Royal Enfield’s Tripper Navigation, a technology that gave riders turn-by-turn navigation directions, is no longer standard on the brand’s Meteor 350 cruiser and Himalayan adventure bike.
The Chennai-based retro bike maker has removed it owing to the global chip shortage that’s continuing to haunt manufacturers across the globe.
The Tripper Navigation was Royal Enfield’s answer to the connected tech that’s becoming the trend now, with almost all car and bike manufacturers starting to offer it. TVS has also taken it to the next level by adding more than 60 features, including Apple Siri-like voice commands and audio feedback.
Though Royal Enfield’s Tripper Navigation is basic, unlike the others, it’s still highly intuitive. In fact, Royal Enfield was one of the first to offer a colour display, even though it looked retro on a small round dial.
By connecting to the users’ mobiles via Bluetooth, the system offers turn-by-turn navigation without the need to dock their phones onto the handlebar, enabling them to save their mobile batteries on the move. It also sports a few other basic features like a digital clock.
Though Tripper Navigation is no longer a standard fitment, buyers can still get it as an optional accessory through the brand’s Make-It-Yours (MiY) configurator. In fact, it was already an optional accessory on the Classic 350 and the recently launched Scram 411.
The base price of both the Meteor 350 and Himalayan has dropped by Rs. 5000/- due to the removal of the Tripper Navigation unit. But this drop is nothing to make merry about as just recently, both the bikes got a price hike.’
To make matters even more complicated, Royal Enfield has also hiked the booking amount for its products from Rs. 10,000/- to Rs. 20,000/- when done through the MiY configurator.