Motorcycle-maker Royal Enfield launched its first ever modern twin-cylinder engine motorcycles, the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT Twin 650 on Wednesday.
As the name suggests, the new parallel twin engine, first unveiled at EICMA 2017 in Milan, Italy, is a 650-cc mill that churns out 47 hp of peak power. The motorcycles were first unveiled in India last year at Royal Enfield’s Rider Mania in Goa.
Global take
Speaking at the launch, Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Royal Enfield, said: “We are creating a vibrant, thriving brand. Now we feel we have the ability and the understanding of how to take this globally.”
Royal Enfield has launched both these motorcycles with aggressive pricing. The Interceptor 650 starts at ₹2,50,000 and the Continental GT Twin 650 at ₹2,65,000 (ex-showroom). “We can expand the middle-weight motorcycle segment in India and the rest of the world,” said Rudratej Singh, President, Royal Enfield.
Lal said the pricing is going to “absolutely open the Indian motorcycle market above 500 cc”. The new motorcycles are already available at Royal Enfield dealerships across India for display and test riding. Online and dealerships bookings begin on Wednesday. The company said a few deliveries will be made later this month, but most deliveries will take place January 2019 onwards.
Watch out for our detailed first ride review of both motorcycles in the Auto Focus section Thursday night.