Cycle News

Cycle News 2019 Issue 09 March 5

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1088768

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 102 of 127

2019 ROYAL ENFIELD INT 650 & CONTINENTAL GT 650 FIRST REVIEW P102 torque curve is so completely flat that you have no advance warning you're nearing peak revs by the way the torque tails off. The sound from the stock exhaust is an enjoyable, semi-angry burble, that's inevitably similar to a 90° V-twin thanks to the 270° crank, although the throaty sound of the aftermar- ket (but still Euro-4 compliant) S&S slip-ons that one of the bikes was carrying, will surely make them a must-have item for many who hear them. Though it doesn't get tiring, the Continental GT's riding position places lots of the rider's weight on the handlebar, providing good feedback from the front Pirelli tire even though the well-damped Indian-made Gabriel 41mm conventional-style fork, with 110mm of travel, is non-adjustable. into a turn, then getting back on the gas to drive hard out—there's a liquid-smooth but still immediate response from closed to part-open throttle that's literally perfect. Again, it's an ideal ride for the less experienced—you just twist and go, with a totally linear build of both power and torque, peaking at 7250 rpm with 47 bhp on tap, and 38 lb-ft of torque at 5250 rpm. From throttle opening through to the 7500 rpm rev limiter, the power delivery is quite im- pressive for a middleweight motor, with its abundant torque ideally spread throughout the rev range. The single gear-driven counterbalancer re- moves every trace of vibration all the way to the hard-action 7500 rpm limiter, which, to start with, I frequently made friends with because the These new 650 twins may be built to a price point, but Royal Enfield's en- gineering team has achieved much with its brief. At a relaxed pace, the fork absorbs bumps in the road surface easily, though the more heavily sprung twin-shock rear end, with its limited 88mm of wheel travel, does skip about over bumps, plus ride quality isn't the greatest over rippled everyday road surfaces. The stiffly sprung shocks' insufficient rebound damping caused the bike to bounce around over some bumps, but despite that short stroke length there was no bottoming out. (Right) Hook in on the GT and you'll get a surprisingly large amount of performance for such an inexpensive machine. (Left) No 800-900cc twins just yet, but you don't really need it with the INT 650. It's a pleasure to ride.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Cycle News - Cycle News 2019 Issue 09 March 5