Royal Enfield has brought back old-school racing in India with the new Continental GT cup one-make championship. Eighteen riders selected by RE from across India are competing against each other on these race-spec Continental GT 650 bikes. We were fortunate enough to witness the first round of the tournament in Coimbatore. What’s more, we also rode and reviewed the race bike and you can read our experience here. In this post, let’s check out some of the most enticing images from the review.
Royal Enfield has executed a host of alterations in the motorcycle to make it racier. And the most noticeable change is the addition of a bubble-type fairing which facilitates the bike with better aerodynamics.
The ergonomics have also been changed to be more aggressive and track-focused. This has been achieved by installing lowered clip-on handlebars and footpegs that are placed more at the rear than the stock bike.
Other mechanical changes include stiffened suspension setup at the front and rear for improved handling. While the telescopic forks include oil with a thicker viscosity, the rear gets stiffer springs.
The stock tyres have been replaced with soft compound rubbers supplied by JK Tyres. During our ride around the track, these proved to be super grippy, instilling a lot of confidence.
Royal Enfield has also made revisions to shed a lot of weight off the bike. The rear fender has been chopped and shortened and the stock exhaust has been replaced by bespoke stainless steel canisters.
The different exhaust cans not only contribute to weight-saving but have also helped RE bump up the engine performance of the bike by as much as 12 per cent over the production model.
The final drive ratio of the motorcycle has also been revised by reducing the number of teeth on the front sprocket from 15 to 14. As a result, the motorcycle accelerates noticeably quicker now.
Interestingly, Royal Enfield says that all the aforementioned changes can be executed in a stock Continental GT 650 for around Rs 1 lakh. In our opinion, the update is worth it for the Conti owners who want to hit the race track often.
