Category Average: 398.63 cc
Continental GT 650: 647.95 cc
Category Average: 27.77 kmpl
Continental GT 650: 27.0 kmpl
Category Average: 41.56 bhp
Continental GT 650: 47.0 bhp
Category Average: 159.0 kmph
Continental GT 650: 169.0 kmph
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 was first launched in 2017 and it is currently available at a starting price of ₹3.19 lakh (ex-showroom). It is built as a 1970s-inspired cafe racer and brings an old-school aesthetic with modern flair. The Continental GT nameplate was first introduced in the mid-1960s by the original UK-based Royal Enfield. It was called the Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 and was first debuted at the 1964 Earls Court UK national motorcycle exhibition. The Continental GT 650 is driven by Royal Enfield’s tried-and-tested air/oil-cooled 648 cc parallel-twin engine and is offered in six distinct colour options.
The Continental GT 650 starts at ₹3.19 lakh (ex-showroom) for the Rocker Red and the British Racing Green paint schemes. The Dux Deluxe variant is offered at ₹3.29 lakh (ex-showroom). Apex Green and Slipstream Blue are priced at ₹3.39 lakh (ex-showroom) while Mr Clean tops the range at ₹3.45 lakh (ex-showroom).
The current Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 was first introduced in 2017, replacing the 535 cc 2014 Continental GT. The original model was a 250 cc Continental GT that was made by Royal Enfield in the UK for the 1965 model year.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is offered in six colour options. Rocker Red and British Racing Green are the base paint schemes on offer and are priced at ₹3.19 lakh (ex-showroom). These come standard with steel spoke wheels. The Dux Deluxe model comes at an ex-showroom price of ₹3.29 lakh and it puts on alloys. The Slipstream Blue and Apex Green variants are offered with a blacked-out engine and exhaust pipe and are both priced at ₹3.39 lakh (ex-showroom). Mr Clean goes all chrome with spoke wheels and is priced from ₹3.45 lakh (ex-showroom).
The Continental GT 650 is a 1970s-inspired no-frills cafe racer, and as such it chooses to leave behind a wide range of modern amenities in favour of retro aesthetics. It has an LED headlamp and two analogue gauges for the tachometer and speedometer. With the 2023 update, Royal Enfield added a USB port to charge devices and the bike further features a new rotary-style switchgear.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is powered by the 648 cc inline twin-cylinder air/oil-cooled engine mated to a six-speed gearbox with a slip-and-assist clutch. This unit makes 46.8 bhp of peak power at 7,250 rpm and 52.3 Nm of maximum torque at 5,150 rpm.
The cafe racer is built around a steel tubular, double cradle frame. It is held up by telelscopic forks in the front and twin gas-charged rear shocks. It rides on 18-inch alloy or spoke wheels. Braking duties are taken up by a 320 mm front disc and a 240 mm rear disc with dual-channel ABS.
The Continental GT 650 claims an ARAI-certified fuel economy figure of 27 kmpl with a 12.5-litre fuel tank.
The Continental GT 650 has a 174 mm ground clearance and brings a kerb weight of 214 kg. It offers a seat height of 793 mm.
Neo-retro motorcycles similar to the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 are the BSA Goldstar 650 and the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.
In 2018, Royal Enfield took the market by storm when it launched the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. Popularly known as 650 Twins, the motorcycles have been very successful not only in India but globally as well. Since the launch, the 650 Twins have not received any significant updates. After almost five years, Royal Enfield decided to provide a few updates to the Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650 that were important. We got to ride both motorcycles for a few days and here are our thoughts about it.
For 2023, Royal Enfield has introduced new blacked-out variants of both motorcycles. The Interceptor gets the Black Ray and Barcelona Blue whereas the Continental GT gets the Slipstream Blue and Apex Grey. The blacked-out versions come with blacked-out elements for the headers, exhaust and engine casing. There are also some new colour options, the Interceptor gets Black Pearl and Cali Green whereas the Continental GT gets Dux Deluxe.
The blacked-out versions of the 650 Twins come with alloy wheels as standard. However, the rest of the variants still get spoked wheels. If you are an existing owner of the 650 Twins then you will have to wait for Royal Enfield to launch alloy wheels as an official accessory. However, a workaround that owners have found is to order the set of alloy wheels as a spare part from Royal Enfield and then retrofit it into the motorcycle.
The highlight of the 650 Twins is still the engine. It is a 647.95 cc, in-line parallel-twin engine that is air-oil cooled. It puts out 46.80 bhp at 7,250 rpm and a peak torque output of 52.3 Nm at 5,150 rpm. The engine is a gem of a unit that pulls hard. The power delivery is linear with a nice exhaust note and the engine is torquey so constant gear shifts are not required. Speaking of gear shifts, the gearbox is a 6-speed unit that comes with a slip-and-assist clutch. The clutch action is on the heavier side but the gearbox is smooth and slots in with positive feedback. Moreover, it is quite easy to rev-match also.
The highlight of the engine is that it always has loads of torque in its reserve so just twist the throttle and the motorcycle starts pulling. Because of its nature, it is also capable of touring. The engine is doing only 4,000 rpm at 100 kmph and 5,000 rpm at 120 kmph in 6th gear. It can sustain these speeds all day long without any stress and still has ample power in reserve to make quick overtakes.
However, it seems like the engine heat and vibrations have increased slightly. The increased vibrations can be because the engines were new and the heat issue could be because of the black powder coating. Apart from this, there was a slight hesitation with the on-off throttle transition. I noticed this because I own an Interceptor 650 BS6 on which I have covered almost 10,000 km so there is a possibility that a new owner would not mind these.
Royal Enfield has carried over some of the features from the Super Meteor 650 to the 650 Twins. The headlamp is now a LED unit but it is not very bright. Then there are adjustable levers which is a nice touch as it makes grabbing them easier than before. The grips are also new and so is the switch gear. It can become a bit difficult to use the pass switch as it is positioned quite high so there will be some adjustment period.
Royal Enfield has also added a USB port to charge mobile devices. It is conveniently placed below the clutch. It would have been nice if the manufacturer updated the screen with some more information. Then there is the fuel gauge which is still a bit erratic.
The highlight of the engine is that it always has loads of torque in its reserve so just twist the throttle and the motorcycle starts pulling. Because of its nature, it is also capable of touring. The engine is doing only 4,000 rpm at 100 kmph and 5,000 rpm at 120 kmph in 6th gear. It can sustain these speeds all day long without any stress and still has ample power in reserve to make quick overtakes.
However, it seems like the engine heat and vibrations have increased slightly. The increased vibrations can be because the engines were new and the heat issue could be because of the black powder coating. Apart from this, there was a slight hesitation with the on-off throttle transition. I noticed this because I own an Interceptor 650 BS6 on which I have covered almost 10,000 km so there is a possibility that a new owner would not mind these.
Royal Enfield has carried over some of the features from the Super Meteor 650 to the 650 Twins. The headlamp is now a LED unit but it is not very bright. Then there are adjustable levers which is a nice touch as it makes grabbing them easier than before. The grips are also new and so is the switch gear. It can become a bit difficult to use the pass switch as it is positioned quite high so there will be some adjustment period.
Royal Enfield has also added a USB port to charge mobile devices. It is conveniently placed below the clutch. It would have been nice if the manufacturer updated the screen with some more information. Then there is the fuel gauge which is still a bit erratic.
Finally, there are the new tyres. The blacked-out versions get tubeless tyres, the Interceptor is running on Ceat Zoom Cruz whereas the GT is using Vredestein Centauro ST. The main talking point here is the new Vredestein that inspires great confidence in corners and has good grip levels. An existing Interceptor owner can swap to the Vredesteins by buying them at their local dealer.
The comfort level of the Interceptor 650 is not good solely because of the seat. It is narrow and too soft but the manufacturer is offering several accessory seats that one can buy. Then there are the footpegs that will hurt the rider's shins when moving the bike in a parking space. On the other hand, the GT has a committed riding posture because it is a cafe racer. So, bumper-to-bumper traffic becomes an issue and so do the long rides. An important thing to note is that you will feel the heat and even burn yourself if you are sitting too close to the fuel tank.
Despite the price hike, the 650 Twins are still great value for money especially if the person wants a twin-cylinder motorcycle. The engine is the main highlight of the package. The torque is so well spread that it can be used for city duties as well as out on the highways without changing the gears much. Moreover, it always has power in reserve. Yes, there are some shortcomings with the comfort levels but they can be fixed.
Max Power | 47 bhp |
Body Type | Cafe Racer Bikes |
Max Torque | 52 Nm |
Mileage | 27.0 kmpl |
Transmission | Manual |
Mobile Connectivity | No |
Headlight | Halogen |
Engine | 647.95 cc |
Max Speed | 169 kmph |
Fuel Type | Petrol |
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 |
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 | |||||
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₹3.19 Lakhs* | ₹3.59 Lakhs* | ₹2.93 Lakhs* | ₹3.37 Lakhs* | ₹3.39 Lakhs* | ₹3.37 Lakhs* |
User Rating 38 Reviews | User Rating 6 Reviews | User Rating - | User Rating - | User Rating 2 Reviews | User Rating 2 Reviews |
Power 47.4 PS | Power 47.65 PS | Power 46 PS | Power 38.52 PS | Power 47.4 PS | Power 47.04 PS |
Torque 52.3 Nm | Torque 52 Nm | Torque 39 Nm | Torque 32 Nm | Torque 56.5 Nm | Torque 52.3 Nm |
Engine 647.95 cc | Engine 648 cc | Engine 398.63 cc | Engine 348 cc | Engine 648 cc | Engine 647.95 cc |
Kerb Weight 214 kg | Kerb Weight 240 kg | Kerb Weight 171.2 kg | Kerb Weight 188 kg | Kerb Weight 216 kg | Kerb Weight 243 kg |
Length 2119 mm | Length 2122 mm | Length - | Length 2070 mm | Length 2180 mm | Length 2318 mm |
Front Brake Disc | Front Brake Disc | Front Brake Disc | Front Brake Disc | Front Brake Disc | Front Brake Disc |
Rear Brake Disc | Rear Brake Disc | Rear Brake Disc | Rear Brake Disc | Rear Brake Disc | Rear Brake Disc |
Wheel Type Alloy | Wheel Type Spoke | Wheel Type Spoke | Wheel Type Spoke | Wheel Type Spoke | Wheel Type Spoke |
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