The Royal Enfield Interceptor has been quite the choice among RE buyers in India, but that hasn’t stopped the brand from bringing in its twin – the Continental GT 650. This particular model has had its fair share of admirers and buyers, thanks to its gorgeous cafe racer styling. But what needs to be found out is, if there is more to it than meets the eye. Also, is it in any way similar to the Interceptor, or is it even better? We take it for a spin to find out.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 has a lovely, retro, old school appeal to it. The glazed headlight, along with the rectangular indicators, looks great; so do the tank and the stubby seat. The chrome exhausts are huge but attractive; the engine gets a beautiful finish and is pure eye candy for someone who loves looking at engines. Another lovely detail is the pair of aluminium wire-spoke rims. The hump at the back looks fantastic and this is a motorcycle that will come with a long, dual seat as standard. The seat is supportive and comfortable. Solo riders can also opt for a rear cowl, giving the bike a sporty look. Customers also have the option of choosing among the 40 or so accessories available with this bike. If you ask us, a personalised bike doesn’t get any better than this.
We got to experience the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 on a nice stretch of tarmac, and this is a motorcycle that instantly makes you grin from ear to ear. The riding posture being of the committed type, along with rear-set footpegs and clip-on handlebars, makes you feel like you’re one with the motorcycle. It is a bike that loves to be ridden hard and is a lot of fun on curving roads. The Interceptor and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 use the same platform, including the tyres, chassis, engine and suspension. You will also notice that there is no main stand on the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, and we’re not complaining because getting Royal Enfield bikes onto the main stand is always hard work. Both bikes are similar in some ways, but the Continental GT is for a different type of rider.
What helps the Continental GT’s agile nature is the pair of rear shock-absorbers, adjusted three notches higher on preload, resulting in a significantly lesser soft-ish feeling that we’ve experienced even on the Interceptor whilst riding hard through corners. The suspension composure having improved has resulted in a stiffer ride. But you can set it to the lowest pre-load. Both 650 Twin motorcycles have that typical firmness to the suspension, but that isn’t to say the Continental GT won’t soak in bumps effortlessly. Thankfully, the ground clearance is great, making the motorcycle a great everyday machine. Seated on the Royal Enfield Continental GT, you tend to get pretty exhausted very quickly, making you uncomfortable – particularly when you’ve got to be accelerating and braking repeatedly on awful roads. The posterior starts to hurt and so do your wrists. The seating position is just about right, but we’ve come to learn that the shape of the tank has your knees grazing the lower half of it, which again, is not something we like.
When you sit on the bike, you’ll notice how much firmer the seat is than the one on the Interceptor. The performance and fuel economy of the Continental GT from Royal Enfield Bikes is almost as much as the Interceptor’s and manages to return a fuel efficiency figure of 30kpl. Aerodynamics and gearing remain untouched, meaning the top speed of the motorcycle should be the same as its twin. Braking performance on the motorcycle impresses, with a nice front-end feel. Even refinement levels are top-notch and the bike gets mounted clip-on handlebars. There’s no denying the fact the Continental is one very pretty-looking motorcycle and is an absolute hoot to ride. But it still somehow lacks the comfort and versatility of its twin, particularly on roads in our country. Riding the Continental GT for long hours would need a break every now and the. Royal Enfield Bikes may have had both the 650cc Twins use the same mechanicals, but the Continental GT 650 has its own unique identity. It’s special for different reasons and it will be bought majorly by youngsters. Also, grab the latest info on the upcoming bikes, only at autoX.