Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 vs Interceptor 650 in a drag race: BATTLE of the twins!

The Royal Enfield 650 twins are arguably the best-retrostyled twin-cylinder bikes one can buy in India for around Rs. 3 lakhs. They are powerful, handle nicely, can go for miles without complaining and even have a huge modification potential. The latter is among the reasons why the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 have risen to global acclaim. However, a question has been lingering on a lot of people’s mind regarding the 650 twins, that is, which among the two is better in terms of performance. Well, the video below by Ayush Verma pits both the bikes against each other in a classic drag race to find out the same.

Now before we discuss the results of this drag race and the reasons behind the same, let’s get a few facts right. Both the Continental GT 650 and the Interceptor 650 are powered by the same engine and have the same output as well. The engine used on these bikes is a 648cc, parallel-twin, air-cooled engine that generates a maximum power of 47 Bhp at 7,250 rpm and a peak torque of 52 Nm at 5,250 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed gearbox that is assisted by a slipper clutch.

Now talking about this drag race, it was conducted in two rounds. The first round was a draw, as both the bikes kept going alongside each other up till the speed of around 160 km/h. After that, the Interceptor managed to get ahead by a small margin but that was due to other external factors upon which we will touch upon later. The second round sees both the riders exchanging their bikes so as to maintain a fair result. In this round though, the Continental GT 650 takes the lead since the start which increases as the race proceeds further.

So does this mean that the Continental GT 650 is better in terms of performance than the Interceptor 650? Well, that could be said when speaking strictly of drag races. However, the regular usage and even enthusiastic riding will not yield any differences between both the bikes. The only major difference between these bikes is in their riding triangle and exterior styling.

Now the rider who rides the Continental GT 650 in the second round told at the beginning of the race that he is lighter than the other rider. In bikes which are basically the same, even little bit difference of weight matters substantially. Further, the Royal Enfield Interceptor weighs a good 202 kg while the Continental GT 650 weighs 198 kg. This, along with the weight benefit from the lighter rider in the second round, is the primary reason behind the victory of the Continental GT 650 in the second round. The ability of the riders is always a key point in drag races but let’s consider that the riders were evenly matched in this race and draw an end to it.