Excellent review
CrAzY dRiVeR. This review is as good as any other official review. Thanks for your efforts to help us understand the bike in detail.
So today I went for my second TD post which I booked the Interceptor 650. Booking details can be found
here - (The "I Booked my Bike / Scooter" Thread).
Here are my quick impressions after riding the Twins :
Positives :
* Interceptor is more practical bike overall for City and Highway use
* Interceptor riding posture is more upright and comfortable compared to GT.
* Interceptor has about 1L additional fuel tank capacity compared to GT.
* GT weights about 4KG lesser than Interceptor, so the smaller fuel tank issue is negated up-to certain extent.
* Ergonomic wise I feel the GT is better than the Interceptor mainly because of the footpeg position especially for shorter riders, more details below.
* Both the bikes had done around 500kms on ODO and there was a little heat if you place your legs closer to the engine case. But I feel its alright as Mojo also heats up similarly in bad traffic and moreover there is some amount of additional heat to be expected from new TD bikes.
* The torque is great, although you can go fast on the bike but it naturally feels at home if you ride it leisurely and anyway there is ample amount of power for quick overtakes in any gear.
* The engine is very practical even for the City, I could do 40kph in 4th gear, something which is not possible on the Mojo (KTMs and similar) as it would struggle at lower RPMs.
* Although there is no side-stand indicator, the engine automatically shuts off if you slot any gear when the bike is on side stand.
* The bike doesn't feel heavy on the move and the center stand length (or throw?) is short so its not very difficult to put it on. Also they have given a grab rail at the side which actually helps while putting the center stand.
* Fit and finish levels are unlike any other RE, almost at par with Mojo. Vibrations are non-existent, there is a slight buzz at higher RPMs which is expected.
* The pricing is really good, they have kept the ex-showroom lesser in Cities where the taxes are more (Bengaluru) which I feel is a really good move. The OTR is exactly 3lacs for Interceptor 650 Std colors which is very VFM when you compare it with any other bike on sale today!
Negatives :
* Both are not as comfortable as say the TB350 or even the Mojo I feel. For GT its the combination of slightly rear-set pegs and slightly forward committed riding position which may be an issue on longer journeys and in bad traffic conditions. For Interceptor, one of the reason is the soft seat, another is the next point.
* The seat is kind of slippery on the Interceptor, upon hard acceleration I was sliding back on the seat and had to re-adjust after each wrist of throttle
* On Interceptor rear brake pedal is right under the engine case, almost half of the pedal seems to be positioned under the engine case. But I didn't find any issue with that apart from minor heat since I wasn't wearing my shoes. The length is adequate but I feel it could've been positioned a little bit to the right similar to how it is placed on the GT. (pics below)
* On Interceptor, the footpegs position is actually an issue for shorter riders. I am around 5.7 and my legs were touching the footpegs right at the center when I sat closer to the tank. If I sit a little bit away from the tank then my legs go behind the footpegs which is the ideal position. But shorter riders will face this issue initially and it needs some getting used to. Not a deal-breaker for me at-least. And this issue is non-existent on the GT because of the slightly rear-set pegs.
* The handlebar grip is not to my liking, I will need to get that changed. It has an uncomfortable texture unlike on the Mojo where its plain and feels good to hold.
* Feature list is very minimum, they could've increased the price slightly more and offered more features on the instrument cluster at-least.
I may have missed few points, which I will add later when I remember. Pardon my lengthy paragraphs, I am really tired right now to be able to format it in a better way.
Now let's look at the pictures that I have taken using my Phone :
The TD Bike - Interceptor 650 in Silver The TD Bike - GT 650 in White My legs touching the footpegs on the Interceptor, whereas its not an issue on the GT The left half of the rear brake lever on the INT650 is below the engine case, whereas its completely away from the engine case on the GT. Also notice that I am sitting slightly away from the tank on the Interceptor and hence my leg is behind the footpeg and not beside it, which seems ideal.
Note :
I own a Mojo and my brother owns a TB350, so obviously my comparisons are mainly related to Mojo, TB350 and the Twins.
~Cheers