Royal Enfield Classic 650 retro motorcycle: Here’s what it’ll look like

Well, that’s if Royal Enfield decides to go ahead and plonk the 650cc, twin cylinder engine from the Interceptor,  into the Classic. Here is a render that shows how the new Classic 650 with the larger, parallel twin engine could look like. We like it.

As you can see from the render, the Classic 650 simply borrows the 650cc engine from the Interceptor and Continental GT650. It also seems to have the double cradle frame, which is necessary to hold the new engine. The current versions of the Classic sold have a different frame – a single downtube unit.

The 650cc engine is an all-new unit that Royal Enfield has designed ground up. It’ll power the Interceptor and Continental GT650, both of which are launching here in a few months’ time. The engine displaces 650cc, has a single  overhead camshafts, four valves in each cylinder, air-oil cooling, fuel injection and a 6 speed manual gearbox with a  slipper clutch. In other words, it’s the most advanced engine-gearbox combination Royal Enfield has ever engineered.  It produces 47 Bhp and 52 Nm, and is capable of revving to 7,500 rpm, which means a top speed of over 160 Kmph.

Thump addicts will have to look elsewhere. This engine uses a 270 degree crank, which means that it’ll produce a  rumble rather than a thump, and soon after market exhausts should make it sound even cooler. And since it’s a  parallel twin, vibrations are expected to be minimal. That’s a great thing as the Classic 350 and 500 have very vibey engines.

The Classic 650 with the new engine will be a totally different beast. But Royal Enfield has yet to confirm whether the bike will get the new engine. For now, the only other bike that we know will get the 650cc, parallel twin engine apart from the new Interceptor/Continental is the Himalayan.

Render courtesy IAB