Why are Royal Enfield 650 Models Smoking Rivals in Sales?

Royal Enfield setting new milestones in Indian market with launch of Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650.
  • Published On: 21/03/19
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 Side Profile

Royal Enfield took the market by storm last year after it first launched the new Interceptor and Continental GT 650 in the US and then in India. The new bikes have been an instant hit with the customers and in February the retro bike maker sent 1,445 pieces of its Interceptor and Continental GT 650 to dealerships across the Indian market.

Take the competition into account and then the immense popularity of the bike comes to the light, the Austrian maker KTM sent out 289 pieces of 390 Duke and RC 390 whereas TVS could manage only 246 pieces of its Apache RR310. Bajaj set 329 pieces of Dominar 400, Yamaha sent 20 pieces of R3, and lastly Kawasaki sent only 135 units of Ninja 300. The stats show a stark contrast between the popularity of RE’s 650 twins and other similarly priced bikes in the market. So, what makes the new twin-cylinder bikes from RE so famous? Let’s find out.

Twin Cylinder at Unbelievable Rates

Everyone anticipated that Royal Enfield would go aggressive with the pricing of Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650, however when the retro bike maker revealed the prices, everyone was left positively shocked. Prices for RE Interceptor 650 start at Rs. 2.34 lakh while the sportier café-racer themed Continental GT 650’s prices begin at Rs. 2.57 lakh. Contrast this with other offerings such as Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Rs. 2.98 lakh) and Yamaha YZF-R3 is (Rs. 3.5 lakh). Not just the twin cylinder models, Royal Enfield Interceptor even undercuts single cylinder KTM 390 Duke (Rs. 2.45 lakh).

Availability

So far only global manufacturers offered twin-cylinder offerings in India, and the selection of such bikes was only limited to bigger cities and towns. However, not that RE is not a global brand, rather it is a homegrown brand that has a strong presence in India. Thus, Royal Enfield 650 models not only become more accessible to the customers, there upkeep is also pretty convenient for the customers.

Utility

Apart from the availability, the new RE 650 twins are also pretty convenient for day to day usage. While the Continental GT 650 is the more aggressive among the two bikes, Interceptor has an easier riding stance that gives the rider a commanding position and makes the riding pretty comfortable when compared to other rivals in the market. Hence the bikes provide power and the ease of daily convenience and maneuverability with their stance.

Good Option for RE Loyalists

Royal Enfield has always found a very devoted following for their brand and their owners have a special attachment for their bikes that goes beyond the normal bike-owner relation. You’ll find stories of people buying their first Royal Enfield and then sticking with the brand forever. Now the 650 models the similar appeal of the brand, offer equally retro looks but also come as a major upgrade for the customers. This is a reason the new bikes are a hit among the existing customers of the brand as well.

Old Gripes Left Behind

The perennial gripe of the average RE customer and a RE naysayer was the lack of power in the bikes and the vibrations and reliability problem present in the bike. The brand has heard their customers and critics alike and has worked hard on the bikes. The new Royal Enfield 650 models come with 649cc parallel-twin engine that offers 47 Bhp and 52 Nm. This is more power than Kawasaki Ninja 300 and KTM 390 Duke as far as specs are concerned. The vibrations too have been addressed and the bike now provides a pretty much vibration free experience due to the presence of a twin-cylinder engine and the build quality of the bike has also improved by leaps and bound.

 

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