[Shumi_21]

So, I finally got a chance to ride the Interceptor & Continental GT 650. As ummm, not a fan of RE, I was left rather impressed. Here’s a comprehensive “why?”:

I was literally dragged to the RE showroom in Bandra by my RE fan(atic) cousin brother as we were passing by a couple of months ago and I ended up giving them my contact details as my brother was busy checking out his new (Orange) Crush. The folks at RE diligently followed up with me for a test ride when they became available & to their credit, even after I informed them that I had no real interest in the twins and had booked Honda’s CB300R instead!

A few days ago, a friend called me up, going gaga over the Conti, leaving me scratching my head, because he is(was) even more RE averse as I am(was?). Turned out, his girlfriend likes the Conti, and apparently you are supposed to like what your girlfriend likes, no questions asked. I wouldn’t know, I’m single. Anyway, I got in touch with the people at RE & the following Saturday we had a test ride lined up.

We showed up at the agreed time at 11 am, but the person who I spoke to was not available, but he had informed his colleague about us. Nice! The RE showroom in Bandra is a company owned one and is not very large. It has a small display area in front, where the usual line-up of RE bikes are displayed, including the notorious Pegasus 500. Inside the showroom, there is a black Conti on the right and an Orange Interceptor on the left, as you enter. We were immediately taken outside, where they had a black interceptor & a white Conti ready for test rides. Overall, the impression was very competent and professional.

We were initially authorised for a small test ride around the showroom. After which, we were asked if we would like to take both the bikes on a long-ish test ride up to Carter Road, which we happily accepted.

Build quality of the bikes were impressive, leagues ahead of other RE’s parked which I compared the Interceptor to. Paint quality was fantastic. Although there was rusting around the exhaust ports and chrome pitting on the pipes and some off putting weld marks. The instrument cluster looked ancient to me, and also looks rather ugly when you look at the bike in profile. Looks much well integrated with the flyscreen though. The upswept exhausts look out of place on the Interceptor, but look good on the Conti. Overall, I am rather indifferent to how the bike looks, it’s way too stretched out and blingy-chromey for my liking. I’d prefer an X version of the 650’s with a blacked-out engine, exhaust & tubeless tyres. My favourite colour combination is the Baker Express.

The test ride Interceptor had done about 3100km. The neutral light does not come on if you have the engine kill switch in the off position. Nor does the bike start if you have the side stand down. The riding position on the Interceptor was bearable. The footpegs are positioned weirdly, splaying your legs out and the tank digs into your thighs if you hold it with your legs. Heel plates are disappointingly an optional accessory. So basically, it’s difficult to hold the motorcycle with your lower body. A huge negative for me. Pushing the starter only once brought the bike to life, and I was off, although realising the “throw” of the clutch was way too much for my liking. The clutch lever had no play whatsoever, maybe a little adjustment of the clutch cable to have a little (10mm-15mm) play would be good. I did find myself fishing for the rear brake pedal, as it is again weirdly positioned, and you tend to touch the engine with the toe part of your boots. People planning to ride this bike in flip flops will surely get their toes burnt.

Moving over to the Conti, I immediately felt more comfortable with the riding position. Although, not very impressed by the looks again. Café racers should be compact IMHO, and the Conti looks anything but. The 535 Conti looks much better. My favourite colour combination is Ice Queen. The Conti did not start at the first thumbing of the starter. It took 4 presses to start, although I did not blip the throttle while pushing the start button. The Conti’s tank shape is much better contoured and I could hold it with my thighs and it has heel plates to well, dig your heels into. Footpegs do not impede at all, but the side-stand lever is placed right under the footpegs on the Conti, and I was found myself fishing for it everytime I parked the bike.

For the test ride, we were going to go through Bandra’s narrow and criss-crossing by-lanes towards Carter Road and back. I took the Interceptor first, and would switch for the Conti at Carter Road for the return leg. The sales guy accompanied us, sitting behind my friend on the Conti much to his chagrin.

Having familiarised myself with the bike on the short test ride, I decided to push the pace a little. And boy was it rewarding! The low-end torque was absolutely ballistic! I’m talking push-you-back-in-the-seat sort of feeling. Negligible vibrations on the footpegs, handlebars and seat, although the mirrors become unusable quickly due to vibes. The Interceptor’s handlebars provide enough leverage for filtering in traffic, although you have to be mindful that the exhausts need a little more space in a gap. The crown jewel however are the brakes! Fantastic feedback and bite, despite the weight & backed up by dual channel ABS. The fabulous low-end power, coupled with excellent braking and the lack of vibrations made the Interceptor more (superlatively more!) enjoyable to ride than I’d like to admit. The sound from the engine was also enjoyable, reminding me of the wheezing sound of Triumph engines!

Reaching an empty stretch of tarmac, I stopped, summoned some courage and launched the Interceptor properly. The result was me cackling like an unhinged maniac who had just escaped a lunatic asylum. Everytime I gunned the throttle, I was pushed back into the seat, with a deluge of electrifying, exhilarating rush of adrenaline, that I had never felt before! Holy-Moly, this wasn’t anything like the cathartic RE’s of yore, this one was not only revving freely but also doing it almost WITHOUT VIBRATIONS! Was I becoming a believer in RE?!

The Conti however jolted me back to reality, with its notchy-grumpy gearbox and vibrations. Maybe it was an issue with this test bike, but the tank was vibrating a lot and there was a buzz in the handlebars too. The acceleration also did not feel as vicious as it did on the Interceptor, owing to the better rider’s triangle and standard heel plates that allow you to “hold” the bike properly with your lower body. The feedback from the front end was also much better, which IMHO, is not a good thing. You see, the front suspension on both the twins is stiffly sprung and both the bikes feel unsettled going over bumps and potholes. Since you get more feedback on the Conti, it feels that much more unsettled. There was also an audible thudding noise from the rear suspension every time I went over undulations which I did not like on both bikes. Counter steering into corners also required a lot of muscling for both.

My 5’4” friend was struggling on the Interceptor, especially with the sales guy choosing to sit behind him all the time. It did not take long for him to get back on the Conti. While we were switching, he complained that his girlfriend was not responding to his video calls so that he can show her the Conti. I remarked that since she lives close by why not go to her house with the bikes and show her in real life. His genuine delight at my snarky comment made me realize that not only is love blind, but also stupid, and does not understand sarcasm. Off he went to ask the sales guy if we could ride by his girlfriend’s house. And this is where RE earned my respect.

The sales guy could have easily said that any detour from the set test ride route is not allowed. But instead he called up his senior, who in turn ALLOWED us to go to my friend’s girlfriend’s house with BOTH the bikes. This was literally going the extra mile to please a potential customer! It was decided that we pick up friend’s gf from her house and head to the showroom. The sales guy reluctantly sat pillion behind me on the Interceptor, while the couple took the Conti. I pushed hard and reached the dealership within minutes, while my friend got “lost” in the by-lanes of Bandra, leaving me to face the annoyed looks of potential customers as our shenanigans had caused a 20-minute waiting period for the test rides! And that’s why I did not have the courage to take any pictures.

To add insult to injury, after my friend finally showed up, he promptly took my Gixxer’s keys to go drop his gf back. He returned with a thumbs up for the Conti, and made a booking for the Ice Queen. While, I returned home impressed with the dealership experience!

P.S: Really sorry for the long post

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by psmenon

3M outlet at electronic city gave me a quote of 3.k for the whole tank. Do check multiple 3M outlets before you choose one.

Strictly speaking, as I understand, 3M Car Care Outlets are not allowed to work on two wheelers. I'm not sure if the contracts are changed. Please check with them if they are ok with posting about this in a public forum

[bangaloreguy]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

I was in love with the Continental GT's cafe racer design ever since it debuted back in 2013.

Lovely bike. I personally feel the new Continental GT 650 is better than the Interceptor in styling.

[yesyeswe]

There's a waiting of 2 months for the continental gt in jaipur but chrome is available for delivery, i wanted to buy the white colour but waiting for 2 months would be like a slow painful death. So is the chrome edition worth the extra amount?
And if there is a chance of getting any free accessories or discounts ?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

There's a waiting of 2 months for the continental gt in jaipur but chrome is available for delivery, i wanted to buy the white colour but waiting for 2 months would be like a slow painful death. So is the chrome edition worth the extra amount?
And if there is a chance of getting any free accessories or discounts ?

2 months is not that bad; considering a lot of the folks (including yours truly) have had to wait over 4-5 months.

As for the Chrome edition, there are a lot of fans for that version (I'm not) and happy to pay the premium. Have a look at it in person, and if you are enamored by the chrome finish, then just go for it!

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

There's a waiting of 2 months for the continental gt in jaipur but chrome is available for delivery, i wanted to buy the white colour but waiting for 2 months would be like a slow painful death. So is the chrome edition worth the extra amount?
And if there is a chance of getting any free accessories or discounts ?

Well I personally feel waiting a bit to get a colour of choice for a product that we will keep for a long time is worth it. However liking a colour is personal preference, and especially the Chrome is definitely so.

There are people who have made the math now and are very unhappy with the Chrome. The Chrome fuel tank costs 5-6k over the other standard colours when bought as a spare part. But the premium charged when buying the Chrome is about 30k which simply does not add up.

And even when RE was not doing well (back in the 90's) I was told they never gave discounts to improve sales. So with the highly successful product that commands a long waiting period today, it is simply impossible to expect a discount.

[yesyeswe]

[quote=aravind.anand;4597098]Well I personally feel waiting a bit to get a colour of choice for a product that we will keep for a long time is worth it. However liking a colour is personal preference, and especially the Chrome is definitely so.

There are people who have made the math now and are very unhappy with the Chrome. The Chrome fuel tank costs 5-6k over the other standard colours when bought as a spare part. But the premium charged when buying the Chrome is about 30k which simply does not add up.
I just talked to another RE dealership and they have the standard black magic colour available, and apart from the fuel tank there's not a single difference between the black and chrome variant, even the wheels and the mirrors are chrome in both the models. And maybe in future i can get the chrome fuel tank just for a change

[nasirkaka]

Made the payment yesterday for Mr Baker by bank transfer. Yet to receive an acknowledgement and receipt of the payment. The RE dealer and their associates are on song and tend to ignore customers as the product is selling like hot cake without any marketing effort. When an average customer is spending 3+L on a motorcycle, it is still an expensive proposition over the commuter bikes and the customer does expect to be treated a wee bit different or a slightly special feel, none of which is given. So bit disappointing there. They don't even offer a glass of water, forget tea or coffee. These small gestures go a long way in building relationship and trust. In general, my machismo booking experience in 2007 was more pleasant. Dont think they were selling many in those days.
Have opted for a few accessories such as bash plate, tall black leg guard, fork gaitors, IND number plate, etc. The price of some of the accessories have slightly gone up from the website price. ALso, they charged 700 for fitment of the accessories. Said they will be delivering the bike in 3-4 days time. Lets see. Hate to take the delivery in rainy season.

[Biker Ram]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Made the payment yesterday for Mr Baker by bank transfer. Yet to receive an acknowledgement and receipt of the payment. The RE dealer and their associates are on song and tend to ignore customers as the product is selling like hot cake without any marketing effort. When an average customer is spending 3+L on a motorcycle, it is still an expensive proposition over the commuter bikes and the customer does expect to be treated a wee bit different or a slightly special feel, none of which is given. So bit disappointing there. They don't even offer a glass of water, forget tea or coffee. These small gestures go a long way in building relationship and trust. In general, my machismo booking experience in 2007 was more pleasant. Dont think they were selling many in those days.
Have opted for a few accessories such as bash plate, tall black leg guard, fork gaitors, IND number plate, etc. The price of some of the accessories have slightly gone up from the website price. ALso, they charged 700 for fitment of the accessories. Said they will be delivering the bike in 3-4 days time. Lets see. Hate to take the delivery in rainy season.

This might be true with Teknik Motors and many other dealers but there are exceptions. I have bought 3 Enfields in last 8 years, one from the brand showroom in Jayanagar, and two from HSR Services Lalbagh Road. I have had very good experience with HSR Services on both occasions. Even repair and servicing at HSR Services is better than Teknik and the brand owned garage. My experience at Teknik Sarjapur Road was with getting my CL350 getting serviced multiple times, and enquiries about Himalayan and the 650s as a potential customer. I totally disliked their attitude right from the proprietor to workshop manager to service advisers to sales guys.

I really wanted to get the fork gaiters fixed but it wasn't in stock during delivery of the bike. Plus I felt why unnecessarily open up the fork assembly. Thought it was right decision after seeing a post where something got broken during the fitment. I'm planning to get the gaiters fixed when/if there is a need to disassemble it anyways, say during fork oil change or for something else.

[surjaonwheelz]

Hello 650 Twin Owners,

Here's a nice video on the service guide of RE Interceptor 650.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aid3ltqj3aI

This is quite common in other parts of the world where RE service is done by 'competent' garages/personnel. He gives some tips on warranty claims also.

Do check out his 3 part modification series.

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[Rob UK]

I finally got around to test riding both at Cooper Motorcycles in the UK yesterday.

I am not sure if the QC is uprated for export bikes (has always appeared so on the singles), but no scruffy welds, oddly spaced exhausts etc... to report... in fact, they were both pretty flawless.

Both bikes had uprated seats, the Conti had a slimline cafe racer single seat, the Interceptor had a diamond stitched seat. Additionally, the Interceptor had a small screen & a set of bar risers fitted, lifting the bars about 30mm, and Cooper's own prototype sports exhaust.

Riding positions:

The Continental reminded me a bit of the original Ducati Monster. It's pretty much perfect - not too racey. If anything, I would want to lower the clip-ons a bit for the looks. The only complaint I have is that having relatively long legs (33 inch inside leg / 6'1) I wished the cut-outs on the tank were just a little deeper. I found myself shuffling back on the seat an inch or two to get my knees tucked in.

The Interceptor is not quite right in my book. I either wanted the pegs where they are on the Continental, or a bit further forward - this may be a function of my height, but I felt that my knees were too bent. My Dad (69 years old & still riding bikes ) was really interested in the Interceptor, thinking the dynamics would be like a Bullet. As it was, he got a bit of hip cramp riding it, which sadly rules him out of buying one.

On the road:

These are truly modern bikes. Comparison to a Bullet is pointless - like comparing a WW2 Jeep to a new Toyota Hilux. The Cooper exhausts on the Interceptor sounded AMAZING. Easily the best sounding <900cc 4 stroke twin money can buy. The Conti only burbled quietly away, those standard cans would be straight off! The engine is decent - flexible, tractable, smooth, and the right balance of midrange torque & reviness for retro bikes. I feel there is probably potential for RE to flex the tune in future with cams & fuelling to get a more top end power, or a softer tune with more bottom end torque. It certainly feels to me like it has been set up for the 47bhp classification and is not reaching full potential. The fuelling feels good - the only minor issue being a few mm of throttle travel before a response is evident.

The Conti feels like it handles marginally better, a gentle bit of counter-steer and she drops into a turn very nicely - not exactly "sporty" but really sweet & light to control, but the Interceptor isn't far off. Brakes are OK - maybe the front could use a little more initial bite - but I got off a Honda VFR with twin 6 piston calipers, so perhaps that's a harsh call! I think there is scope to uprate the Continental brakes and suspension a bit for a range topper - preferably with a re-tune. The gear shifts were a bit more positive on the Interceptor than the Continental, presumably because the shifters are different to account for the peg positions. It required a little more of a positive shove, but was always smooth. The Conti fooled me into thinking it had the "Swiss watch" snick of a Honda gearbox at first, but a couple of false neutrals between 2/3/4 soon disavowed me it is quite that good!

Looks wise - decent. The indicators & rear light are not to my taste & would be swapped for more retro styled items straight away, with a bit of a tidy up of the rear. I didn't like the silver front mudguard on the Interceptor & think the headlight is perhaps set slightly too high, which you might be able to adjust.

Overall:

These bikes fill a niche in Europe - we are looking at around £5500-£6000 on the road (4.8-5.3 lac) so they are priced 30% cheaper than an entry model Triumph Street Twin here and as A2 license ready and more compact, will definitely find buyers.

From an Indian perspective - OK, I am a proper RE fanboy, but one of these models is probably the bike I would choose to ride in India. At the price they are retailing for, Enfield have smashed this over the boundary and into the stands for 6 in my book.

What's Next?

I'd like to see RE follow the successful approach of Triumph & Harley to squeeze more variation from the package.

Re-tuned Continental 'R' with racier tyres, a hotter cam to release a bit more top end bhp, improved front brake & suspension, maybe smaller dials & bar end mirrors - perhaps predominantly as an export model.

Blacked out 'scrambler' version of the Interceptor with slightly raised ride height, a highline exhaust, 19 inch front wheel, meshed in headlight, sump guard & matt paint.

Thunderbird type frame giving a more "cruiser" stance & riding position, engine optimised for low down torque.

[yesyeswe]

RE dealership quoted me 36220₹ for 5 year insurance of gt 650 chrome including own damage, third party and nill depreciation, when i checked the same with my insurance guy he quoted me 27500₹ for the same deal, it is by new India assurance company. Guess we can save a lot by getting insurance from outside

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Hello 650 Twin Owners,

Here's a nice video on the service guide of RE Interceptor 650.

A correction.

Never EVER top-up brake fluid when you're servicing a motorcycle.

If brake fluid level is low, you change brake-pads and fluid, no other way about it.

If brake pad still has a lot of life left then you have a leak, once again, there's no other way about it, you sort out the leak by replacing concerned part along with consumables and then change fluid.

This is not engine oil, brake fluid level only drops if pad's are worn out or if there's a leak in the system.

[nasirkaka]

This might be true with Teknik Motors and many other dealers but there are exceptions. I have bought 3 Enfields in last 8 years, one from the brand showroom in Jayanagar, and two from HSR Services Lalbagh Road. I have had very good experience with HSR Services on both occasions. Even repair and servicing at HSR Services is better than Teknik and the brand owned garage. My experience at Teknik Sarjapur Road was with getting my CL350 getting serviced multiple times, and enquiries about Himalayan and the 650s as a potential customer. I totally disliked their attitude right from the proprietor to workshop manager to service advisers to sales guys.

Right! Prior to interceptor, my machismo and C5 purchase was from the brand store @ jaynagar/jp nagar. Like mentioned earlier, the experience was better then @Teknik - HSR. This time i took a chance with teknik as i have moved closer to the showroom but surely this will be my last purchase from these guys. Listen to this. After making payment in full last thursday and giving all other details like ID, address proof etc. they call me now and ask to send them address proof again. I said i already submitted the details last week, they say the person who too my details is not there and if i want quick delivery, i must send them the proofs again by whatapp. And all this in an unpleasant tone. I was like .

[yesyeswe]

I am in the process of buying the continental GT chrome version, the ex showroom price is 285609₹ in jaipur and the insurance is 36920 for 5 years zero depreciation+5 years own damage+5 years 3rd party. When i inquired with my insurance guy he quoted me 27k approx for the same deal and IDV would be the maximum allowed. 2k extra if i opt for consumables as well. Some people are claiming that they got the same for even lesser amount. I am a bit confused now.
Can you guys please share with me the insurance amount paid by you