Some of those newfound expectations are met , some aren ’ t . Some of those that missed the mark , however , are easily rectified . I ’ m not going to sit here behind my keyboard and bag the tyre choice made by the boffins at Royal Enfield – oh , hang on , yes I am . The tyres are inherently ‘ fine ’ ( one of ‘ those ’ words ), but not , in my humble opinion , for the sportierfeeling Continental GT . With your body cantered forward that bit more and your legs feeling more involved in direction changes , it is tempting to get more assertive in the twisties . Here is where the tyre selection , and , to an extent the pretty high stiction fork seals , combine to unfairly make the front-end feel a tad wooden , or ‘ dead ’. The forks I can deal
with , but that shallow-dish profile tyre up front makes the steering a bit recalcitrant when pushed and when leaned on that bit harder , which tells you that ’ s the edge up front , while the rear has a chunk left to give . Upon a headscratching ponder on the roadside , you could see the front had rolled to the edge ( and a bit ) whereas the rear still carried strips of virgin tread . I can ’ t help but feel a different tyre profile would transform the GT into a respectable machine in the twisties , right up to the point when the suspension would warn you who the bike is really aimed at . I may not be that person , but I enjoyed the Royal Enfield Continental GT far more than the spec-sheet
38 KIWI RIDER