Forum

[pomps]

i wouldn't buy one.if i had 5 grand to spend on a bike i'd buy an A.10 Road Rocket or a plunger Ariel VH.

[Bertie the Bullet]

Wonder how fast it goes ?

[Bullet Whisperer]

It ought to be capable of just over 100 mph, as it comes, just to match the image and probable price - XBR 500 performance needed, but unlikely, I reckon.
Cheers, Paul.

[STU]

PeteF and Bullet Whisperer Paul, the price is between £5199 and £5399 dependant on spec. At any price this is a niche market machine. The mass markets are learner 125's, Adventure Trials and sports bikes etc, obviously the Conti GT falls into neither of these markets and RE are not looking for mass market with this model.

BHP is 34 - 36, again dependant on spec.

Should be good enough for 95+ mph. More than adequate for cruising at 70 - 75 mph on the motorway.

Johnpat, you will read about reliability issues on virtually every make of car and bike that has a dedicated web forum. You are right in that there is a large majority who are riding EFI Enfields with no significant issues. Certainly the general build quality, durability and engineering of the EFI bikes is superior to the iron engine and Electra X models. That was for the Chennai factory production, now that production has shifted to the new factory they are employing much more sophisticated and modern production techniques. These bikes are only just beginning to come into the UK and you will see further quality advances accordingly...

[Johnpat]

Cheers STU, I guess you're right about dedicated web forums being full of problem pages. I have read about the new production plant at Oragadam(?) but hadn't joined it up with the thought of continuing improvements to the bikes....duh!

I must say I was impressed by the look and finish of the EFI models; better than my 500ES.

[MartinB]

I must say i like the look of the new bike but wouldn't / couldn't pay that much for a new one.How have they increased the power apart from the increased capacity?I have to say as i've said on here before of my own experience that the EFI model i have owned(second hand) for the last 10 months has been far superior in EVERY way to my previous (new)Electra X which i had for two and a hslf years.I also have an XBR500 which is much more modern than the Enfield but i have to say out of the two i think i prefer the Enfield for its old fashioned charm and the fact that you can chill out and relax whereas i have to thrash the XBR due to the nature of its power delivery-thriving on revs rather than plodding as the Enfield does.

[STU]

I also had an iron engine bike (Sixty-5) and bought my Electra X(S) new in 2007. The Sixty-5 had an olde worlde charm but the Electra is better in a number of ways. However the finish on the two is about on par and the earlier bike had a MUCH better fuel cap!
Every time that I have ridden an EFI UCE machine the improvements to the frame and engine are very evident, and the paint finish of the C5 models in particular always looked much better than on my bikes.
The new factory will improve on all of this and other key areas.
Extra performance for the Conti GT derives from a lighter flywheel, reprogrammed ECU and a 20KG or so reduction in overall weight. The extra capacity plus these changes means that BHP increases from 28 to 36 and lb/ft torque from 30 to 33.
The fact that it is still a long-stroke 2 valve pushrod design means that the motor will still deliver those figures at lower revs than the short stroke OHC multivalve designs from Japan and Europe.
I think that the price is very reasonable - but it is not a budget machine!

[Norm]

Stu,
I always love those factory optomistic hp figures, a 612 I recently built was put on the dyno, a massive 28hp was produced which is a good step up from the original cast engine of 18hp

[Bullet Whisperer]

Bottom line is this - R.E. already produce machines to 'plod' on - a killer of big ends if ever there was - but, as this machine has a 'Café racer' persona, it MUST be able to deliver a respectable performance, the original 250cc Continental GT could sniff 90 mph on a good day, so it should be able to crack the 'Ton' [if only just], to draw the punters. Don't get me wrong, the bike looks great, but it needs to deliver as well, to be taken seriously. R.E. didn't say 'Right, lets design a niche machine', I can guarantee that.
Cheers, Paul.

[STU]

Paul; You guarantee that do you? How?
Why do you think that the new bike MUST be able to 'crack the ton' to appeal to buyers? Where will the people find out if they can 'take it seriously' (whatever that means) by doing 100mph in a country that has a 70mph limit? Where is it written that a 'café racer' design has to be able to exceed the speed limit by over 30mph? I thought that the café racer movement is just as much about style - particularly in these days lower speed limits and speed cameras galore?
Who are these people Paul? A potential buyer - me? I imply don't need to judge a bike this way. Other buyers - can you speak for how they all judge a machine, or perhaps it is just your personal view and you have no concerns about breaking speed limits?
Now, the old Conti GT250 had a claimed 21bhp and it's highest one way speed (on a track!) ridden by a 10.5 stone rider in a strong following wind was 85mph (Motor Cycle 31/03/66. So would you accept that a 36 bhp machine - assuming that it is geared appropriately - has to offer a significant improvement on this?
To accelerate well and hold the legal limit a bike requires torque as well as power. With 36bhp (at the crank Norm) & 33 ft/lbs the Conti GT535 has more than my Electra XS and the current EFI range, both of which perform to easily to this criteria. If the new machine builds on that it will not be sluggish, underpowered or incapable of maintaining the legal limit - or well exceeding it on a private track. And I can guarantee you that! Cheers, Stu.