The Royal Enfield Classic 650 is here with prices starting from ₹3.37 lakh ex-showroom, which increases by ₹4,000 for the teal colourway and by ₹13,000 for the black and chrome combo. Royal Enfield has begun taking bookings, giving out test rides and selling the Classic 650, which has started today across the nation.
The Classic 650 is powered by the 648cc, air-cooled parallel-twin engine which debuted first on the Interceptor 650 back in 2018. In this state of tune, the powerplant puts out 47PS at 7,250rpm and 52.3Nm at 5,650rpm, numbers that are identical to the Shotgun 650. The chassis of the Classic 650 is the same spine frame with the engine acting as a stressed member like the Super Meteor 650 and the Shotgun 650. This is the only way the engine is stressed, as the parallel-twin is well-known for being a relaxed unit (wink, wink).
One key area where the Classic 650 differs from the Shotgun 650 is in the wheel sizes — the Shotgun rides on a 18/17-inch front/rear wheel setup, whereas the Classic 650 uses a 19/18-inch front/rear wheel setup, which is the same as the Classic 350. The two Classic motorcycles use the same front tyre size as well, but obviously the rear tyre on the 650 is a bit beefier – measuring 140-/70 as compared to the 120/80 on the 350.
Like most of the other recent offerings from the Chennai bikemaker, the Classic 650 also utilises Showa suspension componentry, a 43mm telescopic fork with 120mm of travel and twin rear shocks with 90mm of travel and preload adjustment. The brakes are 320mm at the front and 300mm at the rear aided with dual-channel ABS. All-LED lighting is in keeping with the times while the looks are from an era bygone.
The Classic 350 is the largest-selling motorcycle from Royal Enfield and we feel the Classis 650 might be able to do the same for the 650 series. Admittedly, it is not the most affordable of the 650s, but neither is the Classic 350. As of now, Royal Enfield has six different 650cc motorcycles on sale in the market, in diverse roles as well, so anyone who wants their first parallel-twin should be able to find one to suit their preferences.
