Spotted Again: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 aka Cafe Racer; Launch This Year

The much-hyped Royal Enfield Continental GT is spotted again. An alert reader of Indian Cars Bikes snapped two high-quality clicks of the most-awaited Royal Enfield of all times.

Royal-Enfield-Continental-GT-Cafe-Racer


The Continental GT 535 could easily be termed as the trump card of Royal Enfield. Sporting the café racer design cues of the good, old times, this bike does strike a chord with the hearts of many. With a bright red tank and a 535 cc mill under the fuel tank as well as a swept-back exhaust, the bike not only fuels the nostalgia but also promises to stir up the adrenaline.

Here’s a quick recap of the Continental GT sobriquet! It’s not only Bentley that boasts of a Continental GT, but Royal Enfield as well. In the 1960s, Royal Enfield had in its showrooms the Continental GT 250, a Café Racer that was powered by a 250 cc 4-stroke motor, and whipped up 21 horses. It is being said that the Continental GT 535 will be launched by the end of this year, and we feel it will definitely carry off the baton from where the Continental GT 250 left it!!

Continental-GT-Cafe-Racer

Probable Specifications and Features :-

  1. The mill will be a bored-out version of the 499 cc UCE engine that powers the Thunderbird. It will thus have a larger piston and a lighter flywheel as well, to help the tacho needle soar higher and faster.
  2. A bigger throttle body, accompanied by a remapped ECU will help it attain a true top speed in excess of 150 kph.
  3. We have been trawling around the web, and it seems 36 PS is quite a good approximation for the power output of the Continental GT 535. However, we have no official word on it. Nevertheless, it seems the Ninja 300 could have a skirmish on its hands, but the speculated 180+ kg weight of the GT 535 could act as a hindrance.
  4. Though we ranted about the 180+ kg weight of the GT 535 in the previous point, let us also mention that the Continental GT 535 could very well be the lightest Royal Enfield of all times. Yes, it could be true!! Have a look at the spied photos of the bike. The design statement is minimalistic, devoid of unnecessary frills.
  5. The backbone changes !! Goodbye to the ancient single-cradle frame…Hello to the Steel Double-Downtube Cradle type frame for (claimed) enhanced rigidity, and better tendency to dive into corners.
  6. Deformities on the tarmac will be ironed out by a set of telescopic forks at the front, and another set of Paioli Gas-Charged shock absorbers at the rear. We have some apprehensions about the travel of the front forks, though. They seem too short, more prone to bottoming out.
  7. Going faster means stopping quicker as well. A full-floating Brembo disc at the front accompanied by a ByBre at the rear seems to be a potent combination. On top of that, there are the sticky Pirelli tyres. Need RE say more, eh?
  8. There’s just one drawback that seems probable from the snaps. There’s no space for your better half on the chunky seat!!

Royal Enfield will definitely position this Café Racer at the top of their pecking order. Hence, the price could shoot a little upwards of the 2 lakhs mark. In return, you would get a motorcycle that does offer some serious spunk and sparks a good bit of nostalgia. And all the while, it looks so different from the current crop of motorcycles!!

Does this new Royal Enfield excite you then?