[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by LazyGunner

While I do not know the exact specs of the tyres listed for Front, I feel some of them are actually made for rear and do not really compare with the speed rating or load carrying capacity of the stock tyres. And as far as the Pirelli Sport Demon (stock offering on GT535) goes, its not a popular tyre among the GT535 owners I have interacted with. I have never used it and do not know exactly why. I have heard a lot that SportComps are anyday better than Sport Demons. I totally agree that sourcing tyres of 18" is a pain whether it is for front or rear. I hope the new Ceat Zoom Cruz F (the new stock rubbers for RE Twins) are good and reasonably priced.

The reason that a lot of Continental GT 535 owners arent big fans of the OEM Pirelli Sport Demons is that the tires supplied by Pirelli to Royal Enfield were prone to deep cuts within 7 - 10 thousand kms. That is unusually low in terms of life and is aggressive superbike tire territory. If this happened within 12 months of purchase of the motorcycle, Royal Enfield did provide a free warranty replacement for the tire, though this did often take a lot of time. In my case, it took nearly 100 days for them to source the tire.

Also availability was a constant challenge and many of us had to move to MRF and Ceat options, downsizing at the rear from a 130 section to a 120 section with a higher profile (130 / 70 vs 120 / 80). The life on the MRFs and Ceats would easily be at least 20k kms, if not more.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The reason that a lot of Continental GT 535 owners arent big fans of the OEM Pirelli Sport Demons is that the tires supplied by Pirelli to Royal Enfield were prone to deep cuts within 7 - 10 thousand kms. That is unusually low in terms of life and is aggressive superbike tire territory. If this happened within 12 months of purchase of the motorcycle, Royal Enfield did provide a free warranty replacement for the tire, though this did often take a lot of time. In my case, it took nearly 100 days for them to source the tire.

Also availability was a constant challenge and many of us had to move to MRF and Ceat options, downsizing at the rear from a 130 section to a 120 section with a higher profile (130 / 70 vs 120 / 80). The life on the MRFs and Ceats would easily be at least 20k kms, if not more.

Numbers actually mean nothing (as I've been trying in vain to explain to a fastidious biker friend of mine ... with no success).

Different tyres with the same numbers fit very different on the same rim, and even look different both in profile and front-on.

In my experience, mount the tyre and see for yourself.

The 120 section Vertigo Sport on my Duke 390 at the rear was barely a little narrower than the stock 150 section Metzeler. But yeah, a lot taller.

What's important is the grip you get, how it corners, and the speed its rated for. Cost and life are simply decision points around these once you know that your rim can take it.

And yeah, before I forget, front tyres on the rear and rear tyres on the front have been used by old school racers for decades with great success. In the case of directional tyres, by simply reversing the direction of fitment.

I have similarly used the Michelin Sirac Street rear tyre on the front of my Duke ... and it was a brilliant tyre.

Cheers, Doc

[nasirkaka]

Coming from the manufacturing industry, I will just mention here how the pricing goes for items which are model specific. Just like you correctly mentioned, these are simple injection molded components, injection molded parts essentially call for a large mold to be put up on a very large injection molding machine. Here comes economies of scale, the more they produce, lesser is the cost, since essentially the major cost is for the moulds.

I do understand the economics of scale where a single shot injection molded common plastic chair is is sold for 350 Rs having one of the most complex mold construction. But simply put, that interceptor's front mudguard for 2K is just overpriced. Its a fairly simple mold. A single core and cavity. Fairly large tolerances for fitment with 4 large bolts. No undercuts. No inserts. No special mold polishing / texturing etc required as finish is raw as the part is sprayed. The interceptors sell in large enough enough number. The mold costs mainly depends on the complexity of part design, mold material to suit estimated volume, mold parts, so depending on the number projections one can opt for the mold life directly affecting the cost of mold and cost per injection. With developments in CAD and CAE and CNC EDMs and wire cuts and its application in tool rooms, injection molding is is simplified to great extent in recent times.
I can understand the cost of painting adding to the cost, but for just molding, it surely comes across as expensive, especially from RE. Just for sake of comparison, the cost of BMW G310 gs beak, a molded part, more complex in nature, consuming more material, is only around 650Rs.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Numbers actually mean nothing (as I've been trying in vain to explain to a fastidious biker friend of mine ... with no success).

Technically, that is not entirely true, Doc. The last number is the most important, I cant fit a 17 inch tire on my 18 inch wheel

Originally Posted by ebonho

In my experience, mount the tyre and see for yourself.

I agree. I had some hesitation when I moved from the Pirelli Sport Demons to Ceats, but the latter held up very well in all my mixed usage over the years. It really helped change my perception of Ceat's motorcycle tires, I have new found respect for them and often recommended them to other riders as well, based on their usage patterns.

Even the much questioned Timsuns have fared very well in my 1000 odd kms of usage and I think they are very good tires for A2 level bikes.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I agree. I had some hesitation when I moved from the Pirelli Sport Demons to Ceats, but the latter held up very well in all my mixed usage over the years. It really helped change my perception of Ceat's motorcycle tires, I have new found respect for them and often recommended them to other riders as well, based on their usage patterns.

If you want life and hard wearing tyres for mile munching touring, there is no replacement for Indian rubber. Bikes or cycles. I'm so delighted that there are so many sub 10k Indian alternatives for the Duke now.

Cheers, Doc

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Technically, that is not entirely true, Doc. The last number is the most important, I cant fit a 17 inch tire on my 18 inch wheel

Lol yes, but this is what I actually meant using the example of my own bike, with widely deviating tyre numbers - stock to purpose fitted ... on paper.

The stock 150 section Metzeler versus the 120 section Ceat.

In the real world, this is how they actually look.

I tried finding two photos with the bike in the near same position and resized the photos to get the near same bike (and tyre) proportions within them. Hope it works ...





Also the first photo is stock handlebar height, and the second is with the custom machined bar risers.

Cheers, Doc

[Torino]

Originally Posted by ebonho

If you want life and hard wearing tyres for mile munching touring, there is no replacement for Indian rubber. Bikes or cycles. I'm so delighted that there are so many sub 10k Indian alternatives for the Duke now.

Cheers, Doc

Completely agree. Only last week I had my second puncture on my Interceptor's rear tyre and I was once again lucky to find a puncture repair shop nearby. Finding a puncture repair shop nearby is one thing and rest assuring the dude's skills to remove and refit the wheel with disc brake is another headache. The puncture repair guys now a days are so much used to the tubeless tyre repair, firstly they pause on seeing the spoked wheel and then freak out on seeing the disc brake set up. Not to mention not all of them have proper set up to remove the tyre from the rim. For the kind of road conditions and the amount of tyre piercing objects on it, I prefer a Indian tyre brands especially MRF, Apollo, Ceat etc for regular commute based on my experience and what I've heard from the users of both foreign and Indian branded two wheeler tyres. I also believe that Indian tyres have a stronger sidewall to handle abuse from potholes and broken roads because I managed to bulge the sidewalls on two of the Bridgestone tyres in my car after hitting a pothole and replaced them with MRFs and they are doing just fine even after going over several similar potholes.

I've clocked just over 13,000kms with the stock rear tyre and it looks like it will last for another 2000 kms and I'm plannign to replace it with the 130/70/R18 H rated tyre from either the MRFs on the Honda CB350 or the CEAT from the latest batch of Interceptors.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Torino

I've clocked just over 13,000kms with the stock rear tyre and it looks like it will last for another 2000 kms and I'm plannign to replace it with the 130/70/R18 H rated tyre from either the MRFs on the Honda CB350 or the CEAT from the latest batch of Interceptors.

Purely aesthetics, but the tread pattern of the CB350 rear does not do justice to the looks of the bike. Would be the same on the Interceptor.

Very Pulsar-ish ...

I haven't seen the new Ceats.

Cheers, Doc

[ishan12]

Looks like the wait will soon be over for people like me who have been waiting for the OEM alloys. I really do not trust the aftermarket, made in China alloys and the tubeless kits are mostly what one would call a jugaad. Have been eagerly waiting for the alloys to launch. Got this from one of the riding groups.

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Looks like the wait will soon be over for people like me who have been waiting for the OEM alloys. Got this from one of the riding groups.

This is great news, and I hope the timeline doesn't get pushed further. I have been waiting for quite some time now.
Also, I remember reading somewhere that the Meteor's tripper module will be available as an accessory for the Twins. Both these will complete two very important missing pieces of the twins.

[arpanjha]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Looks like the wait will soon be over for people like me who have been waiting for the OEM alloys. I really do not trust the aftermarket, made in China alloys and the tubeless kits are mostly what one would call a jugaad. Have been eagerly waiting for the alloys to launch. Got this from one of the riding groups.

Fantastic news this one. Got the same news early morning on some FB groups as well. Now two most anticipated things of 2021 are Covid-19 vaccine and next INT-GT alloys.

[abhi7013]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Looks like the wait will soon be over for people like me who have been waiting for the OEM alloys. I really do not trust the aftermarket, made in China alloys and the tubeless kits are mostly what one would call a jugaad. Have been eagerly waiting for the alloys to launch. Got this from one of the riding groups.

Thank you for sharing this piece of information! I've been patiently waiting for this like many others. However, i hope they also re-look at the paint scheme and offer the instrument cluster that's available on the Meteor. Also possibly a better seat? I guess we can expect an increase in prices by 10-15k probably.
On another note, is there any work-around for modifying the front suspensions? Either direct replacement or a possibility of tuning it? It just takes the fun out of the bike while riding on most inner roads within city which are peppered with potholes and bumps..

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Thank you for sharing this piece of information! I've been patiently waiting for this like many others. However, i hope they also re-look at the paint scheme and offer the instrument cluster that's available on the Meteor. Also possibly a better seat? I guess we can expect an increase in prices by 10-15k probably.
On another note, is there any work-around for modifying the front suspensions? Either direct replacement or a possibility of tuning it? It just takes the fun out of the bike while riding on most inner roads within city which are peppered with potholes and bumps..

Given how RE 'updated' the Classic over the years (specifically 2016-18), new paint schemes on the twins are due any time now. Already some WhatsApp forwards are making rounds about it saying new schemes for export models. Baker's express, Chrome and Orange Crush are retained for interceptor and some interesting paint schemes are added for the GT. Need to see if it is a genuine list of new colors.



Console on the Meteor looks much better than the plain ones on twins. It also seems more functional with Trippr Navigation too. Not sure how effectively it works though. I'm quite happy with Google maps on my phone mounted on the handlebar.

And there are multiple options one can take for fixing the front fork problems. Only catch is, each person's expectation from it is different and what worked for somebody else might not work for me. So, there will be some trial and error involved in the work. I changed the fork oil to heavier Motul Technosynthese 7.5W oil and it has been much better for me for the last 3-4k kms. I think I can live with it and have stopped looking to upgrade it for the time being. A friend is also trying out some changes with Himalayan and TB springs but it is still a work in progress. Way2Speed has a full suspension upgrade kit complete with springs, preload adjuster, (valves?), and a custom suspension oil for 12-13k. Ohlins and YSS have similar kits in the region of 30k. It all boils down to what exactly do we want and trying out from the cheapest option might be the right way to go about it.

[abhi7013]

Originally Posted by LazyGunner

I changed the fork oil to heavier Motul Technosynthese 7.5W oil and it has been much better for me for the last 3-4k kms. I think I can live with it and have stopped looking to upgrade it for the time being.

This seems to be a logical thing to do at first. Do you feel significant difference when you changed the fork oil? Also, did you get it done at the RE center, your FNG or did you DIY?

Regarding the tripper, it definitely would add to the meagre feature list on the twins. Curious as to how they place it with the twin pods.

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

This seems to be a logical thing to do at first. Do you feel significant difference when you changed the fork oil? Also, did you get it done at the RE center, your FNG or did you DIY?

RE ASCs refuse to use any product that is non-RE. So, FNG is your best best. Anybody who has worked on Thunderbird forks before can do it. One can do it as a DIY but whole fork needs to be disassembled to remove the stock oil completely. After changing the oil my Interceptor moves over small to medium potholes easily without making any noise. Oh, also quantity I filled was not 473 ml in each fork as recommended by RE for stock Fork oil. I started with 400ml and incremented with 10ml while trying it out after every top-up. I felt I found the sweet spot at 430ml/fork. Better to start low and keep adding as oil can be topped up by just opening the top-nut of the fork, without having to remove forks from the vehicle. For my set-up and usage (AOM handlebar with 1" risers, mostly highway with occasional broken roads, and I weigh around 70 kg, ride mostly solo) the difference is quite noticeable.

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Regarding the tripper, it definitely would add to the meagre feature list on the twins. Curious as to how they place it with the twin pods.

There were rumors that current twins will get Tripper pod as an accessory but I fail to see where does it fit. I think only way of getting it would be if RE launches a new console for Twins with Tripper. Unfortunately, Meteor ones won't be a direct fit for Twins. Max speed on Meteor console is 160 and I expect there will be some connection differences as well but not sure. Having said that, I like the console currently present on Twins. Only thing I miss is a gear indicator but its no big deal.