[Torino]

Crossed 19,000 kms early this week. Few weeks back did a quick early morning 220km round trip to Pichatur dam in Andhra Pradesh with fellow Interceptor riders. Was a blast riding on the AH45 and winding rural roads. The roads were good, maintained triple digit speeds on open roads and the cloudy sky only made the ride better. Completed the trip with two bars of fuel remaining, got an overall mileage of 26kmpl.

Last week did a 260km round trip to ISRO’s rocket launching facility in Sriharikota, AP. It was a fast Sunday breakfast ride with fellow Interceptor riders. Started at 545am, photo session along the Pulicat lake, talk motorcycles, breakfast and reach back home by 12pm.

Few things that need attention:
1. With full tank of fuel, petrol is seeping out from under the fuel tank cap while braking or accelerating hard, due to worn out fuel cap O-ring.
2. The key comes off when pulled in ignition ON position.
3. Factory fitted Pirelli tyres are running out of thread and needs to be replaced asap, have been contemplating on few tyre and wheel options. Will keep the thread posted.

[Torino]

So I've switched to 17'' Aluminium spoke wheels:
Initially I had three options in my mind, the most sensible one was to go for the Ceat Zoom Cruz or be a bit weirdly realistic and get the RE Meteor’s plug-n-play rear alloy wheel and take full advantage of the tubeless tyre or get a pair of 17’’ aftermarket Aluminium spoke rims to retain the lovely retro looks and get lower ride height.

And I choose the least sensible option and ordered a pair of Aluminium spoke rims from Dismotech Bangalore. Got in touch with Dismotech and inquired about their Aluminium rims. They claimed these rims are made for Indian road conditions using 7000 grade Aluminium alloy and are robust and lighter than Interceptor’s stock rims and gets a lifetime warranty against internal defects. The rims arrived in two weeks bubble wrapped in two separate boxes. The rims look decently finished but nowhere near the league of the stock Excel Aluminium alloy rims. The rim surface is not perfectly smooth in some places and is finished with glossy silver color paint. The stock Excel rims and Dismotech rims felt similar in weight. Had to shell out Rs 18200 in total to Dismotech for the 2.75x17 front rim, 4.00x17 rear rim and two sets of RE Himalayan’s stainless steel rear wheel spokes. Stock Excel rims are 2.50x18 & 3.50x18.

I’m a fairly sedate rider and performance tyres weren’t necessary so I got the tyres based on durability, cost & compatibility, hence got the Ceat Zoom XL 110/70-17H bias at Rs2099 & Apollo Alpha S1 140/60-R17H radial at Rs3040 from Amazon. I went for the 4.00’’ rim & 140/60 section rear tyre combination since I felt anything over 140 will look out of place in the bike and rob engine performance. Also wanted the lower ride height from the low profile tyre and wasn’t worried about the trade-off in the ground clearance.

How it all started:
The need for going the 17’’ wheels route was due to my constant hustle with the Interceptor’s weight and height. It all started early this year when I came across a seller in Instagram with aftermarket 17 inch Aluminium rims. Always loved the spoke wheeled retro looks of the Interceptor and decided to do it when the factory tyres run out of thread. Started gathering the parts one by one, firstly got the tyres in April and the rims in July and then I got plain lazy and was riding around with the thread left in the stock tyres. And then installed the suspension lowering kit which you can see in the previous posts on this thread. Fast forward to September with the ODO just over 19,000kms, the stock factory tyres were going bald and had to be replaced asap and the 17’’ conversion began.

Found a motorcycle wheel lacing guy near my place from Google, the dude laced the front wheel and then later the day said the rear rim has design fault and he’s able to lace only one side, said thanks and took back the wheels. Few weeks later I took both the wheels all the way to ‘Yousuf Wheel Truing’ in Pudupet which was suggested to me in the first place by a buddy of mine. The boys at Yousuf did an excellent job and was done with both the wheels in 40 mins. It turns out the previous wheel lacing dude was plain incompetent, there was nothing wrong with the rim. Got the tyres slapped on to the wheels and on the bike at my FNG.

Initial impressions:
Firstly I would like to echo in line with @man_of_steel’s feedback on his 17’’ conversion

• The dreaded death wobble is 100% cured. The bike is now rock solid (in CAPS AND BOLD) even at triple digit speeds
• Stability at highway speeds has increased. Earlier the bike felt nervous at speeds above 80
• Flickability has increased many fold. Much eager to turn into corners now
• Holds the line beautifully once leaned in
• At slow speeds, earlier the bike had a tendency to not turn in and then suddenly used to fall into the corner. Now it handles slow speeds in a controlled and neutral manner
• ABS is working perfectly

In short. Feels like an entirely different and lighter bike!

Yes! the bike feels compact, doesn’t feel top heavy and handles like a fat Duke 390!
I wasn’t expecting such a transformation in the ride and handling characteristics. Due to lighter & smaller wheels the acceleration feels eager and quicker in each gear now and 100kmph comes up at similar 4100rpm in 6th gear. I’ve ridden close to 100kms now with this set up and I can say the Interceptor with 17’’ wheels feels nearly as flickable as my old FZ16. I've set 32 & 38 psi and feels ok but not sure if thats right psi. What should be the ideal tyre pressure? Is there any logical calculation?

I think I’ve over achieved my quest for low ride height in my Interceptor and now I could more than flat foot on both feet together with ease and can easily work around the foot pegs while walking the bike. On the contrary, I’ve lost quite a bit of ground clearance and I managed to scrap the main stand on few speed bumps during initial test runs with a pillion. Note that the rear suspension is at its softest preload setting and I’m also currently running with the suspension lowering kit. Quickly changed the rear suspension preload to stiffest setting and the ground clearance is much better and the bike managed to clear all of those speed bumps with a bit more slowing down. Not bad, not bad at all! For those who don’t care about lower ride height the ground clearance issue can be sorted by installing aftermarket suspension riser kit.

The ODO now reads just over 19,400kms and its time for periodical service. Decided to get the complete service done at Kick Start Garage in Karapakkam, OMR, Chennai. Kick Start Garage is run by couple of ex-RE650 twins trained service advisors and mechanics from the company owned RE OMR service center. These guys have always been the go-to-guys for accurate and precise diagnosis of the issue relating to the 650 twins.

Ceat Zoom XL 110/70-17H bias at Rs2099 & Apollo Alpha S1 140/60-R17H radial at Rs3040 from Amazon.


Rims arrived in boxes generously bubble wrapped.


Close up shot of the rim surface.


2.75x17 front & 4.00x17 rear Aluminimum alloy rim

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Torino

Due to lighter & smaller wheels the acceleration feels eager and quicker in each gear now and 100kmph comes up at similar 4100rpm in 6th gear

Pls share did you had to calibrate the speedo reading; or enlighten where the sensor for determining the speed is located pls. Thanks.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by aargee

Pls share did you had to calibrate the speedo reading; or enlighten where the sensor for determining the speed is located pls. Thanks.

Never mind boss, I got the answer


Speedo & odo are going to be little optimistic going forward

[surajram]

Smaller wheels = less angular momentum; Hence the steering should require less force to turn in corners.

Conversely, has highway cruising manners changed?

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by Torino

be a bit weirdly realistic and get the RE Meteor’s plug-n-play rear alloy wheel and take full advantage of the tubeless tyre

The tyres look fabulous, and the wobble going away is really an icing on the cake.

For me, that dreaded 'what-if there's a puncture' has been one of the biggest deterrents to go out on a very long ride, and I've been waiting to go for reliable alloy/tubeless conversion. I would like your advice on a few things:

- Are the Meteor's alloys really plug-n-play for the Interceptor, both front and rear?
- Are any modifications required to do this?
- Where can I get this swap done? Shall I source the rims at the service center and then get them fitted at a FNG?

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by Torino

So I've switched to 17'' Aluminium spoke wheels:


And I choose the least sensible option and ordered a pair of Aluminium spoke rims from Dismotech Bangalore. Got in touch with Dismotech and inquired about their Aluminium rims. They claimed these rims are made for Indian road conditions using 7000 grade Aluminium alloy and are robust and lighter than Interceptor’s stock rims and gets a lifetime warranty against internal defects.

That's a lovely upgrade on your bike and one that I've been planning to do for a while now.

Did you not have to convert the Dismotech rims to tubeless using something like Outex or Way2Speed solution? IIRC correctly these rims are not tubeless and thats one of the reasons why I've not gone ahead with this mod.
However, Dismotech have recently come up with a tubeless type rim, I saw their post on Insta yesterday.

Can you also share what's the speedo error post the upgrade?

Thanks in advance.

[Torino]

Originally Posted by surajram

Smaller wheels = less angular momentum; Hence the steering should require less force to turn in corners.

Conversely, has highway cruising manners changed?

Yes. The effort and the way how the bike does lane changes and sharp turns at slow speed is night and day. Will check the highway manners over this weekend, for now the bike felt good during my short bursts to ton in the city.

Originally Posted by Vibhav-Van

The tyres look fabulous, and the wobble going away is really an icing on the cake.

For me, that dreaded 'what-if there's a puncture' has been one of the biggest deterrents to go out on a very long ride, and I've been waiting to go for reliable alloy/tubeless conversion. I would like your advice on a few things:

- Are the Meteor's alloys really plug-n-play for the Interceptor, both front and rear?
- Are any modifications required to do this?
- Where can I get this swap done? Shall I source the rims at the service center and then get them fitted at a FNG?

Well, the fear of getting a puncture is always there but I just love the vintage looks of the spoke wheels.
- Meteor comes with 17'' rear & 19'' front and only the rear wheel is plug and play onto the Interceptor, front wheel doesn't fit.
- Zero modifications required for fitting the rear wheel.
- You can get Meteor's rear alloy wheel from the spares outlet at RE service center for around Rs 7k. Compatible tyre should cost anywhere between 3k-5.5k. Get it swapped at your FNG.

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

That's a lovely upgrade on your bike and one that I've been planning to do for a while now.

Did you not have to convert the Dismotech rims to tubeless using something like Outex or Way2Speed solution? IIRC correctly these rims are not tubeless and thats one of the reasons why I've not gone ahead with this mod.
However, Dismotech have recently come up with a tubeless type rim, I saw their post on Insta yesterday.

Can you also share what's the speedo error post the upgrade? Thanks in advance.

I'm hearing only mixed reviews on the tubeless conversion kits and that makes me think it to be as good as not having it.
Yeah saw the post on the side locking spoke rims but I presume the minimum compatible tyre size is 160x17 which is rear wheel and can be an overkill for the Interceptor. Hope they bring in smaller sizes in the future. If these rims were in 2.75'' & 3.00'' size then I dont think any Interceptor owner will look for alloy wheels including me.

As for the speedo, 100kmph now comes at ~4400rpm. It used to be ~4100rpm with 18'' wheel. I haven't really checked the speedo error.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Torino

the minimum compatible tyre size is 160x17 which is rear wheel and can be an overkill for the Interceptor. Hope they bring in smaller sizes in the future. If these rims were in 2.75'' & 3.00'' size then I dont think any Interceptor owner will look for alloy wheels including me.

I don't think these are tyre sizes, but rather rim widths. Like 160 is a 1.6 width, 300 is 3.00 etc

I too have made up my mind and will going to the 17 inch conversion. However, for now I'll b going with the meteor rear and a spoke front (Himalayan rim) till such time a viable option for the front comes up. Don't have a lot of faith in dismotech tbh

[Turbojc]

Originally Posted by Torino

Yeah saw the post on the side locking spoke rims but I presume the minimum compatible tyre size is 160x17 which is rear wheel and can be an overkill for the Interceptor. Hope they bring in smaller sizes in the future. If these rims were in 2.75'' & 3.00'' size then I dont think any Interceptor owner will look for alloy wheels including me.

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

I don't think these are tyre sizes, but rather rim widths. Like 160 is a 1.6 width, 300 is 3.00 etc

Hi! From what I understand, the second dimension quoted in the image is the total rim width in mm. The Instagram post description mentions that the wheels are an inch wider on each side to account for the side-locking spokes, so we need to subtract approximately 50mm off the total rim width. So the 17 x 160 rim will be able to accommodate a 110 section tyre, while the 17 x 185 rim can be fit with a 140 section tyre.

Cheers!

[shabih]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Don't have a lot of faith in dismotech tbh

Hey man, I have been considering this 17 inch conversion as well and was in touch with the folks at Dismotech. Any particular reason for your observation. I'd like to make an informed decision based on experience.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by shabih

Hey man, I have been considering this 17 inch conversion as well and was in touch with the folks at Dismotech. Any particular reason for your observation. I'd like to make an informed decision based on experience.

I'm just skeptical thats all. I know folks have tried getting details about the rims and also warranty. They just got vague responses. Also, the OP mentioned paint on the Al rims. I'm no expert but IMO a high quality aluminum rim wouldn't be painted... it'd be anodized

Wheels are a very critical part of the motorcycle and failure can be catastrophic. Therefore I choose to stay away from a product that I don't have confidence in

[Torino]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

I don't think these are tyre sizes, but rather rim widths. Like 160 is a 1.6 width, 300 is 3.00 etc

Originally Posted by Turbojc

Hi! From what I understand, the second dimension quoted in the image is the total rim width in mm. The Instagram post description mentions that the wheels are an inch wider on each side to account for the side-locking spokes...

Ah! now that makes sense. Wonder why they didn't mention that in a simple terms for everyone to understand. Also the additional 1 inch wider on each side is weird, wonder how the wheel will fit in the bike.

Why don't some or even RE make proper tubeless spoke rims like the ones seen in the Suzuki V-Strom or Honda Africa Twin like below, how hard or expensive will that be?

[shabih]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

I'm just skeptical thats all.
Wheels are a very critical part of the motorcycle and failure can be catastrophic. Therefore I choose to stay away from a product that I don't have confidence in

This, exactly, is why I am being skeptical as well. I still have close to 2000km left in both the stock tyres and going by my riding habits, I don't think I'll need a replacement before Jan. So then I'll wait out for more legit feedbacks.

[himsgpta]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

I don't think these are tyre sizes, but rather rim widths. Like 160 is a 1.6 width, 300 is 3.00 etc

I too have made up my mind and will going to the 17 inch conversion. However, for now I'll b going with the meteor rear and a spoke front (Himalayan rim) till such time a viable option for the front comes up. Don't have a lot of faith in dismotech tbh

Let us know when you do it, seems like a nice idea. Since company manufactured rims will be high quality and reliable.

I desperately want 17” rims so that i can go tubeless and save myself from the puncture scare.