Royal Enfield Australia has announced highly competitive pricing for its new 650cc twins, the Interceptor INT naked and Continental GT cafe racer.
The bikes will be in Aussie dealerships in February and dealers tell us they are already taking record orders. One Brisbane dealer said they had 25 orders, mainly for the Interceptor.
Customers won’t be disappointed in the prices, either.
Rideaway pricing
Interceptor INT 650
- Standard (single colour): $8440
- Custom (two-tone paint): $8640
- Chrome (tank): $8940
Continental GT 650
- Standard: $8640
- Custom: $8840
- Chrome: $9140
Based on US pricing announced at the international launch in September, the Chrome version should have been at least $700 more than the Standard.
To further sweeten the deal, the twins come with a three-year warranty and roadside assist as they have around the world.
The bikes also come with a wide range of accessories with a two-year warranty.
While the twins were originally expected to arrive in Australia in November, strikes in India seem to have set back delivery.
Royal Enfield Asia-Pacific spokesman Vimal Sumbly says sales in Australia have grown from 150 a year to almost 1000 units in the past four years.
“Now with the launch of the Royal Enfield 650 Twins, riders can have all more fun and pure motorcycling joy on both city roads and on highways, Australia becomes one of the most important markets for us amongst International markets,” he says.
Power twins
The twins are powered by an air-cooled parallel-twin 648cc air/oil cooled engine with four valves per cylinder and sitting in a traditional twin-cradle frame.
It produces 35kW at 7250rpm and 52Nm at 5250rpm and has a 270-degree firing interval like the new liquid-cooled Triumph Bonnevilles.
The engine is married to a six-speed gearbox with a slipper clutch and chain drive.
Apart from the parallel twin in a twin cradle frame, the twins feature a lot of other traditional elements.
For example, the suspension is traditional with telescopic forks and twin shocks with five-stage preload adjustment.
Instrumentation is also a traditional twin-pod cluster with analogue speedo and tacho and a small digital screen under the speedo with limited information. There isn’t even a clock.
The Interceptor has a dual bench seat with a traditional sit-up-and-beg riding position and straight bars while the solo-seat Continental GT cafe racer has clip-ons and slightly rear-set footpegs.
Both have traditional twin pipes; the Interceptor in chrome and matte black for the GT.
They come with the traditional single round headlight, chunky indicators and a pod-style taillight, all with bulbs, not LEDs.
Brakes are budget Brembo brand Bybre with a single 320mm twin-piston floating disc at the front and 240mm rear disc with dual channel ABS.
Pirelli developed the tyres for these twins with a 100/90 18 front the rear and 130/70 18 rear.
They have a 793mm seat height, 174mm clearance and a 14-litre fuel tank.
And at a hefty 202kg dry with only 35kW of power it more than comes in under the LAMS power-to-weight ratio limits.
So it will be learner-legal like the rest of the Royal Enfield fleet.
Interceptor and Continental GT tech specs
| Engine | 4 stroke, single overhead cam, air-oil cooled, 648cc parallel twin |
| Displacement | 648cc |
| Bore x Stroke | 78mm x 67.8mm |
| Compression Ratio | 9.5:1 |
| Maximum Power | 35kW (47bhp) @ 7100rpm |
| Maximum Torque | 52Nm @ 4000rpm |
| Ignition system | Digital spark ignition – TCI |
| Clutch | Wet, multi-plate |
| Gearbox | 6 speed |
| Lubrication | Wet sump |
| Fuel management | Fuel injection |
| Engine start | Electric |
Source: MotorbikeWriter.com
