Royal Enfield 525 CC Continental GT Launch By 2013 End- Official

[Pradeep]

The iconic Indian motorcycle maker, Royal Enfield is consistently seeing a growing demand of its motorcycles and in response to such an overwhelming demand, the company plans to ramp up its production capacity to make up for the increase in demand and reduce the waiting periods. And that is not all from the company’s side. It also plans to expand its dealership and service network to many locations all over India to increase the brand presence in the country.

“We have added new dealers in poorly represented markets as most of our customers have to drive over 100 kms for good service support. Last year, we crossed over 200 dealers across India. All the new dealers are investing heavily in sales and service infrastructure (service bays), and we have set up two repair technician training facilities in Chennai and Chandigarh for equipping the dealer’s staff in servicing the new Bullets sporting our new engine platform (unit construction engine) besides older iron barrel motorcycles. We have also increased our spare parts supply to the market considerably,” Venki Padmanabhan, CEO, Royal Enfield, said.


Originally a British based manufacturer, Royal Enfield is currently a part of the Eicher Motors group and it achieved record monthly sales of 7000 unit sales at the end of the year 2011. Royal Enfield also has plans to increase its current product portfolio by introducing new model to the Indian market. Among the new launches would be the 500cc version of the Royal Enfield Thunderbird that was showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. The 500cc Royal Enfield Thunderbird is likely to be launched by the month of May or June this year. Another model, the iconic Cafe Racer is also being planned on being launched in the Indian market by the company very soon, probably in the first quarter of next year. The Royal Enfield Cafe Racer was also showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo.

The Cafe Racer is powered by a 500cc, 4 stroke single cylinder engine that churns out 22 BHP of power at 5400 RPM and is mated to a 5 speed manual gearbox. With a tubular steel chassis underneath, the bike measure 2089mm long, 692mm wide and 1054mm high and has a kerb weight of 187 kgs. It is expected to be launched at a price of Rs. 1.6 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi).

[Vinosh Sam]

Saw a RE Cafe Racer on test today. Couldnt capture pictures but the bike looked good in Black. The bike was being tested alongside a Honda CBR250 for some reason both doing good speeds. I was in a perception that the cafe racer would be a totally impractical bike for road use due to the low slung ride position. But the test bike didn't look that low and carried total old school chunky looks with the typical RE wide front looks. Hope the bike is priced to the reach of normal people like me.

The bike was quite quick and wasnt slow like an usual RE, so I'm guessing its either got less weight or more power. Also as I mentioned earlier, the bike was run along a CBR250 so I'm guessing it to be a quick bike.

[undecover_bro]

1.8 or even 2L is pretty cheap for a 500cc bike and that too it being a RE I think its worth buying I have heard this bike is a bit lighter than the previous generation bikes wonder how light it maybe!

Vinosh Sam I think RE is testing this bike against other bikes which are in the same price range and maybe thats why it was being raced against a CBR 250 just a huntch!

[camchennai]

Some important tit bids of Cafe Racer

• Motorcycle could be called the Continental GT
• The motorcycle features a 535cc UCE engine
• The engine features a larger piston for the higher displacement
• A remapped ECU and a lighter flywheel are the two other changes to make the engine respond quickly to throttle inputs
• Given that the UCE500 motor is a lazy revver, what with its under square layout, the changes on the UCE535 seem to be in line with the Continental GT’s racy character
• Pirelli tyres, a new dual cradle frame and Paioli gas charged shock absorbers are the various bits to endow the Continental GT with a sporty handling prowess
• To aid stopping duties, the motorcycle gets a floating Brembo disc up front and a Bybre disc at the rear
• The Continental GT is said to be 15 kilograms lighter than the Thunderbird 500
• Royal Enfield is letting go of its single down-tube frame. The Continental GT features a double down-tube and cradle design for superior rigidity - a necessity for razor-sharp handling
• A host of official accessories are already available at select Royal Enfield stores

Source - ICB & NDTV

[SunnyBoi]

R-I-M-S! I want those RIMS!!!

[undecover_bro]

I want the whole Continental GT!

[Pradeep]

The muscle bikes’ maker Royal Enfield is looking into introducing a new version of Royal Enfield Continental-GT by end of current 2013. This new bike will carry a 525 cc power plant. The news was confirmed by a senior company official recently. Siddhartha Lal, the Managing Director and CEO of Eicher Motors Ltd., said that they are planning to bring-in the Continental-GT by end of year 2013. The bike will be produced at the Orgadam situated facility of their company he added further.



Some of the major bikes that Royal Enfield is selling at its sales outlets are Bullet, Thunderbirds, and Classic models that adorn 500 cc and 350 cc engines. In total, the company, that is a part of Eicher Motors Limited, has 250 dealerships and 11 stores across the country. Apart from this, the company has also been exporting the motorbikes to various nations that include UK, US, and Japan

The premium bike maker also recently rolled out its first two wheeler from its Oragadam facility that is the second plant of Royal Enfield in India. This manufacturing facility is spread across 50 acres of land and the first phase of it has been completed after investment of Rs.150 crores. Another plant of the company is located in Thiruvottiyur that is small place near Chennai. That plant is spread across an area of 5 acres.

This second plant in Oragadum has been completed by the company in a record time period of 11 months. The plat from last few months was running under its trial production phase. The initial production capacity of the plant will be somewhat around 1.50 lakhs annually, which the company intends to pull till 1.75 lakhs by end of this year.

When the plant will enter its second phase in 2014 it production capacity will increase up to 2.50 lakhs which will help the company in achieving its global targets. The models that will be initially produced in the plant are Thunder 500 and 350 cc models along with Desert Storme.

This plant would also benefit the company in bringing down the waiting period of its premium bikes from 8 months to 6 months. The company did experienced a difficult time in 1990s but they persisted on their commitments and after a decade became the biggest two wheeler maker of the nation and the world as well. They registered fifty percent growth on an annual basis.

Apart from the Indian market the company does exports to 40 other countries. US has been the biggest importer of Royal Enfield and takes in about 600 bikes every month. The new plant will be used to produce some more engines along with the new bikes that are being produced at these plants.

Source - Royal Enfield 525 CC Continental GT Launch By 2013 End- Official