Royal Enfield showcases new 650cc concept at EICMA

Royal Enfield takes its 650 platform to a new level

This year’s EICMA marks the resurgence of exhibitions, celebrating the passion of two-wheel enthusiasts from all over the globe, especially now in the “new normal” era. With the hundreds of exhibitors and more than 300,000 in attendance, this year’s EICMA is a huge success.

For the Indians, EICMA is also a great venue to showcase their ideas and concepts for their future models.

SG650 Concept

According to Royal Enfield’s Chief of Design, Mark Wells, the SG650 Concept celebrates both the past and present of the brand and would allow their team to creatively combine them into future models.

“So long a representation of the analog age and now developing new products that keep that same pure soul, yet are fully integrated into the digital present. To celebrate this, we wanted to develop a project that really gave our design team an opportunity to stretch themselves creatively.”

At the heart of the SG650 Concept bike is the same parallel-twin powerplant that we see in the Interceptor 650 and GT 650. The design cues are also inspired by past cruisers and cafe racers.

What is perhaps the centerpiece of the concept bike is the full CNC-machined gas tank made from a solid block of aluminum. Yes, that is hours-worth of precision CNC machining to bring that solid tank.

On the other hand, the rims were also CNC-milled from solid aluminum blocks, with integrated ABS bespoke designed brake calipers, and dual front brake disks.

The upside-down forks, integrated aluminum top yoke/nacelle unit, and low rise extra-wide bars with all-aluminum switch cubes all add elements of originality and design progression to the concept - while the twin rear shocks, mounted to the classic chassis loop, hand-stitched black leather floating solo seat is a clear nod to Royal Enfield’s rich history.

Adding to the overall neo-retro design cues is the all-black paint scheme of the 650 engine, with the exhaust system complementing the model’s imagined future.

While this is just a concept bike from our friends in Chennai, a few more tweaks and we might be seeing the SG650 Concept go into full production sometime in the future, going head-to-head with Honda's neo-sports cafe racer bike, the CB650R.