So why start producing a higher-tiered bike than the Bullet? Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director and CEO of Eicher, believes that the demand for such bikes is higher than ever given the rise of India’s middle class. The time is nigh to not just build a new factory (which they did) and increase sales, but also to expand the brand’s offerings to turn Royal Enfield into an even more popular name globally.
London was the perfect place to experience the Continental GT given the locale’s rich history of café racing and Rock and Roll in the 1960s. By definition, café racers were born out of a Rock and Roll culture that promoted individualism, style and rebellion. Riders often cruised from one café to another, hence the name, and the bikes were as distinctive as their passengers, lean and minimalist with engines that didn’t brag big displacement numbers but still gave a modicum of performance.
The expanse of 30+ Continental GTs at the appropriately vintage moto-themed Ace Cafe in London — where we started our ride — was surely a sight to see. The bike is a looker, its bright red tank emblazoned with the slightly tweaked, still-traditional Royal Enfield lettering in simple white. The crisp and attractive exposed steel frame designed by Harris Performance and the bodywork by Xenophya both provide a retro silhouette that’s undisputedly masculine and artistic. The truly modern and noticeable bits reside in the Brembo brakes, Paioli shocks, fat fork tubes, and the large spoked rims. Nothing really seems overdone here, and it all comes together in a truly handsome motorcycle that anyone but Bubba wouldn’t hesitate to ride.
The Continental GT’s seat is comfortable, padded just enough for such a bike. The gauges are easy to read, and everything from the starter to the horn are in good position. Flicking the starter switch results in a low burble that won’t necessarily get huge attention, but that’s not the expectation, anyway. The air-cooled, fuel injected single-stroke engine generates 29.1 horsepower at 5,100 rpm — nothing earth-shattering, but the bike isn’t mean to be track king, a straight line rocket or a highway cruiser. The GT’s engine is a modern 535cc UCE (Unit Construction Engine) that’s derived from the older Bullet cast iron engine that’s no longer in service. The UCE is smaller, more reliable and is more efficient, while keeping with the Bullet tradition by providing good lowe end torque. It moves around city streets and local roads easily, and the torque kicks in well just above 2,000 rpm. It tops out at around 80-85 mph on the highway, but this isn’t its element: the Continental GT stays true to its café racer roots. The engine’s sweet spot resides somewhere around 40-50 mph, and it’s at this speed where the bike feels most at home, entirely comfortable and easy to use around the city.
On the way to the Brooklands Auto Museum and then on to scenic Brighton Beach, we weaved through city streets and open roads, peppered by bad traffic and flat-out open roads. The Continental remained comfortable and predictable throughout, and the sheer number of onlookers outnumbered even our smiles throughout the day. The suspension is compliant over bumps and the handling is solid and predictable. Plant yourself on the comfortable but simple seat and set your knees alongside the back end of the tapered tank and you can ride for hours. No one had expectations of breaking any speed records, but the experience of riding a surprisingly comfortable modern motorcycle with a vintage feel isn’t something you come across every day, and that’s where the Continental GT shines. What’s more, this beautiful bike and the singular experience it imparts are also a thrifty hipster’s dream, seriously undercutting the price of other vintage-style bikes like the Triumph Bonneville by thousands.
Royal Enfield has delivered a motorcycle that does more than just get your from one point to another. It’s a bike that is less about making the rider’s leg’s rubbery through screaming acceleration and more about making him happy to ride by eagerly and earnestly lending a feel of the classic motoring past and imparting a style rarely found in most motorcycles today. Royal Enfield is onto something, and the Continental GT should prove to be an excellent choice for the brand’s grand debut of a café racer that’s been a long time coming.
