What makes more noise than a “new” Royal Enfield? That would be an ALL-NEW Royal Enfield. So it wasn't a surprise that these newborn twins broke the internet when they were announced earlier this year.
Combining old-school British charm with modern bits like a fuel-injected parallel-twin engine, ABS and slipper clutch are the new Royal Enfield Twins - the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650.
Both are styled to be modern-classics. The Continental is the more committed of the two, with its cafe racer persona, while the Interceptor is the more laidback one. There are a lot of old-school cues to the styling, like round headlamps, tear drop shaped fuel tanks, period seats and analogue gauges.
The frame has been developed in conjunction with the Harris Performance, while suspension includes ‘piggy-back’ gas-charged twin shocks at the back and telescopic forks up front. The 18” alloy-rimmed wheels are shod with Pirelli Phantom SportComp tires, and the twin brake discs are gripped by twin-piston Brembo derived callipers. As mentioned before, dual channel ABS comes as standard here, courtesy Bosch.
The lazy ‘thump’ has made way for a sportier 270-degree roar! That would be the firing order of the new 648cc engine that generates 47bhp at 7250rpm and 52Nm at 5250rpm. Being a Royal Enfield, 80 per cent of the torque is available right from 2400rpm onward. But unlike a Royal Enfield, these bikes can effortlessly hit 160kmph, while the chassis has made them fun to hoon around twisties. Paired to the engine is a six-speed gearbox, used for the first time in a Royal Enfield.
Prices of the Interceptor GT for the US market start at $5799 (INR 4.21 lakh), while the Continental GT 650 starts at $5999 (INR 4.36 lakh). Find out more about the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 as Varun heads to sunny California, and incidentally, on a trip down the memory lane...
