Royal Enfield SG650 concept
By Ben Purvis
Royal Enfield calls itself a company 'in transition' - for decades it was the very embodiment of tradition, only recently adopting such radical ideas as five-speed gearboxes. But with machines like the Himalayan and the parallel twin Continental GT and Interceptor 650, the Indian brand is dragging itself into a new market position.
While still targeting buyers looking for a classic experience, the addition of a huge new UK-based R&D operation, including a large number of ex-Triumph personnel (and the acquisition of leading chassis engineer Harris Performance), means Enfield is in a position to move in a much more sophisticated direction.
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| Royal Enfield to go cruising? |
That's where the SG650 comes in. Officially, it's a concept bike, and elements like a fuel tank machined from billet aluminium, with a matching headlight cowl and triple clamps, along with billet alloy wheels, are clearly not viable for production. But dig a little deeper and the SG650 is really a lightly disguised, pimped-up version of the next big model range to come from Royal Enfield - a range of cruiser-style twins based on the same 650 cc engine that's used in the Continental GT and Interceptor.
The SG650's frame is pure production bike, identical to the chassis that will underpin the upcoming cruiser line. Just as Triumph spun off the Bonneville Bobber and Speedmaster by slotting its Bonneville twin into a cruiser-specific chassis, that's what Royal Enfield will do in 2022. One new model is likely to be a bobber, visually similar to the SG650, but there will also be a more traditional cruiser-style machine with longer fenders built around the same frame and engine. Just as Harley-Davidson creates a wide array of bikes around a common set of building blocks, the Royal Enfield cruisers are sure to be offered with various fenders, alloy or wire wheel options and different pipes and suspension set-ups to expand the range to suit a wide number of potential customers.
The bikes will coincide with the company's 120th anniversary, which is being celebrated in 2022 with a limited run of 480 Continental GTs and Interceptors, with 120 bikes - split 50:50 between the two models - to be sold in each of the company's four main markets, Europe, India, South-East Asia and America, each with a special black chrome finish, brass badges and yellow graphics.
