The Twins from Royal Enfield are here

Royal Enfield, the global leader in the mid-size motorcycle segment, this week opens the latest chapter in an already storied 118-year history of motorcycle production with the launch of its highly anticipated twin cylinder machines, the Continental GT 650 Twin and the Interceptor INT 650 Twin.

The first twin cylinder motorcycles to be produced by Royal Enfield since 1970, the new motorcycles recall a golden era for the marque that began in 1948 with the arrival of its first 500 twin that evolved into its famed high-performance models, the Meteor, Super Meteor and ultimately the original Interceptor of the 1960.

Sold mainly in the United States and Canada, the 700 cc Interceptor and its 750 cc successors quickly became part of California’s sun-drenched culture, serving as two-wheeled expression of fun, excitement, freedom and optimism. On top of that it also serve in the form of fast and stylish road bikes as well as competition machines that enjoyed huge success in scrambles, desert races and flat track events.

The launch of the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 marks the revival of twin-cylinder production and herald the start of the brand’s global expansion. Launched here today in Malaysia, these two models are priced at RM44,200.00 for the Interceptor INT 650 Standard and RM46,500.00 for the Continental GT 650 Standard. The Custom model are priced at RM44,500.00 for the INT 650 and RM46,900.00 for the GT 650. Lastly the Chrome model is priced at RM44,800.00 for the INT 650 and RM47,200.00 for the GT 650.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Vimal Sumbly, Head of Business APAC, Royal Enfield said, “Royal Enfield has been on an amazing journey over the last decade, growing from sales of around 50,000.00 motorcycles in 2010 to over 820,000.00 motorcycles in 2018. This unprecedented growth is a result of our focus on making simple, deeply engaging, beautiful motorcycles that are modern at the core and building a thriving ecosystem of personal journeys and expression around them. We are delighted with how the Interceptor INT 650 and the Continental GT 650 have turned out. The Twins are our first truly global line of products and will play a very strategic role in ushering the next set of Royal Enfield owners in Malaysia and worldwide”.

Despite their links to the past, the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor INT 650 are entirely new motorcycles from ground up. Developed jointly by Royal Enfield’s development teams located both in India and at its state-of-the-art technical center at Bruntingthorpe in UK. The motorcycles – the Continental GT 650, a sporty cafe racer, and the Interceptor INT 650, a stylish roadster – combine classic looks with carefully considered engineering that has resulted in a brace of machines with a common engine that will inspire confidence in new riders as much as they will satisfy the expectations of more experience motorcyclists.

Vimal added “In international markets, the twins will play a strategic role not just for us but for the industry to expand the mid-weight segment and invite new users into the category. We expect the Interceptor INT 650 and the Continental GT 650 to represent the perfect opportunity to upgrade commuters in South East Asia”.

Air-cooled to simplify maintenance, to produce a gorgeous twin-cylinder exhaust note and to ensure lines that are faithful to a true heritage design. The power plant produces 47 horsepower, with 52Nm torque delivered at 2,500rpm. The chassis is developed at Royal Enfield’s UK Technology Centre in conjunction with legendary sports bike frame builder Harris Performance.

Both these motorcycles are inspired by the past but build for today and designed to remain relevant tomorrow.

We can’t wait to get our paws on these 2 for a review.