Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 to get Rs. 5,000 price hikes

From the 1st of September, 2019, Royal Enfield is likely to hike prices of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. Both motorcycles are expected to see a price hike of around Rs. 5,000. Both motorcycles will continue to remain very well priced though, and cheaper than almost every other comparable twin cylinder motorcycle sold in India including the likes of the Harley Davidson 750s and the Triumph Street Twins.

Even smaller engined twin cylinder motorcycles such as the Kawasaki Ninja 300 and the Yamaha R3 are a lot pricier than the Royal Enfield twins. Notably, the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have been outselling the 500cc single cylinder engined motorcycles from Royal Enfield thanks to their excellent pricing. These bikes have also been dominating the Rs. 2 lakh+ segment, outselling the likes of the KTM 390s, the TVS Apache RR 310 and even the Honda CB 300R.

Meanwhile, here are the revised prices of the Royal Enfield twins that will come into effect from September 1st, 2019, courtesy GaadiWaadi.

The Royal Enfield 650cc twins are not just selling well in India but have also been making waves in international markets. The motorcycles form a part of Royal Enfield’s strategy to dominate the mid-segment motorcycle space. The 650 twins are all-new motorcycles that use a newly developed 647cc, four stroke twin cylinder air-oil cooled engine that makes 47 Bhp of peak power at 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm of peak torque at 5,250 rpm. The engine is paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox with a slipper clutch offered as standard.

The engine is extremely refined and is known for its vibe free nature across most part of the rev range except the very top. Fuel injection, four valve heads and a single overhead camshaft are offered on the bikes. The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 get telescopic front forks and gas charged shock absorbers, and are eequipped with a double cradle frame developed by Harris Engineering of the UK – a motorcycle frame specialist that Royal Enfield has now acquired.

Royal Enfield has begun testing the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms compliant Interceptor and Continental GT 650s. The BS6 compliant bikes could see another price hike to account for the costlier emission control equipment. The entire range of Royal Enfield motorcycles are likely to meet the BS6 norms early next year, and the likes of the UCE 350 and 500 powered bikes such as the Classic, Thunderbird and Bullet range are likely to move to a brand new platform. The new platform will see major engineering changes as well. Expect better refinement levels, more power and torque, and also refreshed styling in the new bikes.