Paradigm Shift! That is what Royal Enfield's foray into the middleweight segment can be termed as! This is the first time ever that the Chennai-based manufacturer has shifted gears and went up the displacement ladder, above 535 cc that is. This also marks the first time that Royal Enfield has worked on a twin-cylinder engine, a clear departure from its single-cylinder engine norm. These are times of cutthroat competition and modernisation of technology in the performance motorcycle segment. And that is what the upcoming and all-new Royal Enfield 650 cc motorcycle(s) is all about. While we did not get a chance to see and feel the engine working, we do know about the tech specs and modern bits that Royal Enfield's new 650 cc parallel-twin engine has. So here is a lowdown on Royal Enfield's newest engine.
Also Read: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 Launched In India
Royal Enfield wanted a platform that could have global acceptability and give a touch of modernism to Royal Enfield's traditionalist image. The idea was to create an engine which could get the balance right between power, tractability and ease of usage. The company wanted to give the rider an experience which would be thrilling and NOT intimidating at the same time.
(Royal Enfield Technical Centre UK)The idea of the new 650 cc engine was conceived at Royal Enfield's Bruntingthorpe facility in UK. Further development of the engine was done in collaboration with Royal Enfield's engineers in Chennai. The UK facility will also oversee the future development of the company's twin-cylinder engines. The engine has been tested in UK, Spain and India and has clocked over 10 lakh kilometres in its testing phase.
The 648 cc parallel-twin engine is air-cooled and makes a maximum of 47 bhp at 7,100 rpm. The engine belts out a peak torque of 52 Nm at 4,000 rpm. As you can see that the torque comes into play in its entirety at a lowly 4,000 rpm, which should translate into a bike that will have solid grunt in the mid-range.
| Type | 648 cc, SOHC, air-cooled, parallel-twin |
|---|---|
| Power | 47 bhp at 7,100 rpm |
| Torque | 52 Nm at 4,000 rpm |
| Bore x Stroke | 78 mm x 67.8 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 9.5:1 |
| Gearbox | 6-speed manual |
| Fuel Management | Fuel Injection |
| Ignition | Digital Spark Ignition - TCI |
(New Royal Enfield 650 cc bikes)Royal Enfield says that it has tried to keep the character of the engine as close as possible to the current range of Royal Enfield bikes. The engine gets a 270 degree firing order, which mimics a V-twin engine instead of a parallel-twin with the characteristic 'thump' sound that Royal Enfield bikes are famous for. The bike also gets a balancer shaft, which keeps the vibrations in check.
As of now, the new 648 cc parallel-twin engine will be used on the soon-to-be-unveiled Continental GT look-alike motorcycle from Royal Enfield. But Siddhartha Lal, CEO, Eicher Motors, has confirmed that the company will also be manufacturing a bigger engine variant of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It would be no surprise if the new 648 cc engine is used in other models of Royal Enfield as well.
