A right royal retro! Royal Enfield launch charming twin-cylinder Classic 650 retro naked

Just a week on from the launch of their Bear 650 scrambler, Royal Enfield have pulled the covers off a new Classic 650 upright – powered by the firm’s tried and tested air/oil-cooled A2 licence friendly parallel twin engine.

The Classic’s arrival takes Enfield’s army of twins up to an impressive six, having started with just the Interceptor and Continental GT back in 2018. This latest offering is also the second in the current UK range to bear the Classic name – following the launch of the air-cooled Classic 350 single back in 2022.

This line-up looks set to spread further too, with Enfield themselves using the bike’s arrival to announce the ‘Year of the Classic’ before further promising to introduce more: “formats, flavours and expressions of the Classic through the year.”

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Exactly what those will be remain to be seen. What’s clear for now though is the new twin shares similar styling with the existing 350, as well as the larger Classic 500 single that came before it.

Similar traits include the spoked 19in front and 18in rear wheels, as well as the 43mm telescopic front forks, and chromed front headlight surround. Both the chunky front and rear mudguards also appear similar, with the rear wheel shrouded in an external metal framework very similar to the current 350.

Suspension at the rear comes courtesy of preload adjustable twin shocks, with a single disc brake and twin piston caliper available at either end complete with ABS.

Housing the twin cylinder engine is the same tubular steel spine frame as the Super Meteor and Shotgun cruisers, with the Classic available either with or without a pillion seat using a bolt on mechanism.

The engine itself is paired with a six-speed gearbox and produces a manageable 46.4bhp at 7250rpm, which means it can be ridden on a A2 licence without restriction. It also has to shift a hefty 243kg with 90% of its 14.8 litres of fuel onboard too though – meaning performance is sure to be on the sedate side.

To put that weight into perspective, that figure is 16kg more than a lofty standard BMW S1000XR adventure sportsbike carrying its full 20-litres of fuel.

This bike hasn’t been built with performance as a focus though, and instead it’s likely to work best wafting along a secluded back lane, just taking in the sights. An 800mm seat height should make life easier too, with both the front and rear suspension components produced by Showa.

Other neat touches include an LED headlight, plus a pair of supporting ‘pilot lights’ either side like the ones found on the smaller 350 – a feature that has appeared on various Royal Enfield models since 1954.

It will come in a choice of Teal, Vallam Red, Bruntingthorpe Blue, and Black Chrome designs.

Watch: Living with the Royal Enfield Classic 350