[Richard230]

I went through my motorcycle test inventory looking for a test of a Continental GT. No luck. But I did find this 1964 Cycle World magazine test of the Royal Enfield Crusader, which (according to the article) is the basis of the GT which was to be a hopped-up version of the Crusader and was supposed to hit the market the following year.  So I guess it is the next best thing. I submit it for your reading entertainment of how it used to be a couple of years after I first started riding.   

[Richard230]

Here are pages 3 and 4 of the article.

[Arschloch]

Page 2:  "There is nothing in this engines basic specification to excite anyone".

...sounds good.

[KC1961]

I bought this last week, I'm really enjoying it.

[Richard230]

That "Turbo Twin" sounds exciting.   

[Boxerman]

Don't get too exited    the name comes from 'turbine smooth' it's a Villiers two stroke twin motor.

Frank

[Adrian II]

There a turbo Twin on ebay over here at the moment, item # 123517860559. More pictures in the listing.





A.

[Richard230]

Boy, does that bike's engine remind me of my first motorcycle, a 1963 250cc Yamaha YD3.  It also was a single-carb twin with a very smooth engine, unfortunately it topped out at 70 mph and fouled spark plugs every 30 miles or so.     I replaced it with a 1964 Honda Super Hawk - which was a major improvement in all performance and reliability categories. 

[GlennF]

[Richard230]

So how fast was the old GT?  Faster than the new GT?

[Arschloch]

So how fast was the old GT?  Faster than the new GT?

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-british-motorcycles/classic-royal-enfield-motorcycles/1963-royal-enfield-continental-zmtz17mazhur

If this source can be trusted it did 80mph. Almost as fast a new stock 535 GT, but keep in mind that the horse requirement grows exponentially with speed, it takes only maybe 5 to 6 horses to reach 60 mph.

[Richard230]

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-british-motorcycles/classic-royal-enfield-motorcycles/1963-royal-enfield-continental-zmtz17mazhur

If this source can be trusted it did 80mph. Almost as fast a new stock 535 GT, but keep in mind that the horse requirement grows exponentially with speed, it takes only maybe 5 to 6 horses to reach 60 mph.

Well, the 1959 Bullet 350 that the British press tested got up to 88 mph, with a "mean" top speed of 81, according to the road test that I posted yesterday in the Vintage section.  So what do you think of that?     Could we have had a "ringer" there.   

[Arschloch]

Not saying that 88mph on a 1959 stock Bullet 350 is impossible,  but in real life you would likely need to get close to a tornado and keep riding around it - in the correct direction of course. 

Back than it was a competition for every horse even if imaginary.  

My motorcycle magazine says anything above 120hp is of not much use on any public road in no country, I think that could be about correct.

[Richard230]

Not saying that 88mph on a 1959 stock Bullet 350 is impossible,  but in real life you would likely need to get close to a tornado and keep riding around it - in the correct direction of course. 

Back than it was a competition for every horse even if imaginary.  

My motorcycle magazine says anything above 120hp is of not much use on any public road in no country, I think that could be about correct.

So you are saying that England was having a tornado during April 1959?  Who knew?   

The way I ride, my 60 hp Triumph works just as well as my 125 hp BMW. It is not how fast you go, but how fast you tell others you go.   

[Arschloch]

So you are saying that England was having a tornado during April 1959?  Who knew?   

The way I ride, my 60 hp Triumph works just as well as my 125 hp BMW. It is not how fast you go, but how fast you tell others you go.   

Lot of things could have happened during April 1959. About 10 years ago I used to do regularly 60mph on a bicycle and an tornado was not involved....

If wasn't even 1st of April.