Royal Enfield has begun offering E20-compatible carburettor kits for its older, non E20 compliant motorcycles. At present, the kits are available for the Classic 350, Bullet 350, Thunderbird and Electra range, covering both BS3 and BS4 models.
The E20-compliant carburettor for BS3 motorcycles is priced at around ₹3,000, while the BS4 version costs approximately ₹4,000. Installation will involve additional labour charges. For the fuel-injected 500 cc models, the company has also introduced updated injectors priced at ₹2,500. These prices may vary and are subject to revision.
The updates mainly include revised seals, rubber components and certain internal parts to improve compatibility with E20 fuel. Ethanol, which makes up 20 per cent of E20 petrol, tends to attract moisture and can be more reactive than regular petrol. Over time, this may cause conventional rubber seals to harden, swell or crack.
The revised carburettor setup is also calibrated to accommodate the characteristics of ethanol-blended fuel. Since ethanol has a lower energy content compared to pure petrol, the engine may consume slightly more fuel, which could result in a drop in fuel efficiency.
{{/usCountry}}The revised carburettor setup is also calibrated to accommodate the characteristics of ethanol-blended fuel. Since ethanol has a lower energy content compared to pure petrol, the engine may consume slightly more fuel, which could result in a drop in fuel efficiency.
{{/usCountry}}As of now, the brand has not launched anything for the BS6 Stage 1 650 cc motorcycles. They are still only E10 compliant. And as of now, we do not know whether the company has plans to introduce updated E20-compliant components for these bikes.
Royal Enfield taking customer feedback
It seems like the company is taking customer feedback. The brand recently updated the side stand on the Himalayan 450 because the customer reported that the motorcycle leans too much, which makes it cumbersome to park and lift as well. The new side stand is a lot more upright, which should fix this issue to some extent. RE has also updated the Timing Chain Tensioner because it used to make a noise which people didn't really like. The upgraded unit is now available in the service centre, and the claim is that it would reduce the noise significantly.