[aargee]

Lady otherside (LO) : Hello
Me : Is this Royal Enfield Service?
LO : Yes sir
Me : Can you service Interceptor tomorrow morning pls?
LO : Yes Sir; what service sir?
Me : It's first service
LO : How many Kms done sir?
Me : 480
LO : Ok sir, bring your bike in the morning & you can have it by evening
Me : No, no, I will wait & take the bike immediately after service, it's just oil replacement right?
LO : Oh!! Wait & Take servicea? Ok ok, Pls bring the bike at 9:30 Am Sir
Me : Ok
LO : What's the vehicle registration number sir?
Me : TN xx X 0660
LO : When did you buy sir?
ME : Yesterday
LO : Did you buy yesterday?
ME : Yes
LO : Did you buy yesterday?
ME : Yes
LO : And you did 480 Km within?
ME : Yes
LO : And you did 480 Km within?
ME : Yes, any problem?
LO : Ok sir, please bring the bike tomorrow morning
ME : Thank you

Oh!! Wait!! This was today!! What happens tomorrow will be told tomorrow or day after or sometimes unspoken as well. But the past can be carefully filtered, funneled & channeled as drafted narration which is what follows

But first this is what the thread is about -

The Downtown Drag Grey

& below that is a quick summary of my experience with Inty


Since most internet reviews covers the points on price, old school machine, ABS, twin cylinder, FI, slipper clutch, spoke tube tires, suspensions, lack of electronics etc. I'll try my best being nonconformist from my point of view

Upshifts

• Wide spread ASC, go to any corner of this nation & there's RE ASC
• Good (won't say great) speed masking
• By the time you're at 6th gear & 3K RPM, you're nearing 80 Kmph (70 actually) & that's just the beginning; the twins don't hesitate to go all way up to 7K RPM under any condition
• Absence of fairing, plastics means, easy to work, if you want that impeccable touch with maintenance
• The wind blast isn't that bad as portrayed by many vloggers, its certainly manageable for seasoned riders upto the speed of 140 Kmph, ofcourse with full riding gears of good quality only
• Bybre with ABS & steel braided line on fat Inty is fantastic considering it's a single disk in the front
• Max payload is 200 Kg compared to Versys 650's 180 Kg; in reality we really don't need over 160 Kg including accessories for 2 up riders, but more is welcome
• Standard RSA offers 3 years warranty with 2 more years of extended warranty covering puncture, free towing & medical emergency (whatever that means). Towing covers - Vehicle not starting, Accident & breakdown - across the nation
• The twin horns sound like train, pauses everyone on road when used prudently
• 47 Bhp & 52 Nm torque, is sufficiently adequate considering this is India & Indian traffic standards
• Royal Enfield means, lots of after market parts both from India & abroad & fully customizable without considering juggad

Downshifts (What needs to be improved)

• Although it doesn't matter when riding, the very thought of removing the wheel to fix a puncture is a nightmare
• Rider ergonomics is not designed for high speed on this motorcycle; more here
• Pillion ergonomics, has to be re-engineered for sure
• When cost cutting is evident everywhere, why have 2 exhaust? Why not 2 into 1 to save some weight as well? May be to compromise exhaust note? (some relief may be here)
• Absolutely flimsy seat!! What's stopping RE from making a hard foam seat? Rx100 used to get a hard foam seat 3 decades ago
• The twin horns sound like train, I'm literally scared to honk unless there's a real threat on the road. Could've mellowed down a bit
• Like Ryan says in FortNine, 47 Bhp, 52 Nm torque sounds competitive - in 1960's
• Although 47 Bhp & 202 Kgs are portrayed on brochure, it's 46.8 Bhp & 213 Kg in reality that brings 235 Bhp per tonne to 219.7 Bhp per tonne
• A 15 liter tank would've done a justice to 650cc, not sure how expensive & heavy could the bike become to accommodate 1.3 liters additional?

Neutral

• Weight - Most 650s weigh around 200 Kg, unless we're talking about Triumphs that weigh less. CBRs, Versys, Z650 all weigh around 200 Kg mark (even the CB500X weighs near to the same)
• Halogen bulbs are straight replacement with plenty of aftermarket LEDs (Thanks @man_of_steel)
• Seats needs replacement; plenty of seat lining shops
• Spoked wheels are mess to maintain, when left unclean adds it's share of horrible aesthetics
• Want to change color? Simply change the tank or even get painted with plenty of after market option, it's that simple & costs less

[aargee]

Given a chance, I prefer Riding over Driving

That was the same reason I got my CBR 250R in 2011; just like Andy Dufresne & Red was wondering where their 30 & 10 years went, I was wondering how my 11 years went with my CBR


And I was unsure if I had outgrown my CBR. As such CBR is still beautiful, strong, delivers what it needs to, absolutely fantastic, just like it's sibling Rx. But there were many strong signals coming that it cannot do certain things on highway.

But then, what is that I need to do on highway everyday? every week? every month or every year? Hell, I'm not even riding much these days, do I even need a new motorcycle? Wisdom kicks in & says another shiny novelty lasts not more than a week, maximum a month after that, it becomes another dead stock. But the mind always works in mysterious ways except being rationale!!

It was quite clear what to eliminate; but the biggest challenge remains - what to buy. Why? Because the bike lovers are totally different breed, mostly polygamy never satisfied with one motorcycle!!

Once the lockdown had been eased, my friend Vivek (non TBhpian) & I planned a ride from Chennai to Shoolagiri McD just to have breakfast; as if Chennai didn't have a McD or we don't get breakfast at our home. Like I said, bikers are different breed, we spend 4-5 hours riding to a place to have a cup of tea for 10 minutes, chitchat for half hour & then ride back home!! atrocious creatures!! The ride didn't materialize as planned in form a dog jump that cracked STriple's radiator that Vivek was riding. That ride from Chennai to a little over Vellore bestirred what CBR could not do what I'm demanding.

And then the usual drama of dilemma unveils in the saga of One Life in search of Triumph Tiger, Street Triple, Z900, Versys 650, KTM 390 & then quietly succumbed to CBR 250R!! And in between all these Africa Twin, Bonneville, CB 650R shows up promptly to remind they were also present as if I didn't know.

So, about 2-3 months ago, my friend Vivek having his Striple still at workshop awaiting for parts, said, give a try with Continental GT, you might like it!!

[aargee]

How Friends Influence You

So, about 2-3 months ago, my friend Vivek having his Striple still at workshop awaiting for parts, said, give a try with Continental GT, you might like it!!

And then when you want to know anything about automobiles, where do you turn in? As a TBHpian, TeamBHP obviously. That is when man_of_steel's post caught my attention with his Ravishing Red. It was really ravishing!! Very beautiful

And then PM's, numbers exchanged, spoke a little yet brief about RE. But I hate RE!! I don't like the dubu-dubu sound; with RE comes free vibration unlike Hondas that are vibration free. But I've seen this video & have asked -

Is this a Royal Enfield?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T9EHk0vIOw

Like one incident leads to another, one friend leads to another, jumps in the influencers - neil.jerico teaming up with deepfreak15. A strange combination of owner, non-owner & a race tracker, all 3 of them didn't have to hammer, but smoothly let me sink in the dreading idea of owning a Royal Enfield.

Dreading as it is!! The Royal Enfield!!

Their motorcycles fetch more money than any others at junkyard; ASC's are pathetic. And then we have dedicated threads like Fixing oil leakage through the tappet door, pure thread only for Oil Leak discussion, Dedicated Thread for Troubleshooting Issues, how a new Thunderbird had oil sump damaged, last but not the least pathetic ASC stories & even bad Sales Experiences. As if these weren't enough, the much bigger problems of Broken Chassis & Woes of Motorcycle Spending more Time in Workshop

But then are you buying Bullet or Himalayan? I still feel so; that's because just like vibrations & Royal Enfield are synonymous, whatever Royal Enfield makes is only bullet!! This is Interceptor boss!! This is different; more cylinder means, more vibrations? I think I ought to say both cylinders cancel each others vibration perhaps?

And thus all factors & folks above coalesced successfully for a Test Ride

Had an opportunity to pass by Classic Motors Mogappair in the days to follow & that irked me for an impromptu stop

[aargee]

The Test Ride Experience

Classic Experience
Had an opportunity to pass by Classic Motors Mogappair in the days to follow & that irked me for an impromptu stop

Went inside,
No one bothered,
Searched for Inty & Conti in display,
Before I could spot one...Yes Sir, a voice stopped my search

Told them without battering a lid, I need a TD of Conti, before they could say yes, told them I need a long ride to finalize, not like 1 Km up & 1 Km down.
Only thing they didn't do was throw us out of the showroom!! They flatly refused stating they never ever have given long test rides to customers!!

Dino Experience


After couple of days, one evening with great difficulty, still attempting to overcome my prejudices with Royal Enfield & my "classical experience", I walked into Dino Motors Royal Enfield showroom expecting no Conti to be on display, told them I'm only here to see Continental GT with no guarantee to buy.

The salesman, introduced himself as Allen, said he doesn't mind even if I didn't buy & will be glad to show the motorcycle. He showed me a white color Continental GT, huge & bulky, slim, simple & elegant tank, great forward leaning posture stood on side stand with heads, I mean the headlights, turned to one side. I didn't know then the model was Dux Deluxe. Frankly I loved the paint scheme, black & white contrasting with RE logo in between. I was surprised to know later that, the showroom closes at 8:00 Pm & we had spent there from 7:50 Pm & left over 8:15 Pm!!



So again I visited Dino Motors 2 days later, this time with Son for morale support around 6:00 Pm; told Allen, this time I'm here to hear the engine sound. Up until this point, I haven't paid much attention to this motorcycle, forget alone the engine sound, so I wasn't sure how it sounds.

He then fired up the Conti & then the first thoughts in mind were

holy smokes!!

This is Triumph!! Not Royal Enfield!!

Those were the thoughts popping because of the faint whistle from the roaring engine. Royal Enfield, Triumph, both British, one settled in Hinckley, other came to Madras then, Chennai now. Like I said earlier, mind always works in mysterious ways, tries to connect Triumph & RE as one or for the sake of it? Or because of being one of Britain's former colony?

Whatever it is, today, now, the sound of Conti is mind boggling. Went home that evening & was scrambling all over TBhp for Conti & found Dr Mayhem is the one to book. Such a lovely color scheme, so beautiful, simple & elegant. Dr Mayhem, the name of the color scheme itself sounds little professional isn't it?

So next morning, once again we went to the showroom & spilled the bean of sounding like yet another cheap guy looking for free thrills - Can I get a test ride please?

Allen obliged immediately just as he was preparing to give the keys, I spilled another one - I need a long ride to decide, please don't ask me to make 3 right turns & ask me "How was it Sir? When are you going to buy?" and blah blah

So he says reluctantly, Sir, you can ride for 3-4 Km from the showroom & decide

3-4? 3-4? I'm buying to ride 300-400 Kms day after day for a road trip & he's asking me to buy one riding just after 3-4 Km!! Rationale mind doesn't kicks in during these times!! Emotional part keeps jumping between TDC & BDC, yet trying to remain calm, told him I will be riding for atleast 60 Km one way for testing.

Such a distance is something totally unheard for most folks, totally uncommon for a test ride, they might've for sure decided I'm yet another fellow here for killing time. All the ODO readings on my CBR was not a proof for him to convince him that I can return the ride in one piece; for him, it's his job, his manager wouldn't agree, if at all he asked. You, I & everybody has been doing something similar in our line of work. So I decided some strings needs to be pulled to show I'm serious. Meanwhile a wise friend of mine, Vishwas (non-TBHPian) advised (cautioned) to ride Interceptor 650 as well just for the sake of it.

So the powers that be decided were called next day, told we will need to test ride Conti & Inty both back to back for 60 Kms atleast one way & it was agreed. When we showed up with full riding gears next day at the showroom, there stood both motorcycles, Dux Deluxe & Silver Spectre all fueled up (they mentioned 6 liters twice during our conversation ) ready at our disposal for the longer test rides.



Without further ado, Wife & I hoped on to GT650 & off we went. Just 15 Km later I firmly decided a BIG

NO

. I was rumbling out my frustration more than the exhaust of GT. Completely disappointed, never expected that, my pinky fingers were tingling, this has much aggressive stance than CBR 250R, the front suspension would not dive, I felt one side of suspension didn't have springs inside, the other one probably had a piece of wood & a pathetic pillion comfort!! There goes my dream of owning a Conti!!

Then the next saga with Inty - This time it was much better, the tingling sensation had come down drastically, bike was well planted over 140 on superb outer ring road; Wife kept saying something through the journey, which were all promptly ignored with a nod indicating an agreement; I was doing my best to learn the bike's language, trying hard to see if I can get some feedback as what it's trying to say. When we completed the circuit & parked the bike at showroom, Wife complained she had developed mild pain on her right leg.

Her rants obviously fell on deaf years of a 3 year old boy who was thrilled with a new toy

[aargee]

The Dilemma For a New Motorcycle

Her rants obviously fell on deaf years of a 3 year old boy who was thrilled with a new toy

So it was Interceptor instead of Continental GT. I had to accept or say compromise!! So what all should I compromise? From used Tiger to STriple to Versys 650 to KTM 390? I've already compromised to buying Royal Enfield & now I don't get to buy Conti & have to settle with Inty?

Meanwhile, Wife pitched in her thoughts, which was neither asked or needed, but on account of not only living peaceful for rest of my life but also getting some form of harmless, palatable edibles, I pretended to care. She was comparing with CBR:

• It doesn't have a digital meter console
• It doesn't have clock
• The fuel gauge is deceitful
• Weighs more than 765cc Striple
• Not as powerful as Versys 650
• Doesn't have alloy wheels
• No large fuel tank
• Suspension is not even near to CBR
• Headlights is not LED
• Seats needs to be replaced
• The pillion comfort is hopeless
• The service interval is just 5K Km (CBR has 6K & other 650's at 10K/15K)

She was of the opinion that, there's nothing in Inty other than the big engine; I'm basically doing a downgrade & not upgrade!! She votes for CBR!!

Son was having different supportive thoughts (men will be men):

• The ODO has 2 trip meters
• A clock can be fit on the handlebars
• We go refueling based on the ODO readings
• Dispose the stock exhaust, saree guard & then some replace aftermarket parts to bring down the weight
• More power is not used 80% of the time
• Opt with tubeless tires, close the rims with strips from Way2Speed
• Larger tank can be fabricated if needed & even with lighter material, if required
• YSS, Ohlins, plenty of options in suspension
• Maddog, NightEye aftermarket LED bulbs - plenty of options
• Seats can be fabricated or touring seats from RE
• Fix the seat & suspension, everything can be made comfortable

Son was already into motor-lifying, impressed with the bigger powerful useable motor. I was vying on the wide spread availability of ASC + great VFM.

Called up Excel to rescue - Apart from making nearly 235 Bhp per tonne (CBR 148 BPT) on dry weights, excel taught one profound truth:

The low ownership cost of RE twins among all it's rivalries is what it makes stand out!! Wife wasn't that wrong that I'm practically downgrading, although I'm calling it technically upgrading. It's the blinding emotions that drives us crazy; it's the same emotions that drives women to keep buying clothes for an occasion that never occurs!!

Wife wasn't that unsupportive either, she was of the opinion to pool in some money or take some 30-40% in loan from SBI & buy Striple or Versys 650. By pure luck, the neocortex had a chance to work which revealed few immutable truths:

• Bigger the bike, higher the cost; even if I bought an used Triumph or Kawi, the maintenance cost is going to be the same
• For a Striple, V650 or Tiger, the cost of tires alone are going to be a whopping expensive, atleast make 30-35% or even more of the maintenance cost & then add to that the sprockets & cables that are going to cost like hell
• Even if I consider the servicing costs like a 8L-12L car, only question is how much of the bike is going to leveraged?
• We already have a sleeping sleeper car, unused, untouched, that goes out twice or thrice a year & we expect the same with whichever middleweight motorcycle we buy as well
• And then the national question of India - kitna deti hai? with the ever rising fuel cost + insurance
• And most importantly, with age catching up, increasing stress levels & most importantly ever growing responsibilities, not sure how long I can keep riding, especially the middle weights
• Already CBR & Rx are nearly sleeping in garage doing school bike service, for the sake of riding, it will be a tears of blood watching Tiger or Striple or Versys 650 sleeping in garage. And in between this thread comes up to affirm my decision not to buy another one
• Even if I decide to sell them later, it will be even hardest decision than buying experience

Which boiled down to one essential question - Does it even make sense to add another motorcycle in the garage?

Again Wife pitched in to say - Buy one, while you can afford & ride, for, time never returns, and you live a life without regrets. Thus crossed the hardest part of the bridge & landed to a little rough part - Which motorcycle?

I had 3 choices:

• Buy Interceptor, spend the balance importing riding gears or customizing the motorcycle or ride farther, which is the very purpose but compromise
• Ride a beautiful Striple or a functional Versys 650 or feel like Lord Ayyappan seated on Tiger & carry the guilt of spending huge money to oneself in a family
• A middle path of choice - buy an used Triumph or V650

And in between - Enter The Rental Raaga
For that 2-3 trips a year, why not rent out a motorcycle from Bangalore or Chennai and also get to ride different motorcycle each time? The breakeven of buying one vs renting should work out atleast 5 years time frame was Excel's reply.

That was true for someone who's into commuting or a traveler; but we're different breed - BIKERS!! We love talking to motorcycles; for such crackpots, renting is ruled out!! There's something personal touch, connectivity between the ride & rider that no rental motorcycle can offer. So the rental raaga went unsung.

An Used Motorcycle roughly means = lower down payment with no change in interest rates!! - Meaning, lower initial cost, but the operating costs remain the same. And worst part being, any vehicle more than 5 years, no B2B insurance, which means, damages are going to be even more expensive. With my friend's damage of radiator on his Striple costing over 80K, got me thinking how to manage unnecessary expenses without insurance? I'm a person who can spend 80K on fuel rather than spending 40K for fixing a broken radiator or even 15K on a phone!! We all like to spend where we like to spend & try to justify our rationale don't we?

TBhp classifieds were listing few Interceptor & one from TN as well & some posts were carrying positive vibes as well. I wasn't keen with an used Interceptor because I want to own the vehicle for a long term besides Downtown Drag was getting on me while most used ones were not factory custom.

Problem with a New Motorcycle is that, costs a lot & if the bike doesn't sing to your tune or if you don't understand it's language, you had it!!

During this time, we were frantically educating ourselves on Interceptor in every possible way in form of videos, articles & ownership reviews. Thanks to (in no chronological order)
CrAzY dRiVeR for Ridden: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 Twin
man_of_steel for 17" wheels conversion on my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
Torino for Silver Blitz 650: Royal Enfield Interceptor Ownership Review
NTO for Bought a Royal Enfield Interceptor | Got a brotherhood for free
RiderZone for Team-BHP’s Gift | My Pre-Loved Interceptor 650
deepfreak15 for Ownership log of my Rocker Red Continental GT 650

Most reviews were in praises & some were curses & were mostly for:

• Poor pillion comfort
• Foot pegs hindering rider
• Poor headlights, suspension & gauges
• Lack of alloy wheels, tube tires & modern amenities

However, what no one complained were...

• Engine, power, top speed
• Fuel Efficiency
• Vibration
• Ground Clearance
• ABS & Brakes

So our friends to rescue in form of man_of_steel, neil.jericho, deepfreak15 & my friend Vivek helped mitigating one by one:
Poor pillion comfort & Compromised rider position - Buy an extended footrest, buy RE's touring seats
Poor headlights, suspension & gauges - Maddog 7" LED headlights or NightEye LED bulb are straight fits
Lack of alloy wheels & tube tires - Everyone's tight lipped in this area including yours truly trying to find a solution without opting for Meteor's or KTM's alloy wheel

[aargee]

The Buying Experience

So somewhere the buck stopped after deciding it was RE & it's Interceptor, checking RE's website everyday, trying to figure out which color scheme to buy

Had their been silver Spectre, that would've been my first choice, no confusion.
Orange is a fruit & Ventura Blue is Sky, Ravishing Red is beautiful but available no more, Canyon Red is not different from my CBR,
Baker Express is common, Sunset Strip didn't appeal,
Chrome & Chennai is a Big NO

So the only option I'm left with - Downtown Drag Grey & it slowly grew on me as well. Best part? It's matte finish, no polish, no wax, no shine to sheen!! Can't ask for more!!

So headed to showroom by end of October, asked for Downtown Drag & then comes the surprises!!

• Sir, we've Orange Crush in ready stock as a customer might cancel
• We can get Baker Express sooner
• It will take 2 months to deliver Downtown Drag (they wrote 3 months on paper)

I thought, I'll wait for 3 months if I decide to cancel. Always waiting will yield for better ideas & models. I was quite glad the 120 years edition of Interceptor didn't change my mind; to me - it's a good motorcycle to park in garage. Spares & repairs are going to be longer waiting periods as well.

I will not say painful waiting period because I wasn't too excited for whatsoever reason; while waiting downloaded RE's owner's manual (Tks ku69rd) which helped me understand few more technical aspects of the bike.

During third week of November when we were at Didar, I got a call & it went like this:

Allen : Sir, your bike has arrived
Me: Great!! Is it Downtown Drag?
Allen: Yes Sir
Me: Can't have a better news!! But you guys said 3 months, so how come in a month's time frame?
Allen : Sir, we were able to arrange for one, if you're able to come down, you can have a visit
ME: Great, I'm coming in couple of hours

In couple of hours, went & there she stood beautifully among the others, one of a kind. Then Allen said, go-ahead to try sir & then I sat on the bike. That is when the excitement kickstarted

We promptly took the picture of chassis, engine number & ODO reading and got VIN verified through this esteemed forum (Tks surjaonwheelz) that it was Sep 2021 made in Kanchipuram.

After this things started moving quick; made about 75% of the payment & inquired if they can assist with booking a number of my choice. Allen didn't have a good control on this & that's when Mr. Navaneethan, the showroom manager was added to our fable. Having greater control on many other things outside the showroom, he was quick enough to confirm that a new X series was about to be opened in few days & I had many more open choices. We requested to book one of 0660/0550/0650 & got what we wanted. I should've probably be the only joker to have been waiting for nearly 3 weeks just for a number when the motorcycle was ready!!

Vehicle Delivery
After having embarrassing cake cutting ceremonies at Nexa, we're frankly shy of such gala events, all our expectation was - the bike has to be ready right outside, neat & tidy, ready to be ridden with additional details on things that we need to know, some do's & don'ts. We were already aware of the PDI list (Tks GrandTourer), however, we were assured PDI will be done & motorcycle will be kept in ready to ride state by evening.

And that's how precisely it happened! On the day of delivery, we were called at 10:00 Am stating the bike is ready & when we would come. We said around 5:00 Pm & we were there at 4:50 Pm, the bike was parked outside, neat & tidy, 4 liters of fuel filled; I only asked if PDI was done & they affirmed yes; we checked for tools & were told the battery had 2 years warranty based on the delivery note, insurance papers were handed over.





Mr. Naveen joined our gang by explaining few excepts from owner's manual, which is when I stopped & told him - tell me some do's & don'ts outside of owner's manual that I don't know. Both of us started laughing; then I asked them - if I keep my revs as low below 4K, do a gradual acceleration & deceleration, vary the speeds between 60 to 120 Kmph, rest for every hour - would that be fine? They cheerfully said OK





Posing to ride for delivery records


And by 5:15 Pm I was gleefully riding the motorcycle with my Daughter.





First few days with the new motorcycle are painful no doubt about it!! You have to ride, but you cannot exploit to see the full potential & you cannot resist the urge to ride as well. We rode to our usual Temples seeking God's blessings; then filled to brim & off we rode the same night, as Chennai Weather also blessed us taking a little easy on NEM; we rode till Pallikonda & back keeping our commitment as how I promised to ride; a short dutiful ride to munch the 500 Km running-in & ofcourse having a cup of coffee & tea along with a midnight (or early morning) snack in between

[aargee]

First Service

And thus the next day, I called up for service & she started repeating the questions twice for affirmation if I've done 500 Km

Considering this is Royal Enfield & not Honda or Triumph or Kawasaki, here's how my expectation goes:
I ride to ASC by 9:00 Am & asked to wait; then SA takes his sweet time to come to write down the complaints; then SA asks me to come by evening for which I say I'll wait & take; he says, this cannot be done because there're too many vehicles & I've a choice to come by evening or come next day; I tell him I've had an appointment & confirmation for wait & take; he says what was told yesterday is void today as there're too many vehicles & he again insists I come back tomorrow or evening; frustrated I walk away for next day visit

Unfortunately my expectations goes in vain as this is what happened:
I ride to ASC by 9:00 Am & security receives the vehicle asking me to wait; SA comes by around 9:30, by then there're 20 other bullets in different shapes; he opens JC in order he likes; he comes to me asking for complaints & I say I'm here for 1st service; he's perplexed & asks me to show ODO & I show him; convinced, he asks if I've any complaints & I say there's none just to change oil & carry out service for warranty coverage; I tell him, no water wash, no chain lube, just change the oil & oil filter to cover warranty; he says there will be consumable charges for which I ask him what consumable they're going to use; he says like rust spray; I smile & say we're only doing an oil change & the SA walks away; by then someone above his rank comes to me, assures everything will be done to my satisfaction; I had one request to check the drained out oil for which they oblige

Truth be told - First service is waste of money on oil change; what Ryan said is absolutely true on RE's engine oil. I tend to think even my CBR didn't have oil drain this clean.

https://youtu.be/9GAUo8eUXeU

And thus the search ended up with Interceptor 650 with many of first to own (first Indian made, first twin cylinder & first 650cc motorcycle) in last ~25 years.

Ending temporarily with a

BIG THANKS

to neil.jericho, man_of_steel & deepfreak15 of this forum, my friend Vivek & Vishwas influenced me to settle with Interceptor 650 & ofcourse the supportive family

And Thanks to the hospitable team at Dino Motors


So far the CBR had one & only issue, a major one, post that, it has never stranded on road, never let us down & absolutely no niggling issues at all. When I told I'm buying Interceptor, a wise friend of mine warned - you've chosen to bite the bullet & it still keeps ringing in my ears.

Let's see if Inty stands close to CBR or finds a new owner, only time will tell. This thread should find short term exasperation or long term excitement of my ownership in the days/weeks/months (or years??) to come

[aargee]

Disclaimer - I'm still in the learning curve of how to ride a motorcycle, so, this is for folks who're in the same boat as I am. Experts, feel free to pitch in to educate. Tks

Interceptor's Ergonomics after riding over 650 Kms
The ergonomics on this motorcycle is best suited for a relaxed leisure riding at higher norms of speeds.

The term relaxed leisure riding is a very loose term because when we try to quantify, the numbers can vary anywhere from 40 Kmph to 140 Kmph because it's the rider & their abilities. What I mean is, same rider with same skillsets, let's say Ninja 300 versus Interceptor 650; it's much easier to control Ninja 300 at higher speeds than Inty.

Obviously both 300 & 650 are engineered for different purpose, but if we are to fascinate at 47 Bhp, 52 Nm Torque, dry 235 Bhp (wet 223 or real 216) per tonne, it's certainly going to be disappointing at high speed control. Note the loose term, control, because control comes 90% from the rider & not the ride itself. So when I say that speeds over 100 Kmph are dangerous, there's someone, much elder to me, stating over 120 is dangerous & someone younger stating over 80 Kmph is dangerous. But as a general thumb of rule, it's not how fast the ride goes or it's acceleration that demonstrates 50% of it's engineering, but how much control the bike can leverage to it's rider especially when it matters the most counts. And no, I'm not complaining about the brakes, they do a good job. Although Bybre did bad job on CBR 250R non ABS, they're worthy to be called subsidiary of Brembo for now on the bulky Inty, with that single disk.

To me, RE has done a good job by making the rider's ergo with miniscule forward leaning without which control on high speeds (about 80 Kmph & above) cannot be achieved. So folks complaining it's not relaxed riding posture can certainly opt for Classic 350 breeds. To me, even a little more forward leaning is certainly welcome for that high speed control. Even a rider fit enough can certainly keep riding Inty through the day (pls discard the spongy seats & poor suspension here). Since I'm still getting used to, there seems to be a slightly higher stance on rider's position than most commuter segments, which is certainly welcome & at the same time, even short riders (read 5.4") can plant their foot with riding footwear, reiterating, with riding footwear, can firmly plant both the legs.

Pillion comfort is a bad job done; like it has been aptly penned in this forum here, here & here, it's absolute squatting!! My Wife says CBR is way superior; again no way my Wife is professional for that statement, but to me, she's the expert as she traveled straight 12 hours from Chennai to Trivandrum & is ready to do again. But when she complaints about Inty, for sure, there must be certainly something wrong with it. Not just that, Son complained about it as well. One of their main concern was, they feel like tucked behind the rider unable to see the front & enjoy the wind & motorcycling experience, anticipate the moves, stay prepared along with rider accordingly; armed with the poor suspension on Inty, they say the ride quality on CBR is unmatched comfort.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[aravind.anand]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. Congratulations Aargee !! I too own the CBR and the Interceptor. Much like you, I thought I would take to the Continental GT's riding position as we are so very used to the CBR's tipped-forward riding position. But alas, something is just not right there, maybe because the tank is too slim to hold onto. Somehow it was not a comfortable motorcycle for long highway hauls for sure. So I decided to go with the Interceptor, and I think it has turned out to be a very good decision in the end.

Also, having a CBR and Interceptor in the garage, we can enjoy both the flavours of motorcycling

[ashwinprakas]

Congratulations Aargee Sir!

An interesting choice if I may say, all that's left is for you to plan and pen down your upcoming GQ Experience with the 650 as well as long term ownership reviews to keep us content.

Also from one RE guy to another, do keep in mind, you do not bite the Bullet the Bullet bites you.

[adi_petrolhead]

Hey buddy, congratulations on the ride, looks awesome! Glad to see you really planning to ride it and enjoy it thoroughly. Wanted to know your feedback as by now I am sure you've crossed a 1000 kms, how are the Ceat Zoom tyres? I know for sure the Pirellis were Merde, having to deal with them on my Street Twin. Was just looking up online and the reviews that I saw were good! Not only it appears to be grippier than the Sportcomps, but it is extremely cost effective. At this price one can get new tyres each year with the yearly service Do let me know your views on these as right now I cannot find a single tyre in the market for my Street Twin. I am inclined towards the Scorpion Trail 2's but again, no stock anywhere, just empty promises from dealers. This Ceat Zoom tyre might just be the perfect stop gap for me at least for a year, or even more.

Ride safe!

[deepfreak15]

Congrats on your new bike and wishing you many more kms of happy riding. Loved the write up and can't wait to see the updates on the mods as and when you install them. Looking forward to catching up on a ride one of these days.

[abtyagi]

Excellent. Wishing you many miles and memories. Chennai is excellent place for motorcyclist. I myself became one there.

[varun_ro]

Congratulations on the new ride! I must say, I recalled the ordeal I went through before I purchased my Int650. And I've got absolutely no regrets in the 10 months of ownership.

Got my Interceptor back in February and since then, have ridden it around 6500 kms, comprising of one long ride from Bombay to Lucknow, a 1000km return trip to Uttarakhand, and multiple 200 km breakfast rides. Have never faced any issues like breakdowns or punctures in any of my rides except the occasional wobble issue that keeps popping up after every 1000-1500 kms. RE truly has made a great machine giving out the maximum smiles per hour under 4 lakhs.

Wish you thousands and thousands of kms of happy riding. Will leave a picture of my Silver Spectre from my last ride.