Royal Enfield 650 Twins India Launch Delayed

A recent chat with company's president, Rudratej Singh, reveals interesting details about the company’s upcoming projects

According to our earlier report, we were expecting Royal Enfield to launch the highly anticipated 650 Twins - Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 - somewhere between October and November. Now, a recent chat with the company's president, Rudratej Singh, reveals that may not be the case anymore.

We already knew that the Chennai-based manufacturer will be launching the two motorcycles in the international markets in the last week of September. Keeping that timeline in mind, the Indian launch was expected around Diwali. However, Singh was quick to dismiss these speculations stating the company "needs to build up stock before entering the Indian market."

He also stated that the company is working on enhancing its showroom experience and wants to expand its network to meet the heavy demand. This statement clearly indicates that the company is expecting a higher sales volume. When asked about the expected sales projections, however, Singh refused to comment. Further, during the chat, Singh also confirmed the possibility of different variants for the 650 Twins. While he didn't dwell into the details, considering RE's recent track record, we expect the 650 Twins to get a few army-themed limited edition variants as well.

Ever since Royal Enfield announced its first twin-cylinder engine, we've all been wondering if the Himalayan could be next in line to be equipped with it. Considering the current flagship is marketed as an adventure-tourer, it could use the added bit of refinement offered by an extra cylinder. When asked about its possibility, Singh said, "It could happen, but not for another 2 to 3 years.” We'll take his word on that.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 have been two of the most highly anticipated motorcycles ever since their debut at EICMA last year. This is mainly due to the manufacturer’s brand new 650cc, parallel-twin, oil-cooled engine, which was developed from the ground up. This motor produces 47.7PS of power and 52Nm of torque, with fuel injection as standard. The 6-speed gearbox will also be the first seen on any Royal Enfield. Considering their flagship positioning, we’re expecting a price tag of around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh. For a more in-depth look at the two bikes, click here. We’ll be bringing the latest updates from the Royal Enfield camp. Until then, stay tuned!