India-bound Royal Enfield Interceptor & Continental GT 650: 10 things you DON’T know about

Earlier today, Royal Enfield launched the all-new Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650 in the US, after the conclusion of its ride event for the two bikes in California. Here are 10 things you may not know about the India-bound Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650.

1. Expected Pricing

Royal Enfield has revealed the US pricing for the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 560 to be $5,799 (Rs. 4.21 lakhs) and $5,999 (Rs. 4.36 lakhs), respectively. The US price is around $5,500 for its 500-cc Classic 500 ABS, which is just $300 less than the Interceptor. If the American pricing is anything to go by, the Interceptor 650 could be priced at around Rs. 3-3.5 lakhs ex-showroom. If Royal Enfield decides to get really aggressive with pricing in India as it has been in the US, the price could drop under the magical Rs. 3 lakh figure.

2. India Unveiling

At the live Q&A session following the launch of the Interceptor and Continental GT 650, Siddhartha Lal, the CEO of Royal Enfield revealed that the new twin-cylinder motorcycles will be arriving in India by the end of the year. The bikes will be showcased at Royal Enfield’s showrooms across the country.

3. Expected India Launch Timeline

While the new Royal Enfield twins will debut in India by the end of the year, sales of the Interceptor and Continental GT 650 will start only in 2019, with the company focusing on international markets first. This delay will also allow Royal Enfield to help dealers stock up for the launch to avoid the mistakes that happened at the launch of the Himalayan.

4. First Royal Enfield Motorcycles to get a 3-year/unlimited warranty

The Royal Enfield Interceptor and GT 650 are the first motorcycles from Royal Enfield to be offered with 3 years/ unlimited kilometres warranty as standard in the US. Royal Enfield currently offers 2 years/ 20,000 km warranty on its bikes in India, so the new 3 years/unlimited km warranty period comes as a welcome change. The additional roadside assistance is also a big bonus.

5. Official customisation options directly from Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield also revealed that both the Interceptor and the Continental GT 650 will be available in custom colour options directly from the factory, for those who want their new twin-cylinder bikes to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Royal Enfield also revealed that chrome versions of both bikes would be available directly from the showroom. Royal Enfield also unveiled a host of custom options for both bikes including a set of custom S&S exhausts that can be fitted as per the customer’s desire from the manufacturer.

6. Detailed American Pricing

Royal Enfield revealed the pricing for all three models of both bikes. Both the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 come in three guises – the base bike, Custom and Chrome. Here are the detailed prices for all three variants of both the parallel twin bikes.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 – $5799
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Custom – $5999
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Chrome – $6499

Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 – $5999
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Custom – $6249
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Chrome – $6799

7. Weight

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 weighs 202 kilos and the Continental GT is 4 kilos lighter at just 198kg. Considering the fact that the Classic 500 weighs 190 kilos, the new 650 twins are extremely light compared to the rest of the range. If you factor in the power upgrade they’ve got, they will be an absolute riot to ride.

8. Official mileage revealed

At the launch, Royal Enfield revealed that the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 return a mileage of 25.5 km/l as per the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC), which should please owners considering that the Royal Enfield Bullet 500, which has a lot less power offers a mileage of 30 km/l.

9. Final engine configuration was confirmed after trying various combinations

At the American launch event, Sid Lal, the CEO of Royal Enfield claimed that the bikemaker settled on the final 270-degree parallel twin, counter-balanced engine configuration after trying out various different options. Lal claims both the 270-degree angle and the balancer shaft play a vital role in vibration reduction and the engine’s great sound.

10. Smoothest Royal Enfield bikes ever made

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are the first bikes from the brand to be fitted with engines sporting a balancer shaft. This brings down the vibrations on the bike, which along with the slipper clutch (another first for Royal Enfield) make the Royal Enfield twins the smoothest riding bikes the marque has produced till date.