Continental GT £4195
There’s a pop culture theory that says if you remain true to your vision and steadfastly refuse to follow fashion, you might be out of favour for a while but eventually the world shifts and the masses will come round to your way of thinking. Just keep banging your particular drum and, sooner or later, everyone realises, actually, you were on to something all along. You just have to wait for your moment. For Royal Enfield the waiting could be over and that moment could be now. Always a famous name – established in 1893, it’s the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturer in continuous production – in 1971 Enfield ceased assembling its by-then Indian-made components in the UK, and became a wholly Indian company building humble, low-powered, air-cooled, single overhead valve 350 and 500cc singles. Their simplicity and ease of repair suited life on the subcontinent, but through the 1980s and 1990s they meant little to Europe’s buyers. But after decades of exposure to multi-cylinder engines, spiralling revs and horsepower, and electronic sophistication to shame NASA, suddenly the back-to-basics appeal of a Royal Enfield – largely unchanged bar a few inevitable concessions (such as fuel injection) – is finding a resonance with young and old bikers alike. In a complex and confusing world, a reminder of a simpler time might well be worth hav- ing. And some of the Continental GT’s detailing is pure loveliness whatever its age; the alloy filler cap, red stitching on the single seat, wire rims, polished alloy cases, Paioli twin piggy-back shocks in Öhlins-esque yellow and gold. I even love the centrestand lift handle; a plain loop of steel by the seat. Mind you, sturdier switchgear, decent indicators and bar-end mirrors that work would also be nice. But it’s impossible not to smile as the 535cc single – a nearly-new example from Billau Motorcycles in Darlington – choffs into life with the pulsating throb of a lightly hammered thumb. Neutral is hard to find, engine running or not, so chances are you’ll feel the clutch dragging you forward as you press the start button and the motor turns over before firing. But all the authentic vintage touches are here – a kickstart (if you prefer it to the electric starter), a bar-mounted choke lever to tickle the fuel injection, and the primary vibration of an unbalanced, undersquare single piston flinging up and down a long, 90mm stroke with admirable enthusiasm given the distance it has to travel. As well as placing a 5750rpm rev limit on the motor and restricting power to 29bhp, the slow, rhythmic churning gives you a strong sensation of chaotic metal barging about beneath – as does the whirring noise, which sounds like backlash in the crank-driven cam gears. The GT’s café racer styling gives it a low, compact and sporty riding position but, with above-yoke clip-ons, it’s not too extreme. The bike is so light and minimal it requires almost no effort to ride, and flicks from side to side easily. First gear goes home with a clonk – the lever has been on the left side since the late 1990s – and the motor accumulates pace steadily, at a rate that feels in keeping with the rest of the bike. The GT is about as quick as a sports 125, but that’s fine because its sensation of speed is entirely related to the environment – and if you stick to back roads and urban limits, it’s easy to slip into a laid back, 1950’s mind-set. Besides, although the five-speed box will eventually coax the GT up to around 80mph, the idea of holding it at that speed for long on a motorway
is unthinkable – the vibes, which are so charming and charismatic bopping about the lanes, quickly become intolerable on the open road. But there’s no getting away from the Royal Enfield’s charm; brapping about is a genuine delight – as long as you come to the bike armed with the understanding this is a strictly vintage experience. As a utility motorcycle it makes no sense, even in India where other bikes have long since usurped the Enfield’s prestige position. Yet here in Europe the tide has turned the other way and the Continental GT offers an alternative to high tech, high performance and high expectations. Like a line drawing from a 1950s copy of The Motor Cycle made real, the GT makes a virtue out of all the things we’d once have called vices. Over the years it hasn’t really changed... but maybe we have.