The Royal Enfield Interceptor and Continental GT 650 might have gone unchanged for nearly five years, but the Indian giant has introduced two special editions for 2023. Dubbed the Continental GT 650 ‘Thunder’ edition and Interceptor 650 ‘Lightning’ edition, the two motorcycles come ripe with a set of functional accessories from the Royal Enfield’s Genuine Motorcycle Accessories catalog. These accessories primarily focus on enhancing the touring abilities of the 650 twins, thus urging you to hit the highway.
What Makes The Continental GT 650 Thunder And Interceptor 650 Lightning Edition Special
In their stock self, the Continental GT and Interceptor 650 barely have anything to mount your luggage on. This isn’t a problem with the special editions, though, as they are equipped with a couple of soft panniers clamped on bespoke steel rails. Each pannier has a water-resistant construction and a capacity of 2.2 gallons, while the steel rails are rated to carry around 6 pounds. Once on the highway, your life is made easier by the touring seats, windshield, and rearview mirrors on both bikes. The mirrors feature aluminum stems for better stability at higher speeds whereas the windshield aids in toning down the wind blast. Finally, topping all this is a set of compact engine crash guards, made from stainless steel tubes, paired with an aluminum sump guard and a machined oil filler cap.
They Both Remain Mechanically Unchanged
Besides these add-ons, the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 remain unchanged elsewhere. Both continue to feature RE’s 648cc, parallel-twin mill (that pumps out 47 horsepower), housed inside a double cradle steel chassis. The frame is suspended on telescopic forks and dual shock absorbers, while the motorcycle rolls on 18-inch spoke wheels at both ends. Like these bits, the features - semi-digital instrument cluster, dual-channel ABS, bulb-type lights - all remain unchanged.
Both Bikes Will Come In Limited Numbers
So how can you buy these? Well, you can’t. That’s because these GT and INT 650 editions are only on sale in the United Kingdom, priced at £6,659 and £6,459–or £420 more than the base models. RE claims these are “limited” in number, but hasn’t shed light on how many units are on offer. Nevertheless, don’t be bummed if you aren’t in the UK, since all the aforementioned accessories are already available in the States à la carte.
The range starts from just $46 (for the oil filler cap) while the GT and INT 650 retail at $6,149 and $6,349, respectively. Both motorcycles offer excellent value for the money, with barely any rivals in this space. Following the same trend, Royal Enfield is also expected to launch the Super Meteor 650 soon, and that may well offer even better value.