We’re going to ride the new 650cc twins from Royal Enfield over the next couple of days, and our reviews will be up soon as well. However, we spent some time with the people at Royal Enfield behind the Interceptor and Continental GT 650, and came up with a few interesting things. Here’s what you should know about them:
1. They will be launched sooner than you think. Royal Enfield had initially said that there would be a significant amount of time between the global launch and the India launch, but that has changed. The company now says it will launch them ‘soon, before the end of the year’ – so that means we can either expect a Diwali launch or most probably a launch in the early part of 2019 (before the financial year ends) with deliveries that will begin soon after.
2. They’re essentially the same motorcycle. In this age of platform sharing, this is no bad thing. Both the Interceptor and Continental GT have the exact same specifications and features, although historically they have been vastly different models in the Royal Enfield range. The footpegs are more rearset and the handlebar is a little lower on the Continental GT: this is the extent of the mechanical differences between the two. However, there are a bunch of cosmetic differences between the two models.
3. The company has a lot of faith in its new models. It is backing up this faith with some really impressive numbers – the warranty stands at three years and 40,000km, which is quite decent for a motorcycle like this. The R&D centres at both Bruntingthorpe in the UK and Chennai in India worked in conjunction to design, test and validate the design.
4. This engine is a quantum leap forward for the company. It might not be even on par with modern engines, what with its air cooling and modest power output for the displacement, but 80 per cent of the torque is available from as low as 2500rpm all the way past the power peak. It is as close as possible to a flat line during this entire range, which should make it extremely drivable. The company had evaluated both a 360 degree and 180 degree firing order before settling on the 270 degree crank – and it is a balanced crank to minimise vibrations. This is also the first six-speed gearbox that the company has ever made, and has thrown in a back-torque limiting-clutch as well, which shows true sporty intent. There is no pushrod design or twin spark plugs any more, just a four-valve per cylinder design that helps deliver what it promises. Oh, and this is a template via which the company can make different displacement engines – read ‘larger capacities’.
5. The accessories are available, yes. There are around 40 different accessories available for the twin Royal Enfield twins, and most of them will be available in the Indian market as well. Unfortunately the S&S silencers aren’t planned for the Indian market at this point of time, but something will be available soon, says the company. You can still order a more comfortable seat, a fly screen, luggage, an engine guard, a sump guard, fork gaiters… There’s a long list to choose from.
