Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 reach Australia for display, India launch later in 2018
The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 parallel twin-engined motorcycles have reached Australia this month. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650Â and the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, according to the company have been sent down under only for display purposes and will first be launched in the European market before being launched in other parts of the world. The 650cc twins are expected to be launched in India after April 2018. Both motorcycles are powered by the same new 650cc parallel twin engine that Royal Enfield unveiled in 2017, and are being produced at the Royal Enfield plant in Chennai. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 made their India debut at the 2017 Royal Enfield Rider Mania in November 2017, weeks after their global debut at EICMA 2017 in Milan, Italy. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 feature a mix of neo-retro styling. Royal Enfield recently also launched the Thunderbird 350X and Thunderbird 500X models in India.
The fuel-injected, air / oil-cooled motor produces 47PS at 7,100rpm and 52 Nm at 4,000rpm and is mated to a six-speed gearbox. The motorcycles also feature a slip and assist clutch. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 draws inspiration from the yesteryear Royal Enfield Interceptor and it looks in line with the modern classics seen from other manufacturers. See how it fares against the naked twin-cylinder motorcycles available in India here.
The Continental GT 650, on the other hand, is an ode to the caf racer culture that was dominant a few years ago. Royal Enfield has stated that there are no shared parts between the new Continental GT 650 and the current Continental GT with the 535cc, single cylinder engine. Both motorcycles employ a double cradle, steel tubular frame as well as 41mm front forks and twin, coil over shocks at the rear.
The wheelbase, at 1400mm, ground clearance, at 174mm and length, at 2122mm are also identical. The Continental GT 650 Twin, however, is slightly shorter than the Interceptor 650 Twin. Braking duties, on both motorcycles, are handled by a 320mm disc at the front and a 240mm disc at the rear. ABS is standard on both motorcycles. We spoke to Siddhartha Lal, the CEO of Royal Enfield and MD Eicher Motors recently and he has stated that the Interceptor 650 Twin and Continental 650 GT Twin will go on sale in India post-April 2018.
Also see: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 | First Ride