Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Vs KTM 390 Duke drag race: Who wins?

Royal Enfield shocked the automotive fraternity with the surprise price of the Interceptor and the Continental GT 650 in the Indian market. The all-new Interceptor is now the most-affordable twin-cylinder bike available in the Indian market. Royal Enfield has received an overwhelming response for both the 650cc powered bikes in the Indian market. The price of the Interceptor even undercuts the price of the KTM 390 Duke. But how do they compete against each other in a drag race? Here’s a video that shows just that.

The video has been shot on the public roads and we do not endorse any such kind of speed tests on the public roads. This video is just to indicate how different both the bikes are on the road and how engine displacement necessarily meaning higher speed or acceleration.

Both the bikes can be seen starting off on a service lane of a road. As soon as the bike starts the drag race on the third horn, the Duke 390 lurches forward to take the lead. The Royal Enfield Continental GT follows it closely and starts gaining speed. The speedometer-indicated speed of the KTM 390 can be seen clearly and it is well above the 100 km/h and closing on in the 150 km/h mark. The Royal Enfield Continental GT can be seen closing in on the Duke 390 before the road merges with the main road and they stop the race. It is definite that the top-speed of the Royal Enfield Continental GT is slightly higher than the KTM 390 Duke and if the road was any long, the Royal Enfield would have overtaken it.

The KTM 390 Duke is a very powerful bike and is extremely popular in the segment, especially among the enthusiasts. The high-revving engine of the KTM 390 Duke ensures that it gets the maximum power and torque quicker than the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650. The KTM 390 Duke is powered by a 373.2cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine that generates a maximum power of 43 Bhp at 9,000 rpm and 37 Nm of peak torque at 7,000 rpm. It gets a 6-speed transmission with slipper clutch.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is powered by 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 produces maximum power and torque at a much lower RPM but the free-revving KTM engine ensures that the engine reaches the maximum rpm quicker. Even the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 gets slipper clutch but it does not help much with the acceleration.

The higher power on paper ensures that the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 attains a higher speed on the road but the engine takes time to reach the desired rpm to churn out all the available power. Also, weight is one major factor differentiating both the bikes. The KTM 390 Duke weighs only 163 kg while the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 weighs 198 kg.