ROYAL ENFIELD CONTINENTAL 535
Café racers frequently feel fine on a frisky test ride but living long-term with that radical riding position can be a pain in the back. Stuart Urquhart tries a modified GT with a more relaxed style…
Café racers frequently feel fine on a frisky test ride but living long-term with that radical riding position can be a pain in the back. Stuart Urquhart tries a modified GT with a more relaxed style…
The Royal Enfield Continental GT 250 single of the 1960s was every schoolboy’s dream. I lusted after one. But my old man deduced that bloodred paintwork and bacon slicers were far too much performance for a sixteen year-old learner. So he reneged on a birthday promise and bought me a BSA C15 instead, which simply didn’t look as cool as the scratcher’s GT.
To most acne-pocked lads the GT’s racing red paintwork, swept back exhaust, racing dualseat, mini flyscreen, and twin bacon slicer brakes were just too hot to ignore. I was gutted when my good friend Scott turned up on his shiny new Continental GT and insisted we go head-to-head. My poor old dad never understood why I abandoned my C15 after that embarrassing showdown…
The original Continental GT was launched in 1965, only a few years before Royal Enfield finally closed its factory doors. The Redditch firm asked its dealers what young learner motorcyclists might aspire to, and the result was a good handling, light weight and irresistible legal-learner motorcycle, capable of a true 85mph.
Fast forward to 2013 and the Ace Café, where Enfield India launched their new Continental GT. Ace Tester Miles attended this event and his illuminating report can be read in RC115. Other press reports weren’t as positive about the GT as Paul’s fair and educated narrative – some failed to appreciate that the GT was intended for the growing retro-classic market.
Almost seven years later, my good friend Ian offered me a ride of his recently purchased 2015 Continental GT. Too good to resist, I thundered west on my own Bullet to a sunny rendezvous at the beautiful Loch Earn in Stirlingshire. Ian’s modern GT is finished in
British Racing Green rather than the iconic red of the Redditch café racer, but it looked rather splendid in the metal. As we poked and prodded Ian’s GT I soon appreciated the quality build and impressive design of his lean, very green machine. It is also available in traditional red as well as a fiery yellow.
The new Indian GT was styled in the UK by Xenophya Design Studio while Harris Performance developed the frame. The Harris twin-cradle frame looks classic and strong, with more than a passing resemblance to the McCandless frame of Norton renown – so my early assumptions were that the Indian GT should handle well.
Viewed from any angle the styling is unmistakably British, and it is quite obvious that the Chennai GT has been heavily influenced by its Redditch forebear. The large, three-gallon petrol tank and solo hump-backed racing seat all hark back to the 1960s GT. The iconic bacon slicers and swept-back exhaust system are absent, however. The Indian factory has fitted its own interpretation of an upswept system, but it’s just not obvious with its meekly-curved profile (see boxout for more about silencers).
Bacon slicers give way to modern Brembo discs, consisting of a single 300mm floater up front and a 240mm rear. This is nice kit for a road-going single, but some press reporters were unimpressed, labelling single discs as inadequate. One report questioned whether there was really any need for a modern interpretation of the Continental GT.
Another gripe were the ‘bile yellow’ Paioli gas shocks. Adverse comments were perhaps caused by pre-launch pictures showing top spec Öhlins shocks which didn’t appear on the production machines. Ian’s model has black Paioli shocks and up close
they look like quality items with adjustable preload damping – again perfectly adequate for a lightweight single. Tipping the scales at 172kg dry, the GT is now the lightest model in Enfield’s line-up. At 800mmm (nearly 31.5”) the seat height gave Ian pause for thought before he bought.
The new GT engine at 535cc has an almost square bore of 87 x 90mm and produces a modest output of 29bhp at 7500rpm, compared to the 21bhp at 5100rpm of the 248cc original. Compression ratio is 8.5:1 and top speed of the Indian GT is reputed to be in excess of 90mph while the 1960s machine managed 85mph. At twice the capacity of the original GT, the 535’s performance is on the same page. Keihin fuel injection and digital electronic ignition are the modern equivalents of an Amal Monobloc and mechanical points.
But quality abounds on the new GT and the motorcycle stands up to a good old tyrekicking session. The spoked alloy 18-inch wheels; silver 41mm fork legs with exposed chrome stanchions (no rubber gaiters) and top mounted alloy clip-ons look excellent quality and help to carry off the 1960s retro pastiche. Another throwback to the Redditch singles are the Crusader flying-wing emblems that are tastefully cast into the Indian EFI engine’s timing and primary cases.
The copy-cat café racer fuel tank and the short racing front mudguard continue to press home the 1960s theme – as do the Smiths retro-style mph speedo and tachometer. Even the sidepanels, chrome round headlamp and Lucas style rear light are British café racer inspired, so the stylists have hit the mark. Nice quality alloy heel guards sit atop rearset footrests and levers. The extra-long chrome kickstart will keep the purists happy, although I’m not sure if it will see much use.
Much like the chassis, the single cylinder four-stroke engine has been tweaked to offer more power and performance. A range of mods – remapped Keihin fuel injection system, lightened and balanced flywheels, larger inlet valve, high-comp piston, re-profiled cams and a 35cc hike in capacity – give this lightweight GT more performance over the other EFI Enfields. The GT’s five-speed gearbox has been enhanced by revised ratios and a taller top gear for improved top end rush. Pirelli Sport Demon tyres, quality suspension and the excellent Harris Performance frame make the GT a hoot on the road. Ian has also fitted an aftermarket silencer which not only suits the café racer style, it sounds absolutely gorgeous too.
After flirting with various Triumphs, Nortons, BSAs, Velocettes and Sunbeams, Ian realised that modern Enfields offered the British bike experience, a wide range of model choice and value for money. In the last eight years he has owned six incarnations of the modern Bullet. His lean-burn Electra X appeared in RC155, but it is his latest acquisition that has me green with envy. Parked on its sidestand, his Continental GT
looks every bit a sports machine and outposes my refurbished Woodsman Bullet. Initially, Ian was deterred from buying a 535 GT due to the wide reach of the clip-ons and the high seat. Then one turned up and he snapped it up, like you do…
‘I was also a teenage fan of the original 1960s Continental café racer,’ explained Ian, ‘and it left a lasting impression. When Enfield India launched the GT 535, I was interested, but preferred to sit back and see how well they functioned, digest the press reviews, and observe how values would hold up for used, low-mileage examples. Although some press reports failed to understand the appeal of a retro-classic café racer, I thought the GT was a well-designed modern interpretation – with the benefit of an electric start for ageing legs.
‘ The reliability of modern technology is a plus, so too is the nostalgic experience of riding a modern ‘60s-feeling’ motorcycle. It is remarkably similar in performance and handling to my old Dodkin-built Velocette 1965 Venom Clubman. I also appreciateppate the GT’s responsive delivery of power and performance. It is remarkably swift for a longstroke single and more engaging than the four Hinckley Bonnevilles I have owned. The key thing for me is that maximum torque on my last T100 required 5800rpm. With the GT, maximum m torque arrives at 4000rpm.
‘Swift, torquey, nimble, with a sharp crackle on o the over-run and a healthier bank balance – what more could you want?’
Ian had found a little-used motorcycle w with more than its fair share of aftermarket e extras. The Motad silencer (now unavailable) a and the Motrax LED alloy indicators look m more attractive than the often criticised o original parts. Ian also pointed out that st tandard clip-ons have been replaced by LS SM M-shaped alloy handlebars with
Hitchcocks handlebar risers, and it also sports softer rear shocks and adjustable brake and clutch levers, plus a few other sensible tweaks. According to Ian, the LSM bars are a sensible upgrade and are much kinder to the ageing, retro biker. Ian’s local long-standing bike specialist, Willie at Dynotech Ecosse, also treated the engine to Silkolene 15/50 oil and filter, and the bike to a full service before he pronounced his GT fit to tango with Scotland’s winding and scenic roads.
‘My Classic EFI Bullet is now fitted with an 18T sprocket, the same as the GT,’ says Ian, ‘but the Conti has proved infinitely faster coupled with its addictive torque. When Stuart and I had a blast along Loch Earn, the Conti left his carb-era Bullet for dead. The Conti’s five-speed gearbox feels slicker than the one on my EFI Bullet and the clutch is lighter in operation. All
controls are an easy
reach and the revised ergonomics are very good for a retro café racer. The GT is more engaging than any of my previous Enfields and certainly feels sportier and more thrilling to ride. It’s not a replacement for the Classic Bullet… more the pushy younger cousin.
‘I’m not into or capable of really fast riding and full-on cornering, but the Conti handles well enough for me to push on, and overtaking is safe, swift and assured. It’s such a confidence-inspiring motorcycle. The seat height looks intimidating until you sit on the bike. The engine is a peach, with plenty of power if required. I often use it on busy A-roads and it is easy enough in modern city traffic. The fuel injection is smooth and could almost pass muster for an Amal-carbed Bullet, and the EFI engine always fires on the first prod of the starter. The Conti is a delightful and fun motorcycle to own and I have absolutely no complaints.
‘It must be one of the best buys in the retro
market,’ reckons Ian. Time for me to find out for myself…
On the sunny day when Ian turned up at our loch-side rendezvous I was immediately struck by the appearance of his latest toy. The 535 GT certainly looked larger and more muscular in stature than the Redditch 250 I remembered. However, the copycat styling is convincing, and the 2015 GT has obviously inherited the essence of the ground-breaking 1960s original – even without the attractive flyscreen.
Sitting on the GT for the first time, it felt comfortable and familiar. Everything was in the right place and my hands and feet found the controls with ease. One stab of the Nippon Denso starter and the engine thrummed away merrily, accompanied by an unobtrusive but delicious beat from the Motad stainless silencer. Blipping the throttle produced a rebellious growl… and I knew I was going to have a fun day.
Out on the road, the aftermarket bars and risers felt extremely comfortable and the pilot’s upright body is held in a relaxed pose. My knees gripped the large petrol tank, despite its lack of rubber kneepads. There’s no enforced café racer slouch which might wreak havoc on the rider’s back or knees – this is civilised scratching, even with rearsets fitted. The humped-back single seat was supportive and comfortable and I felt I could have ridden all day on Ian’s ‘sporting’ motorcycle.
The Keihin fuel injection worked beautifully from the off, all the way up to 70mph in fifth gear. While exploring the scenic lochside roads the odd blast towards the national speed limit was fast enough, but most of the afternoon we were hovering between 30-55mph. The light clutch and five-speed gearbox proved sublime. On paper, the 29bhp GT 535 has quite a power advantage over my 500 Bullet’s 21bhp. On full throttle sprints, the difference became rudely apparent and massive gaps opened up between the carbed and EFI machines.
As you’d expect, the 535’s acceleration is much improved over my 500 Bullet and the Conti pulls well, revealing most of its potent power in third and fourth gears. The GT’s engine proved smooth and willing throughout my ride. Only a small shiver of vibration appeared through the petrol tank under hard acceleration in fourth, but immediately dissipated when I selected top; fifth to me felt very much like an overdrive gear for A-road cruising. I experienced no problem in selecting neutral with the modern and slick Enfield box either – refined manners that would improve my own Bullet’s four-speed Albion-type box.
The GT’s stock 41mm tele forks and Paioli gas shocks performed well and provided a quality ride and assured handling, especially when streaking around leafy back roads. A series of tight and familiar S-bends were handled with ease. Then, as we belted along at full song through a section of heavily-wooded road, we startled two stags from cover, rudely testing the Brembos. There was no cause for alarm
because, as I discovered, controlled braking and unwavering handling also come as part of the modern Continental GT package. The suspension might feel soft at rest, but when the red mist is down and the Continental gets into its stride, the bike feels together, agile and stable. The Pirelli Sport tyres are excellent, and the Harris Performance frame could easily handle a larger and more powerful engine. But in its present café racer guise, the GT proved to be a perfect package of balance and power.
So I agree wholeheartedly with Ian’s assessment of his Continental GT. What really stands out, when comparing this sporting motorcycle with other Enfield EFI singles, is its excellent quality and attention to detail. Even more astonishing – you can pick up a low mileage, immaculate example for around three grand. Now that’s a genuine bargain!