Find My Brake – Royal Enfield Continental GT 535

We look at the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 from 2013 onwards, and what brake pads Bendix supplies for these motorcycles.

In a world yearning for the return of the romantic and free-spirited optimism of the ‘swinging ’60s’, the launch of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 in 2013 evoked a sense of nostalgia amongst Australians of all ages. Having an almost uninterrupted, although much-updated production run, it was only natural that the retro-styled GT 535 ‘café-racer’ would trace its lineage back to the original 1933 Royal Enfield Bullet.

Although the iconic Continental GT café racer originally made an appearance when a team of journalists rode one from John O’ Groats to Lands End in under 24 hours in 1964, Enfield only really began dabbling in cafe racer and clubman kits in the 90s, before showing a factory cafe racer at the 2010 Auto Expo in New Delhi, India. When it made its second appearance at the Expo in 2012, it had been christened the Continental GT. The first production bikes began rolling off of the assembly line in 2013, before being officially launched at the Ace Cafe in London, the legendary haunt of the original Rockers back in the 1950s.

Forty-eight years after its first production café racer, Royal Enfield rolled out the all-new Continental GT 535 as its lightest (at 184kg, wet), fastest, most powerful motorcycle of the time. To achieve the power, Enfield’s Unit Construction Engine, with its roots dating back to the original engine fitted to the Bullet, had its displacement punched out to 535 cc with an 87.0 x 90.0mm bore and stroke. The addition of a larger throttle body and hotter cam over the previous 2009 version of the engine, pushed the net horsepower to just over 21 kW.

However, whilst the engine could be traced back to the 1933 Bullet, the twin-downtube frame - designed by Harris Engineering and fitted with non-adjustable 38mm Gabriel forks, and two preload and rebound-adjustable Paioli shocks on a longer swing arm at the back – was state of the retro art. And with two-piston sliding caliper brakes made by Brembo’s Far Eastern offshoot ByBre up front, alloy Excel rims, and all the right café racer design elements the Continental GT 535 was in essence what any Australian cafe’ racer of the 1960s would have dreamt of.

Even though Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 was a classic styled motorcycle that attracted riders looking for a simple, evocative, tactile, timeless, uncomplicated, and fun to ride ‘bike, in Australia, legislation opened up another unexpected niche in the form of the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS). As part of the Motorcycle Graduated Licensing Scheme LAMS restricts new riders to production motorcycles with an internal combustion engine with a capacity of not more than 660 cc and a power-to-weight ratio of less than 150kW/tonne. With the Continental GT 535 fulfilling the requirements it appears on the list of approved motorcycles for beginners. This means that many new Australian riders’ first encounter with the world of motorcycling is astride the Enfield Continental GT 535 classic cafe’ racer.

As one of the fastest-growing motorcycle manufacturers, Royal Enfield has placed a high value on the Australian market, with Rudratej Singh, President of the company saying at the opening of its first exclusive brand store in Melbourne in 2016: “Australia represents one of the most important matured markets for Royal Enfield with a 63 per cent growth in the first three quarters of 2016.”

With the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 fulfilling a wide range of roles – from a novice’s training platform to a nostalgic Friday night cafe’ racer, or even leisure touring and adventure rides over the weekend – the brake pads must perform flawlessly at all times. For this reason, Bendix has developed the Bendix Moto line of brake pads that covers a wide range of bikes and riding applications.

Bendix Brake Pads For The Royal Enfield Continental GT 535

As Australia’s largest automotive friction material manufacturer, Bendix has been at the leading edge of braking technology for close to 70 years and has now taken that expertise to the world of motorcycles with the Bendix Moto line of brake pads.

Bendix Moto currently offers two brake pad types – Ultimate+ and Street Road Track. Each pad type covers the needs of a range of motorcycles and how they’re used, from putting around on the daily commute to full-blown track use. Bendix Moto’s extensive catalogue also covers an enormous range of different motorcycle types including the classic retro Continental GT 535 cafe’ racer.

Ideally suited to the Royal Enfield GT 535, Bendix Moto Ultimate+ Brake Pads have been developed for bikes that spend a lot of time commuting in daily traffic. They offer exceptional stopping power, low dust, and low noise, whilst offering high resistance to brake fade at higher temperatures thanks to a high friction ceramic formulation.

Whilst Bendix Moto Ultimate+ Brake Pads are made to handle the stresses of stop-start traffic they also offer high braking performance for weekend road trips or a spirited ride down a twisty mountain pass.

Whether you are a novice getting to understand how to safely control your Continental GT 535 or enjoying a fast ride down with friends over the weekend, Bendix Moto Ultimate+ Brake Pads ensure you’re in control, no matter your level of experience or the riding conditions.

Never get caught out by brakes that aren’t quite up to the job. Fitting a set of Bendix Moto Ultimate+ Brake Pads to your Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 means you can brake with confidence - anywhere, anytime, in all conditions.