Soon, go tubeless on Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650

Yes, Royal Enfield is planning to introduce alloy wheels as an option for the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650,  which means that owners and buyers of these motorcycles can choose to run tubeless tyres on these bikes. Currently, the Royal Enfield twins are offered only with spoked wheels and tubed tyres. Tubed tyres have lower puncture tolerance, and also are more prone to blowouts at higher speeds due to punctures. This makes them less safer than tubeless tyres, which lose air more gradually, allowing for better control even in case of a puncture.

Also, repairing a puncture is much easier on a tubeless tyre than on a tubed tyre, which makes it a very convenient  option for touring, especially in situations when riders need to work on the puncture on their own. The only Royal  Enfield motorcycles that offer tubeless tyres currently are the Thunderbird 350X and 500X. All other motorcycles,  including the flagship Twins run tubed tyres and spoked wheels. Factory approved alloy wheels are accessories that  Royal Enfield 650 twin riders will be eagerly looking forward to.

Also, factory approved alloy wheels means stronger wheels that can actually withstand the forces that Indian roads  throw at it. In fact, there have been many incidents where aftermarket alloy rims, which are of poor quality,  cracking and leading to serious crashes. A factory approved alloy wheel, which goes through rigorous testing, is expected to greatly reduce such safety issues, if not totally eliminate it. Also, warranty will be intact, which is another important consideration for most owners.

The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have the maximum number of accessories offered by Royal Enfield. The brand seeks to position both motorcycles at highly customizable motorcycles, and this explains the wide range of  accessories that are already available, and the slew of accessories that will be offered soon. Also, aftermarket  sources have begun developing a range of accessories for the twins, and these include free flow exhausts, crash  guards, pannier mounts and so on.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are among the most affordable motorcycles in the twin cylinder engined segment. Both bikes use a newly developed 647cc, parallel twin motor that gets a 270 degree firing angle for a distinct exhaust rumble. The motor is a mild state of tune, and makes 47 Bhp-52 Nm. Four valve heads operated by a single overhead camshaft, air-oil cooling and fuel injection are standard features of this engine,  which also gets a 6 speed manual gearbox with a slipper clutch as standard fare. Prices of the Interceptor start from  Rs. 2.37 lakhs while those of the Cointintal GT start from Rs. 2.49 lakhs.