[adwaith]

Originally Posted by amol4184

So I just checked out INT650 because CGT650 seemed a little too aggressive, sitting position wise (and dealer near me only had that bike) and once I am gone my father is supposed to ride it occasionally.

But right off the bat, as soon as I swung leg over the saddle my shin hit the foot peg. Within next 10 minutes I hit the foot peg twice. I told this to service rep and he said yeah the CGT should be a better fit on account of pulled back pegs. For the record I am 6-2. Per the service rep, the bike fits well for shorter people which is baffling since IMO height of a person shouldn't compensate for oddly placed pegs but I can't be sure. I had exact same problem with Iron 883 too, just more severe- INT650 isn't as bad.

Anyhow, it seems like INT650 is off the table and I am back to CGT650 depending on how fast they can deliver after booking.

Oddly enough, I only have this issue on the left side. My right shin is fine, but my left shin was almost permanently hurting. It's slightly better now but not completely gone. The footpeg postion in now more helpful while reversing or holding on a slope for me. I'm 5'9" BTW.

Originally Posted by rituj

Hey guys. I have a Baker express interceptor 650 and extremely happy with it.
Though, this one issue has been troubling me for quite some time.

When I am riding hard and get to shifting to higher gears (4th to 5th, 5th to 6th) I sometimes face a false neutral issue. Meaning the bike goes into neutral even though I am pretty sure the gear clicked in place and the clutch was fully pulled in. Once this happens, I pull on the gear shift again to engage the gear(with the clutch ofcourse), there's a pretty gnarly mechanical grinding noise and the bike engages the gear.

This happens only when I am shifting into 5th or 6th (mostly 6th) gear going full throttle.

Also, what are your thoughts on clutch less upshifting in higher revs on the twins? I don't think I ever faced this neutral issue when doing that.

I have a similar issue, but it's between 1st and 2nd. I haven't had a chance to go beyond 4th so far. What I've started doing is pusing it harder and then checking the instrument cluster.

Originally Posted by philipmathen

Based on my limited time with mine(1000km), never had a false neutral, although post the monsoon setting in, I feel the gear shifts are not as smooth as before. Although I suspect it’s also down to limited riding in these times. Better get it checked out, definitely doesn’t sound like what I’ve read about the gearshifts or my own experience. Haven’t tried clutchless shifts, can’t really comment.

Are clutchless shifts safe for the gearbox and engine on the bike?

[CarManMotorcycl]

Originally Posted by amol4184

That is a bummer. I am still waiting for TD/R to make final call.
Yes I'am jumping the gun

I have owned the GT for about 8 months and i can tell you a bit about it. Now i am 6'3 which is close to what your height is and i can tell you the GT will fit you fine, you will just need to get used to the somewhat commited riding position compared to the Interceptor. I have done rides of about 300kms one way and i can tell you i have never felt uncomfortable nor tired after my rides, point to note, I had lowered the handlebars further before my 300kms ride.

Good luck on finding a Test ride GT, no showroom has it! Considering your profile says you live in Pune, you can PM me if you want a TR on mine, anything for a future customer!

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by catkins

I am 5' 8" (1.72 m) and had huge problems with the footrests. They are worse when you are shorter because at very slow speed when you need to paddle the bike along, to reach the ground sideways of the footrests you have to point your feet and touch with your toes. Scary on a pot-holed road with a passenger.

I could not have kept the Interceptor like that. Happily I found that removing the footrest springs and fitting O rings on the pin to prevent the footrests falling down under gravity worked well. Every time the bike approaches a stop, my feet habitually flip the footrests up. Every time it moves off from a stop my feet habitually push them down.

This confirms my suspicion, height shouldn't matter. I reckon you are doing long rides, possibly stretching into more than 1 day. My rides are going to be short, and mostly in the city. Do you think CGT should not be a problem in that case? I would like to avoid funny business around the pegs. I am sure my muscles will learn the same trick like you did but considering my infrequent use I would like something to work right out of the box.

Originally Posted by adwaith

Oddly enough, I only have this issue on the left side. My right shin is fine, but my left shin was almost permanently hurt ting. It's slightly better now but not completely gone. The footpeg postion in now more helpful while reversing or holding on a slope for me. I'm 5'9" BTW.

Interesting. May be the trick catkins found could be useful

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

I have owned the GT for about 8 months and i can tell you a bit about it. Now i am 6'3 which is close to what your height is and i can tell you the GT will fit you fine, you will just need to get used to the somewhat commited riding position compared to the Interceptor. I have done rides of about 300kms one way and i can tell you i have never felt uncomfortable nor tired after my rides, point to note, I had lowered the handlebars further before my 300kms ride.

Good luck on finding a Test ride GT, no showroom has it! Considering your profile says you live in Pune, you can PM me if you want a TR on mine, anything for a future customer!

Ok this gives me confidence! So right about finding a GT - I am right now home, in Ahmednagar (enjoying the WFH at parent's home) and none of the three dealers have it. One of them said if a customer rides in with their own for servicing they will give me a call - I still won't get a test ride but at least I will be able to get a feel.
With that said, I will probably come to Pune if someone guarantees me delivery in a week and in that case I will definitely hit you up. This is very generous and I thank you for that.
Off topic - how much time did you have to wait for yours to get delivered in Pune? Everyone I talked to is saying a month+ even for less in demand colors like black and metallic blue and even if I paid cash! So then why would I pay cash. This is admittedly still better than Classic 350/500 early days where people waited 6+ more months and sold their Rs.5000 bookings for Rs. 10000.

[catkins]

Originally Posted by amol4184

I reckon you are doing long rides, possibly stretching into more than 1 day. My rides are going to be short, and mostly in the city. Do you think CGT should not be a problem in that case? I would like to avoid funny business around the pegs. I am sure my muscles will learn the same trick like you did but considering my infrequent use I would like something to work right out of the box.

My rides are mostly short, a mix of city and rural. Sorry IDK about the Continental. I too would have liked the Interceptor to work for me right out of the box but it is (or I am!) as it is.

[derek]

With this conversation happening, what are the options for handle bar risers, besides the Mumbai hdt customs which WON'T need any wire rerouting?

Lot of guy's claim that after fixing any kind of riser, the riding position has become very comfortable.

[CarManMotorcycl]

Originally Posted by amol4184

With that said, I will probably come to Pune if someone guarantees me delivery in a week and in that case I will definitely hit you up. This is very generous and I thank you for that.
Off topic - how much time did you have to wait for yours to get delivered in Pune?

Delivery in a week is a difficult one unless a showroom has one in stock which was reserved for someone who had backed out in the last minute, showrooms don't keep the GT and Interceptor in stock like they do with their other models, I got mine delivered after over a month in January before they just announced BS6. I think the best thing to do would be to call every showroom in Pune and ask if they have the it in stock .

[nasirkaka]

With this conversation happening, what are the options for handle bar risers, besides the Mumbai hdt customs which WON'T need any wire rerouting?

Lot of guy's claim that after fixing any kind of riser, the riding position has become very comfortable.

There is one from Indimotard grease house customs. A bit expensive bu can be rest assured about quality. They raise as well as bring the handlebar close to the rider. about 1.5".

https://indimotard.com/product/royal...E8_cxuClZxLci8

There are some more options from the likes of:

bike n biker
https://www.bikenbiker.com/products/...50-the-bikings

Carbon racing:
https://carbonracing.in/products/han...eptor-650-25mm

HDT customs, etc
https://www.hdtcustoms.com/product/r...le-bar-rizers/

[adwaith]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Hello,
Long time lurker here. I have been reading this thread for past few days as CGT650 has caught my eye.

I read till page 60-62 and its too much to follow through everyone' reply - so here I am asking to owners of this bike, a question that might have been answered but I lost patience to search - is the front wobble still an issue, commonly seen even on 2020 MY of these bikes? I saw a few reports here that multiple people faced the wobble and RE service was unable to rectify it 100%. Again that was only halfway through the thread and I don't know if they were fixed later.

I am not worried about niggles like fuel cap seal leaking water, or weak-ass headlamp. The wobble has me truly worried, having experienced it first hand on an HD at about 60-65, it is something I do NOT want to go through again.

That and the tubed tires. Did anyone manage to implant tubeless rims from somewhere else successfully? I asked this to RE twitter but no answer.

Also if anyone could give me realistic expectation on delivery wait times (For white or Mayhem color scheme) in Maharashtra/Pune region that would be great. I asked this too to RE twitter handle but they are yet to respond. I am sensitive about delivery times as I would be flying out of country by February second week at the latest.

Besides that, is there a specific RE owners buy/sell/discussion group somewhere (Not on Facebook)? I am kinda surprised that there are no proper reviews of this bike by mags like Evo or Autocar. All I can find is crappy click-bait websites like Bikedekho etc. The reviews by western media are great, especially the ones by cycle world and RevZilla. But something done on Indian roads would be better. I can only find first ride, first impression, launch news. No long term reports or even full test ride.

Mine is the INT 650 I have taken the bike to little over 80kmph so far, a few times and I haven't really had issues with wobbling. Touch Wood.

But I have read one report about someone having this issue and they said that their friend is working on it and while they have managed to reduce the wobble, they haven't been able to get rid of it completely.

About the tubeless tyres, I saw a

video

on Bulu Biker's channel about conversion. They use a product called Outex, which is apparently imported from Japan. It costs about ₹14,000 and is sold on Bike n Biker.

For the review as well, you may find Bulu Biker's videos useful, since he has owned the machine for quite a while.

As for the wait times, I'm not really clued in. I got mine in a matter of days, but that was because strings were pulled and it also meant the bike had to be ridden for about 400 kilometers to be delivered.

The local dealership said it would take a month while the one a friend got it from had ready stock, but he did not have colour options.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

There is one from Indimotard grease house customs. A bit expensive bu can be rest assured about quality. They raise as well as bring the handlebar close to the rider. about 1.5".

https://indimotard.com/product/royal...E8_cxuClZxLci8

There are some more options from the likes of:

bike n biker
https://www.bikenbiker.com/products/...50-the-bikings

Carbon racing:
https://carbonracing.in/products/han...eptor-650-25mm

HDT customs, etc
https://www.hdtcustoms.com/product/r...le-bar-rizers/

Originally Posted by derek

With this conversation happening, what are the options for handle bar risers, besides the Mumbai hdt customs which WON'T need any wire rerouting?

Lot of guy's claim that after fixing any kind of riser, the riding position has become very comfortable.

Let me try to clear some facts:

- For straight risers like the bikenbiker one, up to one inch, you don't need any re-routing of cables. Installing them needs access from below the steering yoke. Becomes a bit tricky for DIY.

- For pulled back risers like Indimotard (one piece), Carbon Racing & HDT customs, cable rerouting is required. Indimotard is a complete set just like the Motone custom's riser. Carbon racing is the best looking and finished risers and they fit in between the stock handle bar clamps. What I learnt is that the first batch was dispatched from CR and they've run out of stock. Restock is least expected!

- There is a difference in BS4 & BS6 cables harness (not length), for BS6 both accelerator and electrical harness needs to be loosened. For BS4 only accelerator cables needs to be re-routed for HDT Customs risers.


I installed the HDT customs pulled back risers in the second DIY attempt! In the first attempt, we couldn't loosen it. I used 1/4" socket drive with 100mm extender (still short) and some WD40 (mental peace) to loosen it finally. As directed by Hemant from HDT customs, opened the tank and placed the accelerator cables from below the rubber tank mount (where the tank rests) to above it. This part is simple but I was fiddling with the routing options and the throttle becomes tighter when you get it wrong. The clutch cable clips to the chassis needs to be removed just to place the handle bar up and behind. You can put them back once done. The brake lines are fine so are the electrical lines. (For BS6 bikes these needs to be pulled out from the headlight assembly, any BS6 owner can confirm)

As steering is a critical component and control cables are vital components it's always recommended to do this under mechanic's supervision. But the confidence booster of a DIY job is unmatched, that too alone!


I'm 5'8" and the pulled back risers are definitely more comfortable. It's just enough and after few rides it seems the normal position of the bars.


HDT Customs finish is slightly different from the stock brackets. Only if they could match the gloss finish. In addition, they're not circular like the CR ones hence leaving a slight gap as seen in the picture.

I think I covered all aspects of the risers, if you have any more queries let's discuss. For visor related information head over to Torino's ownership thread or wait for nasirkaka to update here!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[derek]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

There is one from Indimotard grease house customs. A bit expensive bu can be rest assured about quality. They raise as well as bring the handlebar close to the rider. about 1.5".

https://indimotard.com/product/royal...E8_cxuClZxLci8

There are some more options from the likes of:

bike n biker
https://www.bikenbiker.com/products/...50-the-bikings

Carbon racing:
https://carbonracing.in/products/han...eptor-650-25mm

HDT customs, etc
https://www.hdtcustoms.com/product/r...le-bar-rizers/

Thanks, indimotard and carbon racing both require rerouting of cable.

The one on bikenbiker, made by a company called bikings, don’t know much more about the quality, build etc.

I actually like the indimotard ones quality wise. Wish the wiggling of cables wasn’t necessary..... thanks ji! Appreciated!

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

Good luck on finding a Test ride GT, no showroom has it! Considering your profile says you live in Pune, you can PM me if you want a TR on mine, anything for a future customer!

Dhone has a test GT unit, in Blue. Call Yerwada Dhone and ask for Akshay. He'll arrange a test ride on the GT.

Cheers,

Jay

[ishan12]

Originally Posted by amol4184

That is a bummer. I am still waiting for TD/R to make final call. My rides aren't going to be day long in fact most of them being under 200kms nor do I plan to do crazy twisties action. Sedate is a good description, suits the character of the bikes. I want something like that now. Duke 390 was way too twitchy and frantic for me (haven't ridden 390 ADV). But then there's the looks of KTMs that is polarising. I am digging how CGT650 looks and already have certain mod ideas in mind. Yes I'am jumping the gun

Kings Baner also has a GT available for test rides.

[derek]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Let me try to clear some facts:


I think I covered all aspects of the risers, if you have any more queries let's discuss. For visor related information head over to Torino's ownership thread or wait for nasirkaka to update here!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

Thanks so much for that. I went through Torino's thread. I just want to know if it's really beneficial getting the Puig. It's double the price.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by derek

Thanks so much for that. I went through Torino's thread. I just want to know if it's really beneficial getting the Puig. It's double the price.

I have the Puig windscreen on my Continental GT 535. It cuts down windblast quite well, highway rides dont have the wind hitting you in the chest continuously and this will do a really good job in reducing fatigue. Visibility out of the visor is pretty good and OEM like, maybe even better. It is also easy to install and take off. The price is pretty high.

As for the visor which surjaonwheelz and Torino are using, it is a lot bigger and should be able to cut down windblast even further. Visibility out of the visor is the one area that I wish was slightly improved, based on the plentiful pictures which were shared by the 2 gentlemen. Installation will probably take some time but it will be a one time thing, unless you need to remove the headlamp or the clocks (this would happen what, once a year at max, if at all?) The price is very attractive, I will admit that and its made in our own country.

Cant go wrong with either one, see which one suits your needs better and buy it.

[derek]

Thanks Neil. After all the reading and taking a conscious decision, I’ve decided to go for the Puig. I gave a lot of thought to the CR one but ultimately if the fit and finish isn’t so good, doesn’t matter where it’s made! By the way, how tall are you? I’m 6 feet tall and ride the INT. I’m not really optimist ANY windscreen is going to protect me against wind blast on ECR on the way to Pondicherry!