Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 - First Ride Review (2022)

Join me on my first ever ride on a Royal Enfield. This is RE's Continental GT 650, a cafe racer designed in the UK, assembled in India. I compare the Continental GT650 to bikes I've owned or ridden before including the Honda Rebel 500, Triumph Street Twin, and Kawasaki Ninja 400
In this video I share my first ride impressions as I review the Royal Enfield CGT 650, continuing my search for the best modern classic motorcycle for beginner and experienced riders.
Royal Enfield's bikes definitely have some serious charm to them, and I'm glad they're increasingly making their way to the North American market.
Let me know what you think of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 in the comments, and please subscribe to join our growing community!
Ride safe.
#royalenfield #continentalgt650 #cgt650

[@thatguy1060]

Interceptor is even taller, so I bought some TEC shocks which may lower it up to 2". They weigh 75# more than back in the day, and are kind of top-heavy to push around the driveway , so the shorter shocks should work (I'm only 5'4"). These are well-engineered cool-looking bikes and all you need for the street.

[@RideYEG]

What do you think of Royal Enfield and the Continental GT 650? Let me know in the comments👇👇 EDIT: I learned of the 6 (not 5) speed transmission after recording the video😆

[@shobhit...]

Bro Gt is a great bike you will not regret In India 🇮🇳 Royal Enfield is not a brand it’s an emotion for this Brand. Don’t go for second thought Go for The bike❤️

[@AghaKhan]

Not 5 speed, it has also the 6th gear. I own one.

[@dogphlap6749]

8:35.

[@JDGage]

I’ve ridden my Continental for about two years now. It’s a great bike and if you value not being a cliche rider, as in not a sport bike or a Harley rider, you’ll love the Continental. It’s super nimble and it’s peppy. It’s not going to get you killed like a Kawasaki H2 or anything, but it’s isn’t slow. If you’re an old soul then the GT is a great bike. You are definitely right that it isn’t the best highway bike or long distance. It is just for shorter rides. Just depends on what you’re buying it for. My Continental leaked oil on me twice in the time I’ve owned it. But luckily they took care of it quickly with the three year warranty.

[@RideYEG]

Thanks for sharing! Agree with you completely, there’s so much more to riding than numbers and categories. The Continental certainly has that “character” bike feel that is priceless

[@garyives1218]

What the heck. What event was that? I haven't seen or heard of any large demo ride in the US put on by Royal Enfield. There were so many gorgeous ones in this vid! INT650s in so many colors (those Sunset Strip and Ventura Blue are sooo nice), and Himalayans. Had a Himalayan. I loved it for what it was, and really miss it, but I can only have one bike. I test road a Rocker Red GT and loved it, but went with a Canyon Red INT. It's really tough choosing a color with all the Royal Enfields! As others have commented, it is a 6 speed. It handles the stupid fast 75mph Interstates near me with no problem. The SuperMeteor 650(?) will be coming out soon too. I love my 650. Also, with my Himalayan I got used to not being able to flat foot it, and both bikes I think are easy to handle at slow speed for my 5'6".

[@RideYEG]

I’m up north in Canada! Seems like RE is trying to expand here as I’ve been seeing events like this all over the country. Was lots of fun.

[@dogphlap6749]

The saddle height ? Way too high for me but I am short. I replaced the rear shocks with ones 30mm shorter and moved the fork legs 30mm further up into the triple clamp to avoid dropping the bike at zero speed (again !). Once was enough. Rake angle was 24 degrees on this bike as it left the factory, I preferred the 25 I got with shorter rear shocks before moving the fork tubes to restore the factory rake. It surprised me just how much less nervous the bike was with that small increase in rake angle (+1.3 degrees). A heavier rider would get that just by sitting on the saddle but I only weigh around 66-67kg (146 lb). I love the bike but the electrics are not the best (yes I've had a couple of small problems with those).

[@AngelFaceMotoRider]

Looks who is back 🙂

[@RideYEG]

It’s been a while!!

[@AngelFaceMotoRider]

GLAD you are back 🙂 I want to go on a demo ride.!!

[@trailrider1980]

So between the rebel and the continental gt which one you prefer?

[@RideYEG]

Overall for practical day to day use I would still take my Rebel. For the uniqueness the Continental stands out!

[@jmeahra]

It has 6 speed gearbox i think 8:35

[@RideYEG]

Yes you are right, I realized after I recorded!

[@arpanmaurya96]

YES!

[@arpanmaurya96]

@@RideYEG and can go 180kmph

[@jcera8554]

In terms of seat height, is this taller than the Ducati Scrambler Icon?

[@jaydiggy86]

Considering this, the rebel 500 and the cbr500 (especially with the new forks and twin disc upgrades). How would you compare the power of this to the rebel?

[@RideYEG]

Honestly I would say they are comparable, but the Honda will certainly run lower operating and maintenance costs. While the Honda may be more efficient, the Enfield has a different more luxury feel to it so it comes down to preferences. Pure performance wise, the CBR500 would be best (I’ve owned a 2017 cbr)

[@jaydiggy86]

Yeah with the new upgrades the cbr is right at the top of the list. Only worry for me is whether it will be comfortable as I’m used to upright bikes. Interceptor is a beautiful looking bike, but for sure more of a concern with reliability, maintenance (lot of chrome to polish 😂) etc.

[@RideYEG]

@@jaydiggy86 totally valid concerns. What are you looking to use the bike for mostly? If you’re looking for something more upright you could try the CB500R or the CB500X adv

[@jaydiggy86]

The 500f and 500x are not my vibe looks-wise. I like the classic looking bikes the most, but the new cbr is also a beautiful looking bike! Mostly would be for around town/commuting with longer weekend fun in the twisties and rarely to visit a friend who is 2 hours of freeway riding away. I’ve heard the cbr is actually quite good on the freeway in terms of being stable and not getting knocked around too much by the wind. Did you find this to be the case?

[@RideYEG]

Yeah it’s decent on the highway but not for super long periods of time. Feels planted though.

[@74aspi]

Stop calling this bike a cafe-racer, it is just a beautiful regular plain and old-fashion looking bike. The so-called cafe racers are impractical , just based on fashion. Their purpose is only to be seen, riding with impractical jackets and outdated helmets only in cafes and shops areas in the sunshine during the summer. A Continental GT is a genuine bike, which you can really use as a bike, on roads, on motorways, travelling with it in all kinds of weather.

[@johnhfish79]

That’s what cafe racers have become ( the cb500 builds ). They were originally very much like these bikes (nortons, triumphs, tritons).

[@shobhit...]

Hey Which color will you recommend overall Rocker Red ( which you rode) or Mr Clean (Crome)

[@RideYEG]

Hey man I honestly at first thought I was going to say Chrome, but the red is so vibrant! Both are so good but I think I’d go red.

[@shobhit...]

@@RideYEG Ya.. even my heart says to go with Red ❤️

[@ankitanand676]

@@shobhit... i bought red one after a lot of research.....the red is so much eye catchy with its racing stripes and also chrome is quite common on other classic 350 and it's been there for years whereas red with racing stripes is quite uncommon atleast with RE

[@RideYEG]

The red is a stunner!

[@gesman5000]

Red bikes always go faster

[@SunIsSon]

What's your inside leg length?

[@sachcva]

It’s a 6 speed gearbox

[@RideYEG]

Ah yes thanks. I found out after I finished recording, might just have not upshifted hard enough

[@sachcva]

@@RideYEG I guessed you would have figured out later😏 and a nice review though , I planned to get a GT and at the last moment settled for a interceptor though 😀

[@RideYEG]

@@sachcva nice! Where are you based out of? I didn’t get a chance to test the interceptor but they look fantastic.

[@sachcva]

@@RideYEG I am based out of chennai , India... interceptor is good for long rides and basically the same machine except the riding ergonomics with foot pegs and clip on handles are the basic differences , do try out

[@rickhill6277]

How tall are you? I’m looking into the INT650 which is a more upright riding position than the GT. The seat Hight is still the same so at 5’3” I have to also Tip Toe it. What your hitting on the sides when you stop are the Side Pegs. They need moved backward. Cheers from Salem, Ohio US.

[@RideYEG]

I’m 5’6!

[@ACE-fr8sf]

How is it heavy lmao wow