Rumours have been doing the rounds of a twin cylinder Royal Enfield for a while. When they brought out the Continental GT it was pretty evident that here was a platform that could cope with a lot more than the 535cc single it was carrying.
The Continental GT is a cracking looking bike but it is generally agreed that it would be a finer machine with a few more horses behind it. Personally I looked at it from the start and wondered if it would take Hinckley Bonneville engine to create a new generation Trifield. There is no doubting that the Bonneville is a popular machine and heritage sells. Royal Enfield would like a slice of the cake and if they get it right with a bigger motor they could hit jackpot. I for one am a Royal Enfield fan and if they made a bike that would be a comfortable and reliable motorway cruiser I could even be tempted to dip my hands in to my pockets...
The sneaked shots of the prototype were taken in the UK (source Motorcycle News) close to the Technology Center RE have established in Leicestershire. The bike looks to be more of a testbed than finished article and there are certainly a couple of styling tweaks that could be beneficial. I'm hoping the engine shape changes a bit, it's uncannily like a late CB250 on steroids at the moment, though of course there's likely a lot of folks out there might go for that look!
The 1970 Interceptor has a 57 inch wheelbase while the current RE bikes are between 53 and 54 inches. I am sure that while there are plenty of style issues to be resolved, it's great to finally see a machine with the oomph to handle Interstate Highways. I hope it is available soon and that RE recognizes continuity in styling and design of the machine's lineage, even though it is 45 years in the past.
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