Late last month, famous South India based motorcycle maker Royal Enfield launched the much anticipated Continental GT aka Cafe Racer in India. The Royal Enfield Continental GT India launch happened only a couple of months after the bike’s Europe debut and the India-spec CGT looks like a fine machine. It’s the first motorcycle from the world’s oldest bike manufacturer to have been built from the grounds u in a very long time. We spent a couple of days with the new kid on the block and while we were easily the first Indian online portal to come up with a first-ride review of the new bike (click here to go to our first ride review), here we are again, to present before you a more detailed report on the latest RE.
So what is a Cafe Racer?
The term ‘cafe racer’ is certainly new to India and going by the number of people that have been asking us about this ‘new’ style of bikes, it seems like only the most clued-in bike aficionados understand the Cafe Racer lineage. Nothing too surprising, especially if you consider that Cafe Racer styled bikes have been conspicuous by their absence in our country and it is the very first time that such a bike has been made available in the mass market.
Going by history, a cafe racer is a bike that has been modified for racing between cafes! During the 1960’s some high ‘spirited’ bikers in the UK used to go to a cafe, play some record, and race to return before the record finished playing!! Thus the term cafe racer was born. Gradually, it became pretty usual for Cafe Racers to hit the ton (100 mph / 160+ kmph). Most of these motorcycles were initially homegrown, with motorcyclists adding easily available performance parts to their ‘normal’ bikes to convert them into faster ‘Cafe Racers’. Thanks to addition of some of the commonly available parts, a standard look for Cafe Racers began to materialize.
A Cafe Racer of the 60s typically would consist of:
- Swept-back exhaust pipe(s)
- Clip-on handlebars
- Dunlop TT100 rubber
- Bigger carbs
- Rear set foot-pegs
It was in 1965 that Royal Enfield launched the Continental GT 250 in England. The ’65 CGT 250 came with a fibre-glass petrol tank and several such features that made it one of the sportiest Cafe Racers of its time. It is said that the 1965 Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 was the fastest quarter litre cafe racer model back in its day and the good news for us is that the good chaps at RE have taken enough inspiration from this Cafe Racer of yore for the new 2013 Continental GT!
Go to next page for Royal Enfield Continental GT Design and Ergonomics Review>>>