Just finished a 30 minute test ride of the continental. My thoughts are:
The Conti feels very nimble and light, and seems to have more performance than the extra couple of BHP would suggest. The one I rode had 2500 miles on the clock, and so I could open her up a bit. Gear change was slick, and the brakes felt strong, with the rear disk brake a real bonus. Front and rear suspension seem pretty well sorted. It got up to 65 or so mph pretty rapidly, faster than my Electra (G5), and found a nice twisty stretch of road to try the handling out on. The bike felt very 'flickable'. The riding posture initially felt cramped (I am not used to rear sets and clip-ons), but after a couple of miles it felt comfy. You definitely sit in the bike rather than on it.
Fit and finish are very good, the red paint job is deep and lustrous, with frame welding much neater than previously. The model I tried had an extra package including alloy rims and sports exhaust, both of which look like quality items.
The contentious yellow rear shock springs seemed to work visually when I saw the bike in the metal. I wouldn't mind them. In fact the only issue I had with finish was that the standard exhaust on the Conti has a horrible silver painted weld round the silencer just before the tip, where there is no way you could miss it. When I turned up at the dealer for my test ride, there were three folk waiting in front of me. Everyone seemed equally baffled as to why such an ugly weld would be stuck in plain sight on an otherwise well finished bike. Maybe Enfield are looking to sell lots of aftermarket exhausts!
Would I buy one? Definitely. But I would want to keep my Electra as well. They are both great, but quite different in terms of the riding experience.