s LS410 motor. The Sherpa could be launched in India by mid-2020 and it could be a bit more affordable than the single-channel ABS variant of the Bullet 350, which retails at Rs 1.14 lakh (ex-showroom).