Double Take

- Abhik Das

Rewind to the Sixties and the Continental GT became the first production motorcycle that came stripped from the factory, shod with all the bit and bolts that make up a cafe racer, straight off the shelf for enthusiast to make their cafe to cafe runs. The Interceptor meanwhile, was making waves across the pond in the United States of America, rubbing shoulders with the Japanese big guns at the time as Royal Enfield presented a 51bhp, 736cc parallel-twin as a much affordable option which was fast, smooth and reliable.

RE had never introduced these models in India but nearly five decades forward, today’s Interceptor and Continental GT are unlike any other Royal Enfield motorcycle ever produced. Oh and say hello to Royal Enfield’s first modern-era 650cc parallel-twin motor.

These new Royal Enfields don’t just bring along a new engine. RE had a few tricks up its sleeve at the launch and the first among them was the killer pricing. An aggressive price point starting at Rs 2.5 lakh ex-showroom puts these two motorcycles well above any competition in its class while even managing to punch above their weight, making you think twice about bigger and more expensive motorcycles. That’s a tall claim to make but it’s just how RE excelled with the new motorcycles and the geniuses behind making them.