Royal Enfield 650 Twins Launched In India

The Interceptor 650 starts at Rs 2.5 lakh whereas the Continental GT 650’s price starts from 2.65 lakh, both ex-showroom

• The Royal Enfield twins are now the most affordable 650cc motorcycles in India.
• At Rs 2.5 lakh, the Interceptor is just around Rs 80,000  more than the Classic 500 Desert Storm.
• The closest segment rival is the Harley-Davidson Street 750.
• Deliveries to  commence from the end of this month

Royal Enfield has launched the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 in India. The former is priced at Rs 2.5 lakh while the latter commands a price tag of Rs 2.65 lakh. Both ex-showroom prices are for the base ‘Standard’ colour variants. Custom and Chrome colour variants command a slight premium for both the bikes. The prices for the base Interceptor may vary from city to city as Royal Enfield intends to keep the on-road price around Rs 3 lakh.

With such competitive pricing, the two bikes are considerably less expensive than their rival, the Harley-Davidson Street 750. They even undercut the heavily localised Ninja 300 and have become the most affordable twin-cylinder motorcycles to go on sale in India.

Both bikes share the same 648cc, parallel-twin, air and oil-cooled engine that works alongside a 6-speed transmission with assist and slip clutch. With 47.6PS and 53Nm on tap, the motorcycle is powerful enough to sustain triple-digit speeds effortlessly, as we experienced it in our First Ride review.

The two motorcycles also share the same underpinnings: telescopic forks up front and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. Brakes include a 320mm front and 240mm rear disc, with dual-channel ABS as standard.

While the Interceptor 650 features easy-to-reach braced handlebars and upright ergonomics, the Continental GT, being a cafe racer, comes with rear-set footpegs, slightly smaller fuel tank (12.5 litres against Interceptor’s 13.7 litres) and clip-on handlebars for aggressive ergonomics.

Bookings are open and deliveries will commence by the end of this month. The cult brand also offers a range of accessories for the two bikes. You can read all about them here. The two motorcycles come with standard 3 year / 40,000km warranty along with a 3-year Road Side Assistance as well.