In a new streetbike season already revealing India’s Roya Enfield to be leading the way with several revolutionary new models, news has recently surfaced of the coming release of a bigger, bolder neo-cafe racer model. These spy shots of a long-rumored 750cc version of the globally popular Continental GT twin confirm the Chennai firm have nearly completed initial road testing on the more powerful machine. Spy images of test bikes are notoriously complex to read, given that motorcycle and car manufacturers intentionally disguise the lines and details of yet-to-be-released vehicles. Why, you ask? Basically, they don’t want the competition to get a good view of what a new machine will look like before its release date which, due to emissions testing and production complications, can often delay the arrival of a bike like the 750 RE by months if not years.
The numerous wires and electronic sensors seen hanging from the new bike are there for datalogging purposes and the weird, urban camo pattern adorning the half fairing and other bodywork components are in place mostly to further disguise the shape of the finished motorcycle.
What we can discern from the images, taken near Royal Enfield’s Chennai factory, is that the new machine will, indeed be a cafe racer. The low, clip-on handlebars and rearset footrests attest to its style brief while the telescopic front forks bear the first dual disc brake setup ever for an Enfield. The addition of a second brake is further evidence that the new motorcycle will be more powerful and performance-oriented than the much-loved and top-selling 650 Interceptor, Bear and Continental GT machines.
As far back as the initial press launch of the 650 twins, I remember several North American test riders inquiring about why RE would invest so much R&D time and revenue into a 47 horsepower parallel twin engine platform. What they were overlooking was quite obvious: riders in most of the world are limited to riding streetbikes with less than 50 horsepower due to licensing restrictions that we just don’t have here in the States. Also, the modest state of tune of the 650s means they can be re-engineered relatively easily into more robust, larger-displacement models.
Some industry experts are already saying the new, air-cooled 750 will produce a good 70 to 10 more brake horses and an equal measure of torque than the current twins, while a sixth gear is already in place as are four valve per cylinder engine heads, further proof that the 650s were clearly designed and built with the possibility of growth in mind.
Besides being a tad faster than the 115-MPH current twins, the reconfigured engines will likely mean a bigger slice of the US streetbike sales market for us power-hungry Americans. We’ll keep you posted if any new info emerges.
