Royal Enfield used the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan to showcase a possible next step for the firm’s characterful 650cc parallel-twin platform – and it isn’t a Himalayan.
Dubbed the SG650 Concept, the bike was designed by Royal Enfield’s Industrial Design Team and blends the line between the company’s traditional standard bike and a beachside bobber.
“We are a company in transition - so long a representation of the analogue age and now developing new products that keep that same pure soul yet are fully integrated into the digital present, says Royal Enfield’s Chief of Design, Mark Wells.
“To celebrate this, we wanted to develop a project that really gave our design team an opportunity to stretch themselves creatively. The goal: to build a unique concept motorcycle that pays homage to Royal Enfield’s rich history of custom motorcycles, but one that wasn’t encumbered by the past. A neo-retro interpretation that pushes the boundaries of what a Royal Enfield motorcycle could look like, but at its core still celebrates that iconic Royal Enfield DNA.”
The SG650 Concept looks 100% like a Royal Enfield should with familiar lines and that gem of an engine at its centre, yet it also brings to the table something new for the brand. Featuring a number of one-off parts, the SG650 shows us a hint of what Royal Enfield is capable of.
The tank, for instance, has been CNC machines from a solid block of aluminium, as have the rims. Even the brake calipers are bespoke.
Handling duties are sorted thanks to a set of upside-down forks with an integrated aluminium top yoke/nacelle unit and extra-wide handlebars, while out back are a pair of twin shocks mounted to a classic chassis loop.
“We believe that the resultant concept motorcycle, unveiled for the first time at EICMA 2021, inhabits this world fantastically well and offers up something very new, very original and entirely unique to fans of the brand and motorcycle enthusiasts more widely, continues Wells.
“The design team have done an amazing job in retaining the analogue soul - those classic Royal Enfield lines and design nuances - subtle nods to the past - while creatively pushing the boundary of what the Royal Enfield's of tomorrow could conceptually represent in form and function.”
Currently, there is no word on whether Royal Enfield intends to put the SG650 into production, but with the company in expansion mode and looking to cement its place as the King of the middleweight category, we wouldn’t bet against it becoming a reality.