Chrome don’t get ya home, but it sure can look pretty, when applied correctly.
Why are we talking about chrome? Well, we recently got an e-flyer in our inbox from Royal Enfield. It turns out the Indian motorcycle manufacturers are shipping their new Chrome Cafe Racer to Canada, for April availability.
If you want a retro-styled 500cc single with clubman bars, chrome bodywork and a solo seat, but with the convenience of fuel injection, this bike is your ticket. We have a video of the bike in action – check it out below.
Its Goldstar pipes are supposed to give it an extra 5hp over the company’s other 500cc singles’ 27 hp. Weight is 183 kg, it has kickstart and electric start, supposedly gets 85 mpg, and it comes with a two-year, 10,000 km warranty. More specs are available here; pricing is $8895.
If you dig that retro vibe, but blinged-out cafe bodywork isn’t your thing, Royal Enfield’s Desert Storm and Black Chrome Classic models are both available in Canada now. The Desert Storm is basically a repainted version of the company’s Military model, and the Black Chrome Classic is pretty much the same as 2011’s Maroon Chrome Classic, again, with different paint.
Want to take things even further? According to their e-flyer, Royal Enfield also has sidecars available now.
And, here’s that YouTube clip we promised earlier.
I saw one of these yesterday. Insane price for that shoddy build quality. These are bikes built on 1960s specs and cheap Indian labor, $9000 is ridiculous.
The riding position is painful after a few minutes. This is nothing but a fashion item with fashion pricing.
The 2014 Cafe Racer, AKA Continental GT, looks to be a much improved bike. I saw it at the Tokyo motorcycle show last month. Unfortunately, the bike was a prototype and, therefore, I couldn’t have a seat on it. That said, it seemed to have all the right bits on it. Much of the switch gear, forks, brakes and shocks have all been updated. The question remains, however, whether it’ll be a worthy ride.
I hope so. It could very well be a worthy successor to the Yamaha SR of yore.
Was that video shot in Edmonton?
MSRP $8900 ????
Are they on crack ?