Only a few hours back, we posted a fresh set of spy pics of the upcoming 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT535 Café Racer. Now, our dear reader Maheshwaran Nallaiyan from Belgaum, has shared one more set of pics of the upcoming bike from the South India based bike maker.
The 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT535 Cafe Racer is looking all set to become the fastest production Royal Enfield bike ever. Also, the bike looks poised to become the lightest RE bike of recent times.
The upcoming Continental GT535’s styling has to be the biggest talking point about the bike and we really can’t take our eyes off the Café Racer styled RE.
This isn’t the first time that Royal Enfield is using the Continental GT moniker. The Continental GT250 was the first RE bike to get the Continental GT moniker and was launched way back in 1965. The 2014 Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 aka Royal Enfield Cafe Racer 535 will be a logical successor to the GT250 and will be launched in India in last quarter of 2013.
The upcoming bike will be powered by a single cylinder 535cc UCE engine that will have a bigger throttle body and a larger piston than the 500cc UCE motors. The 535cc mill will also have a remapped ECU and a lighter flywheel. All this should endow the bike with genuine 150 kmph plus top speed. The bike will ride on Pirelli tyres and will have a tubular steel constructed frame. Suspension duties will be taken care of by a set of telescopic forks at front and a pair of Paioli gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. The bike will have disc brakes on both the wheels and will be as much as 15 kilograms lighter than the Thunderbird 500.
The bike could be priced a little higher than INR 2 lakhs.
We really can’t wait to ride the upcoming RE. What about you?
Dear Mike in Australia,
The Continental GT isn’t a case of the same engine in a different frame. The new 535cc engine is different from the existing 500cc engines currently in use – bigger bore and a larger piston.
That said, i do agree with you that this isn’t such a technological marvel after all. When it comes to ‘innovation’, Royal Enfield’s lethargy has always been a minor legend. I would have really been excited to see them re-create the Interceptor with a new Unit-Construction version of their 700cc twin or better still, a 1000!
Royal Enfield have just come up with a second factory. While this is going to boost production and ease those long queues(in India) i sincerely hope that they strengthen their R&D facility and once and for all strap on some guts and dare to think beyond 500cc singles
– Arijit
I love the idea of the Cafe version. However, it is taking an inordinate amount of time to get this bike out to the public. What is taking the time? Its not as though this bike is some technological marvel. It uses the same engine as the existing Bullet with a different frame. What RE needs is a bigger V Twin like the Harley Sportster. That would set the dat among the pigeons! Imagine how long it would take for Royal Enfield to get their act together on that one. RE in Australia is losing existing customers who after owning a Bullet for a few years want a more powerful bike. The Cafe will hardly fill that need. It’s a start but the Cafe is still the same Bullet in different clothes. In addition it has always been possible to convert a standard Bullet to a Cafe via Hitchcocks or a number of other players. Don’t get me wrong it’s great the Royal Enfield are doing something and that we will be able to buy a Cafe off the shelf and all of us RE Club guys here in Aust are looking forward to its arrival but it’s like waiting for Judgement Day…..
Mike
Please don’t buy them in India then, all the more for the Cafe Racer enthusiasts elsewhere in the world. Whilst the Thunderbird sells in India, it would never sell anywhere else. Enfield is making its mark globally with the retro approach, This is exactly the bike needed by Enfield to make its mark and with some tuning, it could make a great “one-make” class bike for some fun racing.
No thanks, I would never like to swing my leg over this dubious contraption.
Royal Enfield’s tryst with the hideous continues !!