The Royal Enfield 650 cc twins - the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are being launched in India today. Prices start at Rs. 2.34 lakh, just to make sure the on-road price is below Rs 3 lakh. The most expensive variant (the Continental GT chrome) is priced at Rs 2.75 lakh in states like Delhi, but at Rs 2.69 lakh in Karnataka, to keep on-road prices in check.
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Prices
Interceptor 650 Orange Crush: Rs 2.34 lakh
Interceptor 650 Mark III Black: Rs 2.34 lakh
Interceptor 650 Silver Spectre: Rs 2.34 lakh
Interceptor 650 Ravishing Red: Rs 2.42 lakh
Interceptor 650 Baker Express: Rs 2.42 lakh
Interceptor 650 Chrome: Rs 2.54 lakh
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Prices
Continental GT 650 Black Magic: Rs 2.49 lakh
Continental GT 650 Ventura Blue: Rs 2.69 lakh
Continental GT 650 Grey & Black: Rs 2.56 lakh
Continental GT 650 Ice Queen White: Rs 2.56 lakh
Continental GT 650 Mr Clean Chrome: Rs 2.69 lakh
The Quint was invited to California a couple of months ago to ride these bikes and we are riding them again in Goa for a more detailed review. Here’s what the bikes are all about.
First, let’s look at what’s common to both the bikes. The dimensions and the engine are common, with a common chassis, brakes and wheels. The bikes come with a 2,122 mm x 1,165 mm x 789 mm chassis. They have a wheelbase of 1,400 mm and a ground clearance of 174 mm.
The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 sport 18-inch spoked wheels with Pirelli Phantom Sportcomp tyres (standard globally). The front is a 100/90 R18 tyre in front and 130/90 R18 at the rear. The rims are 36-spoke aluminium alloys. Both the bikes sport 41 mm front forks with 110 mm of travel and twin coil-over pre-load adjustable shocks with 88 mm of travel at the rear.
The 648 cc parallel-twin, two-cylinder air-oil cooled engine develops 47 bhp of power at 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm of torque at 5,250 rpm although nearly 80 percent of torque is available from 2,500 rpm onwards. It features a 270 degree crank angle, which is what gives it a burbling sound, rather than a thump-thump, with fairly muted vibrations.
It gets a Bosch closed-loop fuel-injection system and is capable of meeting Euro 5 norms. The bikes feature a six-speed transmission with a slipper-assisted clutch. This will help with quick downshifts.
The bikes feature sintered pads on the twin-piston Bybre calipers. They come with dual-channel ABS from Bosch. The front gets a 320 mm single disc and the rear gets a 240 mm disc.
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 has been built keeping in mind the original Interceptor 750 of the 1960's. It follows the classic cruiser styling. It has a straight, flat seat with cross-stitching. The seat height is 804 mm with an upright handlebar for the Interceptor. It weighs 202 Kg without fuel. The fuel tank capacity on the Interceptor is 13.7 litres.
The Interceptor is meant more for cruising and has a laid-back, upright riding position. It comes with a straight, upright handlebar and easily accessible foot pegs. The suspension is not as stiff as it is on the Continental GT.
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 gets clip-on handlebars and a more committed riding position because of the pushed back foot pegs. The seat height is 793 mm on the Continental GT, while other specifications are the same as the Interceptor.
The Royal Enfield twins will come with a three-year or 40,000 km warranty at launch. Service interval is 10,000 Km between services although the first service (with oil change) is to be done at 500 Km.
A first-ride review from India follows. If you want to watch the video from the California ride a couple of months ago, click the link below.
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