Royal Enfield Classic 650

There are motorcycles and then there are motorcycles like the Royal Enfield Classic 650. Full disclaimer before I go any further. I’m more of a sportsbike/street naked/faired-motorcycle kind of guy. I like my motorcycles fast, tech-laden and stylish in their appearance.

And then came along the Classic 650 and after spending close to 1,000km with it, I think something has changed from within me. Allow me to explain. 

Perhaps the biggest draw of the Classic 650 is the way it looks. I clearly remember collecting the bike from the Royal Enfield showroom and spending half an hour just gawking at the sight of this artwork on wheels, finished in chrome. 

Whether it is the beautifully shaped fuel tank, with the right proportions, mind you, or the curved fenders and the triangular side panels, the Classic 650 oozes charm. But what only adds to the bike’s delectable appearance is the parallel-twin engine and the twin exhaust pipes, also finished in chrome. They add a welcome dollop of visual mass to the bike. 

The best part is that our test bike has a single seat setup and that contributes massively to the rear stance and overall look of the bike. 

I think at this point, you do get an idea about what I think about the bike’s design. I’ve spent considerable time looking back at the motorcycle after parking it. The whole of Mumbai has only given the Classic 650 appreciative looks so far. It goes without saying that this bike belongs in the ‘park it living room to add to the home’s aesthetics’ territory.

Quality levels on the bike are par for the course, and I like some of the elements such as the brushed aluminium finish on the wheels, the interplay of chrome and sparkling black, and the floating effect of the single-piece seat. 

Speaking of the seat, the riding position of the bike is easy and relaxed. The placement of the footpegs and the handlebar is spot on, and it puts you in a riding position that feels commanding while also being akin to being seated on a throne.

It surely adds to the sense of pride that comes with riding the Classic 650. That said, the seat is soft, and I was left with butt aches after spending over an hour and a half in the saddle. Royal Enfield must consider adding a firmer grade of foam to offer more support. 

As for the ride quality, it is not as bad as I had expected. Unlike the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650, the Classic 650’s suspension has better pliancy dialled in. What that translates to is little to no chance of you being tossed off the seat after encountering badly made road patchworks, steps in the road, and what have you!

Even the fork does a decent job of soaking up bumps and potholes. That said, at low speeds over a series of rumblers, some of the harshness is transferred to the rider.

The Classic 650’s parallel-twin engine is an absolute gem! Very few engines come this close to offering a sublime experience like this one does. Part of it is the way it sounds, but the other part is its supreme flexibility.

There’s an abundance of torque for you to pootle around town without the need to change gears often. The rideability adds to the relaxed feeling that the bike offers, and it puts you in a mood where you don’t want to rush or rev this engine to unnecessarily high rpms. 

The sweet spot, for me, was riding around 80 to 100kmph on the highway. Here is where the engine is at its smoothest and happiest, and you begin appreciating the essence of cruising on a motorcycle. I loved it! And that’s coming from someone who, as mentioned earlier, loves fast motorcycles. 

Given the 243kg kerb weight, I was dreading my choice of riding in peak rush hour Mumbai traffic. To my relief, the Classic 650 is beautifully balanced, and making your way between cars and trucks crawling around you was easy. The only instances when you’ll feel the weight of the bike are while making tight U-turns or backing it up a mild slope. 

Out of the confines of the city, the bike is planted at highway speeds. Show it a set of corners, and its long wheelbase and grippy tyres help it flow through them with poise and confidence, often scraping the pegs as well.

Braking was solid in most scenarios, while the ABS calibration is also pretty well judged. What I wished, however, was not having to live in constant fear of the tyres picking up a puncture. Sourcing a spare tube, let alone finding a puncture repair guy who’s okay with going through the rigmarole of removing the wheel and unmounting the tyre to get to the punctured tube, will be a task in itself. I get the whole appeal of wire-spoke rims going with the Classic look of the bike. But it is about time Royal Enfield introduces tubeless wire-spoke rims, as it has on the Goan Classic 650 and the Meteor 350 Sundowner Edition. 

There’s not a lot on offer when it comes to this department. A tripper navigation system is the only piece of technology that you’ll find here.

Not that I’m complaining about it as a simple analogue dial, LED lights, adjustable levers, and ABS are all I’d ever want on a Classic bike, without the corruption of TFT displays and what not.

The Classic 650 is a big, heavy motorcycle, and its fuel efficiency figures are testament to that. In our standard city fuel economy cycle, the bike returned 23kmpl.

With a tank capacity of 14.7-litres you can expect a range of over 300km.

With tech, speed and even features like cruise control making it to commuter motorcycles these days, I’m so glad that bikes like the Classic 650 exist. It’s the way this bike marries beauty with simplicity, grace, and oodles of character that makes it so appealing. It reminds you that motorcycling is also about watching the world go by at a sedate pace, and not in a blur.

It tells you that the rumble of a smooth parallel-twin filling up your ears is some of the best motorcycle acoustics around. It tells you that keeping it simple is all it takes to appreciate the joy of riding bikes. For these reasons alone, the Rs. 3.61 lakh starting price for the Classic 650 is more than justified. After all, very few motorcycles like this, at least for me, are best enjoyed slow.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi