India’s shift towards greener mobility is going to be faster than expected. The government has already proposed draft rules to introduce higher Ethanol blends like E85 and E100 in the country. Soon after this, a test mule of what looks like the flex fuel version of Royal Enfield Classic 350 has been spied. The Indian manufacturer had previously showcased a prototype of Flex-fuel Classic 350 at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2024. The test mule sighting shows progress in the project and signals it nearing the production-ready form.
The flex-fuel-based Classic 350 had attracted a lot of attention at the 2023 Auto Expo. The near-production form of this motorcycle has now been spotted on public roads. Wearing a new metallic Beige paint, the motorcycle is seen without much camouflage. The overall design appears to be near-identical to the standard Classic 350. It also has alloy wheels instead of the regular bike’s wire-spoke wheels.
It, however, has a sticker on its fuel tank with ‘E85 fuel’ written on it. The J-platform motorcycles are being made flex-fuel compatible. The move aligns with the government’s long-term strategy to reduce dependence on conventional fossil fuels and petroleum imports. Underlining the same, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently made a bold statement that petrol and diesel vehicles have no future here.
E85 petrol is essentially a blend of 85% Ethanol and 15% petrol. E100 is 100% Ethanol. In other words, using near-pure Ethanol as fuel.
Royal Enfield first showcased the flex-fuel version of Classic 350 in 2024. The show bike had a different exterior colour option than the one seen in the latest spy shots. Royal Enfield seems to have made the 350cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine E85-compliant. It is unclear if it would support even higher blends. On the prototype, the E85 engine used to make 20hp and 27Nm.
The Classic 350 is one of the highest selling models in Royal Enfield’s portfolio. It is based on the modern-day J-platform. Giving it a flex-fuel engine could potentially lead to a quick acceptance of the fuel option. It can also help the brand stay ahead in the E85 journey.
The J platform also underpins models like the Hunter 350, Meteor 350, and Bullet 350. The flex-fuel powertrain will eventually be introduced on these as well. That said, there is no official confirmation about a production-ready flex-fuel Classic 350 as of now. The latest test mule sighting, however, shows that the development is underway.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has repeatedly emphasised the need to move away from conventional petrol and diesel vehicles. He has long been advocating for alternative fuels such as ethanol, CNG, LNG and electric powertrains, as viable alternatives. Two and four-wheeler manufacturers are already responding to this.
Several flex-fuel and ethanol-compatible vehicles have been showcased over the past few years. Maruti Suzuki Fronx flex-fuel, TVS Raider flex fuel, Honda CB300F Flex Fuel, Bajaj Pulsar NS160 Flex Fuel and the Toyota Hycross flex-fuel are all examples.
TVS and Royal Enfield are two popular two-wheeler brands.TVS is in fact, the third largest two-wheeler manufacturer here, with a market share of 22.1% in fiscal year 2024-2025 and roughly 20% in FY26. Bajaj enjoys roughly 10% market share in financial year 2026.
Royal Enfield enjoyed a market share of around 5% in mid 2025. It, however, dominates the mid-size motorcycle segment, with roughly 93% market share. Within the mid-size segment, the Classic 350 dominates with 40% representation. These brands becoming flex-fuel-ready is thus a big news for the two-wheeler space in general.
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