Ride impressions of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

In India when we talk about performance nakeds under the 4 lakhs price mark, the first bike that comes to our mind is the KTM Duke 390. However, now there’s a bike which potentially, can be a threat to the ever so popular Duke. The bike that I’m talking about is a parallel twin machine coming out of the Royal Enfield’s stable. Yes, you guessed it right, the Continental GT 650.

I had heard about the engine a lot, but never got the chance to experience it. Day before yesterday, finally I got that golden opportunity and boy I was left speechless. The way this engine (650cc parallel twin) revs, I forgot for a sec that it was a Royal Enfield!

Prior to this, like everybody else, I was eyeing on the Duke 390 as the best all rounded package in this price range, but not anymore. The GT starts to pulls from as low as 1750rpm all the way to its red line and that pull is just relentless. There is a bucket load of torque right up till 7000rpm (the bike had its first serve done).

Agreeable that Duke flicks better due to the lesser kerb weight, has a sharper steering geometry, better suspensions overall, still GT manages to impress you with its amazing engine. Yes, I agree on the fact that GT feels heavy in the corners, the front is loose and dives quite a bit under hard braking. Also I experienced a little bit of brake fade after a few hard braking sessions, but the bike has clocked a mere 1000kms, so it’s a bit early to judge on that front. So, till now it seems that the GT isn’t as polished or fun to ride as the Duke, especially when we compare the suspension settings of both the bikes.

However, there are certain things that are really outstanding about the GT, like the slipper clutch is bang on and works flawlessly. Another key mention here would be the undeniable fact that this engine is so tractable, whether you’re ambling around in city limits or carving out corners in twisties, the motor always feels adequate and packs enough grunt. So, you don’t have to shift more often and when you do, the light clutch and positive feel from the gear box gives a reassuring feeling. The Bosch EFI unit works like a charm.

Also, unlike other Enfields, the 650 has set some new benchmarks in terms of refinement. Personally, I never saw that coming out of the Royal Enfield’s stable. No heating issues what so ever, the quality of the materials is also good. A few niggles here and there, but overall the bike feels solid. And last but not the least, the clip-ons, which are a bit raised when compared to the GT 535 along with the rear set foot pegs provide you front biased riding stance which increases the sportiness of the ride. Also keeping in mind that it’s a Royal Enfield after all, so the spare parts availability won’t be an issue and in case of a breakdown, it won’t be much of a hassle either. Another major advantage of café racers is that they’re barebones in terms of design and body work which means that the list of aftermarket accessories and options will be in oodles.

So, all in all we can say that there are many points going in favour of the GT like the bike is fun to ride, has a strong and meaty engine, ride and feel is reassuring, the stunning refinement along with the fact that it is the only parallel twin café racer that sits at a price tag of 3.5 lakhs. And now that Ohlins have found the remedy to the only problem which was plaguing this bike from being the true blue café racer, I can finally stretch out my neck and say, it’s the only bike you’ll ever need!

Soumil Dey - Author