Royal Enfield Continental GT 650: Check it out in race ready form

Royal Enfield markets the Continental GT650 as a cafe racer: a motorcycle that is primarily intended to short weekly spins and everyday commutes. The race track is some place that the Continental GT 650 can hit once in a while but it’s not really a motorcycle intended for that. If Royal Enfield does develop a race-spec version of the Continental GT 650 in future, here’s what it could look like. Called the Endurance Racer, this render is from Italian rendering artist Oberdan Bezzi. And it actually makes the Continental GT 650 look very racy.

Virtually everything about the Endurance Racer Continental GT 650 is new save for the engine, and some part of the frame. The frame of the race-spec bike gets a new subframe that totally changes the stance of the motorcycle into something that’s sporty, aggressive and focused. Key bits on the motorcycle include a full fairing, a new fuel tank, split seats, monoshock suspension, upside down front suspension, alloy wheels, a 2 in 1 exhaust and racing slick tyres.

While Royal Enfield is unlikely to build such a motorcycle in the near future, never say never. Meanwhile, this render should give custom motorcycle builders across the world ideas, and maybe someone will end up creating a similar design with the Continental GT 650. Already, there have been track focused custom jobs around the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650, like this one here.

Existing owners of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 who want a sportier, racier look for their motorcycles can opt for something less radical, and more practical. A Thailand-based custom motorcycle parts maker is now selling hand-made plexiglass fairings for the Continental GT 650. You can contact him here.

Later this month, Royal Enfield is expected to hike prices of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650, which has received tremendous response not just in India but in markets around the world. Apart from finding a whole lot of new buyers for the brand, who’d previously never have considered it, the twins have spawned a big aftermarket and customizers. The sharp pricing of both the bikes, and high levels of refinement and quality are the main reasons for the excellent sales performance of the bikes. While the Interceptor 650 is the bigger selling bike thanks to its everyday ergonomics, the Continental GT has a more closely knit fan following who want something retro yet sporty for everyday riding. Such people won’t opt for the likes of the Yamaha R3 or the TVS Apache RR 310 but instead settle for a sporty yet retro motorcycle.