BREAKING: Royal Enfield 650 Twins Updated With Alloy Wheels And More

Almost a month after launching it overseas, the updated Royal Enfield 650 twins have now made their way to India. Here’s everything you need to know about these retro beauties.

What’s The Price? Who Are Its Rivals?

Prices for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 now begin from Rs 3,03,000, while the Continental GT 650 is priced from Rs 3,19,000 onwards, both ex-showroom India. They, hence, go up against the Kawasaki Z650RS. Price-wise, the bikes go up against the KTM 390 Duke. 

How Many Variants Are There?

Here’s a lowdown on all the variants on sale for the 650 twins. 

The price hikes, as is evident, are substantial. The brand has also discontinued the Baker Express, Downtown Drag, Orange Crush and Ventura Blue colour schemes on the Interceptor 650. The Continental GT 650, meanwhile, loses the Ventura Storm colourway.

What's New?

Along with alloys, both the Royal Enfield bikes also get a few more upgrades that make them more modern. To begin with, the bikes now get an LED headlight, which looks to be the same unit seen on the Super Meteor 650. Accompanying it is a USB charger on the left switchgear, along with rotary style switches, like the Meteor 350, Classic 350 and the Hunter 350, to bring a retro touch to an otherwise youthful update.

Royal Enfield has draped both the bikes in new colourways – Black Ray, Cali Green, Barcelona Blue and Black Pearl on the Interceptor 650, out of which the last one is customisable under the brand’s MiY programme. The Continental GT 650, meanwhile, gets two new colourways: Slipstream Blue and Apex Grey. Complementing these youthful shades is the blacked-out powertrain, underpinnings and exhausts, giving the bikes a lovely, stealthy touch.

While both bikes still run on 18-inch wheels, the Interceptor 650 sticks with  CEAT tyres. The sportier Continental GT 650 now comes shod with Vredestein Centauro ST tyres. In fact, the retro racer’s rear is now a radial unit. The elephant(s) in the room are unfortunately the bikes now. Tipping the scales at 218kg kerb, the Interceptor 650 is nearly 6kg heavier than before. The Continental GT 650 too, is 2kg heavier than before, now weighing at 214kg. 

Talking about the heart of the bikes, the charming 648cc parallel-twin mill is now OBD 2-compliant and its tune has been slightly changed. It still makes 47.45PS at 7250rpm (150rpm higher), but torque has gone up by 0.3Nm, to 52.3Nm. One final bit on the new bikes are updated brake and clutch levers. While they’re not adjustable units, the brand does offer them as accessories. 

What's Unchanged?

The bikes’ overall design and underpinnings haven’t been tinkered with. Both bikes look as gorgeous as ever, but now with an extra dash of sportiness.

What Should Have Been Changed?

While these updates are appreciated, we wish the dual-pod instrument console was made a bit more modern too. While it looks gorgeously retro, the digital inset could’ve been given more information like a gear position indicator. 

ZigSays

Yes, the price hike is undoubtedly steep. But what you get for the extra buck is a whole lot of extra goodies and the 650 twins are definitely a whole lot more modern than before. Bookings for the bikes are open across all Royal Enfield stores.