Prices for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 now start from Rs 2.70 lakh, while the entry-level Continental GT 650 will set you back by Rs 2.86 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom Delhi)
Royal Enfield recently announced a price hike for its entire line-up, however, the 650 twins are the ones that are subject to the biggest increase in price, while they will also lose out on one of their unique components – the Pirelli tyres. Royal Enfield has decided to use Ceat tyres for the 2021 Interceptor 650 and Continental GT motorcycles.
This comes as a shocker since prices of both the 650 cc bikes have been increased instead of being reduced. But should be noted that the government recently restricted import of tyres from foreign markets, in a bid to boost domestic sales. Hence, Royal Enfield is one of the manufacturers that decided to switch to Indian tyre brands.
The new tyres on the 2021 Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 will be Ceat Zoom Cruze tyres, which will be available in the same size as the previously offered Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp ones, i.e. 100/90-18 front and 130/70-18 rear.
Nonetheless, the new Ceat rubber costs significantly lesser than the Pirelli tyres, but Royal Enfield hasn’t reduced the prices of the two motorcycles. Take a look at the new price list of the Interceptor 650 and the Continental GT 650 as of January 2021 –
| Motorcycle | New Price* | Old Price* | Premium |
| Interceptor 650 Mark Three, Orange Crush, Silver Spectre |
Rs 2,69,764 | Rs 2,66,755 | Rs 3,009 |
| Interceptor 650 Ravishing Red, Baker Express |
Rs 2,77,732 | Rs 2,74,643 | Rs 3,089 |
| Interceptor 650 Glitter and Dust |
Rs 2,91,007 | Rs 2,87,787 | Rs 3,220 |
| Continental GT 650 Ventura Blue, Black Magic |
Rs 2,85,680 | Rs 2,82,513 | Rs 3,167 |
| Continental GT 650 Ice Queen, Dr. Mayhem |
Rs 2,93,648 | Rs 2,90,401 | Rs 3,247 |
| Continental GT 650 Mr. Clean |
Rs 3,06,923 | Rs 3,03,544 | Rs 3,379 |
*All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi
Powering the 650 twins is a 648 cc parallel twin, air-oil cooled engine that makes 47 bhp of max power at 7250 rpm, along with 52 Nm of peak torque, which is delivered at at 5250 rpm. The transmission duties are taken care of by a 6-speed gearbox. Braking setup consists of a 320 mm floating disc at the front, along with a 240 mm unit at the rear, coupled with a Bosch dual-channel ABS.
As of now, Royal Enfield is also working on introducing a 650 cc cruiser motorcycle, and the upcoming bike has been spied on test a host of times in the last few months. That being said, the upcoming cruiser bike will be borrowing its powertrain from the 650 twins.