[Thebat]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Coming back to the 650 Twins, this Saturday morning, there was a test ride event organized by RE mainly for the various bullet clubs. It was at Embassy boulevard on the airport road, starting 7:30 AM. There were 6 bikes (3 interceptor and 3 GT) for test ride which was followed by chit chat with RE enthusiasts and actual RE product testers, and a nice breakfast buffet, all on the house.

Wow. I was also there for the 11 am slot, had received a call from RE and accepted their invitation. In my case however we had a lead and a sweep and had to ride in formation for around 18 kms.

Loved the interceptor although felt that the seat was soft and slippery. If I was in the market today would definitely go for the interceptor. The torque was addictive and I felt at home riding the twins. Not to forget a very well organised event by RE.

[ku69rd]

Hello,
Was able to lay my hands on the owner's manual for both the twins.
Have uploaded it for everyone's reading pleasure.

[ATTACH=BS-IV-Int-650-Owners-Manual-Domestic.pdf]1828930[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=BS-IV-GT-650-Owners-Manual-Domestic.pdf]1828931[/ATTACH]

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

i will book my baker express this coming weekend.

Congratulations nasirkaka.

So with the 310GS and Interceptor 650 now - what's the final decision on the Versys?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congratulations nasirkaka.

So with the 310GS and Interceptor 650 now - what's the final decision on the Versys?

I suppose it will be

"TATA...OK C.U. Bye Bye"

Jokes apart, I still think there is space for that adventure tourer along with the Roadster. My dream garage will be a roadster and an adventure tourer. Yes the resources required might be a bit higher.

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Coming back to the 650 Twins, this Saturday morning, there was a test ride event organized by RE mainly for the various bullet clubs. It was at Embassy boulevard on the airport road, starting 7:30 AM.
.
.
.
My freind already booked a baker express, i will book my baker express this coming weekend. Some pics from the event.

Originally Posted by Thebat

Wow. I was also there for the 11 am slot, had received a call from RE and accepted their invitation. In my case however we had a lead and a sweep and had to ride in formation for around 18 kms.

Woah! I was there too but from 12.30 to 2.30. We had a lead and a sweep in our ride as well. I rode an orange INT650 for around 18-20kms circuit. Well organized event indeed. I assume all were test ride vehicles used in RiderMania as they were GA registered. My vehicle ran out of fuel midway and I was waiting for petrol to arrive, with the sweep (on Himalayan) and the other CGT guy who wanted to swap with me. The sweep asked me if I can take the Himilayan back to the venue with the other guy and I smiled and refused. The whole episode was also my mistake, not just the organizers'. When we were asked to choose our bikes to start the ride after the small briefing, I sat on this bike and saw that last stick of the fuel meter was blinking. I didn't take it seriously because I have seen tens of TBs with faulty fuel meters. (I confess, it seriously never occurred to me that meters on these brand new bikes *might* be working. Make of that what you will, but that's how we are used to RE's shortcomings) After the ride as soon as I came and parked, the lead of our ride came running to me profusely apologizing for not checking the fuel before starting the ride.

Coming to the ride, I was blown away! Everything has been said and heard, I have nothing new to add. I can say that, when I came back to the venue, I wasn't too keen on getting off the motorcycle. One thing I had read here on the forum and tried was that, positioning my leg in front of the footpeg. It really works as the footpeg is folds up when pushed backwards and is supported by spring to come right back when released. The INT I rode had 2300+ kms on the odo and was nothing short of perfect. No false neutrals, no drama while upshifting or downshifting, swift acceleration and super smooth clutch. Felt no heat whatsoever on this bike.

On my way back, I stopped at CVS Kalyan Nagar again and took another INT for a spin - you see I hadn't had enough. Forgot the odo reading - might have been around 400-500. The heat of this engine was felt on the inner legs. May be because this was ridden in the city continuously while the event ones were ridden in open roads with an interval of 10-15min between every ride. I don't know.

All in all, I'm happy that I have already booked my Baker Express and eagerly waiting for the delivery.

[nasirkaka]

Wow. I was also there for the 11 am slot, had received a call from RE and accepted their invitation. In my case however we had a lead and a sweep and had to ride in formation for around 18 kms.

Woah! I was there too but from 12.30 to 2.30. We had a lead and a sweep in our ride as well.

7:30 to 9:30 was timing for club invitees, mainly RTMC, and most folks knew each other so i guess the rides were not strictly monitored. Post 9:30 the event was open to all, and with a point and sweep and formation. The test ride did give a good feel of the power of the bike on open roads, however did not get to sample the heat part in b2b traffic.

So with the 310GS and Interceptor 650 now - what's the final decision on the Versys?

Jokes apart, I still think there is space for that adventure tourer along with the Roadster. My dream garage will be a roadster and an adventure tourer. Yes the resources required might be a bit higher.

Yesterday, i went for a 380 kms ride to kollegal side on the mini gs and did not miss the versys at all. Infact the mini gs felt more apt for these type of rides where the roads are mix of A and B class and the route is scenic. Some off-road sections were also encountered too and with ease. By the end of the day, i was fresh and would have been more tired on the versys given the traffic on Mysore road on the return leg. As said earlier, I see myself doing these type of rides mostly. Versys is a great bike and i feel i will not able to do justice by not riding that bike to distance. Both the versys and mini GS are in the same genere, so having one is good enough. I would choose the GS only for my usage pattern where light weight and suppleness takes priority over power. (i would have loved to have a bit more of that on the GS, but cant have it all ) So with a heavy heart, i will have to let go of the versys. Selling it at a decent price going to be another herculean task as the 650 twins would have crashed the used premium bike market.

Once the versys is gone, interceptor 650 would hopefully help overcome that loss of a 650 twin with another 650 twin, at-least in theory. Coming from RE bikes that soft corner for the brand/brit classic does play a role. With the 310gs and interceptor, we would have covered most of the ground. couple of pics from the ride.

[krishnaprasad]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Hello,
Was able to lay my hands on the owner's manual for both the twins.
Have uploaded it for everyone's reading pleasure.

[ATTACH=BS-IV-Int-650-Owners-Manual-Domestic.pdf]1828930[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=BS-IV-GT-650-Owners-Manual-Domestic.pdf]1828931[/ATTACH]

Thanks, I see an interesting difference in the service schedule between Indian and Euro regions.





If you keep the first service at 45 days aside.

In the Euro schedule the frequency is every 6 months, regardless of the distance travelled. In the Indian schedule the frequency is every year unless you ride more than 5000kms at which point of course you get it serviced.

Given the conditions endured by the motorcycle are harsher I would expect it to be reverse. It could also be a precaution on the much better warranty of course.

another thing on the free service coupons (no such then in Europe) is that the jump from 2nd free service to 3rd free service is is 10,000kms, does it mean if I hit +5,000kms in between I have to pay for the service? shouldn't the free coupons logically follow the service schedule of (earlier of distance or time)

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by krishnaprasad

another thing on the free service coupons (no such then in Europe) is that the jump from 2nd free service to 3rd free service is is 10,000kms, does it mean if I hit +5,000kms in between I have to pay for the service? shouldn't the free coupons logically follow the service schedule of (earlier of distance or time)

Attachment 1828979

Hi Krishnaprasad,
The first service is basically a quick check up. Not sure if the Engine Oil is changed. (However if i were to buy one, I would request for an oil change at the first 500 kms). The first service would be more to retorque the nuts and bolts of the engine plus the other checks associated with it.
Second Service is where they would be replacing the engine oil.
Post the second service RE recommends a service to be done every 10000 Kms or yearly once.

It is again left to the owner to evaluate if he would be better off replacing the oil every 5000 kms instead of the 10000 kms.
10000 kms is a decent margin considering that they use Synthetic oil instead of Semi Synthetic or mineral oil which have considerably lesser life.

On the differences betweeen India & Europe, we are more dusty..weather is more harsher which warrants the service intervals to be closer.

Hope am being clear

[krishnaprasad]

As to what things need to happen at each service is clearly mentioned, and is exactly the same between Europe and India.

But the intervals are mandatorily shorter in Europe compared to India. Which by your explanation (to which I concur) should be at the very least the same.

The two reasons could be
1. Better preventive maintenance to support the 3 year unlimited kms warranty in Europe
2. Make it cheaper to maintain in India which is augmented by only a 30,000kms warranty

But it's still not clear from the manual if someone could use the free service at a 6month or 5000kms interval.

[Funny]

Well after booking the Interceptor 650, my mind is still not convinced with the idea of getting another bike since my first bike (Mojo) is lying unused for days together as I am using my car for daily commute and weekend meetups with friends. And I have started thinking about one major con which might prove to be an deal-breaker to me at the end moment. And that is none other than the tubeless tyres with TUBES...
During the last time when I visited a puncture shop to fix a puncture on the rear tyre of Mojo, the puncture wala showed me 7 other punctures (minor punctures and minor air-leaks included), courtesy the soft compound Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2!!

The puncture guy had hit a jackpot that day and with each puncture spotting I could see the grin on his face becoming wider and my wallet becoming thinner..

Anyway coming back to the point, I was running my bike with multiple punctures and never did I get stranded anywhere except for the last puncture since the tyre was completely deflated by that one but I could still ride my bike at slow speeds to the nearest puncture shop and get it fixed within few minutes without much fuss. Now thinking about that incident, the thought of getting a bike with tube tyres is bothering me a lot. In any bike with tube the tyre would deflate immediately on first puncture itself and you will have to "push" the bike to a "knowledgeable" tyre guy who knows how to remove the tyre, fix the puncture and put it back in the same way without rim damage, improper brake caliper mount etc. I would never want any random tyre guy without proper knowledge to remove the tyre and disturb the other setups in the process especially when it involves ABS brakes. And taking to bike to the nearest RE service center may not be an option always, even in that case I really hate the idea of having to remove the tyre to fix a small puncture.

Considering all this I am now looking at ways to overcome this issue, I came across options like Tube-to-Tubeless conversion KIT or getting new set of alloy wheels or spoke wheels (which supports tubeless tyres) of same size (may not be feasible). On the other hand, I am aware of the fact that 90% of RE bikes are running on tube type tyres across the length and breadth of our country and have managed with tube tyres so far. But with the addition of complex systems like ABS, I'd like to know what is the impact on the same. Any thoughts?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Funny

But with the addition of complex systems like ABS, I'd like to know what is the impact on the same. Any thoughts?

Just out of sheer curiosity, what makes you think that removing the tire and refitting it back will impact the ABS?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Funny

Well after booking the Interceptor 650, my mind is still not convinced with the idea of getting another bike since my first bike (Mojo) is lying unused for days together as I am using my car for daily commute and weekend meetups with friends. And I have started thinking about one major con which might prove to be an deal-breaker to me at the end moment. And that is none other than the tubeless tyres with TUBES...

Mate if you are going to buy a bike you better ride it atleast once in 3-4 days. Keeping the bike standing for long periods will do more damage than good. Firstly define your purpose of buying a bike and then take the plunge. With already a Mojo in your garage lying unused how often do you see using your Interceptor? Also remember keeping the bike standing for longer periods makes the tyres hard and small cracks start developing on the surface. Ask me as I have multiple bikes and maintaining while riding them regularly requires time and effort to keep them in ship-shape condition.

During the last time when I visited a puncture shop to fix a puncture on the rear tyre of Mojo, the puncture wala showed me 7 other punctures (minor punctures and minor air-leaks included), courtesy the soft compound Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2!!

One of the reasons for this maybe tyre deterioration and premature aging, how old is your Mojo and how many kms has it run? I am not sure if Mojo comes with a centre stand so the bike will always be resting on both its tyres all the time resulting in further load while being stationary for long periods of time. Mate there are many bikes running on softer compound tyres and them being softer is not just the only reason for punctures, one example that comes to mind is KTM Duke's Metzeler tyres.

The puncture guy had hit a jackpot that day and with each puncture spotting I could see the grin on his face becoming wider and my wallet becoming thinner..

Mate if you are DIY kinda guy then fixing a tubeless tyre is fairly simple(tons of video tutorials on the internet), only thing required is the tubeless tyre repair kit and some efforts. You could've saved your precious money.

Anyway coming back to the point, I was running my bike with multiple punctures and never did I get stranded anywhere except for the last puncture since the tyre was completely deflated by that one but I could still ride my bike at slow speeds to the nearest puncture shop and get it fixed within few minutes without much fuss.

It is really a wonder how you managed to ride with 7 punctures in a tyre! Yes a tubeless tyre gets deflated slowly in case of a puncture vis a vis tube type tyres. But practicing preventive maintenance would've saved your tyres.

Now thinking about that incident, the thought of getting a bike with tube tyres is bothering me a lot. In any bike with tube the tyre would deflate immediately on first puncture itself and you will have to "push" the bike to a "knowledgeable" tyre guy who knows how to remove the tyre, fix the puncture and put it back in the same way without rim damage, improper brake caliper mount etc. I would never want any random tyre guy without proper knowledge to remove the tyre and disturb the other setups in the process especially when it involves ABS brakes. And taking to bike to the nearest RE service center may not be an option always, even in that case I really hate the idea of having to remove the tyre to fix a small puncture.

There are ways to fix a puncture in a tube type tyre too but it depends how far you can go the DIY route. Yes it is a bit challenging and complex and requires more tools but it can be done. Then again it depends from rider to rider. With most manufacturers including RE providing RSA service I don't think it will be much of an issue(also your fear of local puncture fellows messing up your ABS and other peripherals while fixing the tyre can be taken care of), unless you go riding in hinterlands and remote locations.

Considering all this I am now looking at ways to overcome this issue, I came across options like Tube-to-Tubeless conversion KIT or getting new set of alloy wheels or spoke wheels (which supports tubeless tyres) of same size (may not be feasible). On the other hand, I am aware of the fact that 90% of RE bikes are running on tube type tyres across the length and breadth of our country and have managed with tube tyres so far. But with the addition of complex systems like ABS, I'd like to know what is the impact on the same. Any thoughts?

Tube to tubeless tyre conversion kits seldom work mate, it is a hit or miss. There are a few options like adding slime into the tubed tyres to make them puncture resistant to an extent. Converting from spoke rims to alloy rims on a brand new motorcycle might void the warranty IMO. I think someone on this forum mentioned about possibility of swapping RE Thunderbird X model alloy rims on RE 650 Twins. Again I am not too sure if this can be done.

[Funny]

@All, we are going a bit off-topic here. Sorry about that.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Just out of sheer curiosity, what makes you think that removing the tire and refitting it back will impact the ABS?

I was referring to "improper" fitting of tyre along with calipers which can impact the braking system including the functioning of the ABS. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that everything is as expected which isn't a case for tubeless tyre punctures.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Mate if you are going to buy a bike you better ride it atleast once in 3-4 days.

The usage has come down recently. Few months before it used to be my daily ride. Also my bike is one of the best maintained ones in my city inspite of covering 36K kms within 3 years of ownership riding mainly within the city. I may let go the Mojo if the Interceptor comes in. The cold weather, dusty conditions and comfort of car are the major factors for low usage of Mojo. Although I agree that I need to start riding more and have planned a short ride this weekend!

Originally Posted by navin_v8

One of the reasons for this maybe tyre deterioration and premature aging, how old is your Mojo and how many kms has it run?

Even I was surprised with the amount of punctures. This is my second set of tyres. My stock tyre had only 3 punctures and had worn out so I had it replaced around 22K kms. Mojo doesn't have a center stand and KTMs are way too light compared to Mojo, so the load on stationary conditions as you say will be much less compared to Mojo.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Mate if you are DIY kinda guy then fixing a tubeless tyre is fairly simple.

I have done it myself few times before. But this time I was on my way to office and had stopped by a friend's office, that's when he pointed out the deflated rear tyre to me. I was already late so couldn't go back home and since I didn't have the DIY kit at home, I just got all of the punctures fixed there itself.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

But practicing preventive maintenance would've saved your tyres.

I know, I should've inspected the tyres periodically. But the problem is that I do visually inspect the tyres from time to time but one cannot make out minor air leaks with visual inspection alone. I will use the traditional soap water test to make sure there are no more punctures/leaks at-least once in a few weeks from now on!

Originally Posted by navin_v8

With most manufacturers including RE providing RSA service I don't think it will be much of an issue, unless you go riding in hinterlands and remote locations.

How many times do you use RSA for a puncture? It isn't practical at all and what happens if you have punctures frequently (just saying), do you keep calling the RSA every time even when you are in a hurry to get somewhere? As you said, what about the situations when you are in some unknown remote location where you don't even have a puncture shop nearby. RSA might be an option in such cases, but it requires a lot of time and effort if you go by the RSA route.

Originally Posted by navin_v8

I think someone on this forum mentioned about possibility of swapping RE Thunderbird X model alloy rims on RE 650 Twins. Again I am not too sure if this can be done.

I have heard that slime is not good for long run and it affects the inner walls of the rims and also causes stability issues at high speeds. Even if we are able to swap the alloys, what about the disc brakes? The mounts may not be the same on both the bikes.

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Funny

I was referring to "improper" fitting of tyre along with calipers which can impact the braking system including the functioning of the ABS. Extra care needs to be taken to ensure that everything is as expected which isn't a case for tubeless tyre punctures.

The mounts may not be the same on both the bikes.

Suppose that care needs to be inputted for every wheel irrespective whether it is enabled with ABS or Not.

@ Navin, the TB 500X alloys will not match the twins as the front is 19 inches and rear is 18 inches. So the search continues for a suitable.
Not sure what warranty are you referring to for a wheel change.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Funny

@All, we are going a bit off-topic here. Sorry about that.

Mate we ain't going off topic but discussing about various options available w.r.t wheels and tyres for RE Twins.

The cold weather, dusty conditions and comfort of car are the major factors for low usage of Mojo. Although I agree that I need to start riding more and have planned a short ride this weekend!

Mate it is a given while riding a motorcycle one is exposed to nature's elements. I know commuting day in day out can become a little taxing and tiring after getting used to cozy comfort of a car. But may it be car or bike they are made to run and it's good to hear that you are planning a ride shortly.

Mojo doesn't have a center stand and KTMs are way too light compared to Mojo, so the load on stationary conditions as you say will be much less compared to Mojo.

Mate I just gave one example of KTM Duke with soft compound tyres and a bike without centre stand. There are heavier bikes like Triumph Bonneville, Kawasaki Ninja 650, Honda CBR650F, etc which have soft compound tyres without centre stand as stock.

I have done it myself few times before. But this time I was on my way to office and had stopped by a friend's office, that's when he pointed out the deflated rear tyre to me. I was already late so couldn't go back home and since I didn't have the DIY kit at home, I just got all of the punctures fixed there itself.

It happens mate, in this case repairing a tubeless tyre is faster than a tube type tyre. Then again fixing punctures on a tube type tyre will add a few more minutes to the job if done by a professional tyre workshop. Cost I believe will be around same ballpark.

I know, I should've inspected the tyres periodically. But the problem is that I do visually inspect the tyres from time to time but one cannot make out minor air leaks with visual inspection alone. I will use the traditional soap water test to make sure there are no more punctures/leaks at-least once in a few weeks from now on!

How many times do you use RSA for a puncture? It isn't practical at all and what happens if you have punctures frequently (just saying), do you keep calling the RSA every time even when you are in a hurry to get somewhere?

Mate I was saying RSA in the context about your fear w.r.t your own words saying the roadside puncture fellow messing up and doing "improper fitting" which might affect the calipers and affect braking and ABS functioning. This is in context to while fixing punctures on tube type tyres if we are talking about RE 650 twins.

As you said, what about the situations when you are in some unknown remote location where you don't even have a puncture shop nearby. RSA might be an option in such cases, but it requires a lot of time and effort if you go by the RSA route.

One cannot have everything at the same time mate. You win some you lose some. Besides RSA will give you peace of mind w.r.t fear of improper fitting of calipers done by roadside puncture fellow. RSA works even better if your riding is done in and around city limits.

I have heard that slime is not good for long run and it affects the inner walls of the rims and also causes stability issues at high speeds. Even if we are able to swap the alloys, what about the disc brakes? The mounts may not be the same on both the bikes.

Exactly what I said about modification of tube to tubeless being a hit or miss and/or other techniques may or may not work. About swapping, the first thing that needs to be checked is whether the company will honor it's warranty in case of such modifications or not?

BTW Triumph Bonneville T100/120, Honda CB1100, Kawasaki W800, and many other retro classics also come with tube type tyres on spoked wheels. Only bikes I know having tubeless tyres on spoked rims are ADV's like BMW R1200GS, Triumph Tiger 1200xca, Suzuki Vstrom 650, etc. But those rims are special rims to accomodate spokes and are very expensive.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

@ Navin, the TB 500X alloys will not match the twins as the front is 19 inches and rear is 18 inches. So the search continues for a suitable.

Oh ok. Although the rear wheel on Tbird5350/500X is 18 inch the tyre size is different. So the search indeed continues.

Not sure what warranty are you referring to for a wheel change.

I meant the standard company warranty. I am not too sure if changing the wheel type will void company warranty, that's the reason why I said I am not sure about it.