There was a time when bikes were not a common sight in India. The automobile industry was still in the cradle. Companies were trying to set up their base in our country. Royal Enfield, which is known to be the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in India brought to us the Fury DX175 in collaboration with Zundapp. Let’s take a look at the forgotten bike that can put today’s 150-200cc bikes to shame.
1985: The Launch Of Royal Enfield Fury DX175
The RE Fury DX was actually based on German Motorcycle manufacturer Zundapp’s KS175. This company got defunct in 1984. RE imported parts of KS175 and sold it as Fury DX175 in India. Fury moniker was in use from 1959, which RE used for a 499cc bike sold in British markets.
On the dual cradle frame was a 163cc 2-stroke engine capable of producing 15.8hp of power and a peak torque of 17.5Nm. Just for your reference, I’ll drop the torque output of the ongoing Bajaj Pulsar NS160. Don’t get surprised when I tell you that the 160cc 4-stroke oil burner on the Pulsar produces 14.6Nm of torque! Now you can see the reason for me telling that Fury was capable of putting the current 150-200cc bikes to shame. It came with a 5-speed manual transmission. It had a fuel mileage of around 45kmpl and a top speed of 110kmph.
What did we lose in the transition?
Well, RE did source the parts of KS175 to sell it as Fury in India. RE had to make some modifications in order to meet the Indian market requirements. First, the power output of the engine was reduced from 18hp to 15hp. We Indians had to settle for air cooling instead of liquid cooling. RE had to keep the cost in check and all this helped in the cause.
What we gained with the Royal Enfield Fury DX175?
Fury is India’s first bike to get Brembo disc brakes at the front. Before this, we had to settle for drum brakes. It was also the first bike to get die-cast wheels instead of the conventional spoke wheels. And Fury was the first bike to have a tachometer.
How was the run for Fury in India?
We all know how important is Nick Fury in the development of Avengers! But this Fury was not able to play an important role in the development of RE. I know, that is a very out of the context metaphor, but as it is said, it is what it is!
Fury was not able to sustain itself in the market as RE was not able to focus on sales and service due to the unavailability of parts. Fury DX175 or Zundapp KS175 had a notorious gearbox and was known to slip out of gear. RE did try to keep Fury alive but it wasn’t enough and a good bike became a part of the history. What do you think about this forgotten RE? Would you go for it if you had a chance? Do let us know in the comments section below.
Peter
Hello,
The Launch Of Enfield Fury DX175 was 1987 and the Company name was ENFIELD without Royal !