[adises]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

This is a known issue and has happened to many bikes. When i took my bike for 2nd service about 2 years back, i had the top box on the bike. The service advisor asked to remove the top box as he had already seen 2 cases of the tail of the chassis cracking in exactly the same manner.
I haven't really followed his advise and the top is is usually on the bike all the time, but thankfully its holding fine so far. Maybe RE needs to look at this issue at drawing board level, or may be they already have with the new bikes (?).

Yup, the rear subrame / rack mounts aren't designed for more than 7-10 kgs of weight at the extreme end. Once you put something heavy which bounces around on our pathetic roads it is only a matter of time before it cracks at the welding joint. I have an aluminum top box which weighs about 5 kgs empty, I use it only for storing my helmet safely / tyre tubes and cables while touring.

HDT Customs has a great video that explains the issue in details and how he deals with it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7sYth82J_8

[desideep]

Originally Posted by Viju

Looks nice. I personally prefer a bit less glossy and more of a satin finish. But for a DIY effort, the outcome is excellent! If you can stay sober, you could take up painting as a second job as well, lol

LOL, it was a hot day for change and the workshop extractors did not work, so we had to keep hydrated some how. But seriously, it takes a lots of time and effort and some how after being in a office job for a long time I cannot be bothered taking this up as a job.

I do a lot of DIY, another project for Xmas holidays is to sound deaden SG Forester for a friend.

Originally Posted by Viju

Please check eBay also from next time....

I did check Ebay, all deliveries were showing in January. I could not afford to not to ride the bike for so long. Self made gasket has worked real well. Indian suppliers listed the gasket for around $30, where as the part here locally is $13.

[surjaonwheelz]

Heavier fork oil & new brake pads

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

I'll share a follow up post with updates from our beach run ride and some more front end updates.

We had a wonderful beach ride, Pune-Harihareshwar-Pune, 350 kms round trip. As of now Tamhini ghat tarmac portion is beautifully laid, had lot of fun in the corners. Front needs a little bit more effort to change direction but it holds it line perfectly. I've to start trusting the rear Ceat tyre more!


But all good things have some challenges, I busted the LHS fork seal and it was leaking in the morning at the meet up point. As it was the right side up forks, I decided to continue without crying over spilled fork oil.

Anyways I had planned to put heavier oil in the front forks earlier but with this event I had to. I had shortlisted LiquiMoly or Maxima. Weight was a bit unsure, I felt 5W would be enough but bhpians crankpin and sukiwa kept pushing me for a heavier oil. I decided to go with Maxima 10W as it was available.




Cost of the oil

Now to get this job done, I would not have gone to the RE ASC as you can't get your stuff put in and see them work in most cases. I could have pushed for it but I decided to let them do their oil change and free service of RE bikes.

I had 3 options:
Pitlane, Mundhwa - Nearest to me and they work on single cylinder bikes to multi-cylinder superbikes. But as IBW was near they were occupied.

Slipstream, Viman Nagar - Specialist, visit by appointment but the best for suspension & tuning them. I decided to skip them as RE forks should be very simple to work on and rebuild.

Hyperion, Nagar road - Had recommendation from couple of bhpians, bigger workshop than Slipstream. Oil seal, brake pads, fork oil was readily available with him. In addition, crankpin had some work to be done there on his Street Twin. Hyperion was finalized.


One dedicated mechanic worked on my bike, start to finish. Hyperion didn't have a bench vise installed hence had to outsource the job of removing the damper rod! Handling issues might occur.


Old oil


New fork seal


Fork seal cost


Fresh 430ml of fork oil for each leg


I had removed the front fork gaiters form the bike as it had cracked. I had a placebo that the oil seal was busted without them! I picked up new gaiters from RE Viman Nagar ASC on the way to Hyperion.


They're rather affordable at Rs. 135 per piece. But keep in mind they don't provide the metal fastener rings with this. Luckily I had preserved my old ones while removing the torn gaiters.


Installed mud-guard risers and replaced the washers (refer previous post). Now I can re-install the mud-flap also. I had ordered the ZANA risers from bikenbiker but they were out of stock. Bikenbiker called me to confirm it Motocaan would work, I said yes. They're on the taller side. I'll share the pictures later.


I had the front brake pads at final stages but I decided to bleed the brake fluids also hence put in new brake pads also.


New vs old brake pads.


OEM brake pads, I've kept the old ones with me.


Wurth DOT 4 brake fluid. The rear brake reservoir had all black brake fluid (I don't have a pic). The mechanic said its due to the placement of the reservoir! Rear brake pedal feel has improved, earlier it seemed useless. Now I'm practicing using the rear brake more often.


The front has improved bite and lever feel with new pads and fresh oil.

All the work was done as per SOP. Lastly, my accelerator cables were routed differently as I have handlebar risers. The mechanic didn't observe it and had to re-route the cable.

Now I have fresh fluids in my bike,
- brake fluid
- fork oil
- engine oil

All I need is to log kms now. The heavy fork oil makes highway speeds more stable and the unnecessary wallowing has gone. The confidence at higher speed stability has improved. Slow and sharp bumps are felt which is obvious. I've the Marsh Auto pre-load adjusters, need to play around with them all over again for the static sag compensation.

Lessons learnt,
- I should have changed the fork oil much earlier, I kept on postponing it
- Every 2 years you should bleed your brake fluids

Costs incurred, @14,500 kms
- Fork oil
Maxima 10W performance 1L - 1299
RE fork seals 290x2 - 580
Labour - 2950
--------------------------------
sub-total - 4829

- Brake pads + fluids
Wurth Dot 4 + labour - 590
RE Brake pads - 2000
--------------------------------
sub-total - 2590
===================
Total - 7419
===================

I don't remember changing fork oil for my previous 2 bikes on which I had covered more than a lakh kms. I felt the cost is on the higher side. Mihir, the owner of Hyperion is a soft spoken person and sometimes his mechanics over power him! Hyperion has a store for all performance parts and spares you usually find at motousher or bigbadbikes. Perfect place to fit aftermarket parts. For RE owners he stocks OEM spare parts.

More on air filter cleaning DIY on the next post.

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[GudduRohith]

Greetings to Team BHP and all the members, this is my first post on Team BHP and i am thrilled to be a part of something which was my go to, to know of anything related to automotive industry! More than the video reviews on YouTube, i relied upon Team BHP and it's member's real world reviews when i was looking for a guide on possibly buying something. Thank you so much.

So i have a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 BS6 which i had bought in August 2020.
I have clocked about 11000+ kilometres till date and have customised my motorcycle to fit my needs. Initially i wanted to buy a dual cylinder scrambler motorcycle but all the options were almost or above INR 10 lakhs which was way above my reach. And according to me, it wasn't feasible either. Hence i just got interceptor 650 and thought somewhere down the line, i could turn it into a somewhat acceptable off-road worthy scrambler. I wanted to make my motorcycle resemble a scrambler because there's this beautiful broken road/off road strech in Bhadra forest area where i along with my friends had gone during monsoons. And i always found the trail to be very challenging and beautifully haunting. Recently riding my 650 for the first time there made me think about my motorcycle choice as the 650 couldn't even cross a deep slush without getting stuck (almost a given keeping the road focused tires and the weight in mind) and making me put down my feet in those leech infested deep puddles. It got me thinking real hard. And that very night i promised myself that by next time i visit the trail, my motorcycle should be able to tackle/conquer this trail without letting my foot down during entire course(way too far fetched i know)!
Hence i decided that the time has come to finally modify my motorcycle with the realistic goal being it to be a good soft-roader if not an okay-off-roader(if that's a thing!) And giving into the thoughts of building a scrambler is what was needed to be done, it was the only way to go!
My only priority was to not look odd and not to settle for jugaad like finish, i wanted the finish to be close to what something out of a factory would look and to also be low key.
And to not to look odd is to keep my motorcycle off the police's attention radar as cops here are very strict!

The list of parts which i have installed in my motorcycle are as follows.
The mods keeping the aesthetics and comfortable rider triangle in mind (i am 6 feet tall so wanted to sit comfortably with relaxed ergonomics and be able to saddle)

•Himalayan adventure handlebars with adventure bar end weights.

•Hella Chrome trumpet horns.

•KTM duke indicators.

•Hitchcocks led tail light.

•Carbon racing 2 inch straight handlebar risers.

•Sahara single touring seat.

•Red Rooster Performance SS chain guard.

•Zana headlight grill.

•Maddog scout x fog lights.

•HJG fog lights.

•Motourenn lowering off-road footpegs.

•Bobo mobile phone holder with USB slot.

Keeping performance and off-road tackle-ability in mind, i have performed following mods,

•Way2Speed SS headers
(they are awesome but i think are out of shape very slightly as when viewed from behind, which are making the profiles of exhaust end cans not symmetrical. I am still confused if whether the left exhaust is jetting out or is the right exhaust cramped in. So in dilemma whether to go back to original headers and carry that symmetrical look or to sport these very headers. Need input from fellow members, please? But the owner Melwin anna is very approachable and nice guy).

•Powerage SS short end cans.

•Way2Speed front and rear suspension (order placed and yet to be installed)

•Marsh auto preload adjusters.

Tires play a very important role be it in off-road or on-road and i still haven't swapped the OEM pirelli tires as they still have a lot of tread left in them. Will surely be swapping 'em for Ralco Speed blasters befor next monsoons. And i have thought of converting my rims to 17 rear and 19 front. Don't know if i'll be able to do it as i can't find similar sizes with Excel rim dealers.
Heard bikenbiker had 19s in excel but now they've been out of stock for a very long time.
I'll keep my fingers crossed and i am open to suggestions from y'all.
Mods i am sorry if i have made mistakes as i am new here and i'll only become better from here on i hope. Thank you Team BHP and members.

[Zyppher]

Hi bro,

The exhaust setup you have looks sweet. Even I have been looking to do something like this to my int 650.
Few questions,

1. Where can I get something like this in Bangalore.
2. Do cops have a problems with it since I use mine for daily commute and weekend fun both.
3. How is the pillion and rider comfort(since the exhaust is very close to legs does it bother in long rides and city traffic)
3. What was the wallet damage I am looking at.

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Attachment 2383210

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by Zyppher

1. Where can I get something like this in Bangalore.
2. Do cops have a problems with it since I use mine for daily commute and weekend fun both.
3. How is the pillion and rider comfort(since the exhaust is very close to legs does it bother in long rides and city traffic)
3. What was the wallet damage I am looking at.

A. I got this from Thailand. In BLR, you'll have to get it custom-built. Bulleteer Customs may be able to do this but may charge quite a bit. TNT Customs in Delhi makes one, but it looks really ugly. Thailand is the best for such things.

B. Cops so far no issue. I'm running a custom DB killer that muffles sound to an extent. I do central BLR-Hosur nearly every other day. About 7 AM in the morning, and return at about 4 pm. Morning no heat. Evening heat not much. But my speeds are generally good.

C. I ride with riding jeans and tall motorcycle boots. So it's fine. Also, my bike's running a Powertronic. Not much heat. Pillion comfort no clue, as I don't carry a pillion generally. Long rides no issue at all.

D. I paid about 70k with duty. You can get it a LOT cheaper if you buy and carry it from Thailand. There are multiple guys who do Scrambler exhausts for the 650 in Thailand. 1. Benz Custom 2. WSW Custom 3. Dustland. All of them need 3-4 weeks lead time as they custom-build it.

Cheers,

Jay

[FlankerH]

Hi,

TBH other then straight handle bars I don't think things you have added were necessary to turn Int 650 into scrambler. As most of them will only add further weight without any real increase in much needed height.

In my opinion, you should go for following mods if you are really serious about making a scrambler out of bulky RE twin:

1. SS Motocorp full system single aide exhaust, (will reduce whopping 15 KG weight with gain of 10-12 BHPein power)

2. Himalayan Suspension springs at front they are a stock fit in interceptor's fork with thicker fork oil.

3. Rear 2 inch suspension lift kit.

4. Ralco AT tyres, although they are H rated.

There is a youtuber in Delhi who has executed a very clean mod, checkout his video.

Goodluck!

[GudduRohith]

Originally Posted by FlankerH

Hi,

TBH other then straight handle bars I don't think things you have added were necessary to turn Int 650 into scrambler. As most of them will only add further weight without any real increase in much needed height.

In my opinion, you should go for following mods if you are really serious about making a scrambler out of bulky RE twin:

1. SS Motocorp full system single aide exhaust, (will reduce whopping 15 KG weight with gain of 10-12 BHPein power)

2. Himalayan Suspension springs at front they are a stock fit in interceptor's fork with thicker fork oil.

3. Rear 2 inch suspension lift kit.

4. Ralco AT tyres, although they are H rated.

There is a Youtuber in Delhi who has executed a very clean mod, checkout his video.

Goodluck!

Hello there, thank you for your honest opinion. I appreciate it. Though i agree with most of your opinions, i however have my own reasons to build my scrambler the way i did.

650 twin in general is already a hefty machine. No amount of tinkering will get it to be a true blue scrambler until and unless you're going all out with money and alter basic design. But the problem with me is neither do i want to spend crazy amounts of money(which i don't have right now ) nor do i want the basic design of my interceptor to change so that i become an easy target to cops who down south are VERY strict. So at this point, i have compromised and settled with the thought that my motorcycle isn't a traditional scrambler, it doesn't even have an actual scrambler exhaust, what i have is an old school, adventure-esque and somewhat heavy scrambler which sports those retro 2*2 exhaust as well.

I'll answer your suggestions one by one

1. SS motocorp single side exhaust alone wont give 10-12 hp in power. And the single side exhaust is not to my taste as i want to retain the retro charm of 2*2 upswept exhaust.
And weight saving of that exhaust is close to 14 kilos which translates to actual weight of exhaust being 4-4.5 kilos but they are crazy loud even with DB killer on. My full system set up is about 7.8 kilos in weight and has deep but mellow growl and not noticeable until you whack open the throttle and pleases me a lot more as it's a 2*2(hence some extra weight over 2*1 that of SS motocorp's) and i have definitely gained some power as well.

2.Himalayan front springs will make the interceptor behave funnily and will alter the motorcycle's dynamics. I feel its not plaint on highways and will rob maneuverability . Those suspensions are apt for a 21inch front wheel with comparatively lighter motorcycle. I have ordered a much better solution, a Way2Speed suspension for both front and back upon reading some of the Tbhpians review. It comes with progressive springs which are longer and thicker fork oil like you said.

3.Rear lift kit would be when if i installed himalayan front forks but i am not going through that route and Way2Speed also have stopped making those. When enquired, Melwin anna from Way2Speed said he won't be making 'em in near future.

4. Ralco tires are total bang for buck. They're on my to-get list. And i still have a lot of tread left on my stock pirelli, so will be riding 'em till i lose confidence in 'em. And i don't want to get rid of any of my tires before their time's up.

I have saved a lot of weight from my motorcycle and a large chuck of it has come from the exhausts. Handlebars have saved some as well. Even have made it single seater in order to look scrambler and save some weight as well. I dont know from where else should i delete the weight from.

But thank you for your suggestions my man

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by GudduRohith

Hence i decided that the time has come to finally modify my motorcycle with the realistic goal being it to be a good soft-roader if not an okay-off-roader(if that's a thing!)

Very tasteful mods, the bike looks unique and beautiful. The only thing I would recommend against is the 19-17 wheel conversion. Not sure what benefits you foresee from that, so would be keen to hear from you.

Keep the 18 combo, and you can actually have really aggressive off road tyres… if you want them.

Rear - Ralco motocross 120/80-18
Front - mrf motocross 80/100-18 OR use te Maxxis motocross rear tyre on the front (100/100-18)

This will lend a kickass look to your bike too.

Overall though, I personally wouldn’t venture too far off road with this bike. Nothing more than a graded dirt road… but to each his own. All the best

[GudduRohith]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Very tasteful mods, the bike looks unique and beautiful. The only thing I would recommend against is the 19-17 wheel conversion. Not sure what benefits you foresee from that, so would be keen to hear from you.

Keep the 18 combo, and you can actually have really aggressive off road tyres… if you want them.

Rear - Ralco motocross 120/80-18
Front - mrf motocross 80/100-18 OR use te Maxxis motocross rear tyre on the front (100/100-18)

This will lend a kickass look to your bike too

Overall though, I personally wouldn’t venture too far off road with these tyres. Nothing more than a graded dirt road… but to each his own. All the best

Hello sir, been a fan of your posts/opinions as i find 'em very relatable. Been an unofficial follower from a very long time. And thank you for your appreciation, makes me feel good especially when it's coming from someone who's as knowledgeable as you sirji.

I was leaning towards the 19-17 rim combo as i felt like i would get a heck lot more tire options. And i felt it'd be more apt for dynamics of a scrambler motorcycle. And i could finally get 160 section tire accomodating rim which the 650 twin is deprived of. But then again, i might not venture off too far regarding the rims as i feel the stocks will suffice enough as of now.

And not going too far off-roading sirji, just some soft off-roading as i know neither the tires are that much capable nor am i of that calibre

[sdubey23]

Other than the handle bar and some off-road oriented tyres, I wouldn't recommend any of the mods.

Messing with wheel sizes, suspension, springs, etc can sometimes create excessive (and unintended) strain on sections the frame, t-stem, swing arm, bearings, etc which will lead to premature wear or even sudden part failure. The mods will also impact the on road handling and performance - which is where the bike will spend most of its time.

So, messing with a perfectly fine and reliable motorcycle in exchange for miniscule gains in off road riding doesn't make sense to me.

Just save the money you'd spend on these after market components and invest in a used xpulse/ Himalayan down the line to satisfy your off road cravings.

[GudduRohith]

Originally Posted by sdubey23

Other than the handle bar and some off-road oriented tyres, I wouldn't recommend any of the mods.

Messing with wheel sizes, suspension, springs, etc can sometimes create excessive (and unintended) strain on sections the frame, t-stem, swing arm, bearings, etc which will lead to premature wear or even sudden part failure. The mods will also impact the on road handling and performance - which is where the bike will spend most of its time.

So, messing with a perfectly fine and reliable motorcycle in exchange for miniscule gains in off road riding doesn't make sense to me.

Just save the money you'd spend on these after market components and invest in a used xpulse/ Himalayan down the line to satisfy your off road cravings.

Thank you and yes, i will just get the off-road/dual purpose tires for stock rims as of now. And just changing the rim size to 1 up or 1 down uniformly won't put excessive strain but going 1 up in front and 1 down in rear in conjunction might. And i am convinced now that changing the stock rims to 19-17 size could create an uneven balance and i might not really enjoy the end product if i do so.
So maybe just the 19 front like Sagar Sheldekar's Hare Scramble
or Bosky(artofunwinding) 's Muddyhog? They said the 19 swap turned out for better.
Besides i would have only changed the stock excel rim for another excel rim of different size, anything other than an excel would be a downgrade according to me. And as i wrote earlier, they are not likely to be available in the said size in near future. So i guess not right now.

One of the major reason i wanted to swap rear 18s were
abysmal amount of money for tires when compared to same tire of 17 inch in size,
relatively narrow size of stock rim
and also the lack of choices in 18s as well

And yes, who wouldn't love to own an xpulse? I mean no fear to go all out on a trail ride and even dare to drop it couple of time as parts are readily available and are dirt cheap to replace. But unfortunately, i have already spent the money on my motorcycle for most of the aftermarket parts. Only pending purchase was 19-17 rim combo. So i may not be able to go get an used xpulse right off the bat.
But i am holding out for a 421 xpulse/himalayan 450(rally version) LC next year.

[bsenroy]

Hi Friends,

Can anyone recommend an USB-port accessory for the int650?
I looked at the Hitchcoks, but it is a tad too expensive.

please help.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Even I'm looking out for one for my Himalayan. Many members on the forum suggested this:

https://www.bikenbiker.com/products/...-top#gsc.tab=0

Has quite a few reviews on youtube too, All positive. The advantage of a 12V socket is that you can use it to power a tyre compressor too.

Found this too:

https://www.bikenbiker.com/products/...dons#gsc.tab=0

Couldn't find any reviews on youtibe barring one youtube short where someone from the UK has used it for 6 years w/o a problem. If anyone else has long term reviews on the same, that'll be great.

[iamgyan]

Not sure if this was brought up earlier here but MRF has the Zapper Y tubeless tyre for Interceptor rear wheel. I just replaced mine yesterday and one thing which is very clear is the tip ins into the corner are much quicker and take less effort.
Attaching couple of images