ENFIELD CONTINENTAL GT
It was a teen dream in the ’60s and supply failed to keep up with demand. It’s as sporty a road-going 250cc single as the old British industry ever managed, with style to match, too
RICK SAYS ‘It may look the part but it’s only a 250...’ Yes, but what about RD Yamahas? Two-fifties can be a blast, the GT certainly is. Quick and sure-footed with an angry exhaust bark, a GT quickly uncovers your inner teenager!
Royal Enfield got ‘with it’ in the mid-’60s and came up with exactly what many teenagers were yearning for – a fourstroke café racer you could ride on a learner licence. Based on the less eyecatching Crusader Supa 5 and Continental models with 250cc unit-construction engines and five-speed gearboxes, the GT was a tasty lightweight with rev-counter, clip-on ’bars, rearset footpegs and a bright red tank with giant lettering.
Stuffy management at Enfield had been replaced by bosses with a more progressive outlook. They asked dealers what they believed their customers wanted. The Continental GT was the result and it enjoyed a blaze of publicity from a launch stunt at the end of 1964, when five riders took turns to ride one from John O’groats to Land’s End in less than 24 hours, with some laps of Silverstone circuit by top racer John Cooper thrown in.
Although the factory had quietly slipped in a titanium conrod just to be safe, the marathon ride showed that the GT was not merely pretty, but quite nippy and reliable, too. It was probably cosmetics that sold it, however. In 1965 the craze for ‘caffing’ with go-faster goodies from accessory firms was reaching its height in the UK. If you bought a Continental GT, it came ready-equipped with a glassfibre
tank, flyscreen, humped seat, sweptback pipe and carburettor intake stack. There were even ‘bacon slicers’ – front brakecooling rings of dubious functional value, but vital for the ton-up-boy look. Early bikes had a striking white-painted frame, soon changed to conventional black. The GT was never a common sight, for the stupidest of reasons. When Enfield received a deluge of orders, ancillary parts suppliers could not deliver the goods on time, so production was hobbled. Nevertheless, output of the last Royal Enfield built in the West Midlands trickled on until 1967.
Five speeds were a big deal on a British bike at the time, but the weakest point of Enfields so-equipped was the gearbox. Sometimes you found the ratio you wanted and sometimes not. Owners often fit Crusader four-speed internals and still enjoy the ride.
A nice GT always brings a smile to the face of an old rocker and will never melt into any crowd of classics. Yet, despite the rorty cosmetics, the engine is manageable and tractable. Although performance won’t match Enfield’s 90mph claim, you should get near, even with the four-speed ’box. On stock suspension the rear end is stiff, but the chassis is suited to caff racer fun in miniature, with a front brake that works well if kept in good fettle.
LOOK FOR
Glassfibre petrol tanks rotting inside. FIVE-SPEED GEARBOX can be trouble, four-speed RE ’boxes are better. ORIGINAL SEAT has hump at rear and gingham-check top panel on cover.
ALSO LOOK AT
Triumph Tiger Cub, Ducati singles