Benelli TNT 300 [2020] vs Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

There was a time when the only way for Indian consumers to get high-capacity motorcycles was to import them. Now that we have such bikes being made in India and also two-wheelers whose parts are brought here and assembled. The way the biking scenario has changed is phenomenal and it has changed for good. One such addition to the Indian motorcycling scene is the Benelli TNT 300. The TNT 300 is the most affordable motorcycle one can buy at present from the Italian Superbike brand’s official offering in our country. The motorcycle is designed and engineered by the Italians, manufactured by the Chinese and assembled by the Indians. It is also the most crucial Benelli product for India.

The dearth of updates since its inception in 2018 meant it had started looking and feeling old. Hence, to breathe a fresh lease of life into the GT 650, RE bestowed the bike with a few visual and functional updates for 2023.

To give us a first-hand experience of how the Continental GT-R650 performs on the race track, we were invited by Royal Enfield at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore where the first round of the GP Cup took place.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is the racier version of the Interceptor 650. Featuring lowered clip-on handlebars, elongated fuel tank, single seat with cowl and rear-set footpegs, it follows a classic café racer design language. And since café racers are basically lightweight and powerful motorcycles designed for speed and handling, they can be referred to as street bikes of that era.