Noise pollution: Why Indians need to move beyond Royal Enfield's 'pataka' sound

The older-generation Royal Enfield bikes made a cult following for their iconic 'thump' sound which is very much sedate, likeable and well under the permissible decibel ratings under the stock state. But fact of the matter is that a new trend of very loud aftermarket exhausts on these bikes is catching up fast and it is a sorry state for the motorcycle community.

Sledge hammer to the ears:

A special category of Royal Enfield customers who prefer loud exhausts turn their bikes into ear-splitting machines and what's worse is that it is becoming fairly common for the younger set of customers to follow this trend.

While authorities have been active in getting these bikes seized and literally getting the aftermarket exhausts crushed, but it's an epidemic which doesn't seem to end anytime soon.

Why new-gen Royal Enfields will be different?

As HT Auto's recent review of the Meteor 350 revealed, the bike's new 349 cc powertrain has a much refined exhaust note in comparison to the previous models. It has a new engine boasting a SOHC two-valve head replacing the older pushrod-valve system. Also, stricter BS 6 emission compliance means, softer exhaust note which has been common across all the vehicles updated to the latest norms.

The same powertrain will likely be plonked to a number of future models from Royal Enfield. While there is no surety that it doesn't make the infamous 'pataka' sound when fitted with an aftermarket system, but a more refined note hint is certainly a welcoming addition.

Royal Enfield is also developing the new-gen Classic 350 motorcycle which may feature the same updated 349 cc single-cylinder engine sourced from the Meteor 350.

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