Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650: Launching sooner than expected in India

The India launch of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will happen sooner than expected. Late last month, the launch of these retro motorcycles will slated for December 2018/Early January 2019. Now though, Royal Enfield dealers confirm that the motorcycles will be launched in India during the middle of November 2018.

Jawa Motorcycles will launch 3 new motocycles on the 15th of November 2018, and this is perhaps why Royal Enfield has advanced the launch date of the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. With Mahindra-owned Jawa Motorcycles aiming for a big pie of the retro-motorcycle space with its 300cc range of bikes, it’s in Royal Enfield’s best interest to launch ahead of Jawa to steal some of the latter’s thunder.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have already been launched internationally at very attractive prices. In India, both motorcycles are likely to be very sharply priced, with the Interceptor 659 likelu to start from a little under Rs. 3 lakhs. The Continental GT 650 is expected to be pricier by about Rs. 30,000. Bookings for both bikes will begin after launch. Deliveries could be pushed to only next year though.

Both motorcycles will be powered by the same 647cc, parallel twin four stroke engine. The newly developed air cooled engine will use four valve heads, a single overhead camshaft and fuel injection. Peak power and torque ratings for the motorcycle will be 47 Bhp-52 Nm while a 6 speed manual gearbox with slipper clutch will be standard. The motorcycles will also get dual channel ABS as standard fare.

As for other cycle parts, both motorcycles will use a double cradle frame similar to the one that the Continental GT 535 featured. Designed by Harris Engineering of the UK, which is a company that’s now owned by Royal Enfield, the frame is designed to offer neutral handling. Telescopic front forks and twin gas charged shock absorbers will make for suspension.