Friday, April 26, 2019

They're here: 650 twins at Royal Enfield of South Florida

Technician kneels next to unpacked motorcycle.
Technician unpacks the new Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 twin at Royal Enfield of South Florida.
They're here! The new Royal Enfield 650 twins are at my local dealership, Royal Enfield of South Florida (and, hopefully, at your nearest dealer as well).

And, best of all, you can buy them.

"They've told us not to hoard them," owner George M. Marakas told me. (I'd asked if these first motorcycles would be too precious as demonstrators to let go.)

Unh-unh. Royal Enfield North America has promised that the supply chain will provide new twins as needed, he said.

If so, that will means that the fastest, most capable Royal Enfields in 50 years will sell at their very attractive Manufacturers Suggested Retail prices.

Sales Manager Jorge Gonzalez invited me to come see the new Royal Enfield twins at Royal Enfield of South Florida (K and G Cycles, in Florida City, Fla.) The first containers held one white Continental GT 650 cafe racer and one each of the orange, silver and red INT 650 Interceptors.

Royal Enfield motorcycle next to brand logo on floor.
I was surprised to see so many Royal Enfields on the showroom floor.
Royal Enfield of South Florida is unusual in that Royal Enfield is its one brand and primary focus. Its technicians will know the new bikes and be able to service them, and the dealership will have computer access to parts supply, Gonzalez said.

Royal Enfield of South Florida is based at K and G Cycles, which Marakas founded in 2006 to offer motorcycle accessories and service. Its online store offers more than 500,000 accessory parts from more than 700 manufacturers, and wholesalers, according to the website.

"If you can't get it from K and G Cycles, it's probably going to be really hard to find," Marakas wrote on the website.

Exterior of K and G Cycles.
More Royal Enfield motorcycles in front of the dealership.
They became a Royal Enfield dealer in July, 2018. I was surprised at the number of Royal Enfields available to look at on the floor at the dealership. They even have a Pegasus, a rare special edition of the Classic 500 and one I personally never expected to see!

Their excitement about the new 650 twins, though, is great to see. They like what they hear about the motorcycles and can't wait to start developing accessories for them. In particular, they have a dynamometer, and a suspicion that the twins can be made — ahem — better than stock.

Marakas paid attention to the online Royal Enfield forums, he said, noticing that while owners really, really love their Royal Enfields, they "aren't shy" about talking about what needs to be improved.

Two motorcycles on display.
Blue Classic 500 has Royal Enfield of South Florida's own lowering kit.
In response, the dealership developed its own rear lowering kit for the Classic 500, bringing it down for owners who want the lower stance.

Royal Enfield of South Florida is really pumped that the Miami area is the first stop of the eight-city roll-out of the new 650 twins, Saturday, May 11. Gonzalez will be there with the Royal Enfield North America travelling circus (RENA is bringing the motorcycles and organizing the food, drink and demo rides).

My visit was my first chance since the 650 twins launch in California to see the new Royal Enfields. The Continental GT emerging from its packaging looked even better than I remembered.

A small footnote: I was happy to see the motorcycle comes with a full-size headlight, instead of the slightly smaller lamp that used to be required in the United States. It looks better and undoubtedly casts more light.

Full-size headlight on new Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.
Finally, a full-size headlamp for U.S.-spec Royal Enfields.
This one is on the new Continental GT 650.
Sign shows Royal Enfield of South Florida hours.
I'm lucky, I know, to have a Royal Enfield dealership close to me.
Especially one that prides itself on service and parts.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent article and great news.. We should have sidecar mounts very soon

    ReplyDelete

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