Royal Enfield 650 twins year-end Indian launch confirmed
Royal Enfield President, Rudratej Singh, revealed to IAB yesterday that the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 twins “will most likely launch in India by the end of this year or in January 2019.”
Speaking to IAB at the launch of the Classic special editions in Pune, he said that "official bookings will commence after the launch" of the 650 twins in India. The Royal Enfield 650 twins will first launch in the global markets followed by an Indian launch. Siddhartha Lal, CEO & MD – Royal Enfield, had earlier said that bookings of the 650 twins will commence in Q3 of FY2018.
On 27 August, complete specifications and service training manual of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 leaked. The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is a modern-classic café racer and will compete with the upcoming Benelli Leoncino Sport and the Harley Davidson Street Rod. The motorcycle has a kerb weight of 198 kg (without fuel), while it measures 1,024 mm in height, and 789 mm in width.
On the other hand, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a modern-classic street bike that will rival the Kawasaki Vulcan S, and the Harley Davidson Street 750. The Interceptor 650 has a kerb weight of 202 kg (without fuel), while it gets a height of 1,165 mm, and a width of 744 mm. That said, the Royal Enfield 650 twins are 2,122 mm long along with a wheelbase of 1,400 mm, and ground clearance of 174 mm.
Powering the Royal Enfield 650 twins is an all-new 648 cc, oil-cooled, SOHC, 8-valve, parallel-twin cylinder engine that develops a maximum power of 47 bhp at 7,100 rpm along with a peak torque of 52 Nm at 5,200 rpm. The engine works in harmony with a 6-speed gearbox, while Royal Enfield is also offering a slipper clutch as standard.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 has a fuel tank capacity of 12.5 litres, while the Interceptor 650 gets a 13.7 litres fuel tank. The 650 twins use a steel tubular double cradle chassis, while 41 mm telescopic front forks (110 mm wheel travel) and twin gas-charged rear shock absorbers (87.5 mm wheel travel) take care of suspension duties.
Anchorage is provided by a 320 mm front rotor and a 240 mm rear disc brake with standard Bosch 9.1M dual-channel ABS. The Royal Enfield 650 twins are likely to be priced at around INR 3 lakh (ex-showroom).
