The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is an old school cafe racer motorcycle just as its younger sibling, the single cylinder Continental GT 535. The design cues are completely from the GT 535, with just the engine making a huge difference. The bike incorporates RE's all new 650cc parallel twin mill, just like the Interceptor 650. Here's a quick overview of the newly launched motorcycle.Looks and Design:
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The Continental GT 650 looks almost the same as its younger sibling, with minor changes to the body work, better paint job and a bigger engine. The cafe racer design looks striking and the retro classic outlook is exceptional. The large dual exhaust pipes with chrome finish goes very well with the overall design of the motorcycle.Engine and Performance:
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The Continental GT 650 sees the rebirth of their legendary parallel twin engine from the past. The engine is an air/oil cooled 648cc parallel twin mill which makes 47 bhp at 7,100 RPM and 52 Nm of torque at a pretty low 4,000 RPM. The transmission is a normal 6 six speed unit while the clutch is a wet multiplate with slip assist.
The insides of the engine is said to be very modern as it has been developed with RE's Technology Centre at UK. The engine has a single piece forged crank with 270° firing order to make the feel better for the rider, as the power and torque is wide spread across the rev range. The motorcycle is fueled precisely by Bosch fuel injection system for smooth accessible power delivery.
Brakes, Chassis and Suspension:
The motorcycle has a dual cradle tubular steel frame similar to the one on the RE Interceptor 650. Braking duties are carried out by 320mm front disc with two piston calipers and a 240mm disc at the rear with a single piston caliper. Anti lock braking system comes as a standard equipment on the Continental GT 650. The motorcycle is suspended by a 41mm front fork which has a 110mm travel and a pair of gas charged twin shocks at the rear with 88mm of travel. The motorcycle tips the scale at 198 kg dry.Electronic and Equipment:
The meter console comes in two units which has an analog speedometer, analog tachometer, a small digital unit to show other trip statistics and all other tell tale lights. Both the wheels are large 18 inch rims which come shod with and profile tyres. The tank has a fuel capacity of 12.5 litresPrice and Mileage:
As there aren't many Cafe racers around in the market, the RE Continental GT 650 with a new and updated parallel twin engine would more likely do good numbers in terms of sales. The only thing now Royal Enfield needs to make sure is the quality control and manufacturing precision, as the Himalayan suffered a big blow in these departments. The Continental GT 650 would be priced anywhere around the 4 lakh INR mark, and is available in 3 shades - Sea Nymph, Ice Queen and Black Magic.
