[Viju]

Royal Enfield is on a roll and how! For fans of the single cylinder thumpers, the good news is that its café racer model named Continental GT will go on sale in showrooms later this year. The bike was first displayed during the Auto Expo 2010 and is now ready to hit the market 3 years later. The retro design is spot on and features some tasty specs as well.

Royal Enfield Continental GT Café Racer highlights:

• Fuel Injected 535cc, air-cooled single, unit construction engine. Higher revving due to re-mapped ECU and lighter flywheel

• The Continental GT will be the fastest and most powerful production Royal Enfield motorcycle

• 15 Kg lighter than the Thunderbird 500

• Improved handling as a result of new tubular steel double down-tube and cradle design for the chassis

• Chunky Paioli developed gas shocks at the rear with Pirelli tyres

• Serious stopping power with Single full-floating Brembo front disc and ByBre single disc at the rear

The Continental GT features styling that is reminiscent of the original 250cc Continental GT launched in 1965! The original bike was described to have "a big-bore carb, swept-back exhaust, clip-on bars, humpy racing seat, and a right-red fuel tank in glass-fiber with the Royal Enfield name in white letters". Royal Enfield has stuck to the template and a good thing too. The Continental GT will sit right at the top of Royal Enfield's range and will be expensive as well (The Thunderbird 500 cc already approaches the Rs. 2 Lakh mark).

While newer and more modern motorcycles can be had at the price, Royal Enfield has marketed its motorcycles brilliantly. The new Unit Construction Engine (UCE) has been well received and senior officials have indicated that there is a lot more that can be done with the engine. Royal Enfield sold 75,000 units in 2011 and is targeting sales of 150,000 units in 2013, with exports at around 7500 units. A supply bottleneck, quality niggles and long waiting periods for its motorcycles have been a bug bear over the last couple of years. This will be taken care of this year, as its second manufacturing unit at Oragadam near Chennai begins production.

[safari_lover]

Here's a ride report for the RE Cafe Racer which has been branded as the Continental GT, by Mr. Siddhartha Lal, CEO, RE.

http://www.ndtv.com/photos/news/the-...-14914/slide/1












The bike is to be launched later this year.

I have to say it looks awesome. This could be my first RE, sometime in future

[enfield_500]

Wow! Looks amazing! I already want one. Have they released any official performance figures?

[vinair]

Coming soon from Royal Enfield - the Continental GT!!! Got the looks, seriously!!

Further Reading - http://www.autocarindia.com/News/338...cer-spied.aspx

http://www.ndtv.com/photos/news/the-...ome-topstories

[Visaster]

Its a nice looking bike. RE is launching bike after bike with questionable quality control. Seems like they are rushing in to capitalize on the existing crazy before someone steels their thunder.
A good weekend rider it will be. Looks good on pictures, waiting to see and ride the real deal.

[lordrayden]

Wonder if Bentley Motors Limited will have anything to say about this bike's name .

[alpha1]

Looks pretty snazzy, and may put the Enfield back on to the map of "powerful bikes".

Fuel Injected 535cc, air-cooled single, unit construction engine. Higher revving due to re-mapped ECU and lighter flywheel

How about Enfield trying to build a bike with SUPER LOW revving, and real heavy flywheel like a tractor. But with modern reliability and technologies?

There is still a considerable market of Enfield buyers who want it to perform like a real cruiser.

[t3ofil4us]

This is fantastic news!
But i just hope the Build quality that RE were famous for in the past decades is present.
A Lot of my Pals have been bickering about suspect build quality, like footrests being imbalanced, leaky Fuel tanks and suspect welds.
Promising ,I say Looks, power and brakes - its got it all.

[tharian]

I always wanted a 535 CI which was at one time the most powerful Enfield. Before I could come across one for sale, I picked up a 500 CI.
Now this seems to be a chance for me to get my hands on a 535 yet again.

From the looks of it and from what the TB500 is priced, this should cost little above 2.5L. I only hope it is a reliable bike like the ones Enfield sold in 2002-08 and I wouldn't mind going for it.

If I remember right from reading an article on this bike in the export markets, it makes around 38bhp which is awesome for an Enfield single bore.

[miles_hungry]

Looks awesome, but the foot pegs for the pillion doesn't look good. I wonder if anybody would like to put a rear seat on this beauty, as many do on the classic. Also any info about the torque and power outputs would be great.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by miles_hungry

Looks awesome, but the foot pegs for the pillion doesn't look good. I wonder if anybody would like to put a rear seat on this beauty, as many do on the classic. Also any info about the torque and power outputs would be great.

36ps is what I know of the export cafe racer. Torque figures are unknown.

[cataclysm]

Wow! That is great news and looks awesome. I wouldn't mind trading my CL500 for this! RE is on a roll.

[apachelongbow]

If RE is getting 38bhp from the 500 then they have finally reached 2013. Finally a half liter displacement is giving out decent figures.
However, I am not sure if the solidly mounted motor, spinning at high revs, produces a very comfortable bike, I hope RE has rubber mounted the damn thing

[bharat.joshi]

On the positive step, it is good to see RE finally launching some products for the more sporty side of the clientele. Will definitely add more variety to a company whose entire brand image relies on nostalgia and retro reincarnations.

On the negative side, NOTHING NEW. With the Continental GT it seems like RE want to take a tried and tested path while investing in the least amount of R&D. In my personal opinion, this is Royal Enfield displaying its usual laziness in creating a new motorcycle. A disappointing thought indeed about a company which claims to be the "oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the world".

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by bharat.joshi

In my personal opinion, this is Royal Enfield displaying its usual laziness in creating a new motorcycle.

Being lazy and creating new motorcycles has never been something you can accuse RE of.

In the 10+ years I have been an RE owner, they have manufactured and sold 3 engine platforms.

Its the quality and parts and service backup which you can justly accuse them of.

Not to mention nearly non-existent improvement on performance over 10 years and 3 engine platforms.