It’s easy for car and motorbike manufacturers to get carried away when creating concepts. We’re not complaining, mind you—the motoring world has been graced with countless memorable rides born from over-the-top ideas. It’s just that fans also appreciate it whenever brands come up with something more grounded while showing off its design chops.
The Royal Enfield SG650 Concept is a fine example of this. Unveiled at this year’s Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori (EICMA) in Milan, the two-wheeler strikes a fine balance between looking forward to the future of riding and staying true to the company’s roots.
According to the brand’s chief of design Mark Wells, the SG650 is a motorcycle that’s all about transition.
“The goal: to build a unique concept motorcycle that pays homage to Royal Enfield’s rich history of custom motorcycles, but one that wasn’t encumbered by the past.”
To achieve this ‘neo-retro’ aesthetic, designers machined the SG650’s tank from a solid block of aluminum and wrapped it in digital graphics. Many of the components you see in this concept are also fabricated exclusively for use with this bike.
Anti-lock brakes are integrated into the vehicle’s wheels, and stopping duties are handled by bespoke brake calipers. The floating seat features nice hand-stitched leather for a premium effect. The bike’s 650 twin engine and its exhausts are also blacked out, a design choice that contrasts nicely with the aluminum bits scatters throughout the build.
Again, we have to stress that this is still just purely a concept. It’s one, though, that features a look that leans more towards production than being stuck within the pages of a fancy coffee table book. Think something like this will ever hit Royal Enfield showrooms in the future?
