[Torino]

Originally Posted by SamuraiJack

Not sure if I missed this, what size tubes are you using? I'm on the verge of going for this mod

I use 100/90-17 and 140/60-17 tubes.

Last weekend ride to Alamparai fort along with the Street Twin. The weather was surprisingly pleasant until 8am. The ODO is closing in on the 25k kms mark.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by Torino

Front fork seal replacement:
Both of my front fork seals gave up so visited Kick Start Garage to get them replaced. Also took the opportunity to address the soft & noisy front suspension by swapping to heavier oil, hence changed to 15W LiquiMoly from the stock 2.5W HP. Rode nearly 300 kms post switching to 15W oil and the front suspension feels a bit a too hard for my liking. Could feel even the slightest change on the road surface. On the bright side the front end feels so much planted now while taking U turns, could lean the bike with more confidence on fast curves. Overall I feel the suspension is too stiff for the roads I ride and is robbing a lot of comfort from the handlebar, will see if I could dig more pros and cons during the next 10,000 kms or until the fork seal breaks again.

Hey Torino,
Thanks for your updates man, you're really using the bike the way it was meant to be be and beyond.
I had upgrade my Inty's front fork oil to Liqui Moly 15w and had the same feedback as yours. The front though confidence inspiring, became too stiff for our roads. The solution: reduce the oil quantity in each fork leg by 30ml or so.

RE recommends 473ml in each fork leg, I got the oil quantity to around 440ml which made the front a lot more pliant without robbing the confidence. Try it, should be a easy thing to fix.

Alternatively, next time you get the forks opened up, use a 10W weight oil. I have heard good feedback on this one.

Regards,
Hiren

[Torino]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Alternatively, next time you get the forks opened up, use a 10W weight oil. I have heard good feedback on this one.

Thanks! I'm definitely getting the 10W next time. Will also get the fork gaitors installed to avoid pre mature fork seal failure.

Sunday breakfast ride with the Street Twin from the last two weeks.

220km round trip to Kanchanagiri Hills.


60km ride to the lake somewhere around Chengalpattu.

[Torino]

Have been resorting to much shorter Sunday morning rides due to scorching heat and other commitments. Start at 6am, ride to the destination, talk motorcycle stuff and return back by 930am.

The PPF on the tank is now over 3 years old and needs replacement. Carspark in OMR is quoting Rs4.5k, I'll have check with few others for the price and material. My friend's matte black Street Twin also needs a Matte PPF for which I'm yet to enquire with detailers in Chennai.

I'm not really into detailing and never got one so far but ensure the bike isn't too dirty and give it a complete wipe down with plain water or water wash atleast once in two months. After seeing Interceptors with shiny engine casings I finally felt the guilt and got myself an Autosol tube. Lots of good reviews for Autosol metal polish and I'll finally get to use it this weekend and see if it can brighten up the engine casing.



Slippery lake side became a great patch for some fun sideways sliding

[Torino]

I like my Royal Enfield Panzer jacket a lot for its classic looks, comfort and tank like built but it clearly isn’t suitable for hot summer in Chennai. My other Aspida mesh jacket is more than 6 years old now and has started to show age in some places. Began scouting for an entry level mesh jacket from RE and other brands and finally picked up the Mototech Scrambler Air all weather jacket at an offer price of Rs2750. I prefer a full black or a subtle color combo but unfortunately the color choice wasn’t an option at this offer price. The jacket and the weather liners look and feel fairly decent and I think it’s a steal for the price. Just the brand name and price sealed the deal for me.
Next stop is summer riding gloves, currently have the perforated all leather Cramster Flux short gloves which is serving well for more than a year and now I’m searching for a similar compact all leather summer riding glove with better impact & abrasion protection. I’ve shortlisted Shield FUR, Bikeratti Matador and RE's Burnish.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Torino

Next stop is summer riding gloves, currently have the perforated all leather Cramster Flux short gloves which is serving well for more than a year and now I’m searching for a similar compact all leather summer riding glove with better impact & abrasion protection. I’ve shortlisted Shield FUR, Bikeratti Matador and RE's Burnish.

Attachment 2310305

Congratulations on the Mototech Scrambler Air jacket. That is a really great price! Please do share some feedback on the jacket on the Riding Gear thread, once you get to put it through a few rides. On the gloves, do strongly consider the Royal Enfield Vamos, as well. It gives you much better protection than the Burnish.

[Torino]

After trying multiple tyre pressure combinations I think 36F & 38R psi strikes a right balance on the 17 inch tyres.

Yesterday rode along with my buddy who has recently installed PoweRage headers with stock mufflers and running on stock airfilter with snorkel delete. Must say, after experiencing all kinds of aftermarket exhaust notes on the 650 twins, this set up is the best sounding of them all! The stock muffler now produces a nicely enhanced grunt and lively note at idle and upto 3000 rpm, post which it is no more louder than the stock exhaust set up! I'm a guy who loves Interceptor's stock exhaust note more than anything else out there but this is PowerRage headers & stock muffler combo is just too perfect for the ears!

Some clicks from last few weekend rides.

Hit the fun off-road trail off the ECR.


Exploring new b-roads after last night's rains is a visual delight.


Bit of off-road sliding with the 390 ADV on the slippery lake front

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Torino

Yesterday rode along with my buddy who has recently installed PoweRage headers with stock mufflers and running on stock airfilter with snorkel delete. Must say, after experiencing all kinds of aftermarket exhaust notes on the 650 twins, this set up is the best sounding of them all! The stock muffler now produces a nicely enhanced grunt and lively note at idle and upto 3000 rpm, post which it is no more louder than the stock exhaust set up! I'm a guy who loves Interceptor's stock exhaust note more than anything else out there but this is PowerRage headers & stock muffler combo is just too perfect for the ears!

Is there any sort of power gain with the free flow headers? I am guessing with the stock mufflers, it should be more or less the same.
As for the exhaust note, those stock mufflers are quite restrictive with baffles and catalytic converters , I can imagine the same note getting a bit more audible.

[Torino]

Originally Posted by tharian

Is there any sort of power gain with the free flow headers? I am guessing with the stock mufflers, it should be more or less the same.

Though I didn't ride the bike, the owner said there is a noticeable improvement in low end performance. He's clocked closed to 1000 kms in this set up. His plan is to get PowerRage slip-ons in the coming months. Previously he was running stock headers with Barrel exhaust mufflers for the last 20,000 kms and the current ODO reads close to 40,000 kms.

Originally Posted by tharian

As for the exhaust note, those stock mufflers are quite restrictive with baffles and catalytic converters , I can imagine the same note getting a bit more audible.

Exactly! At idle and slow speed the rumble has a bit more bass & loudness which is really nice, a bit like the Triumph Street Twin exhaust. Post 3000 rpm it sounds no louder than the stock setup.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Torino

Though I didn't ride the bike, the owner said there is a noticeable improvement in low end performance. He's clocked closed to 1000 kms in this set up. His plan is to get PowerRage slip-ons in the coming months. Previously he was running stock headers with Barrel exhaust mufflers for the last 20,000 kms and the current ODO reads close to 40,000 kms.
.

That would be returning to stock muffler that resulted in improvement in low end performance.
With free flow headers and slip on mufflers, he will loose quite a bit of that low end.

I realised the strong low end was partly due to the stock mufflers, when I moved to the AEW slip ons after 600 kms. I got some of it back with the restricted baffle I have now. But no where close to that smoothness and locomotive like pull when moving from standstill.

Just my thoughts after some baffle changes and from stock to after market mufflers.

[Torino]

The current ODO reads ~26,900 kms. It’s been ~7,500 kms since the last oil change and somehow, I missed my 6,000 kms oil change interval. I’ll be visiting Kick Start Garage for the service next week.

Engine Heat:
Past Monday morning I took the Interceptor to my office and the traffic was higher than usual, so most part of the 26km ride from Camp Road to Greams Road involved crawling traffic and idling coupled with the humid climate. At around the halfway mark while idling in traffic I could feel the engine heat was a bit higher for the distance travelled because usually I start feeling this level of heat towards the end of the 26km commute. Rode for couple of more kms and while crawling through traffic I could smell a hot engine which I assumed to be from my Interceptor since it was sending fumes and the tappet noise was on the higher side. And though the engine was idling normal it bogged down for a second whenever I tried to accelerate in first gear. There were no warning lights on the speedo console. Realized the engine isn’t getting enough airflow I stopped for Tea to let the engine cool for some 20 mins, checked the oil level and it looked fine. After the 20 min break the bike performed fine with no sign of performance drop. During the evening return commute, I took a break at the half way point just in case but this time while riding I noticed all the lights including the speedo back light going completely off for some 20 seconds and coming back on while the engine was performing normal. Not sure if the lights going off randomly is just a Royal Enfield thing or has to do anything with the engine heat.

The bike’s engine, exhaust and intake are completely stock. The bike is used everyday for a 1km school commute and weekend breakfast rides. The air filter and Castrol 10W50 engine oil in the bike is 8 months and 7500 kms old with the oil level looking fine through the inspection window. I’m not sure if the engine oil lost some of its high temperature viscosity, but I guess next I’ll try either the Total Hi-Perf or Motul 7100 for a change.

I have couple of queries. Has anyone else faced this similar engine overheating situation in the 650 twins? Does the Interceptor’s engine automatically shuts off or show warning light when it gets too hot?

Breakfast ride with the usual suspects.


The Yezdi Scrambler simply glides over rough surfaces at speed.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by Torino

The bike’s engine, exhaust and intake are completely stock. The bike is used everyday for a 1km school commute and weekend breakfast rides. The air filter and Castrol 10W50 engine oil in the bike is 8 months and 7500 kms old with the oil level looking fine through the inspection window. I’m not sure if the engine oil lost some of its high temperature viscosity, but I guess next I’ll try either the Total Hi-Perf or Motul 7100 for a change.

6k kms is more than enough for the engine oil. Go for Motul this time, tried and tested! I also feel INT650 doesn't like bumper to bumper traffic, no such meter incident with me but once I was stuck in never ending traffic jam and could feel the heat and I stopped for coconut water after an open stretch, I needed to replenish my fluid levels. Bike was ok but the heat levels were definitely higher (with RE engine oil).

[2StrokeJunkie]

Hi this is a great thread! Sorry if I've missed this bit, but im wondering how you manage with punctures on the spoked rims? Are you running the Outex or Way2Speed conversion? I planning on getting it done and want to know if the Way2Speed conversion works as a permanent solution or not.

[Torino]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

Hi this is a great thread! Sorry if I've missed this bit, but im wondering how you manage with punctures on the spoked rims? Are you running the Outex or Way2Speed conversion? I planning on getting it done and want to know if the Way2Speed conversion works as a permanent solution or not.

I'm not using any tubeless conversion kit on the rims. I've seen some 650 twins running on the cheaper Way2Speed tubeless conversion kit for over 2 years now and they seem to be doing fine. While the idea is to offer permanent solution the seller doesn't offer any guarantee and that's one of the reason I've stayed away from it and the other reason being the effect of wheel truing on the sealed wheels which is unknown. I think careful surface preparation and proper application determines its long lasting capability. Bhpian aravind.anand is using Way2Speed tubeless conversion kit on his Interceptor for the past 2 years and is running fine with the stock 18'' Pirelli tubeless tyres but right now he is more worried about the unavailability of stock size replacement tubeless tyres in the market than the tubeless conversion kit.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Originally Posted by Torino

I'm not using any tubeless conversion kit on the rims. I've seen some 650 twins running on the cheaper Way2Speed tubeless conversion kit for over 2 years now and they seem to be doing fine. While the idea is to offer permanent solution the seller doesn't offer any guarantee and that's one of the reason I've stayed away from it and the other reason being the effect of wheel truing on the sealed wheels which is unknown. I think careful surface preparation and proper application determines its long lasting capability. Bhpian aravind.anand is using Way2Speed tubeless conversion kit on his Interceptor for the past 2 years and is running fine with the stock 18'' Pirelli tubeless tyres but right now he is more worried about the unavailability of stock size replacement tubeless tyres in the market than the tubeless conversion kit.

Well, this is really an unbelievable dilemma for 650 owners and it is really surprising that neither Royal Enfield nor any of the multiple tyre manufacturers in India can offer any kind of real tubeless solution for a 205kg motorcycle.

The CEAT Zoom came in to replace the Pirellis which had supply issues and solved some of the wobbling cases, but the CEAT Zoom is a harder compound tyre compared to the Pirelli and the CEATs are not tubeless like the Pirellis. I think the rear is tubeless and not the front. Correct me if I am wrong.

With the govt. imposed taxes or ban on tyre imports, a pair of Pirelli Sportscomps is now around 30k if I am not mistaken? That's again exhorbitant.

Couple of options that I see available to fix this issue.

Convert to 17-inch mag wheels.
-Meteor rear - straight fit
-Not sure about the front mag wheel - 17-inch options that are a straight fit.
-Wide selection of high-quality tyres available in this size at reasonable prices.
-Have seen people use the Mojo front wheel setup with some machine work.
- Reduced ground clearance? Lower seat height?

Royal Ralco 18-inch mag wheel set
-Provided you have the tubeless Pirellis.
-Aftermarket - quality unascertained.
- Do not like the looks but appreciate the practicality it offers for the price - around 10-15k

Outex or Way2Speed
- Outex costs close to 14k with installation
- Way2Speed costs close to 6.5-7k with installation
- Tubeless conversion success rate subject to skills of installer. Many cases of both kits failing.
- Need Pirelli tubeless tyres to install
- If the rims bend and need to be trued then the kit needs to be reinstalled from what I understand.

While I have not faced too many punctures (touch wood), it is always a nagging thought in the back of my mind, especially on long rides.

I am surprised that despite moving to a 17-inch setup you didn't choose to go the tubeless way and chose the Desmosedici spokes setup which is not too different from the stock excel setup maybe of lower quality, and gives you a wide selection of tyres but still leaves the puncture and tube situation as is.

I'm planning to go in for the Way2Speed setup for now in the hope that I can be relieved of my puncture fears. If you can connect me to someone/ or dm the contact of someone who has installed this it would help me understand their feedback and review on the product.

Once I do the tubeless conversion I can start planning for other mods on the bike.
-Starting with moving to Motul 7100 after i clock 5k on this round of Liquid Gun
-CR Windshield (wonder if it will spoil the looks and if it's really required?)
-Relay replacement Denso Toyota (required?)
- Minus LED headlight (will it improve lighting?)
-FlashX module
-Fog lights (cheaper options than Maddog?)
-Fuel X Pro
-Powerage or AEW 201 (i like the straight pipes better - never seen them in the flesh though - any thoughts?)
-K&N / DNA air filter (rainproof?)
-Powertronics

But all these mods will be pointless if I'm stuck on the road with a flat tyre.
Am I prioritizing this tubeless bit too much?