2023 Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Review: Likes & Dislikes

Retro racing on Sundays, practical living on weekdays!

For 2023, Royal Enfield has updated the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 with a few critical changes that have unlocked a new range of ability and practicality. While these changes may not appear substantial on paper, the experience on the road has now gone from “ohh…ok” to “oh…wow!”. Let’s check out what they are. 

But, let’s begin with a disclosure - while my colleagues Jehan and Manaal are BIG fans of the Continental GT 650, I’ve always been on the fence about its retro-racer charm. See, these boys are averagely built (75-90kg), hence, hustling all that heft comes relatively naturally to them. Making matters more challenging for me was its super soft suspension setup which bounced around and never let the bike feel settled on the road. Also, let’s not forget the sub-par Ceat Zoom Cruz tyres which have the grip levels of a wet handshake. But this new one is helping put aside these old perceptions.

Likes:

Finally, It’s Retro and a Racer

The biggest most important update in my books is the new Apollo-Vredestein Centauro ST tyres… Muaah! With the grips levels up, the GT feels so much more engaging to ride enthusiastically, especially in the hills with fast-flowing corners. These tyres cling to the asphalt allowing you to feel surefooted and surprisingly, even though Royal Enfield hasn’t made any changes to the suspension tune, the bike feels way more planted than before. Now, I don’t mind some friendly racing on the hill with one of these, even though the Conti is now two kilograms heavier than before.

Braking Test:

Tubeless, finally!

Let’s face it, punctures aren’t a pleasant affair, especially with a heavy 650cc bike with no main stand. Hence, while the wire-spoke rims looked cool, they were a local tyre shop operator’s nightmare. This has been addressed in this update and we can’t be happier. Furthermore, the alloy wheels complement the retro theme of the Continental GT 650 rather well too. 

Likable performance 

These new bikes are now OBD2 (BS6.2) compliant, and in the bargain, the engine tune has been slightly altered. Its 648cc parallel-twin motor continues to make 47.45PS, but the torque has gone up by 0.3Nm, to 52.3Nm. The change in tune is noticeable but not pronounced, hence it wouldn’t matter if you’ve ridden the old model or if you’re riding one for the first time, the performance is still very likable and welcoming.

Acceleration/Roll-on Test:

Safer night rides

The addition of an LED headlight, which it borrows from the Super Meteor 650, seemed like a natural progression it had to make. And, it’s helping. The spread and throw may not be the best and brightest, but it’s certainly a lot better than the old halogen headlights. While we are on the topic, the only issue we had with the headlight was…

Dislikes:

Retro-rotary, unnecessary!

…the rotary switches on the new switch cube, yet another element it borrows from the Super Meteor 650. They look cool, no doubt, but operating the buttons on the go is simply not as intuitive. Paired with the bulgy grips, reaching for the pass-light with your thumb isn’t as ergonomic and feels awkward. The form should never take priority over function. That said, the GT 650 now gets adjustable levers, they’re neither “wow…great”, nor “blah”, they’re more “meh”. They get the job done.

Table for two, seat for one!

Yes, this is probably the biggest pain point on this motorcycle. Given its retro cafe racer theme, it gets a one-piece seat which is flat for the rider and cowl-shaped at the back. Hence, while in theory, it’s a two-seater, the backseat is far from being comfortable for the pillion. Because of the hump and backward slope, the pillion is constantly living with the fear of rolling off the back.  

Verdict:

After having ridden the Continental GT 650 on the racetrack last year, its proposition as a retro-racer shined through. But let’s face it, the Continental GT 650 is a lifestyle bike for a niche and most of these GT650s will never see the racetrack in their lifetime. Hence, it’s good to see this racer boy getting more mature about everyday practicality. 

So, a fair few elements now make the Continental GT 650 a much more welcoming proposition than before. But, with new prices starting at Rs 3.19 lakh, almost Rs 13,000 more than before, we’re not sure if Royal Enfield has done enough to justify that price hike. Honestly, we would have liked the addition of an upside-down fork for a bit more money. Then the hike wouldn’t have felt like a pinch.