[dginfw]

I was told by 2 different fellows in India that the 535 is being discontinued.  Maybe R.E. decided that the GT will only be available as a 650? Has anybody else heard anything like that?  thoughts?

[JohnDL]

A google search only comes up with one person in India stating a dealer told him that RE has stopped production of the 535:

https://www.xbhp.com/talkies/news/38892-royal-enfield-continental-gt-535-discontinued.html

I guess a Twitter post to the Siddarhtha Lal might confirm this?

https://twitter.com/sidlal?lang=en

I'm not a Facebook or Twitter user so I won't be asking the question as I have a 535GT already. 

John

[mathewmerrin]

Yes, even my local dealer has confirmed that the Gt has officially been discontinued..I attribute it to the fact that the GT had poor sales volume in India and not because of the launch of the twins.

Even most of the the ardent RE fans here in India are not aware or seen a GT. RE  let a good motorcycle die. Compared to the the classic 500 or 350 its miles ahead at least in terms of performance and handling

[ace.cafe]

It's not surprising.
RE isn't known for having much sense.
Look at how they have left millions of Bullet owners out in the cold with no support.

[gizzo]

Hmmm. Does this mean we have a limited edition neo-classic or an orphan we can't buy parts for? I suppose they won't be bothering to supply things like replacement tanks, instruments or other crash repair items. Great  . Good thing about this bike, it's not so complicated you can't make something else work on it....

[mevocgt]

I picked up extra tank and sides from Kev before he stopped.....How fortuitous for me.  I'm not supprised to see this.  The bikes have not been flying off the floor at the shops lately either, and with a choice between the 535 or a 650?  The 650 will open it up to a bigger market....I'm hoping a lot of parts are compatible.  Airbox, gas tanks and such...

[Guaire]

I can't believe this. So screwed up.
  I thought long and hard before buying a GT. I had to figure where to invest. Either back into BSA. Or, the new GT. There are still parts made in England for BSA. But, the time and money to get them here is the down side. I believed the GT would have a supply line of parts from an up and coming Indian company with a dealer network. Boy, was I stupid.

[ace.cafe]

I suspect that a lot of the chassis/body stuff from the 650 GT will cross over to the 535.

Most of the engine stuff crosses over from the 500.

[Arizoni]

As of about 2 minutes ago, the official Royal Enfield site in India was still showing the Continental GT in all its glory.

https://royalenfield.com/motorcycles/continental-gt

[mathewmerrin]

Although here in India we still have many showroom spec GTs up for sale

[Paul_42]

Yep, the RE stall at the motorbike show here let slip the 535 is in the wind yesterday.. Oh well.

[JohnDL]

I've been wondering whether I should consider parting with my 2014 GT while the going is good, and enquired at a few local dealers how much I'd get as a part exchange.

One said it's not the sort of bike they take in but he'd have to have a word with his  boss - he was thinking of a price in the region of £2000 - £2500.

I guess that's about right but it makes me wonder if it'd be better to just hang on to it.

Maybe in a decade or so people will feel nostalgic for the simple singles and our comparatively rare GT's they'll go up in value...or maybe not! 

John

[Paul_42]

I wonder if RE will stock parts for the next 10yrs for us down here or its business as usual.... Fend for yourself.

[RedCGT]

Tom, are you going to keep going with the billet heads? I plan to finish my GT project. I guess it will be at home in my garage with my BMW K75S and Buell XB12XT.

[ace.cafe]

Tom, are you going to keep going with the billet heads? I plan to finish my GT project. I guess it will be at home in my garage with my BMW K75S and Buell XB12XT.

Yes, I plan on it. But it has proved to be very tough because I have had to switch shops 3 times, and familiarize each shop with the project each time. Very trying and costly.

This time, it appears some better headway is underway, but not finished. The basic plan is to get it where we can CNC them pretty quickly, and hand finish the valve job and assembly. That is easier said than done, it seems.

I am still plugging away at it.

[Rattlebattle]

I had wondered about this; I don’t recall seeing one on the stand at the recent NEC show. The 650 frame is not the same as the CGT though it is similar. There are still unsold CGTs in the UK. I get the impression that those who want one already have one. Although they can be made to be real fliers, as they come they’re barely any quicker than the 500cc UCE bikes. I reckon that the 650 lump will give the similar frame and running gear the power it deserves and will outsell the CGT significantly. Just like way back when; performance with lack of being temperamental = two or more cylinders. The trade-in values of any Indian RE is low at other than RE dealers and will be until they are perceived by non-believers that they are reliable and well-made.

[Carlsberg Wordsworth]

Rattlebattle you are correct. There was no CGT at the show. Perhaps a 535cc machine no longer sits in the portfolio comfortably?

With the current trend though, you'd think they'd push it with a price drop. Unless that's to come.

[longstrokeclassic]

The next round of emission cuts are due in just over 2 years time.  Perhaps the 535 with its larger displacement, different fuelling etc will prove too costly to get it through them.

[ace.cafe]

Well, we can speculate, or we can look at the record.
Since Kevin was informed by the factory that he was to leave and RENA took over, the factory has dumped support of all the older bikes, dumped the dealers, dumped the customers, and replaced them with basically nothing.

Now it appears that they are dumping the 535 and those owners. How far behind us will the 500  UCE users be?

The record says they kicked dirt in the faces of everybody that got them here,  and now expect us to travel hundreds of miles to the nearest hipster shop to buy new bikes and apparel from clueless trendies.

Sad.

[Rattlebattle]

The Bike article had a bit about the interview held with the CEO. Whilst he would like to retain air cooling if necessary he'll switch to liquid cooling. Euro V and the Indian equivalent B VI come into force in 2020 and I get the impression that there'll be a complete range refresh to meet those regs. RE has a five year plan. He mentioned that RE now has three basic platforms - Bullet, Himalayan and 650 twin and that there would never be significantly more platforms than that and that he would neither go lower than 250cc nor higher than 750cc. Bike reckons the new 650 Continental has "the style of the Conti 535, but with a proper engine". I have to say those are my thoughts, though obviously they can be made to go much better; it's just that factory fresh they are a bit weedy and don't go anywhere near as well as they look. Each to his own.

[Kamakee]

I dont ever want to give up my 535 but im looking very seriously at these twins the brakes dont sound too promising but the horsepower might be fun

[GlennF]

Only just found this thread but the timing of the comments is interesting as there were articles in the Indian press way back in July 2018 saying production of the 535 had already stopped early in the year. This one for example:

https://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-news/royal-enfield-pulls-the-plug-for-the-continental-gt-535-ar181704.html