Continental GT and the Upcoming Himalayan: Royal Enfield’s Image Makeover

Royal Enfield is clearly getting ready to soon launch the Himalayan, the all new motorcycle from the company, and enthusiasts around the country are warming up for it. Seemingly different from the ground up, the Himalayan is going to be Royal Enfield’s most important launch ever.

Yet, if we look back slightly, we realize that Royal Enfield has been experimenting with their motorcycle lineup and having an image makeover of sorts. Over the past years, they upgraded to better engines with the introduction of UCE and updated their Thunderbird models with new suspension, swing-arm and headlight assembly turning them into better motorcycles compared to their previous iterations. Slow, small and incremental steps, but progressive nonetheless.

Couple of years ago, a launch of a particular motorcycle brought great attention to RE, both from domestic and international markets. That motorcycle was Continental GT, the newest and the most different motorcycle the company has produced since decades.

The Continental GT has since been selling well and is a decent success story. The most noticeable and unique thing about the GT is its Café Racer styling. Minimal bodywork, rider only seat, low and narrow clip-ons, rear-set foot-pegs and slim between the legs. It is a complete departure from the typical Royal Enfield design language. The only sportbike RE has produced, and it happens to be a Café Racer.

But go deep and there are only surprises to find. From the fuel tank to the rider-only seat and to the tail section, GT’s design is unique. Look closer and it is revealed that the frame is an all new unit as well. The frame or the chassis is designed by Harris Performance (of UK) who specialize in the manufacturing of chassis and various motorcycle parts. The frame is a double cradle unit designed for nimble and involving handling characteristics, a trait which isn’t really a part of RE motorcycles. Then the front suspension is a setup of 41mm telescopic forks while at the rear, there’s a pair of Paoli gas filled shockers.

Tyres are new, Pirelli Sport Demon, front and rear and so is the Brembo brake system with a 300mm disc at front and a 240mm disc at the rear. The engine is the most powerful in the company’s current lineup. It is a UCE 535cc single cylinder producing 29.1bhp @ 5100rpm and 44nm torque @ 4000rpm. It has lighter flywheel for lesser weight and remapped ecu for overall better acceleration and performance.

Numbers and hardware aside, Continental GT is the most impressive motorcycle to ride among its siblings. The handling, especially, is something that comes across as a nice surprise and makes the whole riding experience very interesting as initially it is hard to believe that a Royal Enfield motorcycle can handle that good. It does, really. Indeed, the initial reaction could make it look better than it is. Tyres and brakes all contribute to the handling dynamics of the motorcycle and being from renowned manufacturers, they perform as good we would expect them to.

All these things combined make the Continental GT the best RE to ride till date. Since the engine is the most powerful unit, it reflects on the road as well. The Continental GT is the fastest motorcycle from the Chennai based company.

However, it isn’t devoid of a typical trait that has come to get associated with RE motorcycles as character, unfortunately. Vibrations are there as if they are an integral part of the whole package and they get pretty unbearable around the triple digit mark. Also, it feels like the chassis could handle more power which, ironically, can make GT appear underpowered. Then again, this is a complement to its awesome chassis and suspension package.

Over the past year, it has been discovered that Royal Enfield is working on two new engine platforms, 410cc and a 650/750cc, for both Indian and International markets. Their upcoming motorcycle, Himalayan, is likely to come with the former. It is the first adventure motorcycle from the company and apparently the first of its kind made by an Indian manufacturer (Hero Impulse doesn’t count.. tsk tsk Honda). Latest spy-shots are as clear as they can be and it is confirmed that this would completely new motorcycle by RE built from the ground up. With possibly a non UCE engine having a counter balancer for the first time is sure to turn it into a smooth unit. What’s more, it has a mono-suspension at the rear which looks like a link-type setup.

Royal Enfield is bent on changing their image and they want to penetrate the market deeper with new and exciting motorcycles. Things look promising without doubt.

Image Courtesy: MOTOROIDS