Prince Williams love for motorcycles isn’t something new we’ve heard, but the Ducati and adventure bike fan seemed to be intrigued by one which is much more laid back and is much anticipated in the Indian and the UK market alike – Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. He was at a reception welcoming Commonwealth leaders to Britain when he found the Interceptor 650 quite interesting and quizzed Royal Enfield CEO Siddhartha Lal over it for a while. The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is one of two new 650cc parallel twins unveiled by the Indian manufacturer at EICMA last year.
After opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Summit at the QE2 Conference Centre in Westminster, Prince William spoke to Lal about the bike, which will hit UK dealerships soon.
The Duke of Cambridge, son of Prince of Wales Charles and Princess Diana is an avid motorcyclist and has an enviable collection of motorcycles that include Ducati 1198S Corse EVO SE, Ducati 1098R Bayliss Replica, Honda Super Blackbird, Triumph Daytona 600 and others.
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is the brand’s flagship motorcycle and was unveiled along with the Continental GT 650. The two are powered by a new parallel twin engine and are roadster and cafe racer renditions. The Interceptor 650 gets a teardrop-shaped fuel tank, wide handlebar, sculpted single and long seat, twin shock absorbers, 18-inch spoke wheels as well as twin upswept exhausts, reminiscent of the original Interceptor that from the 1970s.
The Continental GT 650 is sportier with a cafe racer appeal and lowered handlebars. The two are powered by a 648cc air-cooled parallel-twin cylinder engine that makes 47 hp and 52 Nm and is paired with a five-speed transmission.
Also read:Â What makes Royal Enfield so successful? The secret behind its wild success decoded
In February, the Duke of Cambridge had visited Triumph Motorcycles’ UK factory in Hinckley. Prince William even took to the saddle himself on one of Triumph’s newest adventure motorcycles – Tiger 1200.
