Royal Enfield Continental GT 535
| Built | 2014 |
| Purchased | September 2015, new |
| Engine | 535cc, 1 Cylinder, 4-Stroke, 2-V OHV, Air-cooled |
| Power | 29 hp / 21 kw at 5,100 rpm |
| Torque | 44 Nm at 4,000 rpm |
| Transmission | 5 Speed, 7 plates wet clutch, Chain drive |
| Brakes front | 2 piston floating caliper, 300 mm floating disc |
| Brakes rear | 1 piston floating caliper, 240 mm disc |
| Tires front | 100/90-18 Pirelli Speed Demon |
| Tires rear | 130/70-18 Pirelli Speed Demon |
| Curb weight | 185 kg |
UPGRADES AND ALTERATIONS
ENGINE, EXHAUST
Sport exhaust
The Continental GT comes with a heavy, big and aesthetically rather unpleasant
muffler which I replaced with a Sports Silencer GT from NFIELD GEAR. This muffler
was a bit to noisy for my taste so I disassembled it, installed a drag pipe mini baffle
from SAM POWER SPORTS and repacked with fiber glass.
Exhaust heat shield
Contrary to the OEM muffler, the Sports Silencer does not have a heat shield, and
after burning my leg a couple of times I designed and installed a heat shield made
from polished aluminum rods.
Evaporation emission control system
For California, the Continental GT is equipped with a black plastic charcoal canister
mounted right in front of the engine. The canister and all the hoses connected to it look
rather ugly and I removed the whole system.
FRAME
Engine Bay
The engine bay area (the area in front of the air filter and battery) looked quite
messy with cables, connectors etc. and I designed/installed a cover from polished
aluminum which gives it a much cleaner look.
Front fender
In order to emphasis the “classic” style I designed/installed an aluminum “license
plate” with the label “GT 535” which follows the curvature of the front fender.
Rear fender
I removed the OEM black plastic extension of the rear fender and designed/installed
an aluminum license plate holder (painted black) with mounting points for the rear
blinkers.
Splash guard
In order to prevent the engine getting hit from debris picked up by the front wheel,
I designed/installed a stainless steel splash guard mounted to the frame in front of the
engine housing.
Chain guard
The OEM chain guard is made from plastic and shows poor fitting. I designed/installed
a new chain guard made from aluminum, painted in black.
Rearview mirrors
I replaced the OEM rearview mirrors with round 3in black mirrors mounted to the ends
of the handlebars.
Paddock Stand
I installed two paddock stand mounting points to accommodate a paddock Stand.
Decals
The red left and right side covers looked a bit to plain to me and I applied “Continental
GT” decals (the same as on the top of the gas tank) from HITCHCOCKS to both.
ELECTRIC/ELECTRONICS
Headlight
I replaced the original headlight with a 7in version from NFIELD GEAR. This headlight is
a bit deeper than the OEM version and requires an additional extension ring between
the original housing and the new headlight.
Daylight running lights
The US version of the Continental GT comes with daylight running lights, which means
that the lights are switched on with ignition, rendering the light switch obsolete.
This is accomplished by a electrical coupling inserted in the power supply to the lights.
Since I like to be in control, and since my bike sometimes showed the red battery low
indicator, I removed this coupling an now can turn on/off the headlights with the light
switch.
Blinkers
I replaced the original front and rear blinkers with shorter, bullet shaped versions.
Horns
The Continental GT comes with two (!) horns mounted on heavy steel holders right in
front of the cylinder. I removed the horns and holders and mounted one horn
underneath (“invisible”) the gas tank.
Instruments
The speedometer shows the speed in km/h in large, white numbers on the outside scale
of the speedometer. Mph’s are displayed in small grey numbers on grey background on
the inside scale and are almost not visible during daylight. (At night with the
speedometer illuminated it’s a bit better, but still hard to read.) I opened the
speedometer housing and installed red markers for all significant mph speeds (35mph,
45mph etc.)
Garage door opener
I installed a “hidden” garage door opener between the frame and the left front end of the
gas tank.
Float charger
In order to keep the battery charged and conditioned during periods of non-operation I
installed a permanent connecter to a float charger. (Remark.: I would recommend to use
a float charger vs. a trickle charger).
