Royal Enfield Continental GT - Rebirth of A Cafe Racer

It was the 1960s and thoroughbred motorcycles from the iconic U.K motorcycle manufacturer, Royal Enfield were in decline. Large motorcycle companies from Japan and even from mainland Europe were taking over the motorcycling scene in the U.K and Royal Enfield had to come up with a plan to revive itself and a solution was right in RE's backyard. U.K's rich cafe racing culture.

By mid 1960s the cafe racing culture was at its prime in the U.K, with young bikers around the country taking to the streets in their modified motorcycles. Sensing an opportunity, Royal Enfield came out with the original Continental GT in 1965, a "production" cafe racer a motorcycle rookie could buy from the showroom.

The 1965 Royal Enfield Continental GT was, in fact, based on the Crusader, one of its best selling 250cc class model in the 60s. What made the 250cc class important was these could be ridden by ‘learners' without passing a test.

The 1965 Continental GT, was then, in a sense, a fashion statement. A bike perfectly suited to the time, which made it destined to be successful. Sales of the Continental GT soared and the Royal Enfield name was back on the streets.

The bike was powered by a 250cc engine, coupled to a five speed transmission that delivered 21 bhp. But its charm was in its design. Royal Enfield fitted the Continental GT with clip-on handlebars for an aggressive riding position, a hump-back style seat and a sleek fiberglass tank in bright red. Moreover, the design had an inherent characteristic which virtually called out to modders. The bike was easy to customise and all these factors combined to make the Royal Enfield Continental GT an instant hit.

To give the Continental GT's prospects a kickstart Royal Enfield embarked on, what was perhaps, the most effective marketing campaign of the time. Right before its launch in the winter of 1964, the company took a standard Continental GT and rode it non-stop from John O' Groats to Land's End via Silverstone race track. On the snow covered racetrack, a certain John 'Moon Eyes' Cooper rode the Royal Enfield Continental GT as fast as he could, completing the session at an average speed of 70.29 mph (113.121 km/h), with the fastest lap of 73 mph. (117 km/h). The entire journey took 22 hours and 20 minutes.

Royal Enfield then went ahead and published half a page ads in newspapers (in comparison to full page ads by Japanese OEMs), titled "Britain's Fastest 250", with the description reading "'Just look at the unique features of fantastic machine: bright red fibreglass tank, clip-on bars, sporty exhaust pipe, race-styled dual seat and much, much more.'"

At £270, however, the 1965 Royal Enfield Continental GT did not come cheap. Nevertheless, it was the motorcycles teenagers of the time dreamed about.

And it's those dream which Royal Enfield wants old timers to remember and the cafe racing spirit it wants newcomers to experience with the all new Continental GT.

Royal Enfields are now made in India, but the essence of classics are retained in the modern Bullets and the new Continental GT. Just about two years shy of the original Continental GT, RE has revived the cafe racer.

The 2013 Royal Enfield Continental GT is almost an exact replica of the original. There are the clip-on handlebars, the same hump back seats, the sporty swept back silencers and the trademark bright red fuel tank. Only now they are made from steel instead of fiberglass.

At the same time, the new Royal Enfield Continental GT has been developed to be reliable. And the new age cafe racer is designed to offer an unmatched riding experience. This is where the brand new twin down tube cradle frame comes into the picture. Developed in partnership with U.K's Harris Performance, the new frame provides superior balance, making riding the Royal Enfield Cafe Racer a joy.

There's also a rebored, 535cc, 29.1cc engine powering the new Continental GT. The new bike is called the fastest and lightest 500cc motorcycle till date from RE, but that's just a relative term. The bike still does not hit the 100 mph mark. Nevertheless, what really matters is how the bike looks and its an absolute beauty.

There's not a single person I have come across who has anything bad to say about how the Royal Enfield Continental GT looks. It's the perfect rebirth of a classic cafe racer. Now the hope is, it can take Royal Enfield to new heights in the global motorcycling arena. Just like the original Continental GT did.