Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

Royal Enfield’s recently introduced 650 twins come in two flavours: the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650. What’s the difference, you ask? The answer’s simple: looks. Well, mostly anyway. The Interceptor harks after its predecessor from the Sixties with its classic looks and lines, and the Continental GT, says Royal Enfield, captures the spirit of its Continental GT 250 from the Fifties.

Both bikes are mechanically identical in almost every way, but don’t pay too much attention to the Continental GT’s name: it isn’t a GT, nor is it something you’d necessarily choose to cross a continent on (perhaps several counties). The truth is, the Continental GT 650 is actually a “café racer” – a lightweight motorcycle designed for speed rather than comfort. If you had a KTM 1290 Super Duke GT in mind, then think more along the lines of Triumph’s Thruxton R and you’ll be much closer to the mark.

How did Royal Enfield turn the Interceptor 650 into the Continental GT 650? It replaced the wide handlebars with a set of clip-ons, changed the shape of the tank, replaced the bench seat with a single-seat unit and moved the footpegs backwards. More or less, that’s all it took. You’d be mistaken, though, if you thought such simple changes resulted only in visual differences. The truth is, they are not only different to look at, but also very different to ride. The Interceptor 650’s a relaxed sit-up-and-beg affair, whereas the Continental GT 650 has a much more focused riding position.

Corners are attacked rather than wafted through, straight roads are flown rather than floated down, and you’ll move around more on the seat to pull all sorts of funky shapes while you’re at it. It really manages to brings out the racer in you. Does it capture the spirit of the Continental GT 250? It sure does, and not just in the performance stakes: we’d go so far as to say it completely captures the spirit of café racers as a whole.

But here’s the thing: while the Continental GT 650 is truly a café racer by looks, it isn’t one by ergonomics. And that’s a very good thing. Royal Enfield has been clever and here’s how: look closely and you’ll notice those clip-on handlebars are actually mounted on risers. Study even more closely and you’ll notice that while those footpegs may have moved rearwards, they’re still mounted fairly low, and the distance from the seat to the bars is not completely raked out. Why? On all fronts, to keep it as comfy as possible. This isn’t a café racer that’ll wreck your wrists or destroy your knees after just 20 minutes. Actually, you’ll be able to do 200 miles on it without really noticing. It’s as if Royal Enfield has taken a leaf out of Ducati’s Scrambler Café Racer’s book, but done it at half the price and with twice the coolness. Does the comfort kill its ability to be a café racer? Not at all.

And it’s not like the Continental GT is impractical either. It might look fairly barebones, but you can accommodate a passenger on the back – it actually has pillion pegs – and the frame provides plenty of anchorage for strapping on a bag or two for a weekend away or even just a city commute. It’s still got the steering lock of the Interceptor 650, so threading your way through city traffic is a breeze. Like we said, this is a very clever little motorcycle, a visual trick in every sense. And the mechanicals back it up. Just like the Interceptor 650, there’s 55hp on tap, a linear torque curve, decent brakes, sufficient suspension and quality tyres. The blacked-out wire-spoke rims really sign it all off.

Source gq-magazine.co.uk