The most awaited RE’s of all time are finally nearing their arrival in India. Royal Enfield dealers in the country have started accepting bookings for the Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650. Both bikes are likely to be launched in India sometime in November.
The GT 650 is meant to follow in the footsteps of the original Continental GT 250 café racer. It was incidentally the fastest 250cc motorcycle of its time. It draws inspiration from the Continental GT 535 single as well. On the other hand, the Interceptor 650 conforms to the original 1960s Interceptor 700 with its Californian surfer design.
They’re both powered by a 648cc, air cooled, SOHC, parallel-twin engine that makes 47bhp at 7250rpm and 52Nm of torque at 5250rpm. For the first time Royal Enfield has used a 6-speed gearbox that’s specifically developed for the RE twins. There’s also a slipper clutch that has an assist function for lighter lever feel.
The RE twins feature a twin cradle, tubular steel frame that is designed from scratch in conjunction with the Harris Performance team. The Continental GT weighs 198 kg while the Interceptor is slightly heavier at 202kg (kerb weight). Both bikes have a ground clearance of 174mm and run on 18inch rims. Suspension duties are done by 41mm front forks and twin coil-over shocks at the rear. Stopping power too is common with a 320mm disc upfront and a 240mm disc at the rear along with Bosch dual channel ABS.
The Interceptor 650 was launched in North America a few weeks ago starting at USD 5799 (Approximately Rs 4.21 lakh) while the Continental GT 650 was launched at USD 5999 (Approximately Rs 4.36 lakh). Though, in India RE is likely to price the motorcycles rather aggressively with the range likely to start at around Rs 3 lakh.