Royal Enfield finally gave us the twins, the duo which we were waiting for since Harley Davidson planned to seep into a segment below and give RE a run for its money. That didn’t work out so well for the American rumbler, but it was a catalyst for what we have now. In 2018, we were treated to two parallel twins offerings from Royal Enfield; Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. These two sport the first modern twin-cylinder from RE.
Both the motorcycles became an instant success, getting praise from everyone who rode it. It was a perfect companion with ample power, impressive build quality and not at all heavy on the pocket. The suspension was deemed to be a bit too soft for these Royal Enfields but we believe that it's just a matter of time that the automaker brings about upgrades and rectifies these letdowns, let's say in the BS6 iteration?
Talking of BS6 variants, we stumbled across a rather interesting set of images on the internet, which was very interesting, to say the least. It was tastefully done, with aesthetic modifications. These two flaunt matte shades and what looks like an aftermarket exhaust unit. There isn’t much information as to where and what these two motorcycles but it's hard to resist and boy do they look the part.
Both the spied 650s are aesthetically modified and we can even see aftermarket exhaust units on it. The Interceptor 650 reminds us heavily of the Royal Enfield Stealth Black 350 that had a completely backed out appeal. This one surely has its inspiration from the humble 350. Continental GT 650, on the other hand, has a much lighter shade of matte grey which suits the motorcycle well. Other noteworthy additions are a pair of handle-bar end mirrors and a chrome aftermarket exhaust unit. Both have been modified modestly and have a very toned-down look to it. Very few modifications look as humble as these two.
Royal Enfield has silently updated the pricing of the 650 duo in their official website and we have very strong intuitions as of it is the pricing of the upcoming BS6 variants. The prices have gone up by Rs. 9000. The updated prices are listed below.
Interceptor 650 | Pricing |
Orange Crush/ Silver Spectre/ Mark 3 | Rs. 2,64,919 |
Glitter and Dust | Rs. 2,72,806 |
Ravishing Red/ Baker Express | Rs. 2,85,951 |
Continental GT 650 | |
Ventura Blue/ Black Magic | Rs. 2,80,677 |
DDrMayhem/ Ice Queen White | Rs. 2,88,564 |
Mister Clean | Rs. 3,01,707 |
The 650s were engineered with the latest norms in mind and so there isn’t much tweaking needed mechanically. The changes will mostly be confined to an engine remap and addition of a pre-cat unit in the exhaust system to tone down the exhaust gas concentration.
These make us curious as to why the price bump is so steep. Are there going to be aesthetic updates and are these two colour an insight of what is about to be unveiled. We will be able to get our facts right, only after February 2020 and patience is the key.
What do you guys think of these images doing rounds? Can it be the teaser of the new set of 650 duos or are these a set of tastefully done modifications?