Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 8, 2013 Royal Enfield model I rode seven years earlier, I needed to be convinced that Eicher's investment had been well spent. But my last taste of the Enfield experience was back in the days before the 2007 introduction of the current all-aluminum UCE motor (as in, Unit Construction Engine) developed in-house and complete with integrated fivespeed gearbox. By 2011 this had completely replaced the old engine with a castiron cylinder and separate fourspeed transmission with chain primary drive, latterly with Keihin fuel injection. So the Continental GT's 87 x 90 mm air-cooled OHV wet sump engine is an uprated version of the 499cc version of the UCE design, running the same lowly 8.5:1 compression, but with a little extra capacity via a 3mm bigger bore. Together with hotter cams, this results in raising power 2 hp to 29.1 hp at 5100 rpm, with 32.5ftlb of torque now produced at 4000 rpm, against 40.9Nm before. In addition, the 535cc motor has a lighter flywheel as well as a remapped ECU, coupled with revised gear ratios in the five-speed gearbox, all for a crisper pickup and enhanced acceleration. Of course, everything is relative, and after thumbing the kickstarter (there's a kickstarter as well, for genuine street cred, plus a choke lever that didn't seem to be needed when starting from cold on a 68-degree day), you shouldn't expect to attain speeds that'll allow you to keep up with even a modern middleweight twin like a Kawasaki Versys, which has double the Enfield's power and torque. But it's the way that performance is delivered that really matters, not how much there is, and you soon come to appreciate the relaxed, timeless qualities of the Indian-built motor. You can practically count the firing strokes at its lazy 1000-rpm idle speed - although it's rather strange that you can't leave the engine to warm up with the bike parked on the pretty substantial kickstand, but must stick it on the centerstand to do so without activating the cutout. Once under way, you realize that the new Enfield's café racer riding stance is actually quite comfortable, while allowing you to tuck in quite tidily without excessive weight on your arms and shoulders. Far from giving you a stretched out feeling as you reach forward to grip the handlebars, the Royal Enfield's riding position is surprisingly closecoupled without being cramped – a spinoff from the short wheelbase, presumably. It gives a nice sense of control, as well as good leverage in tighter turns. The seat's also really comfy and although the flip-up footpegs are rather low, there's no chance of decking them at normal angles of lean, even with the skinny Pirelli rubber fitted to those alloy. There's an uncluttered view of the road ahead, with no windscreen or bodywork to get in the way, re- P63 sulting in a back-to-basics sporting sensation that makes you feel at one with your surroundings. There's no real vibration below 3500 rpm, but as revs mount higher towards the Keihin ECU's 5750-rpm cutout, increasing vibes come at you especially through the footpegs, making the 2500-3500 rpm window the Enfield engine's sweet spot. That ECU is perfectly mapped, with its light, precise throttle response making the Continental GT a peach to ride, especially in town where the light-action oilbath clutch and relatively upright riding stance make this an ideal traffic tool. Best of all, the shift action of the five-speed gearbox is absolutely flawless, though it's best to use the clutch for the bottom three upward shifts for optimum smoothness. The lazy, torquey single motor will pull away from little more than walking pace in fourth gear, with no transmission snatch from 2000 rpm upwards. This is an ultra-flexible, forgiving engine that makes the Continental GT easy to ride even for less experienced riders. As such, it'll surely appeal to occasional bikers as well as the more dedicated. Those bar-end mirrors give a good view of the road behind you when it really matters - like pulling out to pass a truck, or watching for blue flashing lights on the prowl. It's unlikely to be you on the Royal Enfield the cops will be chasing, though, because the

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