Royal Enfield will conduct media drives for the Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 twin cylinder motorcycles later this month in the United States. The media drives are likely to be preceded or followed by the international launch of both motorcycles, which will go on sale in export markets first before making their way into the Indian market. This is a strategy that Royal Enfield followed with the Classic 500, which was first introduced abroad. The Indian launch of the Royal Enfield Interceptor and the Continental GT 650 will happen before the end of the year. The twin cylinder motorcycle range is likely to start from a little under Rs. 3 lakhs in India.
Rudratej Singh, president of Royal Enfield, said,
We are going to be doing a global launch [and] media launch by mid to end September and then we will follow that up with plans to launch in India. There will be an international launch first followed by India. The dates we will come back to you on, but definitely, in this fiscal year you will have the motorcycles – Interceptor and Continental GT riding around in India. We’ve finished our validation pretty much. We just want to make sure we build some inventory so that when you launch it you should have test ride motorcycles available at all your key dealerships, as well as the first buyers should not be waiting indefinitely for too many months to enjoy the Interceptor and the Continental GT 650.
The idea behind such a sharp entry price tag for the twins is to allow existing Royal Enfield motorcycles owners to comfortably upgrade to the new offerings. The brand is working on keeping the new range of twin cylinder motorcycles very accessible. Both motorcycles will debut Royal Enfield’s newly developed 650cc, twin cylinder engine that puts out 47 Bhp and 52 Nm. This engine gets four valve heads run by a single overhead camshaft, making it the most advanced motor to power a modern day Royal Enfield. Fuel injection, air-oil cooling and a 270 degree firing angle are the other salient features of this engine, which will be paired to a 6 speed manual gearbox with a slipper clutch.
The new engine will rev to well over 7,000 rpm, propelling both the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 to speeds in excess of 160 Kmph – the fastest that modern day Royal Enfields have ever gone. To cope with this kind of performance, dual channel ABS will be standard on both motorcycles. The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will share most components including the frame and cycle parts but will be differently styled. While the Interceptor will be a street bike with an upright seating position, the Continental GT will be a cafe racer with rear set foot pegs and clip-on handlebars. The countdown has begun.
Via Auto.NDTV
Also Read: Royal Enfield responds to ANGRY Classic 500 Pegasus owners about Signals Edition