[Mach_1590]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Looks like RE is testing alloy wheels for the twins.
Received this image as a whatsapp forward.

That's a great sighting. I have a doubt, can the current CEAT tires be used with the alloy wheels without tubes? I read somewhere that these are tubeless tires, due to spokes they have tubes in them. Sorry for the noob question.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by Mach_1590

That's a great sighting. I have a doubt, can the current CEAT tires be used with the alloy wheels without tubes? I read somewhere that these are tubeless tires, due to spokes they have tubes in them. Sorry for the noob question.

That was really the case when the Twins had Pirellis. But the CEAT tyre says TT (Tube type) so it wouldn't seal the rim for alloy / tubeless conversions! Hope that would change with the introduction of these new alloys.

[ishan12]

After around 15K kms on the stock Pirelli tyres, the search for new set of tyres begun. Import ban on tyres has made it extremely difficult to find quality tyres in the 18" rim size. I had a small 2 day ride to Koyna (160km one way) planned on the 15th Aug weekend and was looking to install a new pair of tyres before the ride.
Pirellis available in the market were from old stock and atrociously priced. New Timsums were available, but were 16k Plus and would have taken 2 weeks for reaching Pune from Bangalore. Since the rims on my bike are tubeless, so Ceats were not an option, as they are tube type tyres.

A lot of people in my 650 riding group were already using Ralco Speed blaster. I was trying to avoid them, since Ralco as a brand does not really sound like they belong on a 650cc/48 Bhp motorcycle. But with no other option left, I had to go ahead with Ralcos.
They are around 5k a pair and come in stock size for Inty. I thought, even if I dont like them, they are really cheap and I can use them for 4-5k kms or until finding another quality alternative. I had no clue, I was up for a pleasant surprise and costly = better quality perception was to be broken .

Found the tyres really confidence inspiring, specially on wet and bad road surfaces. Felt more confident on them compared to the stock Pirellis specially on wet roads. The dual purpose design really helps on bad roads. The same suspension of Inty that felt mediocre before, felt a lot better on Ralcos. At 5k a pair they are such a bargain.
They are H rated (150 kph), compared to the P rated Pirellis. I hardly ever do speeds exceeding 120Kph so it doesn't really matter to me. Also, I never do hard cornering, so cant really comment on how will the Ralcos behave in those situations. For everything else, they work really well and are cheap too.
The only difference I could experience was that on smooth roads, the ride felt more confident on the Pirellis post 110 Kph compared to Ralcos, but the difference is only marginal and I am ok to live with the compromise given the fact that Ralcos felt superior on wet and bad roads. Also, the tread pattern doesn't really suit the retro looks of the Inty, but I am the kind of person who values function over form, so it doesn't really bother me.

Another pleasant surprise, is that the wobbling issue at 80kph, which I was facing since I bought the bike has completely gone . Had numerous things done and many visits to SC but the issue persisted. With the new tyres, the bike is rock solid and no wobbling at any speed.

P.S- If you plan to go with Ralcos, make sure to install the front tyre in the reverse direction of rotation as marked on the tyre, since it is supposed to be a rear tyre as per the manufacturer and we are using it in the front.

Posting few pictures from the ride below.

[mskr8]

Note to mod: Could you please add as a quote my previous post on the tank residue issue here? Still learning how to use TeamBHP

Here's the update on the residue on the fuel tank issue which I posted.
Short update: The service centre guys say it's Rust due to water entering the tank.
Here's how the fuel tank looks now:




Detailed update:
I took it to the RE Service Center (Snowline Autos, near Sheela Chowk, Dharamshala) on Monday as agreed. They brought in my INTY but refused to log it in anywhere despite my repeated requests and told me to "trust me bro" and leave the bike. Since I had other official work to attend to, I took the Service Consultants' number and left the bike.

After ~3 hrs, they called and asked me to collect my bike. Upon reaching there, they said that as they suspected, the issue was water entering the tank which caused rusting. And why it was only on the left side was because the bike was left on the side stand and not on the centre stand. They added that I can continue to ride the bike and in case I face any issue, I should wait till the time there are 3-4 months left in my insurance to end and get the tank replaced under warranty. This got me confused and I asked how would that work. To this, they answered that "Hum dent maardenge ispe aur insurance pe claim kardenge. Ye sab aapka bus 1000-1500 main ho jaega." (Transl. We'll put a dent on the bike and get it claimed + replaced under insurance. You'll just have to pay 1000-1500 Rs. for this).

This sounded shady to me and also got me questioning the quality of the fuel tank cap. This brings me to the following questions:
1. Should I get the gasket/rubber of the fuel tank replaced? I saw Srinivas Ganesh on YT do it and he says the quality of the new rubber is damn good. Link:

https://youtu.be/ddGeQ38yQlM

2. How on God's good earth could water possibly enter the tank and only "rust" the left side? Even if my house-help washed the bike while it was on the side stand, how is that water entered the fuel tank and only rusted the left side?


I'm kinda stupefied... would benefit from your thoughts.

Also, if it helps, here's how my bike is (was) parked along with the Raida All Season cover on it.

[schakravarthy]

On a recent trip to Chikmagalur, my bike had a rear wheel puncture at the worst possible location - Devaramane peak. The nearest repair shop was 30 kms away & the terrain to reach that was through a roller coaster circuit of ups and downs between and over the hills. Thankfully, my friend had brought his car, so with the wheel removed, we drove back to Mudigere. The tube was pretty badly damaged - the culprit being a stray screwdriver (can you believe it?)



With the only recourse being a tube replacement, we searched quite a few shops there for the right sized tube - 130/80-18. None of them had it. I had to make do with a 100/90-18.

The tube held on and we rode back to Mysore. The shocking bit comes next - 130/80-18 tube was not available anywhere at Mysore as well! I got one from Bangalore and that too was a couple of years old.

The urge to go tubeless is really strong after this experience. This despite both the tyres being just 500 kms old. Does anyone know if the Hunter alloys can be used on the Interceptor? They being 17 inchers, it would be much better than the spied 18 inch offering.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by mskr8

Here's the update on the residue on the fuel tank issue which I posted.
Short update: The service centre guys say it's Rust due to water entering the tank.
Here's how the fuel tank looks now:

Detailed update:
I took it to the RE Service Center (Snowline Autos, near Sheela Chowk, Dharamshala) on Monday as agreed. They brought in my INTY but refused to log it in anywhere despite my repeated requests and told me to "trust me bro" and leave the bike. Since I had other official work to attend to, I took the Service Consultants' number and left the bike.

After ~3 hrs, they called and asked me to collect my bike. Upon reaching there, they said that as they suspected, the issue was water entering the tank which caused rusting. And why it was only on the left side was because the bike was left on the side stand and not on the centre stand. They added that I can continue to ride the bike and in case I face any issue, I should wait till the time there are 3-4 months left in my insurance to end and get the tank replaced under warranty. This got me confused and I asked how would that work. To this, they answered that "Hum dent maardenge ispe aur insurance pe claim kardenge. Ye sab aapka bus 1000-1500 main ho jaega." (Transl. We'll put a dent on the bike and get it claimed + replaced under insurance. You'll just have to pay 1000-1500 Rs. for this).

This sounded shady to me and also got me questioning the quality of the fuel tank cap.

mskr8, a brand new bike should not face rusting issues. Period. That too, one that was covered up. There are multiple red flags here
- the insistence of the SVC to not enter this in their internal systems
- the warranty vs insurance ambiguity. There is no correlation between 3 - 4 months left on your insurance to end, with getting the tank replaced under warranty. Besides, if its under warranty, why should you pay for it out of your pocket?

My best guess is that the SVC is trying to avoid this problem being traced back to negligence in the PDI stage.

I will suggest a two pronged approach
a. Write to the Royal Enfield customer care email ID. Mention everything factually with dates and photographs. Do consider linking your 2 posts from this thread. Ask for the contact details of the local service head.
b. Visit the SVC and look for the contact details of the person who is responsible for service in the area. All SVCs and showrooms have an escalation matrix. After you send the email, call the person and explain the situation.

Once things are on the record, the right people usually swing into action and get the necessary parts replaced ASAP. Do keep us posted on how this goes.

[jomson13]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Another pleasant surprise, is that the wobbling issue at 80kph, which I was facing since I bought the bike has completely gone . Had numerous things done and many visits to SC but the issue persisted. With the new tyres, the bike is rock solid and no wobbling at any speed.

I can confirm this.
I got my tyres changed today; Stock Pirelli's to Ceat's and immediately the wobbling issue has sorted itself out.
The new Ceats are not as confidence inspiring as the outgoing Pirelli's.
I hope this is only until the new tires are run in. Any specific run in procedure to be followed?

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

The tube held on and we rode back to Mysore. The shocking bit comes next - 130/80-18 tube was not available anywhere at Mysore as well! I got one from Bangalore and that too was a couple of years old.

Fellow BHP'ain surjaonwheelz also could not get the right size tube and had to make do with a 100/90/18 tube for the rear tire
Today when I changed my tires I found out that the front had a 90/90/18 tube instead of the 100/90/18 - maybe something that the previous owner did.

Due to this problem with availability of the right sized tubes I decided to hold on to the old tubes. Hopefully I never need to use them.

[Vtach]

Enfield's site is showing Interceptor, Continental & Himalayan options under alloy wheel drop down headings among other models. Selecting the option though shows "not available" yet. Gives me hope that the alloys (and compatible tyre options!) would be launched soon

[kaushalswarup]

Originally Posted by Vtach

Enfeild's site is showing Interceptor, Continental & Himalyan options under alloy wheel drop down headings among other models. Selecting the option though shows "not available" yet. Gives me hope that the alloys (and compatible tyre options!) would be launched soon

The drop down also shows the Himalayan, Scram, and the old Bullet. Looks like they’ve just listed their entire range of bikes.

But, with the shotgun & meteor 650 (or whatever names RE comes up with) looking ready for launch (hopefully at Rider Mania or EICMA), giving alloys for the existing 650 twins along with a few quality based updates would seem the most logical choice for RE, to keep the twins as viable enticing products.

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by ishan12

Looks like RE is testing alloy wheels for the twins.
Received this image as a whatsapp forward.

On the hunter launch day at local RE dealership, i met someone from RE, i asked him about the alloys and he said it will be launched soon ! That's all he was ready to tell about it.

[mskr8]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

mskr8, a brand new bike should not face rusting issues. Period. That too, one that was covered up. There are multiple red flags here

Thank you so much for the suggestion, Neil. And here I was, so worried about this issue, considering I'm so new to motorbikes and this is my first vehicle. Highly appreciate your reply. Cements my trust in this community even more!

Coming back to your suggestion about the two-pronged approach, well, I was lucky enough to have met the service area manager for J&K and Himachal. I had met him back in July while I was visiting the RE showroom to get an update on the bike, and it turned out he is a distant family friend.

But yeah, regardless, I'll write an email to RE and the ASM explaining the situation. I will also call the person up after I've sent the email.

A question before I go, is it safe to ride the bike? The SVC guys said it is but, given the incident, my trust in them has diminished and I haven't ridden it since then :/

[BikeDevil44]

Hi All,

This would be my last post on this thread. Today I handed over the keys to my beloved Inty 650 to a new owner. I bid goodbye to the motorcycle that has taught me a lot about what motorcycles are all about, how to handle them, how to maintain them, The basic nuances of riding and many more such things! I feel the last 3.5 years and approx 30k kms have been no less than a rollercoaster ride! I’m not even going to comment on the number of service center visits that I’ve had to make due to some or the other niggles apart from the basic periodic maintenance visits. This bike undoubtedly is a gem from the RE stable but with time you tend to outgrow things and motorcycles are no different. I cannot maintain a multi bike garage so had to let go of the Inty for an upgrade.
Sharing a photo from the last market visit ride from today morning.

[adises]

Originally Posted by Mach_1590

That's a great sighting. I have a doubt, can the current CEAT tires be used with the alloy wheels without tubes? I read somewhere that these are tubeless tires, due to spokes they have tubes in them. Sorry for the noob question.

CEAT has apparently now launched tubeless tyres too in 18-inch (CEAT Zoom Cruz). The tyres we get with the bike are tube type and cannot be used in a tubeless setup as they don't have the bead to hold air without a tube.

[2legit2quit]

Friendly reminder of what a handsome son of a gun the Interceptor 650 is!

[2legit2quit]

Greetings all,

I went trail riding last Sunday with a dear friend and two-stroke enthusiast at Lake Under the Moon which is about an hour away from the heart of Hyderabad. The place had a mix of flowy offroad and technical trails. There was also an opportunity to try a bit of enduro riding on the many boulders and hills around the lake. Not that I am delusional enough to believe this 200 kg behemoth could tackle enduro riding.

Dropped the bike on a sandy technical incline with a deep rut, something I would attribute to road-biased tires and an inability to anchor the weight at that instance. No damages though. Unfortunately, no pictures of this since both my friend and I were too occupied trying to climb this section to have the thought of taking pictures. Overall I would rate it as a fun Sunday morning OTR.