The Continental GT 535 has been discontinued for some time now in the domestic market, but sales have continued overseas. However, we are now given to understand that the model will soon be discontinued entirely across all of the brand’s overseas markets. This will not happen immediately, and the single-cylinder cafe racer will still be available to those who wish to buy one for a few more months.
The 535 will be discontinued in various markets as and when the new parallel twin Continental GT 650 comes in. We believe that the new 650s will go on sale later this year, probably by around October or November.
The Continental GT 535 was launched in 2013 and it was the first Royal Enfield to feature a frame designed by UK-based Harris Performance, a firm that is now owned by Royal Enfield and continues to work closely with the Indian company. The Continental GT impressed with surprisingly good handling and braking dynamics, but the big single couldn’t offer the kind of performance to match the chassis and it also got very vibey at higher revs. There were a few quality issues and the price was quite high as well, and all of this meant that the GT was adored by a few, but never sold in very big numbers.
Hopefully, that stands to change with the advent of the new Conti GT 650. While the Interceptor will quite certainly prove to be more popular thanks to its upright seating position, the Continental GT 650 may well attract a bigger crowd this time around thanks to its more advanced engine as opposed to the old 535 mill. This air-cooled 648cc engine uses a four valve head and promises a healthy 47hp and 52Nm. You can read more about both the new 650s HERE or check out a specification comparison with what would be their closest rivals HERE.
The 650 twins are expected to be priced extremely competitively and an on-road price target of Rs 4 lakh or lower is possible. This would position them significantly lower than any other twin cylinder motorcycle of a similar capacity and put them right in the ballpark of the current 300-400cc parallel twin sport bikes from Yamaha, Kawasaki and Benelli. Suffice it to say, we can hardly wait!
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
