Apr 03, 2014 05:58 PM
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Today was a beautiful day. A beautiful day because I got a chance to ride something I have been dreaming about for a long time. It was a ride on a Royal Enfield Continental GT. I have a 2005 Royal Enfield Bullet Electra and it still is so much fun to ride. Everything about the engine and the gearbox is motorcycling history. Every bit that goes into it, every nut, and every bolt you name it.
The continental GT was such an iconic motorcycle in the early 60's in Great Britain. It was one of the most sought after motorcycles out there plainly because it was fast, it was cheap and most important - it was a cafe racer. The most important accessory for a rocker for his racing stints between cafes. Unlike the old 250cc single the new GT has got more than twice the displacement of its older cousin. The new engine is 535cc. The biggest engine Royal Enfield in India has ever plonked on to a motorcycle. So lets get done with the history lesson shall we, and talk about how the thing is to live with.
The looks to start with, I think I could look at it all day and all night without ever getting bored, the thing looks absolutely beautiful. This motorcycle may not appeal to a lot of people for sure but if you turn the pages of motorcycling history, this will make a lot of sense. Cafe racers are purpose built machines, and the only purpose it serves is a lot of power and a lot of speed. So to do that, back in the days it was all about losing all the extra weight and making the motorcycle as light as possible. The Continental GT lives and breathes this formula. It is a very minimalist motorcycle and that is why I love it. So for the looks it is a 11 out of 10.
Now, to the fit and finish. Since I have been living with a Bullet 350 for almost 10 years now and there are people who have been living with one for decades, they all know one thing about the Indian made Royal Enfields. Bad build quality. No two motorcycles are ever the same. Some were good and some had lifelong reliability problems which literally measures the depth of your patience. But the GT was a huge surprise. The build quality has improved substantially. Not worth a lot of praise, but at least you could sense the feeling that the modern Royal Enfield is definitely going the right way if this is what they intend to do. The continental GT is a well made motorcycle. So for the fit and finish it is a 9/10.
So what was it like to ride? Lets find out! Thankfully like all modern Royal Enfields, the GT comes with a self-start. Ask any of those orthodox Royal Enfield fanatics, they will tell you how much they miss an electric start on their machines. So press the button on the handlebar and the thing idles quite faster than its cast iron engine brother. The idling just will not let you accept that this is actually a Royal Enfield. But times have changed and things have moved on, old is classic and timeless and the new is in. I swing my leg over and almost when I fix my bottom on the narrow seat, you instantly feel that you are a part of the motorcycle. Very few or to be fair none of the popular motorcycles in India give you that feeling. The riding position is quite intoxicating and if you are a 33 year old bloke like me who wished time could turn back and you could be 18 again, this is how you should be sitting on a proper motorcycle. I loved the riding position. I felt like it was custom built just for me. It made me feel so special. So let’s get moving. I dip the clutch and I was pleasantly surprised as it felt precise and light. A nudge on the gear lever, this time on the left side and the first gear falls in place with a little bit of noise and off we go! What I immediately felt was that the throttle response. It was crisp and to the point. It never gave you the feeling that the engine was in a hurry to hit the rev limiter but if look at the speedometer, it did.
The acceleration was really good. Although, not biblical as the awesome KTM Duke 390 or the 200. Somewhere deep in my mind I was expecting a bit more grunt since this had the biggest single cylinder engine in the country. So now we are cruising at 80 kmph which is commonly believed as the most enjoyable speed on any Royal Enfield motorcycle. But this one beckons you to wring the throttle a lot more, so I did. I was just trying to make my mind understand that this still is a Royal Enfield as the engine felt a lot refined that the one I had. It just kept pulling smoothly through the power band. On the twisty bits, the new Paioli suspension, the all new frame and the Pirelli Sport Demon tyres convinced me that this was probably the best handling Royal Enfield ever made. And then there were the brakes. My old Electra still has brakes made of cheese. Compared to that this one had Brembo disc brakes for the front and rear and they are fantastic. Brakes on a Royal Enfield were always something they really didn't bother much. But this time when they did, they did it right.
I wring the throttle a little more and by the time I hit somewhere between 110 and 120, I started to experience something I am used to for so many years, the typical Royal Enfield vibrations. I felt I was literally sitting on a pile driver. Now I felt almost everything about the motorcycle is great but I really wish they had a better engine. I felt totally negative. What is the point of a café racer that is struggling to hit a ton. But does that bother me? No. And this is simply because it is a Royal Enfield and this motorcycle, no matter what it can or cannot do is an absolute thing of beauty and of course it will turn heads wherever you take it. The girls will surely like it, and if you are single you won't be for a long time for sure if you have one of these.
So all said and done, here’s my final score for the GT-
Handling 8/10
Power 7/10
Acceleration 7/10
Brakes 8/10
Fuel efficiency 8/10
Comfort 8/10
Pricing 6/10
Alternatives: KTM Duke 390
