Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 to be priced close to the KTM Duke 390?

Royal Enfield has been hinting that the prices of the upcoming Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will be very  competitive. The company wants existing Royal Enfield motorcycle riders to upgrade to the twins and this is one  reason for that. However, a new report suggests that the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 could sit in KTM Duke 390  territory.

According to ZigWheels, the price of the Interceptor 650 will start from Rs. 2.5 lakhs while that of the cafe-racer  styled Continental GT 650 will start from Rs. 2.7 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. In comparison, the KTM Duke 390 is priced  at about 2.26 lakhs. Will the Interceptor 650, a 647cc twin cylinder motorcycles, really be just 10 % pricier than the KTM Duke 390? Well, we’ll find out tomorrow as both new 650cc Royal Enfields get launched.

With report after report claiming a sub-Rs. 3 lakhs price point for both the Interceptor and Continental GT 650  twins, it’ll be a bummer if Royal Enfield decides to surprise everyone by pricing the motorcycles at over Rs. 3 lakhs. Dealers have already begun unofficially taking bookings for the motorcycles. While test drives will begin soon, actual deliveries are expected to happen from early next year.

Both the Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 will be the most advanced motorcycles ever built by the  company. Both motorcycles will use a newly developed 647cc, parallel twin four stroke engine with peak power and peak torque outputs rated at 47 Bhp and 52 Nm. The motor can rev up to over 7,000 rpm, which also means that both the new bikes will be able to hit the 161 Kmph/100 Mph mark.

Expect 0-100 Kph timings of about 7 seconds, making these bikes the fastest Royal Enfields to have ever gone on sale in India. The engine will be paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox equipped with a slipper clutch – another first on a Royal Enfield motorcycle. The parallel twin engine features a 270 degree firing order, and the exhaust note will be a  deep rumble rather than the characteristic thump that’s associated with single cylinder Royal Enfield motorcycles.

Fuel injection, four valve heads and a single overhead camshaft are the other modern bits – for a Royal Enfield – on  the engine. Disc brakes on both wheels will be standard along with dual channel ABS. Both the Interceptor 650 and  Continental GT 650 will get retro styling. The main differentiation between the two motorcycles will be in terms of  styling and ergonomics.