Royal Enfield Make It Yours is a new take on one of the big selling points about the iconic brand’s motorcycles — their customisability. Royal Enfield motorcycles are a common sight on streets and highways across India, and the distinct thumping of a Royal Enfield engine can be heard regularly no matter where you go. What also particularly stands out about Royal Enfield motorbikes is the simplicity and customisability; you can change almost everything to your liking quickly, and set the bike up exactly how you want it. And now, in the age of social distancing, the company has rolled out a way of doing this without having to step into a showroom.
‘Make It Yours’ is a tool recently introduced by Royal Enfield, which lets you customise, configure and set up a new Royal Enfield bike online, and even complete the booking directly over the Internet. The tool is available online through the Royal Enfield website, as well as on the company’s official app for iOS and Android. I took a look at this new motorcycle configurator to see how it works.
The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 can be customised using the MiY tool
Choose your Royal Enfield bike, accessories, and more
Although the ‘Make It Yours’ motorcycle configurator initially rolled out for only the Interceptor and Continental GT models – currently the most expensive motorbikes in the company’s range – it’s now available for five of the six motorbike models which are currently on sale in India. This includes the recently launched Meteor 350, as well as the popular Classic 350. The customisation options vary depending on which bike you choose, but are generally classified into three categories – Style, Comfort, and Protection.
Depending on the model, these include things like better seats, oil and fuel filler caps, engine and sump guards, silencers, mirrors, and personalisation badges, among others. Every bike comes with a stock configuration with basic parts included in the cost, and any changes or additions are chargeable. All of the prices of the accessories, as well as the overall on-road price for the customer’s chosen location are shown during the configuration process.
All through the customisation process, you can see a 3D model of the bike with the chosen colour scheme and accessories. The model zooms in to show you exactly how a specific accessory will look when chosen, and you can move around in all directions to admire your configuration and make any last minute changes. You can also calculate the EMIs if you choose to finance your bike purchase.
Once you’ve completed your configuration and chosen any warranty and maintenance-related additions, you can save it to revisit later, or go ahead with the booking, which will involve an online payment of a booking amount and selecting the dealer you want to book the motorbike through – ideally one close to where you are. At this stage, your order is sent to the dealer who will contact you to complete the full payment and order, and also provide you with a delivery timeline for your location and chosen model.
The app experience uses touch controls, while the website lets you choose between touch or mouse navigation
The website is nicer, but you can also use a smartphone or tablet
There are two ways to access the ‘Make It Yours’ motorcycle configurator, the Make It Yours website or the Royal Enfield app for Android and iOS. Depending on the device and platform you’re using, you’ll be able to control the configurator using either mouse/trackpad or touch controls. I personally liked the large screen experience when using my laptop, but navigating using the trackpad was a bit tricky, and the overall experience was sluggish.
Using the app and touch controls was a bit easier, although at the cost of having a much smaller screen and not being able to see the changes as clearly as on the laptop screen. However, the experience was as sluggish, with the configurator taking a couple of seconds to apply any changes and general respond to touch or click commands. It’s not terrible or unusable by any means, but could definitely do with some improvements.
Should you use the Make It Yours motorcycle configurator?
If you’re looking to buy a new Royal Enfield motorbike, then answer is a resounding ‘yes’. It’s a great way to avoid unnecessary trips to the showroom before your full purchase, and sets you up with all the information you need in an uncomplicated and easy way. It’s a futuristic and immensely user-friendly way to buy a new motorbike, if only held back by a few bugs in the system.
Even if you don’t want to finalise and pay the booking amount online, you can save the configuration and refer to that later on at the showroom, which will save you time. You’ll also know exactly what you’re paying for, making the entire purchase process as transparent as it gets. The MiY configurator is a step in the right direction for vehicle buying, and captures the spirit of Royal Enfield’s customisability in the best way possible.
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