Royal Enfield Classic 650 First Ride Review: Revisiting the Golden Formula

Royal Enfield recently took a group of us motorcycle journalists to a place many of us found unexpectedly unfamiliar – a rare occurrence, considering the countless kilometres we’ve clocked across every imaginable terrain in the country. The destination? Coonoor. Now, I begin this story about the Royal Enfield Classic 650 not with the motorcycle but with the location, because the memory I carried home wasn’t just about the ride – it was also about where the ride took us.

Nestled in Tamil Nadu, Coonoor is a hill station wrapped in lush greenery. Its vast valleys are home to an endless sprawl of tea estates, stretching as far as the eye can see. The view is nothing short of breathtaking, punctuated by waterfalls that appear when you least expect them. Now, imagine all this during a chilly early morning, with just the right nip in the air. The sun has barely crested the horizon, casting a golden hue over a convoy of chrome-laden, gently thumping Royal Enfields carving their way through this stunning landscape. That’s the memory I have after riding the Classic 650 through Coonoor.

You see, I absolutely love the Royal Enfield Classic 350 – and the kind of motorcycles that truly speak to me are retro machines. That’s why I’d like to believe the Classic 650 was built for riders like me. If you relate to my idea of motorcycling, you’ll understand that discussing numbers, spec sheets, and millimetre-level changes feels about as relevant as wearing a wristwatch to space. So, what is it that I want to talk about?

The Concern

If you were to ask me why I love motorcycles like these – the Classic 350 in particular – my answer would either be a long tale filled with anecdotes or just a single sentence: it makes me want to hop back on and go for another ride almost immediately after I get off the saddle. The length of my answer depends on how fond I am of the person asking the question, but one thing’s certain – Royal Enfield has done its best to stay true to the formula that made the Classic 350 the icon it is. And I’m really happy to report that.

To be honest, I had my doubts before the ride began. I’ve ridden the Super Meteor 650 and the Shotgun 650 from RE, and while I really wanted to fall in love with them, the ride quality turned out to be a red flag – the stiff rear suspension and the ever-busy ride quality just didn’t let my date with them evolve into a relationship. So, given how similar the new Classic 650 is in terms of hardware, I was fully expecting something similar. So, has RE finally made it work? The answer is – yes, it has!

While the ride quality is a significant improvement over the Super Meteor and Shotgun, it still leans toward the stiffer side. That said, this is easily the best-tuned version of this suspension setup we’ve seen from RE so far, and it’s more than acceptable for a motorcycle of this format. The front telescopic fork and the twin rear hydraulic shocks from Showa, leave little room for complaint. Yes, the ride is still a touch busy, but you get used to it fairly quickly.

We rode the Classic 650 for about an hour and a half without a break, and while the ride quality didn’t turn out to be the cause for concern, the seat certainly did. If you’re planning to take this bike on long journeys, RE’s optional Touring seat might be a better choice and could make a noticeable difference in comfort.

Another point of concern that’s worth mentioning is the bike’s weight. At 243kg (kerb), this is a heavy motorcycle. While it handles well once you’re moving, at a standstill, it demands caution. Tasks like putting it on the main stand or backing it into a tight parking spot can be a bit of a chore. I’d strongly recommend trying those things during your test ride before making a decision and spending your money. For someone with a fairly large build like mine, it is manageable – but even then, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for help when reversing it on an incline.

The Surprise(s)!

While I’d say that Royal Enfield managed to exceed my expectations in certain areas, there are other aspects where they’ve absolutely knocked it out of the park, including the design.

The Classic 650 retains the ‘classic’ proportions that have defined, well, the Classic series over the years. It’s instantly recognisable, and right after that moment of recognition comes the realisation of just how big it is. If you want a mental picture of its road presence, imagine the Classic 350 zoomed in to about 125%.

The combination of a 19-inch front wheel and an 18-inch rear gives the Classic 650 the stance that perfectly suits this kind of motorcycle – it’s slightly different from the 350, but in a good way. Here, you sit more in the motorcycle rather than on it, which subtly alters the riding experience.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the bike comes with a rear seat as standard, but you can remove it, along with the bolted-on rear subframe, by tinkering around with the mounting points of the rear suspension. While this seems straightforward in theory, it’s definitely something I’d recommend getting done at the dealership, just to be safe.

Once you take all those bits off, you get that clean, purposeful look, like the test bikes that you see on these pages. Finished in the Black Chrome colourway, the Classic 650 looks absolutely spot on. And trust me, it feels even more grand in person. The dual exhausts are the most definite giveaway that this is the bigger Classic 650, although thankfully, they don’t stick out like on the Interceptor.

The other big surprise was just how flickable and agile the motorcycle is. The route RE had chosen for this experience was, quite frankly, not the kind you’d associate with a motorcycle that’s meant to be as relaxed as the Classic. It was a twisty stretch – filled with corner after corner – the kind of road that would usually bring a smile to the face of a Continental GT 650 rider but won’t be the first choice for a Classic enthusiast. Nevertheless, it was a great stretch to test the agility of the motorcycle, and to my surprise, the Classic 650 handled it brilliantly. The motorcycle holds its line with confidence once you commit to it, and it’s more than willing to lean until your footpegs start scraping. And yes, even the cornering clearance was far more than I had expected. It made for an unexpectedly thrilling ride.

Add to that its brilliantly refined 648cc parallel-twin drivetrain, and what you have is a motorcycle that’s just so much fun to ride. Whether we lugged the engine in high gear, hammered downshifts through the slick 6-speed gearbox, or pushed the engine to chase the redline, the Classic didn’t flinch. It plays along effortlessly. And once you realise what it’s capable of around a set of twisties, you’ll be encouraged to go faster and faster – something you wouldn’t normally do on a machine that looks this relaxed. We kept at it until the picturesque landscape around us demanded we slow down and revel in the beauty around us.

Tugs at the Heartstrings

And that’s why I began the story with Coonoor. Because this place, this ride, this machine – it all comes together when I try to sum up what is, on the surface, a very simple motorcycle, yet one that’s so difficult to simplify. You see, whether it’s the Classic 350, the 500, or the 650, featuring a carburettor or a fuel injection setup, carrying a ‘J’, a ‘G’, or whatever other lettering Royal Enfield might come up with for the engines – it doesn’t really matter. The essence has always been the same. The Classic has never been just a motorcycle; it has always been about memories.

What makes it an icon is something you won’t find on a spec sheet. It’s that intangible pull, that inexplicable yearning you feel every time you finish a ride – the desire to get right back on it and go for another ride.

And now, I have a core memory associated with the Classic 650 etched into my mind. A memory that’ll take me back to Coonoor every time I think of it. And the best part? I want to make many more such memories, and I want to make them on the Classic 650, more than anything else.

The only other motorcycle that made me feel this way was the Classic 350. So, in that sense, Royal Enfield has pulled off the impossible – creating a worthy upgrade of a machine that so many have failed to even imitate properly.

So yes, the ammeter may have made way for the Tripper over the years, but to me, nothing has changed – at the heart, it all remains the same. And in every way that matters, the Classic 650 is exactly what its name promises: a true Classic in every sense of the word and a true representation of what Royal Enfield stands for in our times.