Royal Enfield Continental GT: Go retro!

Available at Rs 2.14 lakh in Mumbai, Continental GT looks like a million bucks thanks to its retro design, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com

Royal Enfield as a brand has achieved cult status over the years for offering cruiser bikes which have a soul. The company has now launched the Continental GT, a motorcycle which is quite different than other offerings from the British brand.

The Continental GT is a cafe racer and both name and concept date back to the 1960s. When the company launched the Continental GT as a cafe racer in 1965, it was Britain's fastest 250cc.

Fast forward to the day and the modern Continental GT is here. The Eicher owned company proudly claims the Continental GT is the fastest, lightest and most powerful Royal Enfield in production.

Royal Enfield has got the styling of the Continental GT spot on. The bike looks like a million bucks thanks to the retro design which has been executed very neatly.

The attention to detail is so good that people always turn around to have a glimpse of this bike.

The single seat, aluminium spoke wheels and chrome touches really make the Continental GT stand out.

Continuing the retro theme, the Continental GT features a neat instrument cluster with beautifully done dials.

The analogue meters have awesome backlit at night and a small LCD carries the odometer, tripmeters and fuel indicator. Both the pods (speedometer and tachometer) swing around on start-up.

Continuing the retro theme, the Continental GT features a neat instrument cluster with beautifully done dials.

The analogue meters have awesome backlit at night and a small LCD carries the odometer, tripmeters and fuel indicator. Both the pods (speedometer and tachometer) swing around on start-up.

The Continental GT is an all new bike but the powertrain has been carried over, albeit with some changes.

The engine sees an increase to 535cc from 499cc and that's led to an increase in output as well.

The Continental GT produces 29.1 HP of power at 5100 RPM and 44 Nm of torque at 4000 RPM, coupled to a 5-speed gearbox. 0-100 km/hr takes 12.2 seconds while top speed is 130 km/hr.

Performance from the Continental GT is very good but mainly in the mid-range where the addictive torque kick gets you going.

The fuelling isn't well done which shows at low revs and vibes are in abundance at high revs. The engine simply doesn't enjoy the redline where it feels coarse.

But keep the motor between 2000-4000 RPM and it truly returns a thunderous experience. The 5-speed gearbox offers decent shifts and isn't the smoothest with false neutrals aplenty.

A mileage of 28 km/l is what the GT will return.

Royal Enfield has developed an all new platform for the Continental GT which is underpinned by a double cradle frame. The bike uses Paioli twin shocks at the rear while the tyres are Pirellis.

All this gives the Continental GT good handling characteristics over long corners. The bike offers good feedback and is quite fun to ride on a twisty road.

In the city, the GT does feel a bit heavy to manoeuvre and although the lightest Royal Enfield, it still weighs a hefty 184 kgs.

The Continental GT is stiffly sprung and in spite of that, ride quality is decent. Brakes offer good stopping power, thanks to use of Brembo callipers and steel braided lines.

The Continental GT is a very different Royal Enfield. While it is the fastest and lightest bike from the British brand on sale today, there are a few shortcomings.

However, for a price of Rs 2.14 lakh (on-road, Mumbai), the GT offers a very entertaining experience to riders. The company has successfully managed to intersect retro design with modern technology which packs in loads of emotion.