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-   -   Ridden: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 Twin (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/204505-ridden-royal-enfield-interceptor-650-continental-gt-650-twin-101.html)

Acknowledge many folks are eagerly waiting for the Alloy wheels from RE; Not sure if many people are keen on the suspension.
Personally for me if they can give Aux Lights that will be great. Not sure if they can get it homologated though.

More of a DIY, the Himalayan windscreen is readily available at the service centers. Costed me around 525+ Taxes. Fixwell stocks up the clamps for it and you can do it yourself matter o 15-20 minutes. Possibly if i can share close up photos, it might be easy for you to co-relate to what am referring to.

Having used them on my my RD, they are indeed awesome. If you buy one which is calibrated as per your body weight it should be ideal. Getting them to India; no they do not ship directly, you will have to use your contacts to get them when they are returning else send in a parcel.

Am still deliberating getting them since I have no challenges with the suspension play but more of the sound.

Are you referring to the thud sound which the front suspension makes when encountering a sharp bump or a pothole? :deadhorse

Indeed, that's the sound am referring to. Believe it will be more from the Cups and Cones set up that we have on the bike.

This sound has ruined the whole experience for me, i have been to the service center regarding this issue and haven't found a satisfactory resolution for it, the mechanic there told me in confidence that many people have complained about and the people at RE know that there's a problem but they aren't doing anything about it yet.
I had pulsar 180 before and sold it after getting the GT and because of this issue I miss my old bike
:mad:

If the steering cup and cone bearing assembly is loose, the sound that it makes is usually a click or a clack. The thud sound might be the fork bottoming and the springs fully compressing.

The twins have quite a small fork travel of about 110 mm, compared to 140 - 170 mm in most other bikes. So when the bike hits a big bump or pothole the fork can fully compress. This can be checked by looking for the dust ring that usually forms on dirty forks and its distance from the fork dust seal when the fork is fully extended.

Rear shock absorbers usually have a rubber stopper to prevent this noise.

The sounds comes even on minor irregularities on the road, i am sure that the shock absorbers are not bottoming out, the sound is a mix of click-claks and even thuds, whatever the sound is it is always there.
I have been to the service center but in vain, no proper solution was given to me, getting real tired of this, i need an urgent solution for this please:

Keep the motorcycle on its main stand, sit in front of the motorcycle and grab both fork outer tubes, now with the front of the motorcycle off the ground rock them to and fro, if there is play then change coneset.

Next sit on the side of the front wheel, grab the wheel at two polar ends and rock them, try repeating at different positions, if there is play then change wheel bearing.

If in both cases you don't find anything off, then get a better helmet or learn to ignore them sounds.

Regards,
A.P.

Or tighten the cone set, most often the cone set will loosen up over a period of time. It doesn't really mean it's worn out.

Meanwhile, i had an opportunity to ride an interceptor last weekend for about 20 kms. It had aftermarket pipes from redrooster, i guess. Super smooth engine, very easy bike to handle and with the aftermarket pipe, very good low to mid-end pull too. Brakes i felt were average and suspension was just about ok. What would be the seat height for the bike? i felt that the seating made it a little tall for the stance of the bike.

I have continental GT, doesn't have a main stand, so i'll get a main stand for my bike soon. Regarding helmet, i use MT snake carbon helmet with a very snug and tight fit. I would've have ignored the sounds if it was possible but i will check the cone set and the bearing and lets see what are the results.
p.s. I think it's time to get the pulsar back

Cone sets do not have the opportunity to get "loose" as they're press fitted, but slack in the T stem would definitely give you that impression, in which case you could tighten it, but then the chances of the T coming loose is just a mark of shoddy workmanship.

Invest in a main stand or make do with a car Jack though that's tedious and I did once drop my motorcycle while dismounting.

Even Pulsars make this noise, but only after about 15~20k kms of abuse, mine does currently at 20k km 's of abuse, I'm just going to ignore it until the clatter becomes irritating, once that happens I'll go in for a complete front end rebuild as my front shock has been leaking for a really long time now.

Coupling maintenance tasks helps save a lot of effort, though questionable.

Regards,
A.P.

Seat height is 804mm.

Since you don't have a main stand, try this: sit on your bike, apply the front brake to lock the wheel and then try pushing your bike with your legs. As it goes forward, the suspension compresses and pushes it backwards. Done repeatedly it will cause a back and forth motion. If the steering bearings are loose, you should be able to hear or feel the clicking of the play in the bearings.

I hope this helps.

I just went to check Interceptor 650 and I could get hold of Baker Express the same day. No waiting period. Got the temp reg within 2 days and after taking delivery around 11 AM from Trivandrum showroom, I directly went for a long drive to Cochin to purchase MT KRE helmet. The next day after taking delivery bike went for her first service :). Finally I got the registration number and I'm waiting for the call from dealer to fix the plates. Dealer provided me engine buffing and PPF coating free of cost. I told no to engine buff as I like the raw look, yet to get the ppf done. I think ppf will turn yellow after some time. Still deciding whether to consider the freebee from dealer or get wrapping done outside

Things I liked:
1. How could RE launch this beauty for 2.5 lakhs, cannot believe the value for money and she is definitely a keeper. Lovely gear box and excellent torque. I drove below 90 throughout my Tvm-Cochin-Tvm day trip and got an excellent mileage around 37. 460 kms covered on day 1.
I felt the power delivery at lower rpm is similar to Ninja 300 which I had before. But the feel is totally different. I'm riding bullet for the first time in my life. Booked the vehicle without even a test drive. I rode my bike after purchasing and it was the first time ever to ride a RE

2. How can I miss the lovely refined exhaust note, especially during overtaking in 3rd and 4th gear. 6th cog is totally waste below 100

Things I did not like:
1. Seat cushion: I got terrible back pain and somehow reached home during my first day trip. Next day I approached my trusted seat modifier and changed the foam and reduced the seat height by an inch. For the next 400 kms I did not find any issue. After a week, bikes odo stands at 950 kms.

2. Front tire wobble around 80 kms/hr. I complained the same to the dealer during first service but they could not resolve.They did alignment and did not find any issue. Basically even their test ride bike which is from the same batch has the same issue. I went home very upset and was kicking myself for my decision to purchase a bike from RE. Even my 5 year old activa runs smoothly at 80. Later I just took the bike to check the air pressure and it was way too low around 22. The issue went off when the tire pressure was maintained at 30. I dont know how competent these showroom mechanics are, they did not even check the tire pressure even after complaining about the wobble issue. They just kept saying all bigger bikes have this issue and asked me to wait till the parts to swap arrive.


Modifications:

1. I ordered the 2 inch handlebar riser and hand guards, seller yet to ship. Hopefully it will make my ride much more comfortable.
2. I even ordered an analog handlebar clock from aliexpress. RE could have provided a clock, the only thing I miss in this bike.
3. I purchased crash guards from cochin itself from a local seller. It seems a tad small but good for maneuvering inside city.
4. Currently I have no plans to install wind shield.
5. I even changed the switchgear from BS3 bullet 500 model and turned off the AOH. There is a white led lamp which is always ON
6. Before purchasing the sump guard, I thought I could ask the experts here. I'm not too worried about mud splash but I'm more worried about the stones hitting oil filter. I am thinking to fabricate a small mesh and attach it to the crash guards. I believe with the original RE sump guards, we have to remove the silencer every time we replace the oil. I did not like the looks of Zana sump guard but I'm looking towards easier oil replacement. Can anyone confirm whether Zana or RE orignial sump guard is better ?

Attaching few pics,
1st near Kollam bypass around 12 night ( fist day of delivery on my way back from Cochin to TVM)
2nd image with new seat ( I'll change the seat cover to black once I'm back to TVM, or remove the rear seat bump and make it flat ). If I could get hold of a seat frame, would have made one more seat
3rd -Spartan pro Cochin - 3 new temp registered interceptors

Anyone planning Kerala-Hyd/Bangalore-Sikkim road trip please let me know

Hello!

Finally got my Interceptor! My experience with HSR services was way better than the other showrooms.

Pure joy to ride this bike, makes me want to take my bike out and go for a ride. Surprisingly, seat is perfect for me and my wife. She wants a back rest though, but hasn't complained one bit about the seat. Rode in heavy traffic after getting delivery, took me a while to get going in the heavy traffic. Now I'm used to the weight and how it handles.

If you have ridden any of the REs then the weight shouldn't be a problem at all, i choose my parking space carefully to ensure smooth exit ;)

The stock sound is pure music to my ears and even better for my wifey! Have ridden close to 100kms now and i barely engage the throttle to get going. Silky smooth engine.

I've two concerns, there seems to be a very slight wobble in the front when I engage the 2nd gear and it quickly fades away, not sure what this is though. (Any idea guys?)

And also, even in this cold Bangalore weather, it heats up a lot. Is this because the bike is new? I've read a few posts where it seems to suggest that it becomes normal/manageable after a few hundred kms.

Both my concerns aren't that a biggie, it's only because I'm concentrating a lot on how the bike is performing

I've noticed that my riding style has changed to enjoy the bike more, if you considering this bike, go ahead and experience one. A fantastic bike.

Well i'll get a main stand as soon as it in stock, i'll try with a car jack first, i'll ask a friend to spot me, don't want to drop my bike lol:

I tried that but due to the weight of the bike i couldn't do it properly, will try with a car jack first and then getting the main stand is the last option

Well congratulations for getting the bike and welcome to the club, i must say this is the fastest delivery of 650 twins and that too baker express.
In terms of appearance the RE one is way better than zana one, RE one looks smooth, refined and a finished product whereas the zana ones looks like made in the local market, i went with the RE one.
While changing oil you have to only loosen the front part of the sump to access the oil filter, not remove it completely.

Well congratulations on getting the bike, yes the bike automatically makes us ride in a spirited manner due to the ample power and the refined engine.
It's a brand new engine, it will take some time to settle in, after you'll get the service done fully synthetic oil will be put in which will reduce the heat and the engine/gearbox will get a bit smoother as well.