New Sporty exhaust option for the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650

Cafe Racers are mean stripped down machines which you can lean and hug the tarmac with. They might not be bedazzled with rhinestones but they are classy none the less. The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 is the perfect example. The Continental GT 650 comes with 5 different color tones, but now you can even tweak the pipes of the beast. The custom made exhaust from AEW Performance is tailor-made for the GT 650, and will give you the mature raunchy sound your cafe racer deserves.

5 Shades of GT

Why purr, when you can roar

Royal Enfields have always been a style statement, and even as a child, we could make out the thumping of a Bullet even before we could see it. Now that we are reliving the era of the cafe racers, let's look at the exhaust options you have for your Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.

In this video, the first GT, has a stock exhaust on, while the latter one is the custom exhaust made by AEW performance. So what difference can we expect from the custom exhaust?

Custom exhaust Continental GT 650

Stock exhaust Continental GT 650

• The custom exhaust is shorter and less bulky than the stock. This improves the mass distribution of the cafe racer and makes it even lighter.
  
• The AEW custom exhaust has a meatier sound and the tonality improves at higher rev range. You can notice the difference even when the 650 is idling.
  
• The loud pops and crackle of the exhaust are achievable with this custom exhaust.

Yes, I know there are many exotic sports and after-market exhausts (the likes of Akrapovic, Yoshimura, to name a few) which sound even better, but from a cafe racer standpoint, this bad boy from AEW would do just right. The Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 adorned with this new exhaust would make a lot of heads turn and might even redefine the THUMP.

HURRY! Royal Enfield End of Season sale promises heavy discounts

A proper motorcycle should always be complemented with the right gear. Yeah! for style, and definitely for safety. But when it comes to motorcycle riding gears and apparels, the truth might burn a hole in your pocket. Another problem is, if you start to look for a cheap alternative, the safety compliance goes for a toss. But once in a while, you get some drool-worthy discounts, which you should never miss. This is one such offer. The Royal Enfield End of Season sale is promising flat 40 percent discount on selected riding gears, apparels, and other motorcycling accessories.

Let's jot down the main attractions of the Royal Enfield End of Season sale

• This sale will start on 15th January. You can get the products at the discounted rate till 1st March 2019.
  
• You can get a discount on selected items up to 40%.
  
• This discount is applicable only on selected riding gears, motorcycling accessories, and apparels.
  
• It also encompasses Protective and Urban gear.
  
• You can avail the discount online, or at any of Royal Enfield's 800 dealerships in India.

I personally feel that the Royal Enfield End of Season sale is more than just a stock-clearing drill. Recently Royal Enfield started revamping their existing models to add more safety features to their flagship models and to stay at par with the new safety laws for motorcycles in India.

I think Royal Enfield's End of Season sale should be marketed with a tagline, "WHEN SAFETY WEDS STYLE".

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS to be launched in February 2019

In our previous post were talking about the different Royal Enfields and the possible variants that can be expected to release this year. Today, it was announced that an ABS version of Royal Enfield Bullet would be launched later in February 2019. Let's find out the features and specifications of the new Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS and what to expect from this classic motorcycle.

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS

Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS price, features, and specifications

• The Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS would be launched in February 2019 and will be available across the country in leading Royal Enfield dealerships.
  
• It has also been reported that some dealers have already started accepting booking for the upcoming ABS variant. Customers can expect their delivery from March 2019.
  
• The Bullet 350 ABS is expected to be priced at Rs 1.42 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).
  
• The overall specification of the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS will remain exactly the same as the non-ABS variant. It will be equipped with a 346cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled, Twinspark engine,  producing 19.8bhp of power at 5,250rpm and a peak torque of 28NM at 4,000rpm.

This is the second upgrade to the Bullet 350 since the rear disc brake was introduced in December 2018. Earlier in January 2019, the Royal Enfield Bullet 350 ABS was launched while the non-ABS version was discontinued for the Indian market. Royal Enfield is currently upgrading all their motorcycles in order to adhere to the newly set safety norms for the Indian market.

Rag & Bone Customs, and the custom Royal Enfields of Goa

Before I start pouring my heart about custom Royal Enfields, let's talk about the majestic land of Goa. This enigmatic coastal state is all about nature's abundance and provides the three things which almost every biker love. Open winding roads, good motorcycles, and cold beer. And this post concerns both. One of the most recognized shops for custom motorcycles in Goa.

Paul & Stuart of Rag & Bone Customs, Goa

While I was on a trip to Goa, I met a few bikers, shared a few sweating drinks and stories, and came to know about Rag & Bone Customs. This custom motorcycle company/ shop was started by Paul Smith & Stuart Cantellow in Goa. And believe me, when I tell you this, they make some dope ass choppers/ custom motorcycles in Goa. All of their creations, reeks of freedom and yells bewilderment from miles away. Their creations are minimalistic, vintage and uniquely creative. Some of their hardtail specimens are a sight to behold and I wish to ride one someday (fingers crossed).

Rag & Bone Customs in Biker Week

When they participated in India Bike Week 2013 and showcased their creations, they got an amazing response from the crowd and gained the attention of some serious motorcycle enthusiasts. Their point was simple, if you have an idea, some basic knowledge of how you want your motorcycle to look, a pinch of time and patience, you can build your dream motorcycle. With this motto, Paul and Stuart started building their first rigid frame hardtail Royal Enfield in Goa. Paul had been customizing and building bikes for the past 10 years and was well aware of the nitty-gritty of chopper building. So Stuart proposed his idea and convinced him to take on a new project. To build a custom Royal Enfield chopper and one of their first custom motorcycles in Goa. So both Paul and Stuart started building 2 custom motorcycles, side by side in Paul's small garage. It took them 5 months but their creations were worth the wait.

Rag & Bone customs Goa

Rag & Bone Customs, Hardtail Royal Enfield

Not for the faint hearted, hardtail custom Royal Enfield

Hardtail custom Royal Enfield

But these 5 months were not a cake walk. They faced numerous challenges and setbacks, which took their frustration to the limit, but never crippled their determination. They created most of the parts in the garage itself and assembled everything together to create a custom Royal Enfield chopper which is as dirty as it gets. Now after successfully completing multiple projects, Stuart and Paul spend half of the year in UK, and the rest creating some stunning custom motorcycles in Goa.

What do you think of their creations? Do let us know in the comment below.

Rudratej Singh steps down as president of Royal Enfield. Lalit Malik, the new COO

No matter how big or agile a company is, shuffling of the higher management order does resonate within the company and can impact the sales, for the better or worse.

Rudratej Singh who was the President of Royal Enfield family since January 2015, recently decided to seek opportunities outside the company owing to personal commitments.

Prior to Royal Enfield Rudratej Singh worked for Unilever in Singapore. Since he started working in 2015, Singh reported directly to Eicher Motors’ MD and CEO, Siddhartha Lal and was based in Gurgaon.

Rudratej Singh steps down as president of Royal Enfield

Apart from leading the commercial business for the iconic motorcycle brand in India and globally, he looked after global sales, branding and marketing, after-sales, new product strategy and aided in driving new business opportunities for the company. He was also closely coupled with the apparel and merchandise vertical of Royal Enfield.

During his tenure, some of the noteworthy product strategies brought forward by Singh were

• The Classic 350 Redditch
  
• The Thunderbird 500 X and 350 X
  
• The Classic 350 and 500 series (including limited editions) 

For the time being, Eicher Motors CFO Lalit Malik will take on the additional interim responsibility of the Chief Commercial Officer with immediate effect.

Rod Copes (Head – Business Markets, North Amercia), Shaji Koshy (Head – Business Markets, India), Arun Gopal (Head – Business Markets, Europe and LATAM), Rich Rawlins (Head – motorcycle accessories), Vimal Sumbly (Head – Business Markets, APAC), Pankaj Sharma (Head – customer experience) and Puneet Sood (Head – apparel) will all now report to Lalit Malik in his new role effective immediately.

Lalit Malik COO Royal Enfield

Lalit Malik, an IIM-Bangalore alumni, has been part of Royal Enfield for the past eight years. During this period, not only did the company reinvent itself, but also expanded their consumer base in different geographical locations. In the past decade, Royal Enfield’s cumulative sales increased from about 52,000 units to over 800,000 units in the financial year 2018.

According to sources, Mr. Malik keeps a close eye over operational efficiencies and strives to improve cost structures within the company. All this while ensuring profitability for the company. After the shuffling of the higher management, Mr. Siddhartha Lal would oversee Product Strategy & Industrial Design, and Brand and Marketing. While, Mark Wells, the head of Product Strategy and Shubhranshu Singh head of global branding would report directly to Lal.

For the Royal Enfield family, 2018 ended in a good note and 2019 looks even brighter. As we are expecting aleast 2 new Royal Enfield launches this year, only time would tell, whether the hierarchy and leadership change would have any major impact over the brand's popularity and reach. 

Check out this custom Royal Enfield Himalayan from Smoked Garage

Who doesn't like a custom motorcycle, that too a Royal Enfield? To shake things up and to steer away from their original look, Royal Enfield UK, came up with an assignment for Smoked Garage. To build a custom Royal Enfield Himalayan. Mission statement, make it as edgy, futuristic and as dirty as possible. And guess what they came up with.

Custom Royal Enfield Himalayan

The brilliant minds from Smoked Garage at Bali came up with their design first. They took apart the Himalayan piece by piece and stripped it down to its bare minimum. Now it was time to build the custom Royal Enfield Himalayan. They made the following change to the Himalayan

• They replaced the stock 41mm forks with a 43mm Showa upside down unit. The rear mono-shock suspension was upgraded to an up-spec Ohlins unit, which in turn was linked to a custom swingarm.
  
• The stock tires were replaced with humongous Dunlop K180s with dirt track treads.
  
• And the spoke wheels were carbon-coated
  
• The front brakes also received some major overhaul with Nissin 4-piston calipers on twin 310mm floating discs.

Look at those massive tyres

The futuristic SG-411

And guess what the result turned out to be? This new one of a kind custom Royal Enfield Himalayan went from 194 kg to 175 kg. Talk about getting ripped. They named this bad boy, the SG-411. Here's a sneak peek video of their build.

What do you think of this bad boy? If you want to check out more custom builds done by Smoked Garage make sure to visit their Instagram account or get in touch with them on their website.

By the way, I personally feel this SG-411 would be the perfect motorcycle for Judge Dredd. What say you?

Royal Enfield 2019: New Royal Enfield Himalayan 650 is expected to launch in 2019

What an amazing year it has been for Royal Enfield. 2018 has catapulted Royal Enfield to different heights altogether. Not only did they expand their flagship models but also reinvented their GT flagship. 2019 is going to be another such year, if not better. It is expected that the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 650 would roll on the tarmac and let you be on its saddle this year. And that's not all you can even test ride the Royal Enfield Scrambler as early as March 2019.

So, what does Royal Enfield 2019 hold for us? Let's figure out the facts and speculate the possibilities.

FACTS

• Himalayan 650 - 2019 would definitely promise a bigger Himalayan. Unlike its predecessor, this 650cc all-terrain stud would be properly scrutinized and tested to its limits before any customer starts twisting its throttle.
  
  



Himalayan 650

• The Himalayan 650 would flaunt a twin-cylinder motor complemented with a 6-speed gearbox.
  
• Royal Enfield Scrambler - The scrambler flagship would consist of a 2 variants, Royal Enfield Scrambler 350 and Scrambler 500. Both would be based on or be identical to their Classic predecessors. 

Royal Enfield Scrambler 

SPECULATIONS

It is speculated that the Royal Enfield Scramblers would be a chopped down and a bit dirtier (or course in a good way) version of the classic. And they would be launched with dual-channel ABS as a standard for both the 350cc and 500cc versions.

The Royal Enfield Scrambler

• The Royal Enfield Scrambler price (showroom) would bounce around Rs. 1,89,000.







• The Scrambler has been seen by many people doing the rounds in Pune and is expected to hit the market by March 2019.

Apart from the above major releases, Royal Enfield 2019, might even introduce a few newer and more alluring color variants for their interceptor and GT series. Fingers crossed. Till then let's keep changing the dates and wait for the unveiling by Mr. Siddharta Lal.

What do you feel 2019 has in store for Royal Enfield? And how excited are you for the new Himalayan and Scrambler? Let us know in the comment below.