Page 152 - Motoring World (January 2020)

ALL SYSTEMS GOA highway work easy. And that having a

KTM 390 Duke chasing it all the way
DON’T KNOW WHO INVENTED THE works wonders for its handling prowess.
Wrestling the Conti down Amboli
TERM ‘CAFÉ TOURING’? HERE’S Ghat was as fun as it was tiring, and
SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT strengthened my resolve to find suspen-
sion/tyre upgrades for the bike. Even
more now, I believe that motor and
chassis is capable of a lot more than
what the stock setup offers in terms of
dynamic abilities. For now, though, I’ve
asked the helpful folks at RE for the
optional taller clip-ons and the optional
comfort seat, but I think that’s more
or less an excuse for the Conti to get a
well-deserved service at long last. Also,
did you know how much better Goa
looks with a café racer in it?

LOGGING IT OUT
ROYAL ENFIELD
CONTINENTAL GT 650
The little things matter, especially over is actually a thing and a brilliant one,
a respectable period of time. By the time at that. This month, it was a Mum- > Lightens you by ` 3.37 LAKH

(on-road, Mumbai)
you read this, it’ll be the Continental GT bai-Goa-Mumbai ride and it reiterated > Lived with Kartik
650’s first anniversary at Motoring, and what I’d learnt on my previous Mum- > Odometer reads 5146 km
it’s spent most of that time with me. bai-Vadodara-Mumbai ride. Again, the
And a lot of that time, quite unexpect- Conti’s racy riding position isn’t bad > Drinking habits 25 kpl
edly, was spent on highways. As I’ll at all for long hauls. And the motor’s @royalenfield #MotoringGT650
tell anyone who’ll listen, café touring powerful and smooth enough to make

SITTING AROUND

QUITE LITERALLY, BECAUSE I HAVEN’T
USED THE INTERCEPTOR THAT MUCH

Since I first grabbed hold of its keys, get me wrong — the Interceptor works
I have not, to be honest, ridden the just fine as a daily-use bike, with the
Interceptor as much as it deserves to only minor issue being the heat from
be (I have, however, given it a proper the engine getting to your thighs. It’s LOGGING IT OUT
diesel wash). What it’s begging for is just that all it wants is to be out on the ROYAL ENFIELD
an impromptu, leap-out-of-bed ride open road, burbling along at a breezy INTERCEPTOR 650
to Goa, but what it’s gotten are the 120 kph (but then that could be said > Lightens you by ` 3.12 LAKH
occasional trips to and from work, of virtually any motorcycle, give or (on-road, Mumbai)
which are about as far removed from take). The single seat (thanks, Kartik) > Lived with Pablo
a Goa ride as you can get. Honestly, is also a drawback, but we’ve asked > Odometer reads 5494 km
when the traffic has gotten particularly RE (nicely) to send us a comfort seat > Drinking habits 21 kpl
bad, even as good natured a machine and handlebars, so those should make
as this has felt like a bit of a pain, and things considerably easier. Now for that @royalenfield
#MotoringInterceptor650
I’ve wished for a scooter instead. Don’t Goa ride...

152 MOTORING WORLD | JANUARY 2020