Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

The Continental GT 650 was one of the first twin-cylinder bikes launched by Royal Enfield. It is a proper old-school cafe-racer designed to look like it came straight from the 1960s. It’s one of the cheapest twin-cylinder bikes and also the cheapest cafe-racer in India.

How much does the Continental GT650 cost?

The Continental GT650 is priced between Rs 3.19 lakh to Rs 3.45 lakh (both prices ex-showroom Delhi) based on the colour option.

How many variants does the Continental GT650 have?

The Continental GT650 is available in only one actual variant, but in multiple colour variants.

What are the colour options available for the Continental GT650?

The Continental GT650 comes in six colour options, all at different price points. The cheapest colours are British Racing Green and Rocker Red priced at Rs 3.19 lakh. The Dux Deluxe colour is priced at Rs 3.29 lakh, while the Apex Grey and Apex Blue cost Rs 3.39 lakh. The most expensive colour is the fully-chrome Mr Clean which costs Rs 3.45 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi). The Apex Blue and Apex Grey colours come with a blacked out engine and blacked out exhausts, alloy wheels and tubeless tyres. All other colours get chrome engine cases with chrome exhausts and spoke wheels with tube-type tyres.

Our favourite colour for the Continental GT650:

Our favourite colour for the Continental GT650 is Mr Clean. The full chrome paint scheme is extremely striking, but can be quite difficult to maintain as it’s more prone to stains and scratches. Otherwise, the British Racing Green paint also looks really cool, as it reminds us of cafe racers from the past.

How is the Continental GT650 performance? (Key specs & tested figures)

The Continental GT650 is powered by a 648cc inline-twin cylinder, air-cooled engine that makes 47.45PS @ 7250rpm and 52.3Nm @ 5150rpm. The power figure might not seem impressive for such a large engine, since now we have sports bikes with much smaller engines making the same, or slightly more power, what’s impressive about the GT650 is its engine’s relaxed nature. It rides very happily at lower speeds, as you have plenty of torque at lower rpm. And if you want to push it, it’s quite quick too. In our acceleration tests, the Continental GT650 managed a really impressive 0-100kmph time of 6.61 seconds. Even when overtaking, the GT650 requires very little effort - in 3rd gear, it can accelerate from 30 to 70kmph in just 4.30 seconds. And all of these numbers sound even more impressive when you consider that the GT650 is quite heavy with a kerb weight of 214kg.

What is the mileage of the Continental GT650?

In our tests, the Continental GT650’s city mileage was 22.03kmpl. That might feel quite less, but given the large capacity engine and our crowded city roads, it’s not too bad. Out on open roads, the Continental GT650’s highway mileage was 29.14kmpl, which actually is quite good. When cruising on the highway, you can expect a range of about 350km from the 12.5 litre fuel tank before you have to stop to refuel.

Is the Continental GT650 comfortable for city riding?

The Continental GT650 is designed to be a proper old-school cafe racer, so it has a fairly aggressive riding posture. The clip-on handlebars are set low and the footpegs are quite rearset. So you have to lean quite a bit forward to grip the handlebars while your legs will be tucked behind. This is a great posture for attacking corners, but in the city, unless you’re really used to riding sportsbikes, you will experience a lot of strain on wrists and back if you ride for a longer duration. The one saving grace for the GT650 is its low seat height of 805mm, so at least shorter riders should be able to get both their feet on the ground easily when crawling through slow moving traffic. While the GT650’s air-cooled engine doesn’t heat up too much in bumper-to-bumper traffic, you will feel quite some heat on your legs when you have your feet on the ground. It’s not unbearable, but you will notice it. Thankfully, because the rearset footpegs tend to tuck your feet back while riding, you won’t feel nearly as much heat when you’re on the move.

Is the Continental GT650 a heavy bike?

At 214kg, the Continental GT650 is a heavy motorcycle. When pushing the bike around in the parking or moving it with your feet when you’re on the bike, you can feel all that weight, and the GT650 isn’t so easy to manage. But because the seat height is fairly low at 805mm, most riders will be able to plant both feet firmly on the ground, so the GT650 shouldn’t feel too intimidating.

Is the Continental GT650 good for touring?

The GT650’s engine is super relaxed when you’re cruising at highway speeds. 90 to 100kmph in 6th gear feels absolutely effortless, and you can even cruise at higher speeds like 120-130kmph without any problems. Even at these speeds, the engine feels absolutely smooth with barely any vibrations. Recently, Royal Enfield upgraded the tyres of the GT650 to Vredestein Centuro NS. These provide plenty of stability at highway speeds and even under hard braking. But what will hold you back from taking the Continental GT650 touring is the aggressive riding posture, which might tire you out after a couple of hours in the saddle. Also, because of the bike’s cafe-racer design, there’s not much space for mounting luggage. But if you are keen on taking the GT650 touring, our recommendation would be to get the accessory Touring Seat from Royal Enfield, which should help with comfort a little bit.

What features does the Continental GT650 have?

Because the Continental GT650 is meant to be an old-school cafe racer, it does not get too many modern features. For safety, dual-channel ABS is standard, and the Apex Grey and Apex Blue colour variants get alloy wheels with tubeless tyres. The instrument cluster is a dual pod unit with an analogue speedometer and tachometer. The speedometer pod also gets a digital inset to show your fuel gauge, odometer and trip meters. Apart from that, the GT650 also gets an LED headlight and a USB port near the handlebars for charging your devices.

What accessories should you get for the Continental GT650?

We would suggest you opt for the compact engine guard from Royal Enfield’s accessories catalogue. This will protect the engine from damage in a minor crash. If you’re a solo rider and want an authentic 1960’s cafe-racer look, then the Premium Touring Rider Seat and the Single Seat Cowl are must-haves. If you ride with a pillion often, then we recommend the Premium Dual Touring Seat.

Should you buy the Continental GT650?

The Continental GT650 is the only authentic British-style cafe racer available in India. If you want a true-blue cafe racer, the Continental GT650 is your only choice.

Are there any alternatives to the Continental GT650?

There are no direct competitors to the Continental GT650. But if you’re looking for a sports bike around the Rs 3.5 lakh mark, the KTM RC390 is certainly worth considering. It’s lighter and offers more performance, but it is properly modern without any old-school charm, and its single-cylinder engine has more vibrations than the GT650’s twin-cylinder motor.