ENFIELD CONTINENTAL GT250 The bike that kids in the 1960s and early ’70s lusted after as a first bike
For young learner riders, who had been restricted to 250cc bikes by legislation in 1961, this was a dream come true
In the post-war era, Redditch-based Royal Enfield earned a deserved reputation for producing solidly-engineered and (largely) well-built machines in the traditional mould. Their Bullet range of 350cc and 500cc singles is well known for longevity – a production run of almost 60 years, from 1948 to 1997, when production of the 350 Bullet Standard (by then manufactured in India) finally ended, certainly isn’t bad.
Enfield’s twins enjoyed a similarly worthy reputation in the ’50s and early ’60s. But for the British parent company, the swinging ’60s brought a new challenge and changing markets. Vital to meeting that challenge was the rise of the 250 ‘learner’ market – and the increasingly demanding young riders that were buying into motorcycling.
The pre-unit Clipper, introduced in 1954, might not have been the stuff of teenage dreams, but the unit-construction Crusader was a step in the right direction when it appeared for 1956. More was to come. A Crusader Sport model joined the line-up in 1959 – with the five-speed Super Five arriving for 1962. But it was the 1963 launch of the Continental that really upped the ante for Enfield’s 250cc offerings.
The Continental’s quasi-café racer style certainly broadened its appeal with the younger set, who were already being tempted by increasingly sophisticated offerings from Japan. But it was the Continental GT that would become the object of lust for a generation of L-plate riders. Surely, here was the best-looking British 250 ever built. Who could resist the sporty, bright red glassfibre tank, humped seat, sinuous exhaust run and racy little flyscreen? Why, you could even order a colour-matched Avon Speedflow fairing for the ultimate in racer chic. Adding substance to style were further tweaks to the engine, making the GT the most powerful – and fastest – British 250 on the road.
A compression ratio up to 9.5:1, plus the hot cam, lighter flywheel, larger inlet valve and wider inlet tract from the Continental – and the five-speed gearbox – provide the step up in go compared to the base-model Crusader. But, apart from those relatively minor tweaks, the GT’S engine is virtually identical to the humble Crusader. The camshaft and pushrods are on the left-hand side of the engine (unusual on a British 250), the alternator is on the right and there’s a one-piece crank with a split conrod running on a plain bush big-end. The crank runs on a ball-race timing/drive side main bearing and a roller bearing on the alternator side; the oil for the dry-sump lubrication system is held in an integral tank formed by part of the crankcase castings.
But that five-speed gearbox was one of the big selling points of the Continental GT. Who needed to turn to Japanese bikes when you could have an off-the-peg British café racer with an 85mph top speed, bags of style and the sophistication of five ratios? Sadly, it was often that last feature that spoiled the pleasure of GT ownership for many hard-riding young owners. The five-speed unit only has one set of layshaft dogs for second, third and fourth gears (there are two dogs in the four-speed unit) and the pinions are slimmed down to allow them to fit in the same space as the four-speeder. It was a recipe for mechanical mayhem – and often prompted owners into retro-fitting a four-speed gear cluster. That didn’t stop Royal Enfield from pushing the performance credentials of the GT, though. When the model was announced in late 1964, Enfield sent a team of five riders – including race star John Cooper – to ride a stock GT non-stop from Land’s End to John O’groats. On the way, Cooper thrashed the little 250 round a few laps of Silverstone Circuit, clocking a fastest lap at 73mph. It was heady stuff for a 250 and couldn’t have hurt sales.
Sadly, though, Royal Enfield were in financial trouble almost as soon as the GT hit the streets. Just two years after the GT’S launch, the Redditch factory was sold and production of the whole 250 range was brought to a halt. Production of the Interceptor twin continued at the company’s Upper Westwood plant, but it was the end of the road for the dashing Continental GT.
Many thanks to the National Motorcycle Museum for providing this bike for our photographs.
‘IT BROADENED ROYAL ENFIELD’S APPEAL WITH THE YOUNGER SET’