Royal Enfield Unveils Rally-Inspired 850cc Adventure Bike Prototype
Is a large twin-powered ADV machine in the cards for the Indian manufacturer?
England’s Goodwood Festival of Speed is a wonderful place to show off a wide variety of amazing machines, from antiques to modern classics. An example of the latter is an 850cc rally-inspired prototype unveiled recently by Royal Enfield. The result of a three year project, the machine seeks to straddle the line between modern and retro with a design that harkens back to the golden years of the Paris-Dakar. But one of the big questions on everyone’s mind is whether a production version of this bike is in the works.
Before we dive into speculation, let’s go over what we know. Dubbed the Wildfire, the prototype was made in collaboration with David Gwyther of Death Spray Custom, who said he wanted to build something that looked like the Ténérés and Africa Twins he loved watching race Dakar as a kid. It’s clear to see the strong influence of that era, with a white, purple, and pink color scheme that looks dated now but was all the rage around 1990.
According to Gwyther, the idea was to develop a bike that used modern running gear to achieve the same horsepower and weight as the racers from back in the day. For him, it was important for not only the looks of the bike to be similar to that era but also the engineering. The Wildfire even uses halogen headlights rather than modern LED units and period-correct graphics, such as the older Alpinestars logo instead of the modern one.
The rally-inspired bodywork is a completely custom design. Even though this bike will never see Dakar, it stays true to its inspiration with a design that could be easily repaired out in the middle of nowhere. Also accurate for the time is a small round speedometer flanked by a large roadbook in front of the handlebars (it’s not hard to imagine the roadbook being replaced by a modern TFT display on a production model).
Moving onto the mechanical side, the bike is based on the existing 650 twin platform, with the standard GT/INT engine bored out to 850cc. This isn’t rocket surgery, as big bore kits are already available for the 650 that bring it up to 865cc and 75 hp, 30 more than the standard 650. The bike has a larger Showa USD fork, an adjustable Öhlins suspension, and spoked wheels (21-inch front, 18-inch rear). It also has a Harris Performance swingarm and exhaust, as well as a unique aluminum rear set. This is no show bike, but a fully-functional prototype. Royal Enfield proved that it works exactly as it should by running it up the hill at Goodwood.
The obvious question now is whether Royal Enfield has actual plans to build an 850cc adventure bike. This size is growing in popularity and would fit perfectly in between bikes like the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE and the Ducati DesertX. With the Himalayan 450 starting to hit US dealerships and the INT Bear 650 Scrambler all but confirmed, can we expect to see a hypothetical Wildfire 850 as a new midsize offering?
Royal Enfield’s Chief of Design, Mark Wells, confirmed to MCN that this bike is a one-off design, and there are no current official plans to bring this specific prototype to production. However, that doesn’t mean a similar adventure bike won’t ever happen. “There’s absolutely no doubt – and I’m not saying anything I shouldn’t here – in that it’s the most asked for product,” he told MCN. He further emphasized that Royal Enfield also has a history of listening and responding to customer requests by giving them the motorcycles they want.
Royal Enfield has to know they’ve left a lot on the table with their 650 twins. The fact that aftermarket 865cc big bore kits have been quite successful is also telling. I have a feeling that Royal Enfield knows exactly what they’re doing, both with this particular prototype bike to gauge its reaction and the future possibilities of a production 850 adventure bike.
“I can’t confirm or deny anything,” said Wells. “I guess what I can say is the demand is there.” So let Royal Enfield know if you’d like to see a production model. It might just happen.
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take my money
Make it so.
I would buy one the day they came up for pre-order. Please build this.
Yes build this
Take my money give the bike
That is the ugliest bike I have ever seen with all that sheet metal on the sides!
Yikes, the color is very hard to like, a bit too old school looking for my taste.
Give them credit for trying something different.
It’s not exactly easy on the eyes, I agree. But in the 1990s, color schemes like this were the latest and greatest. Think Miami Vice, the Geo Tracker, or every paper cup you’d ever see back then. It’s dated now but was modern then, and that’s the look Royal Enfield was going for.
Fantastic concept of a retro rally! Make the rally a realty but it must have the 865cc motor to count me in.
With modern colors she would be perfect. Very nice lines.
82 year old tuur guide in Ccosta Rica, wanna trade my KLR for something lighter…Fuzz
750cc is all an adventure bike ever needs. Otherwise you are carrying around extra weight with reduced range. KTM 690 does a better job than the 780/890, for example. Easier to pickup. Don’t get me started on GS twins.
I’ve owned two ADV bikes: a KLR650 and a V-Strom 650. Midsize is the right size for me.
Yes yes yes! This is what I want.