Royal Enfield electric bike coming? Pure motorcycling pleasure in the works; but will iconic sound be killed?

Royal Enfield motorcycle may soon surprise its fans through the silent humming of an electric motor, as the maker of Classic 350 motorcycle, owned by Siddhartha Lal-headed Eicher Motors Ltd, is toying with the idea of developing an electric motorcycle platform to keep pace and remain relevant for a cleaner future, said a LiveMint report, citing a senior executive.
 
“We are working on an electrical platform to advance the idea of pure motorcycling,” Rudratej Singh, president, Royal Enfield told LiveMint, adding that a “very small team” is working on the development at the company’s UK technology centre.
 
Singh further said that the company “may need to look at things differently for electrical because we are still learning”. 
 
Royal Enfield, which reportedly claims to be the oldest motorcycle maker in continuous production in the world, so far had limited product development, research and in-house innovation at its two technology and R&D centres in Chennai and the UK.
 
The move is in the wake of the Indian government's emphasis on promoting use of greener vehicles. Royal Enfield may also go for an overhaul to meet the impending safety and emission norms proposed for 2019 and 2020, respectively, said the report, quoting Singh as, “How our platforms need to be re-engineered for the future is to be seen and we are working on it.” 
 
He reportedly said it would “help if the company can do with its current platforms, but new platforms will be built if required”.

However, there was no word about the iconic 'sound' that the bike emits, which has fascinated generations of fans leading to the bike becoming an iconic Indian brand. It is a huge booming sound that no other bike has. Modern bikemakers have preferred to go silent or take the screaming, high-throttle sound. Will Enfield change teh sound, or let it remain the same or allow it to be 'killed', is unclear.' 
 
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Other two-wheeler makers in India, including Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Bajaj Auto Ltd, TVS Motor Co. Ltd and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd, are also likely to move towards cleaner vehicles, either by investing in start-ups, such as Hero’s investment in Ather Energy Pvt. Ltd, or building sub-brands, such as Bajaj’s chic and aspirational Urbanite brand, the report added.