As of now, these new RE 650 Twins editions are only offered in the UK and are not likely to be offered in India
RE 650s are major contributors to 500cc+ motorcycle segment in India with over 80% market share. Ever since the Royal Enfield 650 twins were launched, they have been a runaway success. Until last year, the 650 Twins lineup included Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. Now it also includes Super Meteor 650.
To keep the winning streak and buzz around its 650cc range, RE has now launched Lightning and Thunder Editions for Interceptor 650 and GT 650 respectively. These are only launched in the UK as of now. For India, RE will soon launch 650 Twins with alloys.
Lightning And Thunder Edition – Features
These Editions are basically modified versions of standard 650s with original accessories. These new editions get small front fly screen, soft panniers at the side, a touring seat with a ribbed pattern, touring ORVMs, engine guards, an aluminium sump guard, and a CNC-machined oil filler cap.
Accessories are common between both Interceptor 650 Lightning Edition and Continental GT 650 Thunder Edition. With all the accessories in place, Interceptor 650 Lightning Edition looks more like a scrambler, especially with the ribbed seat, soft panniers and sump guard.
Pricing for Interceptor 650 Lightning Edition is GBP 6459 (approx Rs. 6.42 lakh) and Continental GT 650 will set one back by GBP 6659 (approx Rs. 6.62 lakh). With Lightning and Thunder Edition, Royal Enfield is not offering any mechanical changes over a standard motorcycle.
We won’t complain if Lightning and Thunder Editions are never launched in India. This is because Royal Enfield’s extensive accessory catalog already has these add-ons on offer. One can spec up his / her 650 twin to achieve what Lightning and Thunder Editions has to offer.
The 648cc parallel-twin engine is kept as is, making a healthy 47 bhp of power and 52 Nm of torque. This is still an air/oil-cooled engine coupled to a 6-speed gearbox. This platform brought incredible smoothness, something never associated with a Royal Enfield before. Due to their character, rider ergonomics for Interceptor and GT 650 differ slightly.
Facelift 650 Twins Launch
In India, Royal Enfield is readying updated versions of its 650cc motorcycles. Test mules for the same have been spied donning 18” alloy wheels. It can be speculated that LED headlights and an integrated tripper module might be part of this update. We can’t say for sure.
What we can say for sure, is that other componentry like 41mm telescopic front forks, twin shockers, and braking hardware will be carried over as is. A slight bump in price tag is expected as opposed to outgoing prices – Starting from Rs. 2.88 lakh for Interceptor 650 and Rs. 3.05 lakh for Continental GT 650 (prices ex-sh, Delhi).
