Riding the all new, old school Classic 650

Pulling into our church parking lot Sunday morning, no sooner had I found a space and pulled off my helmet, when an elder gentleman (pony tail, braided beard- clearly a fellow biker) and his wife chatted me up. “That’s a beautiful old Triumph you’ve got there… oh wait, that’s not a Triumph!” he exclaimed. “A Royal Enfield! I haven’t seen one of those in ages! What year is that?” I replied, “A 2026, if you can believe it.” It led to a pleasant conversation into the church building, about the beauty and nostalgia of so many motorcycles in Royal Enfield’s lineup, and particularly this gorgeous new Classic 650.

We’ve only had this motorbike for a week now, and it has elicited this kind of response everywhere we’ve ridden and parked it.

Royal Enfield Classic 650 in beautiful Vallam Red.

Back a couple of months ago, I sadly had to miss the North American debut of the Classic 650, down in St. Augustine, Florida due to illness. Yet the Royal Enfield reps had assured me, “If we can get some demos in your area soon, we’ll sign you out one.“ They made good on their promise, and I’ve been riding and enjoying this motorcycle every day. We’ve got this particular bike for a month or more, so we’ll definitely be sharing plenty of photos, footage, and observations as we put miles on the Classic 650.

Beauty and nostalgia from every angle.

As we reported earlier in our general introduction to the bike, the Royal Enfield Classic 650 runs on the brand’s tried and true 648cc parallel twin engine, making about 47 hp and about 39 ft. lbs. of torque. That sounds meager, but trust me, it is more than adequate for this mid-size modern retro. One of the first things I noticed was the Classic’s 6-speed, constant mesh gearbox. My 2017 Bonneville 900 and 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 both are 5-speeds, so I’ve found the extra gear here a pleasant surprise.

A trio of nostalgic beauty- the 2026 Royal Enfield Classic 650 line. Photo by Royal Enfield.

We’ve had the chance to sample all but one of RE’s bikes that sport this engine and transmission, and each one has seen refinements over previous models. This tranny is super smooth whether shifting up or down, with its next-gen wet multi-plate. Brakes are adequate, with ABS, and the suspension is non-adjustable up front, while adjustable for preload in the rear. I might fiddle with the twin shocks out back, as they are kind of jackhammer hard to me at factory settings. The seat is rather firm as well, as most stock seats are to my bony hindquarters. I was also surprised to find the seat height somewhat taller than expected, at 31.5 inches.

Oh yeah, we riding.

The Classic 650 is a rather heavy bike, substantial feeling at 535 lbs curb weight. I’ve heard the complaint before about Royal Enfield’s power to weight ratios- smaller displacement motorcycles that tend to ride a tad on the heavy side. It must be noted, however, that there is very little plastic on this motorbike. Fenders, headlight nacelle, and tank are all metal, and so far, I’ve only found the two side covers to be plastic. Heck, the side covers on my old KZ650 are plastic as well. This bike is built solid, and feels solid the moment you throw a leg over.

The Classic 650 in it’s natural habitat. Did we mention how gorgeous that Vallam Red is?

Associate editor Phil has had a chance to ride the Classic 650 for a day as well, and at 6‘2”, he usually doesn’t feel very comfortable on smaller machines. Yet by day’s end Phil noted, “I like the rider triangle on it. Very neutral and upright, like sitting in a chair. And I’m surprised by the power this little 650 twin makes. Plenty of torque down low, and more top end than I expected. Super fun bike to ride!” Yet I did observe he tended to ride a bit slower than he usually does on his Harley. More on that in a moment.

Out beyond Phil’s town of Monroe, in Georgia horse ranch country.

As noted at the beginning, and even in our introduction to the bike previously, the Royal Enfield Classic 650 line of motorcycles is absolutely arresting. These bikes evoke the elegant English machines of the 1940s-50s, drawing inspiration from legendary BSAs, Nortons, Triumphs, and particularly RE’s own 500 Twins from the period. Everywhere one looks on this bike, from the headlight nacelle (with their signature “tiger eyes” lights over the headlight), to the teardrop tank, the peashooter exhaust pipes, spoked rims, and Royal Enfield’s distinctive “frame loop” design, nostalgia just whispers and beckons.

A joy to ride. Note the small “tiger eye” lights over the headlight. An old Royal Enfield distinctive.

As we’ve ridden it so far, the type of riding the Classic 650 is designed for appears to be what we might call, “wandering”, “meandering”, or to borrow from another brand noted for deep nostalgia, Janus Motorcycles, “rambling”. That might explain why Phil unconsciously found himself riding it rather slow for his style, and why every time I throw a leg over, I want to breathe deeply, take in the scenery around me, and just enjoy this old looking and feeling motorcycle. The Classic 650 is helping us rediscover the beautiful simplicity of motorcycling. That’s a very good thing.

U.S. MSRP: from $7499

More to come as we ride on,

Rob

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