After launching the 650 Twins in the USA in the month of September, Royal Enfield is all set to launch the Interceptor & Continental 650 in India. Earlier speculations led us to believe it would be launched next year, however, after confirming with two dealerships, we are happy to inform you that they will be launched by next month in India. Although, an official confirmation about this is still awaited. The Interceptor 650 is a modern classic that features timeless design elements such as a circular headlamp, round tear-drop fuel tank, a single seat and single piece fenders.
The Interceptor is powered by Royal Enfields’ new 648cc parallel-twin cylinder, oil-cooled, 8-valve motor that produces a remarkable 47 bhp of power @ 7,100 rpm and 52 Nm of torque @ 5,200 rpm. This motor allows the bike to cruise comfortably between 100 km/hr to 130 km/hr with ease thanks to its abundance of torque available higher up in the rev range. According to our sources in the industry, it can do a top speed which is north of 160 km/hr. This brilliant motor comes mated to a 6-speed transmission that gets a slipper clutch as standard.
The Interceptor 650 rides on 18-inch wire-spoke wheels that come wrapped in 130 mm wide Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp bias ply tires at the rear and the same tires at the front but with a width of 100 mm. Braking has been taken care of by a single 320mm disc at the front and a 240 mm disc at the rear, it also gets dual channel ABS as standard. Though the Interceptor is quite the mile muncher, with a fuel tank capacity of just 13.7-litres we don’t expect it to cover a great amount of distance before wanting to refuel.
The Continental GT, on the other hand, has an even smaller 12.5-litre fuel tank that may share the same outcome as the Interceptor. While the Interceptors 650 weighs in at 202 kgs, the Continental 650, on the other hand, weighs in at a lighter 197 kgs. Both of these motorcycles use a steel tubular double cradle chassis which is mated to twin gas-charged shocks at the rear and a 41 mm telescopic forks at the front.
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The Royal Enfield Twins’ were launched in the United States for a price of $ 5,999 for the Continental and $5,799 for the Interceptor. That being said, our sources indicate that Ex-showroom prices could be well below INR 3 lakh, which should make it extremely mouthwatering and sure to sell like hotcakes. However, due to a workers strike affecting many auto manufacturers, which also includes RE, it could very well lead to the actual delivery of these motorcycles to be delayed to a much later date. Do stick around for further updates on what Royal Enfield does next.