Royal Enfield considered USD forks, alloy wheels & mono-shock for the 650 twins - Report

08/12/2018 - 12:43 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Twin, Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Twin, Royal Enfield Ajinkya Lad

Royal Enfield considered plonking upside-down forks, mono-shock and even alloy wheels on the 650 Twins, according to a report from Italian bike magazine Motociclismo.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 parallel twin motorcycles — Royal Enfield wanted to offer a "classic riding experience" to its customers with the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650.

Speaking to Motociclismo on the idea of not opting for USD forks, alloy-wheels or a mono-shock, Mark Wells, Head – Product Strategy and Industrial Design, Royal Enfield, said:

We thought about it, but from the beginning, we wanted traditional components for a general feeling of classic riding.

Had Royal Enfield offered the features on the 650 Twins, the costs would have shot up. Consider a premium of around INR 30,000-40,000, and the on-road prices go up significantly. Moreover, the company wanted to make the Royal Enfield 650 Twins accessible for its existing 3.5 million customers.

Wells confirmed that the company was working on a Euro 5 compliant engine for the Interceptor and GT, and that a "few things" will change in this future spec. He cited production and maintenance costs in the company overlooking a DOHC engine.

Powering the Royal Enfield 650 Twins is a 648cc, parallel-twin that features a secondary balancer shaft to minimalise vibrations, while the cylinder head receives a 270-degree firing order "to give it character". It pairs to a new 6-speed transmission.

royal enfield continental gt 650 interceptor 650 a cd24 — The waiting period for the Royal Enfield 650 Twins has soared to three months already. The Interceptor 650 starts at INR 2.50 lakh* while the Continental GT 650 is priced from INR 2.65 lakh*.

Also Read: Custom Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by Rajputana Customs

Royal Enfield faced a massive 50-day strike from its worker’s union, which resulted in a loss of production of 28,000 units. This could affect the delivery timelines of the 650 twins; however, Royal Enfield maintains otherwise with deliveries having commenced.

*ex-showroom Delhi.

[Source: Motociclismo.it]