Launched in November 2018, the Royal Enfield GT 650 and Interceptor 650 have done well in their segment in terms of sales. Waiting period has been extended from 2-4 months in some cities. Sales in June 2019 stood at 1,751 units, twice that of sales of the Classic 500, Bullet 500, Thunderbird 500 put together.
The 650 Twins, not only are the most affordable twin cylinder bikes in the country but also offer excellent value for money in terms of performance. Sales over the period November 2018 to June 2019 have crossed the 11,000 unit mark to 11,360 units, a number far over sales of each of its competitors.
Priced at Rs.2.50 lakhs and Rs.2.65 lakhs as on date, the Royal Enfield GT 650 and Interceptor 650, the Twins are all set to receive their first price hike since launch last year. From 1st Sep 2019, prices of both GT 650 and INT 650 will be increased by 2%. The base variant prices will be increased by Rs 5,000 and that of top variants will be increased by Rs 5,400.
The new prices will be applicable on all bikes which are delivered from 1st Sep 2019. So even if you have booked the RE 650 already at the current price, but if your delivery is post 1st Sep, you will have to pay the higher price.
The RE 650 Twins are powered by the same 650cc, parallel twin cylinder, air cooled, fuel injected engine offering 47 bhp peak power at 7,250 rpm and 52 Nm torque at 5,250 rpm mated to a 6 speed transmission. They get dual channel ABS as standard, 41mm telescopic suspension in the front and dual suspension at the rear and braking via twin piston Bybre calipers measuring 320mm in the front and 240mm at the rear.
Royal Enfield 650 BS VI compliant motorcycle has been spied on test in India ahead of launch and well prior to the April 2020 deadline. Apart from updating the RE 650 Twins, the company is in the process of updating its entire bike lineup so as to comply with the stricter BS VI emission norms.
The company is also working on a new initiative which will bring down cost of ownership by 40%. This includes an extended service interval from a current 3 months/3000 kms to 6 months/5000 km interval. Oil change interval has been extended from 6 months/5000km to 12 months/10,000 km intervals and also involves the use of a new mix of semi synthetic oils.
However, this initiative is not on offer across all Royal Enfield models and only on the Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird. It will not affect models such as the Himalayan, Interceptor 650 and Continental 650.