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-   -   Ridden: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 & Continental GT 650 Twin (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/204505-ridden-royal-enfield-interceptor-650-continental-gt-650-twin-304.html)

Hello Motorcyclists,

As monsoon is coming to an end, posting a few pics from our Summer to Monsoon rides in and around Pune.


With waspune (V-Strom250SX) and a friend


With waspune, Scrambler 400X friend and his friends!


Not a solo ride, no group pic with sukiwa and the other friend.


With Nilesh_5417


With sukiwa, Nilesh_5417 & jomson13


With jomson13 at the highest point of the ghat


This ride was after a red alert & the water flow was less as it was quite sunny. We sat out most of the heavy rainfall weekends as there were water-logging reported!


About last weekend and was caught in a cloud-burst type downpour in the return leg within city limits. I continued as the roads were known and empty!


Odo is nearing 24k kms! I like this top shot and the symmetry. Maintaining the motorcycle in the rains is a task but I enjoy it. :thumbs up

Minor issue: The right hand side rider foot-peg's spring is broken, it doesn't return after folding. Only the spring is difficult to procure from RE. I'm still looking for a solution, in traffic it's a bit of a concern!

See you on the road.

Happy motorcycling,
surjaonwheelz

Does anyone know if the Guerrilla’s front 17 inch alloy is compatible with Interceptor?

I’m currently on stock 18 inch alloys on my Black Ray but accelerating to or letting go off the throttle above 100 kmph just makes the bike sway all over the place. It’s not the wobble when you let go off the handlebar but one when holding it. It feels like a tough ask from the bike with it not gripping as it should. Have ordered the 17 inch Meteor alloy for rear with a 150/60 rear radial tyre while also contemplating on a 17” direct fit alloy only option for the front, so the question! Do not want to fiddle alot by trying to fabricate stuff for the moment.

On another note, if anyone’s experienced something similar and switched to Vredestein from CEAT on stock 18” rims/ alloys, please share if the issue is resolved.

Thanks!

I also have a Black Ray Int 650 and have switched to Vredestein immediately after the bike delivery. I had some wobble & pulling on the bike initially which stopped after front suspension set up at first service.

Phoenix - the saga of my Interceptor 650 (now sold)

It was on Dec 10, 2018 that I first went to see the new Interceptor 650 in the showroom. It was a Silver Spectre color, and I thought it looked smashing! My only previous experience was on an RD350 for a very brief time when I borrowed it from a friend, and that was a scary and visceral experience. I am a sedate rider, so I felt that this big (for me) 650cc twin was frankly overkill. Yet somewhere along the ride back, I felt this tug like an illogical first love that cannot be rationalised or reasoned with.

In the meantime, I was also checking out almost every other bike like the new Jawa 42, the improved BMW GS310, etc. But on Dec 28 of that very year, my beacon led me back to the Interceptor. I noticed some things this time :

1. the Interceptor ran quite hot!
2. the power delivery was very sweet though.
3. the turning radius felt slightly wider and cumbersome.
4. as numerous reviewers on t-bhp have noted, the foot-pegs get in the way and are a chore.
5. the seat, or the lack thereof... The seat was useless and felt uncomfortable.
6. it also felt rather heavy while reversing down a slope or in tight traffic.

Meanwhile, my close friend and colleague got his Ravishing Red and boy was it a looker! I preferred the white Baker Express, but both these were priced at a premium. I made up my mind that IF I were to buy, it would be the all-black Mark III instead, as it was not very expensive and had a certain stealth look.

My efforts to keep my mind away from the 650 grew more and more difficult as my friend lent me his bike at times, or I would go pillion on it. Our respect for this game-changer from RE knew no bounds. RE had truly stretched the boundaries by offering this phenomenal twin-cylinder at this shocker of a price! My friend started accessorizing it and I felt the bike became even more desirable. Mentally, I started to make a list of things I would change, starting with those darned seats. He had added extra foam to the seats and made it better.

This is an excerpt from what I wrote one day after riding it :
What I appreciate is how smooth the engine feels. It feels like a long stroke. It has so much torque at the first gear that it is almost obscene. And the power keeps on coming in droves. It's the easy nature of the twin cylinder setup, because the other bikes feel stressed out and nearly at the limit of their single cylinder engines at the peak of their power. The Interceptor is just waking up with plenty more power at that stage.

On Mar 2, 2020, I went and test-rode an Orange Crush again. This time, I could feel the footpegs almost wrestling with me. It was very irritating. I also have this weird problem where my wrists and tendons tend to hurt when I hold thin flat handlebars (even on scooters). Rounded grips like the Meteor/Thunderbird and the Mahindra Mojo do not cause this issue, probably because of better contouring. So the Interceptor hurt my wrists and I felt that I had to leave this excellent product because of it's ergonomics. (Interestingly, the newer 2024 Interceptors have rounded grips which are a step in the right direction).

A few discussions later, the YOLO effect kicked in. It had to be a twin cylinder, no more single cylinders for me. Finally, I plonked down the advance for a Mark III black bike, and it arrived on June 08, 2020 !


Pehla nasha, pehla khumar

During random searches, I found this very cool-looking Triumph and fell in love with that seat:


So I contacted Sahara Seats and they customised and sent one pronto. It certainly looked the part but was not very comfortable since it needed more padding on the rider seat, not scoop it out. Not their fault, I had specified this. But I still thought this would work (rather foolishly I must add) :




The handlebar was also a big pain on my shoulders, so I swapped it with an Art of Motorcycles make. It was certainly better, and alleviated the pain to some extent. Also had fork gaitors attached from the showroom, added a Zana crashguard and a lovely saddlestay with backrest from JB Racing. I also had ceramic coating done. It was looking almost perfect now.

On one ride out, I christened her Phoenix :


I had never customized a bike before, and this set me down a rabbit hole. In due time, we added Dominar handlebar with HDT handlebar risers, and even a set of the famous Grip Puppies. Also changed to Avenger handlebar mirrors.




I also had a chance to go with my friend on a short riding trip. It remains, to date, my favourite trip. People would turn around and look when these twins would rumble down the road.


My friend had installed Swagman exhausts. They have this delectable "barrrp" sound! I looked around and got second-hand AEW T201 silencers for a steal. This was just delicious to hear, with a throaty growl when revved and some fantastic pops when coming down the revs. It also helped enhance that retro look and differentiate it from the GT650 exhausts.


A year later, the honeymoon was over. No matter what I tried, I could not address the basic ergonomic issues of the Interceptor. I loved her like a temperamental mistress, but there comes a time when you must put your foot down for your own sanity. And there was no question of it remaining a garage queen just for status.

Even a small ride would hurt my wrists, shoulders, back and legs so much. The Wife was also not happy with the hard seats and the suspension. It got to a point where she started refusing to come on the bike anymore. And so, with a heavy heart, I decided to let her go (the bike, not the Wife :-D).

The guilt was very high. It was the most expensive Covid-time purchase, and I had already spent a lot in accessories and stuff.

On Sep 09, 2022, I sold the bike. For the two years it was with us, it was equal parts joy and frustration. Farewell, dear Phoenix, I will always miss you.

Thanks! Mine pulls to the right upon leaving the handlebar too but I didn’t give it much a thought as I felt the service guys would mess up than do any good which is the case mostly. I’m switching to Vredestein in the front today and to Apollo Alpha 150/60/17 at the rear in a couple of days. Will test that setup over the next weekend to see if stability improves overall.

If you don't mind, how much did you sell your bike for?

23,000 km Update

17 months and 23000 kms later, I must say I am very happy with the Interceptor.

I have had no major issues barring one puncture at home and a "bike not starting"episode, again at home.

Both were solved with the help of RSA. The battery was charged and the starting issue never came up again.

I have changed both the front and rear tyres. The rear at 13,500 kms and the front at 19,800 kms. Replaced them with Ceats again and I am happy with the Ceat tyres.

I got the Powerage exhausts installed at 4500 kms and the bend pipes at 19,800 kms as well. I am happy with the exhaust system as well.

Bar end mirrors were installed a year ago.

Service has been done at the ASS. Nothing to rave about, nothing much to complain as well.

Some pictures

Good going! :thumbs up

I'm much slower and it took me 55 months to complete 24,000 kms.


What next for your Twin? FuelX Pro+?

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

Exactly. I have done 1000 kms with the full system now. I am enjoying it. I want to build up memories as it is now so that I would appreciate the fuel x pro better. In a month I should go for it.

Cheers

Could someone with a 17” 150/60 rear wheel setup share the ideal rear tyre pressure to be maintained? I am currently maintaining 34 PSI at the rear on Apollo Alpha H1, however I’m not sure if it’s too much for the tyre profile or too less due to the weight of Interceptor.

On another note, with Vredestein 18” front and 17” rear, initial impression from the 30 odd kms I got to ride after installation is that, there’s an eagerness to fall into corners. I’m yet to break in the tyres to push further and test the overall balance.

Thanks!

replied to you in private !

Would be interesting to know about the difference beyween a FuelX Pro and Pro+, after using it for some kms.

I wish I had a highway close by like you to munch miles. Thats some odo in just 17 months.

I am quite confused myself between the two. I have to do some research I guess. Might as well go for the fuel x pro+ for whatever it is worth.

I shall keep you updated.

Cheers

Amazing! Intrigued to understand the split of this 23,000 kms - how did you accumulate this over the 17 months; any major long distance trips? Or a daily affair of 40-50 kms? Please do share.

Mine is still chugging at ~19k after 5 years. That includes a 2 year low usage during Covid but still not even remotely close to your mileage. The only similar example I remember is back when the bike was introduced in 2018, there were these "popular" biker influencers who did ~20k in the first 18 months by taking it on long Himalayan and other trips and doing vlogs on them.

I have done a couple of trips to Bengaluru and back which is 600 kms both ways. A couple of trips to Yercaud and back which is 200 kms to and fro. I regularly ride to Coimbatore and back ( once every month) . This is official trip and earlier I used to drive this route. I don't have to enter Coimbatore city so it is easy. The highway is a couple of kms from home,so that is easy as well.

I use the bike as a stress buster. So when I am free in the early hours of the morning, very early (3 am ish), I go for a ride. I finish work by 2 pm most days. I don't ride inside town at all. I drive to work. This season has had very heavy rains here or I would have been at 26-27000 by now.

Cheers