Royal Enfield Classic 650 First Ride Review
Back in the day, I used to borrow my friend's Classic 350 to run errands and for college commutes. I found rides astride the Enfield brisk, and had people gawking at me like nobody's business. The chrome-draped tank with the retro styling oozed character and presence like no other bike at the time. And I think that, to this day, the Classic 350's design has aged like fine wine. But, the one thing I thought the bike to be lacking was power - a little more power and it would have been a perfect cruiser. Finally! Royal Enfield has brought the Classic 650 in flesh for a starting price of Rs 3.37 lakh for the base model and the top variant will set you back by Rs 3.50 lakh (ex-showroom). So, the big question is, is it finally a perfect cruiser? Well, almost.
Design
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it", is what Royal Enfield has chosen in terms of design for the new Classic 650. The steel tubular spine frame chassis houses the 647.9cc, inline, twin-cylinder engine that we are familiar with. So, right off the bat, you will notice two peashooter exhausts on either side of the bike, unlike a single unit on the Classic 350. A few noteworthy mentions include a removable pillion seat, a USB-Type C charging port, the signature hooded headlamp unit and the all-LED lighting elements. The Classic 650s road presence is just striking. It looks elegant without even trying hard. While the theme and overall styling is quite similar to the Classic 350, it looks bold and still manages to stand out. The base variant has two paint job options â€" Bruntingthorpe Blue and Vellam Red. And the mid variant done in Teal will set you back by Rs 3.41 lakh. The top model Black Chrome will cost you Rs 3.50 lakh. The Teal paintjob gets the subframe done in body colour which looks quite cool and the Vellam Red has Royal Enfield written in a cool font on the teardrop tank which is exclusive to just the aforementioned variant. The only difference between all the variants are the paint scheme options.
Dimensions and cycle parts
The Royal Enfield Classic 650 is 2,318mm long, 892mm wide, 1,137mm tall and has a wheelbase of 1,475mm. And it tips the scales at 243kg, which makes it the heaviest Royal Enfield. In terms of suspension, the Classic 650 gets a 43mm telescopic unit from Showa upfront with 120 mm travel and a dual-shock setup at the rear with 90 mm travel. A setup similar to that on the Shotgun 650. But it has been tuned differently and will talk about that later. Moving on, the braking duties are managed by a sole 320mm rotor upfront and a single 300mm rotor at the rear, with dual-channel ABS- similar to the setup on the Shotgun 650 and the Super Meteor 650. The bike rides on a 19-inch wheel up front and an 18-inch unit at the rear. These are spoke wheels that add to the retro look of the bike, but the caveat here is that these come with tube tyres, and that is a major miss in this day and age. A conversation with the officials revealed that they are trying to bring tubeless spoke wheels for the Classic 650, but a certain timeline has not been confirmed. The teardrop tank can hold 14.8-litres of fuel and it has a ground clearance of 154mm.
Performance
The Royal Enfield Classic 650 houses a 647.95cc, inline, twin-cylinder, four-stroke, SOHC engine that we're already acquainted with, and it comes mated to a six-speed gearbox. The engine pushes 47PS and 52.3Nm which are identical output figures of the Super Meteor 650, Shotgun 650 and the Bear 650. It is a refined engine with oodles of torque right from 5,650rpm. It is tractable and smooth as well. The gearbox also functions smoothly without any jitters or false neutrals. It idles at around 1200rpm and produces a sweet hum that adds to the character of the bike. If you flick the throttle, the engine will grant you power in a sprightly fashion, it is not snappy quick, but it gets the job done when the situation calls for quick overtakes. The engine can easily cruise at 100-120kmph without breaking a sweat. But once you start pushing the engine out of its comfort zone, the first thing that starts vibrating is the seat and that ought to take a toll on long rides. The vibrations on the footpegs and handlebars are negligible, but the seat vibrations are felt and only become more pronounced when you hit higher revs. Right off the line or even while riding, the engine does not stall on you, even if you are riding on overdrive, it pulls away cleanly. No complaints regarding the engine.
Ride and handling
The heaviest Royal Enfield does make its weight known when you are trying to put it on center stand and while you are trying to move it around while the engine is not running. But, the 243kg kerb weight vanishes into thin air once the bike starts moving, even at low speeds, you don't have to muscle it. A gentle nudge will do just enough to change directions. It is surprisingly nimble while on the move.
The suspension setup is similar to that on the Shotgun, and while it is on the stiffer side of things, the ride remains plush. The front suspension is a little more forgiving than the rear, and while the rear is a little stiff, it does not make the ride bone-jarring. Overall ride quality is as good as the road gets. Even at corners, it holds the line without any problem, it is no corner carver but it does inspire confidence in the rider to lean further. And while you do so, the footpegs scrape, the 154mm ground clearance can be a cause for concern if you weigh north of 85kg. As I weigh only 72kg, the bike did not scrape its belly while moving over speed breakers, but I think a heavier rider would find otherwise.
Moving on, the brakes could be improved. The front lever lacks feedback and the rear brake's bite is a little too sharp. The ABS intervention is almost instantaneous on the rear wheel. The moment you engage the rear brake, you can feel the ABS kicking in almost instantly. Even the horn switch placement is a tad out of range, and while riding and I had to adjust my hand position every time I had to use the horn.
Verdict
Royal Enfield Classic is a brand that has a following of fanatics, and with the 650cc engine, it gets more power and performance, which in my books is a job well done. If I look over minor niggles like the lack of feedback on the front brake lever, the instant ABS intervention on the rear brake and vibrations on the seat at high revs, I think the RE Classic 650 makes a compelling case for itself in terms of a cruiser. The only Achilles' heel is the absence of tubeless spoke wheels, while the company is trying to figure out a way to make them available with the bike, a certain timeline has not been confirmed yet.
Click here to check the video review on our YT channel.