Royal Enfield seems to have turned the clock back to herald in a modern day version of the yester year’s heartthrob bike – the cafe racer. Adorned with a minimalist design, the new age avatar called Continental GT presents a sporty demeanour. Equally, clad in yellow and red colour options, the bike is a cynosure to the eyes. Its powerful engine revs up quite a power and torque and helps this hulk to render the familiar booming signature thud of the Royal Enfield. Riding is a pleasure on the wheels of Continental GT, be it within the city or on the highways – thanks to its riding posture and sturdy shock absorbers. The following attributes define the bike in its entirety.
Sporty demeanour
The black hued twin downtube cradle frame of Continental GT is sufficiently rigid and lends the right platform to mount the actual body. There is a liberal sprinkling of chrome accents – on the headlights, surrounding the instrument cluster, on the fenders and exhaust pipe among others. The round 55W headlamp at the front and a box-like 5W tail lamp at the rear give the bike its bold and dynamic visage. The clip-on handlebars are sufficiently low to make the rider slouch for better comfort. Rising from the low slung handlebars are the two rear view mirrors that are the ‘must-on’ set of features to enable a safer ride. And ensconced at the intersection of the handlebars is a set of round instrument gauge depicting the running parameters of the bike, in both analog and digital modes.
Royal Enfield Continental GT’s sporty demeanour gets firmed up through its dimensions – 2060mm in length, 760mm in width (without the mirrors), 1070mm in height (again sans the mirrors) and a wheelbase of 1360mm. Its ground clearance of 140mm ensures the bike travels unhindered over any rutted surface. The well chiselled fuel tank of 13.5 litres leans at the front and has recesses to snuggle one’s knees around it. It gives way to a single cushioned seat that is slightly arched up at the end. The matching fenders are well cropped and cover a set of 18 inches Pirelli sports tyres. The paddle and footrest have been slightly moved at the back to gain that ‘slouched’ sporty riding posture.
Robust powertrain
Royal Enfield Continental GT is powered by an air cooled single cylinder 4 stroke unit construction engine that displaces 535cc units of air. The engine churns out maximum power and torque values of 29.1bhp at 5100rpm and 44Nm at 4000rpm. Also, the Keihin electronic fuel injection system maintains adequate fuel supply to the engine. Keeping with the modern trend, Royal Enfield has provided both electric and kick starts for the engine. Moreover, the engine is perfectly mated to a 5 speed constant mesh gearbox, which in combination with a wet multi plate clutch mechanism delivers the required torque to the rear wheel. Also, a better power to weight ratio allows the engine to garner adequate throttle and punch.
Braking & Suspension
The wheels are equipped with massive 300mm floating Brembo disc brake at the front in combination with a 2 piston floating calliper and a 240mm disc brake at the rear along with a single piston floating calliper, respectively. Ensuring a pleasurable ride is the robust suspension system – a telescopic 41mm forks 110mm front suspension and a Paioli twin gas charged shock absorbers with adjustable preload 80mm travel rear suspension.
