The very first thing that you need to know about the Conti GT, now that it is finally here and available from Enfield dealers countrywide, is that its price is £5699 That’s cheaper than just about any unmolested and rideable Meriden twin that you could find for sale nowadays, and way cheaper than any other new parallel twin of a similar capacity on the market, and it simply blows competition – such as theMoto Guzzi V7, the smaller Hinckley Triumph Bonnevilles, the Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 and the KawasakiW800 – totally out of the duck pond.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370349.jpg]
The second thing that you need to know is that there are several reasons why it is so competitively priced, and thankfully most of them are good reasons. Of course, the new Enfields have to comply with all the techno-wizardry needed to be able to homologate a modern motorcycle, so it has fuel injection for a clean-burn combustion cycle, and anti-lock brakes for safety. But that is where the technology ends There are no switchable ‘rider modes’, no launch control and no anti-wheelie or traction control. Essentially, they’re just about as simple as a modern motorcycle can be. Ideal, then?
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370275.jpg]
After slinging a leg over the dual seat, the first impression is that it feels slim and compact, but it is generally a small bike, with a skinny feel, although the seat is rather higher than youmight’ve guessed. Given the smaller engine capacity compared to its peers (the Triumph Bonneville seems to grow in capacity with each passing season), of course it’s going to feel a little slower, but it still doesn’t seem quite as punchy as a 650cc parallel twin could be. Okay, so the factory do only claim 47bhp, so it’s never going to be a rocketship, and the wide gear ratios seemingly don’t helpmatters, but it does feel a little stifled. Maybe the exhaust system is strangling the breathing, as it is very quiet… But, when you realise that the styling is aping café racers of the Sixties, you’ll be relieved to hear that it does, indeed, top the ton, and sits perfectly happily at motorway speeds too, even enthusiastic motorway speeds as found on theM40 andM1 on a Sundaymorning. And the powerplant does have a feeling of solidity, as though it is unburstable and will live through the apocalypse, andmakes you wonder if Enfield have plans for a sportier version?...
That feeling of durable dependability is also outlined by the fact that the new Enfield twins come with an impressive three year warranty, and three years’ roadside recovery all included in that low price. That, in itself, is enough to counter any scathing comments regarding the cheap price, the country of origin and the lower quality of some parts when compared to other machines on the market.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370141.jpg]
And of course, as you’d expect from the price bracket, this isn’t going to be covered in top-of-the-range goodies and parts The clocks are basic; just a speedo, a rev counter, a fuel gauge and a trip, and there’s only one light to show that the indicators are on. Most of us have got used to a level of adjustability on our bikes, but the Enfield doesn’t even have adjustable brake and clutch levers. But that basic nature means there’s less to go wrong! And, reportedly, they are very easy to work on, and those electronics required for modern homologation requirements can be easily removed, unlike other machines (reportedly, BMW are notoriously difficult).
The slim and compact nature is somewhat at odds with the fact that it actually feels rather roomy, due to the bars being ‘swan neck’ clip-ons, rather than the true ultra-low clip-ons that you’d expect a café racer style machine to be equipped with. And the foot-pegs aren’t unnecessarily high either. In fact, even though the footpegs are equipped with really long ‘lean angle indicators’ on their underside, they don’t hit tarmac especially easily, regardless of how cleanly the Conti tips into corners and roundabouts.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564748.jpg]
The 198kg claimed wet weight may not sound especially light, but it is about the same as a Meriden T140, and it does hide its mass very well indeed, feeling nimble and agile from the moment you first get your feet on the pegs, and it has a turning circle that any original café racer would be deeply envious of.
While the suspension is, as you’d expect from the bargain price, of a budget variety, it all works perfectly well. Perhaps not as plush as some, but if you’re on a bumpy backroad, it’ll not kick back through the bars or seat, although it does wag its head a little over skittish road surfaces. It’s not anywhere near approaching a tank slapper, just a feeling of vague uncertainty, much like a bike from the late Seventies or early Eighties, and something that you actually get used to very quickly, and it becomes character rather than nervousness. It would be interesting to see if this changes with different tyres, and whether it gets any worse with tyre wear. In fact, the handling and suspension are rather similar tomany bikes of the Sixties and Seventies – perfectly adequate, and if you’ve not ridden anything newer than a bike built in the Eighties, then it’ll feel fine – it just doesn’t have the sophisticated feel that modern forks and shocks can supply.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564670.jpg]
The brakes, however, are rather better than anything that’s more than 40 years old The Bybre calipers are made by Brembo (there’s a clue in the name) and have a healthy bite, but aren’t so good as they overwhelm the suspension – in fact they’re remarkably well matched.
Providing that you’re on a sinuous piece of tarmac, with no other traffic to have to overtake, the Enfield is a great deal of fun. If there’s traffic in the way that you need to squirt past, then you really have to work at it with the Conti – you need to retain as much momentum as possible, in much the same way as when riding a small capacity machine, or a classic for that matter.
But the parallel twin is tractable enough to pull top gear from 30mph – albeit not especially smoothly, as it feels like a big single when you do so, but it is still capable of doing just that.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564813.jpg]
And, if you’re the sort of person who will always want more power, the American tuning firm, S&S, is producing big bore kits, hot cams and various other tuning aids, and Öhlins has developed shocks, fork springs and preload adjusters so, given the base price of the Enfield, you could add a few choice aftermarket parts and end up with a very capable bike for significantly less than the Enfield’s competitors. It will still look li...
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370349.jpg]
The second thing that you need to know is that there are several reasons why it is so competitively priced, and thankfully most of them are good reasons. Of course, the new Enfields have to comply with all the techno-wizardry needed to be able to homologate a modern motorcycle, so it has fuel injection for a clean-burn combustion cycle, and anti-lock brakes for safety. But that is where the technology ends There are no switchable ‘rider modes’, no launch control and no anti-wheelie or traction control. Essentially, they’re just about as simple as a modern motorcycle can be. Ideal, then?
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370275.jpg]
After slinging a leg over the dual seat, the first impression is that it feels slim and compact, but it is generally a small bike, with a skinny feel, although the seat is rather higher than youmight’ve guessed. Given the smaller engine capacity compared to its peers (the Triumph Bonneville seems to grow in capacity with each passing season), of course it’s going to feel a little slower, but it still doesn’t seem quite as punchy as a 650cc parallel twin could be. Okay, so the factory do only claim 47bhp, so it’s never going to be a rocketship, and the wide gear ratios seemingly don’t helpmatters, but it does feel a little stifled. Maybe the exhaust system is strangling the breathing, as it is very quiet… But, when you realise that the styling is aping café racers of the Sixties, you’ll be relieved to hear that it does, indeed, top the ton, and sits perfectly happily at motorway speeds too, even enthusiastic motorway speeds as found on theM40 andM1 on a Sundaymorning. And the powerplant does have a feeling of solidity, as though it is unburstable and will live through the apocalypse, andmakes you wonder if Enfield have plans for a sportier version?...
That feeling of durable dependability is also outlined by the fact that the new Enfield twins come with an impressive three year warranty, and three years’ roadside recovery all included in that low price. That, in itself, is enough to counter any scathing comments regarding the cheap price, the country of origin and the lower quality of some parts when compared to other machines on the market.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604370141.jpg]
And of course, as you’d expect from the price bracket, this isn’t going to be covered in top-of-the-range goodies and parts The clocks are basic; just a speedo, a rev counter, a fuel gauge and a trip, and there’s only one light to show that the indicators are on. Most of us have got used to a level of adjustability on our bikes, but the Enfield doesn’t even have adjustable brake and clutch levers. But that basic nature means there’s less to go wrong! And, reportedly, they are very easy to work on, and those electronics required for modern homologation requirements can be easily removed, unlike other machines (reportedly, BMW are notoriously difficult).
The slim and compact nature is somewhat at odds with the fact that it actually feels rather roomy, due to the bars being ‘swan neck’ clip-ons, rather than the true ultra-low clip-ons that you’d expect a café racer style machine to be equipped with. And the foot-pegs aren’t unnecessarily high either. In fact, even though the footpegs are equipped with really long ‘lean angle indicators’ on their underside, they don’t hit tarmac especially easily, regardless of how cleanly the Conti tips into corners and roundabouts.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564748.jpg]
The 198kg claimed wet weight may not sound especially light, but it is about the same as a Meriden T140, and it does hide its mass very well indeed, feeling nimble and agile from the moment you first get your feet on the pegs, and it has a turning circle that any original café racer would be deeply envious of.
While the suspension is, as you’d expect from the bargain price, of a budget variety, it all works perfectly well. Perhaps not as plush as some, but if you’re on a bumpy backroad, it’ll not kick back through the bars or seat, although it does wag its head a little over skittish road surfaces. It’s not anywhere near approaching a tank slapper, just a feeling of vague uncertainty, much like a bike from the late Seventies or early Eighties, and something that you actually get used to very quickly, and it becomes character rather than nervousness. It would be interesting to see if this changes with different tyres, and whether it gets any worse with tyre wear. In fact, the handling and suspension are rather similar tomany bikes of the Sixties and Seventies – perfectly adequate, and if you’ve not ridden anything newer than a bike built in the Eighties, then it’ll feel fine – it just doesn’t have the sophisticated feel that modern forks and shocks can supply.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564670.jpg]
The brakes, however, are rather better than anything that’s more than 40 years old The Bybre calipers are made by Brembo (there’s a clue in the name) and have a healthy bite, but aren’t so good as they overwhelm the suspension – in fact they’re remarkably well matched.
Providing that you’re on a sinuous piece of tarmac, with no other traffic to have to overtake, the Enfield is a great deal of fun. If there’s traffic in the way that you need to squirt past, then you really have to work at it with the Conti – you need to retain as much momentum as possible, in much the same way as when riding a small capacity machine, or a classic for that matter.
But the parallel twin is tractable enough to pull top gear from 30mph – albeit not especially smoothly, as it feels like a big single when you do so, but it is still capable of doing just that.
[https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/5238/376637/5d9d867baaab7/1570604564813.jpg]
And, if you’re the sort of person who will always want more power, the American tuning firm, S&S, is producing big bore kits, hot cams and various other tuning aids, and Öhlins has developed shocks, fork springs and preload adjusters so, given the base price of the Enfield, you could add a few choice aftermarket parts and end up with a very capable bike for significantly less than the Enfield’s competitors. It will still look li...
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Old Bike Mart (Digital) - 1 Issue, October 2019