[AtheK]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Could you share details of the shop please? I need to get a bunch of keys done in this format, and if he's done a good job for you, then it spares me the headache of finding someone else!

He actually botched up first time so the key works only from one side. He will do it again and waiting for the keyfob as he ran out of stock. I was just experimenting so I am ok, and i will have two flip keys now

Look for a shop near your place who has a laser setup, they keep blank keys too, RE is very common. You can also get a blank key from amazon and get it cloned from a shop near your place. If you still need to get it done from this guy, I will DM you the details of the shop.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Hello to fellow Interceptor riders!!

Took delivery of my interceptor 650 yesterday .....

Congrats on yet another gorgeous machine, wishing you many kms of happy motoring

[Urban_Nomad]

Gents - anyone know what grade fork oil RE uses?

I checked the manual and it says something cyptic like 2w - 25 (???). Asked the service center to send me a pic of te oil they use and the same is attached below. Even the front of the bottle simply says "RE essentials fork oil"

I find the fork on the interceptor to be extremely soft and mushy. Before I even think of spending big bucks on a yss upgrade, wanna try playing around with the fork oil a bit. But don't wanna go too heavy from the baseline. Like if RE used, 5w, I would have gone 7.5 or maybe 10. If RE used 10, would have bumped it up to 15. But that baseline is unknown here

Finally, anyone here changed their fork oil to a non factory spec? Recommendations? I'm thinking of going 15w from either liqui moly or motul. Thoughts? Too heavy? Dial it back to 10?

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

I checked the manual and it says something cyptic like 2w - 25 (???). Asked the service center to send me a pic of te oil they use and the same is attached below. Even the front of the bottle simply says "RE essentials fork oil"

From this image, good to know that RE sources it from PSU oil companies. HP website shows these specs. I am assuming 2W that RE uses means 'light' on HP website, cSt numbers are dropping similarly for light & heavy fork oils, something that also reflects in Viscosity Index 45.

Like if RE used, 5w, I would have gone 7.5 or maybe 10. If RE used 10, would have bumped it up to 15. But that baseline is unknown here

Without trying to confuse you, unlike engine oils, fork oils don't have same specs across manufacturers e.g. Motul 10W would not be same as LiquiMoly 10W.

For your off-road usage on other bikes, what kind of fork oils have you used so far?

I'm thinking of going 15w from either liqui moly or motul. Thoughts? Too heavy? Dial it back to 10?

Start with Motul 10W. Most OEM replacements from Motul are at 7.5W.
Bit of unsolicited advice, please change fork oil after monsoon season gets over.

While on topic of Interceptor Suspension, hope you are aware of separate thread (Suspension Upgrades for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 Twins).

And on topic of fork oils, here is video from Suspension tuning master

Dave Moss

.

[catkins]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Gents - anyone know what grade fork oil RE uses?

The Service Manual says "Royal Enfield Front Fork Oil (or Gabriel Fork Oil 2W 25 HPCL)"

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Gents - anyone know what grade fork oil RE uses?


Finally, anyone here changed their fork oil to a non factory spec? Recommendations? I'm thinking of going 15w from either liqui moly or motul. Thoughts? Too heavy? Dial it back to 10?

I have been planning to upgrade my front suspension, instead of full blown suspension upgrade, I found a cheaper option ie by upgrading the front fork oil to 10W along with preload adjusters. I have below one from motousher, it is my first purchase from the Maxima brand, hope this should do the work for me.


Purchased from https://shop.motousher.com/collectio...37307528020129
I have seen many of my folks in my riding circle took this cheaper option and they are very happy with the improvement. During one of the breakfast rides, I have ridden these bikes and I can certainly vouch for their observation. So if you have the moolah then go for yss if not you can explore this option. I am planning to have these mods done sometime next week, along with this I am planning to replace the stock cone set SKF bearings with NTN ones. Once I put up some miles I will update the thread with my feedback.

[AtheK]

What are you guys doing for time, one major miss is the Gear indicator and missing clock on the speedo. I can live with missing gear indicator, but not able to see the time on one glance is quite frustrating. Not sure why RE skips on a feature as basic as this, time was displayed on the speedo of my fourteen year old RTR also.

I see there are few options like quartz watches on some YouTube channels, anyone got a better setup running?

[neil.jericho]

Though I dont own a 650 twin (yet?), let me just throw in my 2 cents on the suspension upgrades. I will suggest that you go step by step.
1. Fork oil change to a heavier oil
2. Preload adjusters
3. Custom springs

For fork oil, there are a ton of options in the market. If you have a friend who has done the fork oil change, then test ride his bike and see if it fits your weight and / or riding style.

For preload adjusters, there are options from Indian manufacturers as well as international players like TEC.

For custom springs, I believe you can order it from Indian manufacturers as well as international players. I would go with the latter as they know that they are doing and have decades of experience. Hopefully, you should find your sweet spot between steps 1 and 2.

Originally Posted by AtheK

What are you guys doing for time, one major miss is the Gear indicator and missing clock on the speedo. I can live with missing gear indicator, but not able to see the time on one glance is quite frustrating. Not sure why RE skips on a feature as basic as this, time was displayed on the speedo of my fourteen year old RTR also.

I see there are few options like quartz watches on some YouTube channels, anyone got a better setup running?

I used to ride with a simple digital watch strapped onto the bike. Easy fix to this problem.

Like this

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I used to ride with a simple digital watch strapped onto the bike. Easy fix to this problem.
Like this[/center]

Thanks Neil, this is an option I thought of too, but then it is painful to remove and fix it every time, and not to mention too easy to steal too. I was thinking of at least a solution, where if someone wants to steal it, he at least needs to remove a couple of bolts and put in a bit of effort.

This at this point seems to be a viable option.

I like this option too, but too bulky, and wiring really needs to be done well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5cL...%26Accessories

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Thanks Neil, this is an option I thought of too, but then it is painful to remove and fix it every time, and not to mention too easy to steal too.

You know, I had the very same thought for the longest time and this made me postpone my decision to get a simple watch at an Amazon sale only for this purpose. But in reality, if you are a part of group rides, strapping it on and taking it off, actually takes less time than putting on both your gloves.

If you have fellow riders with bluetooth devices, by the time they pair or mesh their devices, you would have put this back on and geared up as well. Its actually very practical.

And to be honest, a simple watch is not that easy to spot. So someone would have to luck into spotting it in the first place, for them to steal it.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

You know, I had the very same thought for the longest time and this made me postpone my decision to get a simple watch at an Amazon sale only for this purpose. But in reality, if you are a part of group rides, strapping it on and taking it off, actually takes less time than putting on both your gloves.

If you have fellow riders with bluetooth devices, by the time they pair or mesh their devices, you would have put this back on and geared up as well. Its actually very practical.

And to be honest, a simple watch is not that easy to spot. So someone would have to luck into spotting it in the first place, for them to steal it.

You are right I guess, at least should get this done for now. That said it's never an issue while riding in group rides, as you can always ask for time on Sena

So I can ditch this while riding in group, and use it only while riding alone. For extra layer of safety maybe just ziptie it and leave it always on the bike. The other product is available in Amazon, I am half tempted to get it though, on a second thought it is not bad for options it provides, and a mobile holder is more bulky then this.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by catkins

The Service Manual says "Royal Enfield Front Fork Oil (or Gabriel Fork Oil 2W 25 HPCL)"

Ya, I've mentioned that in my post as well. That's gibberish. Haven't seen a 2w fork oil ever. Lowst I've personally seen is 5w. Lord knows what RE is using

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Once I put up some miles I will update the thread with my feedback.

Excellent! I ordered a 15w motul today. Hopefully should get the oil change done on Monday. Will report back on my findings next week. All the best

[yesyeswe]

Guys I am relocating to Pune, bringing my Gt along too, couldn't leave her behind. Have taken the train luggage route, very cheap and fast, hope there's no damage or anything. Can anyone guide me to a 650 owners group of Pune?

[ThePatientMan]

A big Hi to @CrAzY dRiVeR, @neil.jericho and all the members of the 650 twins club,

Quoting a oft repeated hindi phrase "Der aaye, durust aaye" (Eng - Better late than never) I finally get to join this elite club. Got myself a 2019 model Baker Express in the most-un-BHP'ian sort of way. I'll explain as we go along (will try to keep the post as short as possible as the twins have been reviewed to the minutest of details).

The early days : We Humans were meant to ride you see.

I have always firmly believed in three principles.

1. When in doubt, throttle it out - has helped me in multiple occasions in city and highway rides. I still ride 70 kms everyday to work (through the bombed out and pothole ridden Mumbai roads) and have realized that my safety lies in my & my bike's ability to out-run most of the crazily driven vehicles on road and thereby maintain a safe distance from them.
2. There is no replacement to displacement.
3. Two wheelers move the soul - give me a bike over a car, any day. (I guess i’ll have to sleep in the living room after this statement)

First bike ride was on a 1990 model red RE 350 (with multiple embellishments) borrowed from a friend when i could barely get both my feet to flatfoot sitting on it.

From then have ridden the following vehicles :

1. Hero Honda CD 100 (bought it from a shady used two wheeler dealer in Jayanagar, Bangalore - got royally ripped in the deal - In my defence i was still a 2nd year college student and barely understood the tricks of the trade). Took it to Chandana Motors (Hero Honda dealer in K R Puram) and underwent a double whammy with multiple parts changes required which made my pocket even lighter.
2. Pulsar 180 (with electric start) - picked it up in Delhi in 2003. Was blown away with the looks, power and the aura created around the bike. Did multiple rides before it travelled back with me to Mumbai, also helped me patao my wife then colleague to get married to me and runs flawlessly till date even after 18 years and 2 Lac+ kms (sold it to my close friend who uses it daily even now).
3. RE Classic 350 - upgrading from my Pulsar (with limited budgets if i may add) and following principle 2 above led me to pick it up in 2013 (even with a 9.5 months waiting period). Was tired of multiple niggles (ampere meter short circuit, battery dying within 9 months, clutch wire breaking multiple times etc) and sold it in 2019
4. Bajaj Dominar 400 - Test rode both the RE interceptor and the Dominar (this was April 2019).Should have logically bought the Interceptor (it was way beyond my budget) but fell for the charms of the Dominar with it amazing ride and handling (even though ergonomically it was a difficult fit for me. I am 5'6'' tall and weigh 65 kgs).

Look at the irony - now i have ended up with a 2019 model Interceptor.

Did some amazing rides with the Dominar (including the Team-BHP bike meet in Feb 2020) but it was never accepted by my better half (she always called it Vikram Betal bike, she is 5”1 you see and like a cute air pillow {remind me not to show her this post, else i will be outside the house}) and i knew at the back of my mind that i will have to replace it eventually. (the other option was to keep it and buy a gearless scooter).


A colleague recommended a well known local used superbike showroom. On the very first visit found a Baker Express parked inside for sale. Here is when i behaved the most un-BHP'ian like and decided to buy it right there. We BHP-ians normally go through multiple levels of search, analysis, checking and then only decide to take the plunge. The BE overshadowed my dimag vs dil debate and well as you can see, my dil had a landslide victory over my dimag. Thankfully it was a good piece with just 7059 kms on the odo. Did check it thoroughly though for any signs of falls, scratches and external damage.

Sold of my Dominar (lost a lot of money for my hasty decision) and picked up my BE on 19th June. Have ridden it for 1000 kms till date and will follow up with a ride experience post soon.

Claps:

1. Extremely city friendly and ergonomically sorted. Took me just a couple of hours to get my riding position sorted (it had taken me 10-15 days during my transition from RE Classic to Dominar)
2. Enough power for a lazy biker like me. I have taken it for a ride with fellow BHP-ians on more powerful bikes and the Interceptor has managed to keep up reasonable well. What it lacked was my cornering skills (wasn't sure about the capability of the bike & tyres to take it)
3. Decent mileage for a 650 cc bike.
4. Heat - Quite manageable till now even in bumper to bumper traffic. Lets see how things shape up in Mumbai summers (May & June).
5.Flat seat – My better half can climb comfortably on to the bike and has given her thumbs up to it.

Brickbats :

1. Dis-connected seat - The seat is really weird and very soft and the odd shape makes my tashreef (urdu for posterior ��) feel extremely disconnected from the vehicle. Wonder how RE designed such a seat for a tourer.
2. Footpegs - They have kissed my shin bone just once till date. Maybe because i have been overtly conscious of their weirdness from the day one. I have learnt to live with them now. I have in fact done the un-mentionable thing of riding the bike in shorts & slippers (over a short distance of a couple of kms though).
3. Usual gremlins - Develops hiccups & keeps switching off (water enters tank) after being parked in bouts of heavy rains - this even after making sure that drain hole near the fuel filler cap is clean. Had to start the bike for 25-30 times over a distance of 34 kms on my way back from office once.
4. The Stock tyres - not confidence inspiring at all even with lot of tread left. Needs a tyre change soon.
5. The sensors (gear position indicator, ABS etc) have a free run. The lights come and go as they want.

Thanks a lot for your patience. Look forward to contributing regularly to this thread.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by ThePatientMan

now i have ended up with a 2019 model Interceptor.

Congrats on your BE, however we won't believe you till you post photos of the bike.

Brickbats :

5. The sensors (gear position indicator, ABS etc) have a free run. The lights come and go as they want.

Is 'parking in rains' a reason for whimsical sensors?