EICMA 2017: Royal Enfield unveils new 650 twins

Following on from the unveiling of its new 648cc, air/oil-cooled parallel-twin in the UK earlier this week, Indian manufacturer Royal Enfield has debuted the two new models the engine will call home at the opening day of the 2017 EICMA motorcycle show in Milan, Italy.

Before a packed stand of international media, the new Interceptor 650 Twin roadster and Continental GT 650 Twin café racer drew plenty of interest and indeed admiration, as the two siblings thrust the brand into yet another era for the world's oldest motorcycle manufacturer to remain in continuous production.

Turn back the clock
Sharing both the same engine and rolling chassis, the Interceptor 650 Twin and Continental GT 650 Twin evoke the zeitgeist of models from Royal Enfield's halcyon past. The original Interceptor was an evolution of the many Royal Enfield twins that had gone before it and was in production in the UK from 1960 to 1970, while the first Continental GT – a 250cc model that was the factory's answer to calls from its younger employees to give them a true café racer with performance and just the essentials – arrived in 1965 with a fibreglass tank, clip-ons and rear-set foot pegs.

The new 648cc parallel-twin is fuel injected and has four valves per cylinder. The single overhead cam design also sees the unit adopt a six-speed gearbox with slip-assist clutch and a 270-degree crank, which Royal Enfield says delivers a broad spread of torque and a characterful note.

The factory claims the engine produces 47hp at 7100rpm and 52Nm at 4000rpm, giving an appreciable boost over the marque's 500cc singles. Royal Enfield claims dry weights of 202kg and 198kg for the Interceptor 650 Twin and Continental GT 650 Twin respectively.

Indian juggernaut
The two twins are the latest salvo from a manufacturer with serious momentum at present. Royal Enfield has enjoyed a 16-fold increase in sales in the last eight years, with production of 50,000 bikes in its Chennai facilities in 2010 set to reach a staggering 800,000 units by the end of 2017.

It recently opened a third production facility in Chennai earlier this year, while its new UK Technical Centre, based at the Bruntingthorpe proving ground in the British Midlands, is a purpose-built affair bristling with the latest in design technology. The centre already employs over 125 staff.

World domination
Royal Enfield CEO, Siddartha Lal, said the company was intent on nothing less than world domination of the middleweight motorcycle category.

"Our success has come from creating this mid-size motorcycle market in India," he said.

"In other parts of the world too, but the bulk of it has been from India. And from that enormous success, that's the starting point of what we want to do – and our ambition is to lead and expand the mid-size motorcycle market in the world. We think there is a huge opportunity for middleweights and that's the starting point of all this.

"It might take five years, 10 years, 20 years – it doesn’t matter – but we want to lead middleweights across the world in every market."

Company President, Rudy Singh, said Royal Enfield has tapped into a desire for fun, accessible machines that get back to the simplicity of grassroots motorcycling.

"In my personal view, I believe that in these markets where there is a strong motorcycling sensibility for enthusiasts, that motorcycles have possibly become too extreme," he said.

"I believe that while there is a love for motorcycling, there is not enough motorcycling happening because motorcycles have become too extreme for real day-to-day utility. And I believe that's what we've seen happening with Royal Enfield across all the developed markets – we're opening up a segment where enthusiasts feel that with Royal Enfield they can enjoy pure motorcycling, more often.

"That's why we believe that this combination we've got working for us is going to work in both developing and developed markets."

Fun, easy ride
According to Mark Well (pictured below, far right), Royal Enfield's Head of Product Strategy and Industrial Design, the Interceptor 650 Twin harks back to the Interceptors of '60s – bikes produced to appeal to the massive US market.

"With this product we really wanted to capture the essence, the fun, the confidence that came from those bikes," he said.

"But we didn't want to make a pastiche or a poor copy – we wanted something that was modern and up to date and useable for our customers … we made a bike that's very accessible, that's very easy to ride, very fun to ride, nimble, agile, and we're super-pleased with what we've got from it."

The Continental GT 650 Twin, meanwhile, takes its cues from the café racers of the 1950s and '60s, when the young Brits of the post-war era were seeking an avenue of self-expression.

Mr Wells said the new Continental GT 650 Twin represents an evolution of the marque's single-cylinder Continental GT.

"We wanted to evolve the bike; we wanted to give it a little bit more go, we changed the proportion of it a little bit – we've lowered the stance, we've brought the rider forward and shortened the tank," he said.

"We've worked really hard on the details, so things like the top yoke we've put a lot of love and care into to make sure that looks just right, and we're really pleased with the outcome. It looks similar [to the Continental GT single], but about 95 per cent of the parts are brand new."

Mr Wells said the two new models would take the brand's offering to the next level.

"With both of these bikes we're trying to create something for people who love the brand but who need that little but extra," he said.

"They want something more from it; they love our classics but perhaps they don't do quite what they want from them, and we're trying to give them options – we're offering the same bike in two interesting and evocative flavours."

Dazzling debut
Based purely on their styling, Royal Enfield really has raised the bar with the Interceptor 650 Twin and Continental GT 650 Twin. From the lustrous paint of either model to the Interceptor 650 Twin's gorgeous tank badge, from the Continental GT 650 Twin's gloss-black rims to the sheer detail of the new parallel-twin engine, the models elicited a strong and overwhelmingly favourable response from the crowd at EICMA, the reaction boding well for future sales.

Of course, this brand has always prided itself on its accessible pricing as much as it has its accessible bikes, and pricing is yet to be announced for either of these models, which the company says will start hitting dealerships around the world from April 2018.

While that pricing will be crucial to their success in an increasingly cut-throat market brimming with quality retro options, it seems the latest chapter in Royal Enfield's long history looks set to see it ride its current wave of success well into the future.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 specifications:
ENGINE
Type: Air/oil-cooled, SOHC, eight-valve, four-stroke parallel-twin
Capacity: 648cc
Bore x stroke: 78mm x 67.8mm
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 47hp (34.6kW) at 7100rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 52Nm at 4000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Tubular steel double cradle
Front suspension: 41mm fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, adjustable for preload
Front brakes: Single 320mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 240mm disc with single-piston caliper
Tyres: Pirelli – 100/90-18 front, 130/70-18 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 202kg
Seat height: 804mm
Length: 2122mm
Fuel capacity: 13.7 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: TBA
Colours: Orange Crush, Ravishing Red or Silver Spectre
Web: www.royalenfield.com.au

Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 specifications:
ENGINE
Type: Air/oil-cooled, SOHC, eight-valve, four-stroke parallel-twin
Capacity: 648cc
Bore x stroke: 78mm x 67.8mm
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 47hp (34.6kW) at 7100rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 52Nm at 4000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Tubular steel double cradle
Front suspension: 41mm fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, adjustable for preload
Front brakes: Single 320mm disc with twin-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Rear brake: Single 240mm disc with single-piston caliper, ABS equipped
Tyres: Pirelli – 100/90-18 front, 130/70-18 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 198kg
Seat height: 790mm
Length: 2122mm
Fuel capacity: 12.5 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: TBA
Colours: Ice Queen, Sea Nymph or Black Magic
Web: www.royalenfield.com.au