Home / Reviews / First Impressions / Royal Enfield Chrome Cafe Racer
Royal Enfield Chrome Cafe Racer

Royal Enfield Chrome Cafe Racer

If this era of motorcycling will be remembered for anything, it’s the revival of old school. Finally, after featuring so much from the motorcycle community, we’re featuring something from an OEM. Royal Enfield is getting in on the craze with their very own Chrome Cafe Racer. You know, for those of us who can’t invest a whole lot of time, or talent, into the return of retro. See the pics you can’t find anywhere else on the web!

royal enfield cafe racer

The Royal Enfield Chrome Cafe Racer is a throwback tribute to days gone by. Gobs of chrome, cafe racer ergonomics, seat, clubman bars, and more, make this one slick looking city speedster.

We have to wonder whether or not the 500cc single has the guns for the highway. In reality, most Royal Enfields in North America come equipped with a 500cc single cylinder fuel-injected thumping engine putting out 27 horsepower. The Goldstar exhaust pipes are supposed to give the Chrome Cafe Racer an extra 5 horsepower giving the 404 lbs (183 kg) Royal Enfield a nice bump in power.

royal enfield cafe racer back

The cafe racer motorcycle’s strength lies in the city. The Royal Enfield has some serious advantages here. Physically it isn’t a huge motorcycle, and its weight seems light and manageable. Even better, Royal Enfield claims the Chrome Cafe Racer will get you 85 MPG or over 36 km/litre. With a 14.5 litre capacity, you’re looking at about 500 km per tank if the numbers are accurate.

There’s no denying this motorcycle is a head-turner. The real question is whether or not people will be willing to bite the $8,895 Canadian MSRP bullet, and whether or not Royal Enfield’s quality is up to the price point. With the Chrome Cafe Racer’s custom look, vintage heritage, ridiculous fuel efficiency and cool touches such as both electric and kick starting capabilities, we’re guessing some will be tempted to take the risk.

Royal Enfield Chrome Cafe Racer

If you were a motorcycle that looks this cool, you would have your own self-glorifying motorcycle promo video too:

How well do these things age over time? Probably not so well. We recently got our hands on a 10 year old 500cc Royal Enfield, and compared it to a 20 year old Triumph with five times more mileage. The results were shocking.

About Adrian from YouMotorcycle

I started riding motorcycles in 2007, founded YouMotorcycle in 2009, and was working in the motorcycle industry by 2011. I've worked for some of the biggest companies in motorcycling, before going full-time self-employed in the motorcycle business in 2019. I love sharing his knowledge and passion of motorcycling with other riders to help you as best I can.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*