Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 SMOKES a Yamaha R3: Surprising result [Video]

The Indian biking scene has grown to be quite exciting since the last couple of years. Almost all major brands are now present in the country and manufacturers are focusing on providing world class performance levels at affordable rates. The latest entry of the Royal Enfield 650 twins and also the Jawa twins have further hottened things up. The Continental GT 650 is a cafe racer themed bike and as been pitched more towards performance. However, how well does it fare against proven performance bikes like the Yamaha YZF-R3. For the same, let’s take a look into this video by Kolkata Rider Arijit and find out how the Japanese technology hold up against Indian performance.

The Yamaha YZF-R3 gets smoked, and badly. The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 shoots like a dart leaving the R3 in dust. While the Continental GT has a clear horsepower advantage of 6.2 Bhp, it is also significantly heavier weighing 198 kg. The R3 has a kerb weight of 169 kg, which is 29 kg less than the other bike. Whether the R3 used in the video is in ideal condition or not is a question that could possibly answer the shocking result, going by this video, the Continental GT 650 is a clear winner over the R3 in terms of outright acceleration.

The Yamaha YZF-R3 is among the best budget twin cylinder performance bike in the country. It is powered by a 321 cc, liquid cooled, twin cylinder engine that churns out 40.8 of power Bhp @ 10,750 along with 29.6 Nm of torque @ 9,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a six speed gearbox. The asking price for the R3 is Rs. 3.49 lakhs ex-showroom Delhi, which is about Rs. 85,000 more than the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.

Talking of which, the Continental GT 650 employs a 648 cc, air/oil cooled, twin cylinder engine that churns out a healthy 47 Bhp of power @ 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm of torque @ 5,250 rpm. The engine is mated to a six speed slipper clutch. If we talk of value for money in terms of sheer engine output, the Conti beats every other bike out there by offering 47 Bhp of power at an asking price of just Rs. 2.65 lakhs, except of course its twin Interceptor that offers the same at Rs. 2.50 lakh.

Also, the race is conducted on a busy, regular road which is quite hazardous and something that should be avoided. Not only it means that one is flouting road rules and putting themselves to risk, such races on busy roads also is a threat to the other road users. Therefore, always avoid doing such antics and if necessary, race in an enclosed road or unused piece of tarmac. A full set of riding gears is also a must, as it can be the element between one’s life and death during a situation involving a crash.