[ku69rd]

Nice Review Karthik, must admire your patience and thought process to give a complete 3 dimensional view or must I say 4 dimensional since you also bring up the topic of riding gears

Agree with your thoughts, the suspension is too soft which lets the beautiful engine and gearbox sort of underutilized. Will be following your thread nevetheless.

[yesyeswe]

Even though i read the various GT and interceptor reviews many times and I have GT myself, still i enjoyed reading your review. I plan on getting the ninja 1000 in future so you are guy to follow.

Is the headlight replacement a worthy investment? I am fed up of the poor night visibility at night, and what is required for the conversion to BS3 switch, apart from the switch assembly.

[pugram]

Fantastic (5 star) review KarthikK. The opening pictures and statements hit the right strings for an enthusiast looking for options in this segment. Wish you many years of happy ownership.

I am a fence sitter in the N300 Vs Int650 decision.

Heart tugs for the nimble and creamy N300 but maintenance and spares will not be cheap. I just keep looking around the web for used N300 prices .

Brain says Int650 - Well rounded, low maintenance and spares cost. But am put off by the weight, seats, those wide exhausts and placement of foot pegs. I know there are workarounds available but somehow other than the engine everything else seems to be very very basic and crude.

My opinion though. My primary usage will be in the city with the odd out of city runs. Brain also asks me if this segment itself is justified for you . But the enthusiast in me in not letting me in peace.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Here's my bakers express!

Sorry I somehow missed replying to this - Baker's Express is such a lovely shade with the black accents. Do share many more such pictures of your steed with us when you get some time

Originally Posted by Torino

Amazing review! and a great list of riding gear and accessories you got there. Sintered brake pads are generally noisy in nature due to its high metallic content. And the ones in the Interceptor always 'hiss' loudly and sometimes squeel under gradual braking. I dont think the noise will go away but yes they do a great job in braking.

Interesting to hear this. I'd read this reason on the official Int thread as well, but was pretty sure that the ones on mine are screeching louder than something which can be classified as expected behaviour. Besides, the noise seems to have started after 7000-8000 km on the odo, never happened before that. If it was an expected noise, it should have been there from the beginning, no? Or does this get worse over time even for other owners?

Originally Posted by tchsvy

IMHO, this has to be among the top three motorcycle ownership reviews on tbhp, along with CrAzYdRiVeR's 'Black Panther' thread and mobike008's 'Dark Knight' thread. A true five star review here.

Thanks for the kind words tchsvy, glad you liked it so much.

I currently ride a CBR 250R and 650F was the bike I wanted to upgrade to via preowned route. After going through this review, my thoughts are 'when I can have a brand new bike that can do everything I can ever need at half the price of an used CBR, why should I spend more on a used bike?'

Well said indeed!

Originally Posted by Kuldeep31

Thoroughly enjoyed your style of writing and the sheer substance of it. If T-Bhp had an official bike review this would be it.
Your observations are spot on. The only two aspects that kept me away from this machine are it's weight and pillion incompatibility. Wishing you happy, unlimited mile munching with this beautiful machine.
Regards

Thanks for the wishes, and I agree with you - if those two factors are deal-breakers, no point in buying it and then attempting jugaad fixes. Maybe the CB500X or Himalayan 650 may do some magic in those departments.

Originally Posted by Slushmaster

I am not a very good writer, but will definitely share pics from different trips. Also, good riding gear makes the difference of life and death and its better to be safe than sorry. Check Helite Airbag jackets, they are something very different and promising(future purchase ).

I'll definitely check out Helite airbag jackets. I was briefly looking at (without budget to afford) the Dainese D-Air airbag jackets when they came out sometime last year, but they were quite out of budget for me. These are definitely a must-have from safety point of view while touring. Hope importing it would slowly be possible after all these covid-related logistics issues settle down. Thank you so much for the valuable suggestion. If you already using it, please do share your valuable review for us other bikers to learn from.

Originally Posted by GT145

Well deserved review for an excellent bike. I have been saying this to everyone who is looking to purchase a new bike, if you have 3 lakhs budget then put your money on Interceptor. It's such a value for money product in my opinion, we are lucky that this is manufactured in India and we get such a good engine and all rounder bike for around 3 lakhs. I have a Street Twin with me but I will still recommend Interceptor because all the quality issues or small niggles can be fixed with high quality after market parts which are available, altogether it will still won't costs as much as an ST, and will ride as good as an ST. And, the good thing is you won't burn your pocket for regular service or a failed part, and have easy access to service centers anywhere in India.

Great thoughts and views coming from a Street Twin owner, thanks for sharing these thoughts on this thread, will definitely carry a lot of value for prospects reading and subconsciously comparing the 'fake' British twin with the real British twin, lol!

I badly want to buy an Interceptor, though I just can't live with the excess chrome, really hope they roll out a black edition in near future, don't want to go and dismantle a new bike to paint everything black.

Haha, you're right the chrome is a little too much, and it doesn't go well on all color trims to match everyone's tastes. I wish they did have some all-black scheme like they did for the 500X range few years back.

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Nice Review Karthik. May be 1st of sorts - a "Pictorial-review" . Many USPs of the Interceptor 650 has been well brought out.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Thanks a lot for the kind words Ram sir!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Brilliant stuff KK.

Although the bar was set really high with the Ninja review, this one has taken it one step further still! Interceptor 650 is truly a brilliant motorcycle and makes for a perfect garage-mate with the Ninja 1000.

Thank you so much C_D.

Thanks for the mention, but I guess the Versys threads were demolished long back by Karthik's own Ninja report - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ip-review.html

Come on, you guys are biking stalwarts for years now, you created the stage and set an example, I am just starting off and following the trends

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Nice Review Karthik, must admire your patience and thought process to give a complete 3 dimensional view or must I say 4 dimensional since you also bring up the topic of riding gears

Agree with your thoughts, the suspension is too soft which lets the beautiful engine and gearbox sort of underutilized. Will be following your thread nevetheless.

Thank you so much Mahesh sir. I do recollect and am grateful for all the conversations and learnings from you on our whatsapp chats when we both were waiting for our respective Interceptors to be delivered last year. Do keep the updates flowing from your end too, you've covered a decent mileage and your insights are invaluable to the rest of the owners and prospects

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

Even though i read the various GT and interceptor reviews many times and I have GT myself, still i enjoyed reading your review. I plan on getting the ninja 1000 in future so you are guy to follow.

Thank you for the kind words yesyeswe. You can check out my other thread on the Ninja too, you might find information you are looking for about that bike as well.

Is the headlight replacement a worthy investment? I am fed up of the poor night visibility at night, and what is required for the conversion to BS3 switch, apart from the switch assembly.

There is a world of difference now, obviously not as much as a good pair of aux lights but can easily manage visibility at triple digit speeds now even in the dark, which was a major issue for me with stock lights. If you want more illumination, you can even go for aux lights but those can't be used in the city. These maddog ones can be dual purpose without attracting too much attention. For a retrofit plug and play replacement in lieu of the 7" stock lights, this is more than enough. There is nothing much required for the BS3 switch, it is plug and play because the entire switchgear with switch is an official Royal Enfield spare part.

Originally Posted by pugram

Fantastic (5 star) review KarthikK. The opening pictures and statements hit the right strings for an enthusiast looking for options in this segment. Wish you many years of happy ownership.

I am a fence sitter in the N300 Vs Int650 decision.

Heart tugs for the nimble and creamy N300 but maintenance and spares will not be cheap. I just keep looking around the web for used N300 prices .

Thanks a lot for the wishes pugram!

My opinion though. My primary usage will be in the city with the odd out of city runs. Brain also asks me if this segment itself is justified for you . But the enthusiast in me in not letting me in peace.

I was in this dilemma for a bit but here's my 2 cents as a Kawasaki owner as well - if maintenance is an issue I'd stay away from using a Kawasaki for beater purposes or too much of urban mile munching. The service costs are quite high at around 6k every 6 months / 6000 km, yes, even for a Ninja 300 it is very high. That's roughly 12k per year just for routine services, and then you might get minor nicks and shunts from autowallas and other bikers on the road in our traffic conditions, body spares are not cheap either. If you have falls, etc, be prepared for big bills, or long waits for body repairs (which means bike is out of action for a while) If you have less running and don't have to deal with too much traffic, maybe you can still manage with the Ninja.

None of these issues exist with a RE 650. Spares are always available and dirt cheap, network is wide, and service costs are around 3000 per year, once in 10,000 km. Very few niggles like I have mentioned in my review, so there won't be any out-of-the-blue visits to the service centre

Brain says Int650 - Well rounded, low maintenance and spares cost. But am put off by the weight, seats, those wide exhausts and placement of foot pegs. I know there are workarounds available but somehow other than the engine everything else seems to be very very basic and crude.

Well summarized and precisely hit bull's eye there. It is tilted towards the retro camp than towards the contemporary modern bikes in that price range. If you love the Ninja for this instead, maybe you should follow your heart in that case, maintenance costs be damned once or twice a year, lol!

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Sorry I somehow missed replying to this - Baker's Express is such a lovely shade with the black accents. Do share many more such pictures of your steed with us when you get some time

Is it 'OK' to share a Youtube video that I had participated to give a review about INT650 on Quikr? I do not get any monitory benefit from this apart form getting featured on it

When it comes to photography I am amateur at best and very laid back, however sharing a couple that I took, after my first ride to Nandihills! I will share more when I collate them in one place.

[srinath34]

Great review, KarthikK!! Exhaustive and detailed as ever! to support the reading flow.

Good to see you writing threads at T-BHP after a hiatus and you seem to be on a roll; firstly, the Ninja 1000 and now the Interceptor 650. Earlier it was your Punto (Abarth) and Linea T-Jet ownership reviews that created a storm.

The Interceptor 650 is a great solo bike and was on my radar when it launched but had to drop it for practicality issues (needed a usable pillion seat). Had ridden it during a RE promotional event at Yelahanka for about 10-15 kms (half of it on INT650 and the remaining on the Continental 650). Had taken my family along to get some green signals on the purchase but my wife accidentally brushed against the exhaust during a photo-op and ended up getting a minor burn on the calf of her leg. That was enough for a stern no for this bike.

My boss has the Baker Street and another friend at work has the Silver Spectre so I can always get a ride to satisfy my urge of riding this RE sweet twin.

Your garage seems to have been overhauled since we last met. Lets hope to catch up soon when the situation improves.

Happy and safe riding and keep the ownership review buzzing.

Cheers

[rbp]

Fantastic review KK. You should do more reviews, was a nice read.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Wow amazing details, Congratulations on your ride and thank you for the creative content and being so candid and honest. Really informative !!

Thank you so much for your kind words rajshenoy. Somehow missed out replying to yours and deepfreak15's posts when multi-quoting in the series, apologies for the late replies.

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Now this is a Comprehensive review! Amazing write up and love the attention to detail. I also respect the fact that you put some serious mileage on the ODO before voicing your opinion and this kind of review gives prospective buyers some real world usage and service insights. Thank you!

Thanks a lot deepfreak15, both for the kind words as well as for the help in the photoshoot, some of the pictures have come out professional grade as per your high standards of photography quality.

Since you mentioned ebmrajesh and the multi , leaving this out there. Hope you don't mind.

Nice snaps of the group which help to relive memories of that morning ride, short and sweet one.

Originally Posted by MadTiger

Is it 'OK' to share a Youtube video that I had participated to give a review about INT650 on Quikr? I do not get any monitory benefit from this apart form getting featured on it

Absolutely! Any information is helpful information for owners and prospects, you should definitely consider sharing it.

When it comes to photography I am amateur at best and very laid back, however sharing a couple that I took, after my first ride to Nandihills! I will share more when I collate them in one place.

Thank you so much, do share them when you manage some time.

Originally Posted by srinath34

Great review, KarthikK!! Exhaustive and detailed as ever! to support the reading flow.

Good to see you writing threads at T-BHP after a hiatus and you seem to be on a roll; firstly, the Ninja 1000 and now the Interceptor 650. Earlier it was your Punto (Abarth) and Linea T-Jet ownership reviews that created a storm.

Thanks a lot Srinath sir, long time no see!
Yeah, back from the hiatus for good this time around. Thank you for your kind words, glad you liked the threads.

The Interceptor 650 is a great solo bike and was on my radar when it launched but had to drop it for practicality issues (needed a usable pillion seat). Had ridden it during a RE promotional event at Yelahanka for about 10-15 kms (half of it on INT650 and the remaining on the Continental 650). Had taken my family along to get some green signals on the purchase but my wife accidentally brushed against the exhaust during a photo-op and ended up getting a minor burn on the calf of her leg. That was enough for a stern no for this bike.

Ah - The infamous burnol problem, lol!
But good that you caught the burn risk issues and poor ergonomics problem with her during the test ride itself. It would have not been good if you got to know about the issue after bringing it home and then had to live with it or resort to jugaad fixes.

Your garage seems to have been overhauled since we last met. Lets hope to catch up soon when the situation improves.

Haha, yeah quite a departure from 2 Fiats and 1 Pulsar as it was before the hiatus. Ended up diversifying the garage now to meet multiple needs (and forms of insanity) . We'll definitely catch up sometime after the situation calms down a bit and eases up.

Originally Posted by rbp

Fantastic review KK. You should do more reviews, was a nice read.

Thanks for the kind words Raghu, and for all the discussions preceding the purchase two years ago.

[aarnav_b]

The level of attention to detail in this review is unparalleled. Was hooked on it from start to end. This bike was love at first sight for me. I was at the showroom for nearly 3 hours on the day of the launch with my dad, hoping to convince him to exchange the problematic thunderbird for this, but alas couldn't do it. Still wish to buy this someday after I get a job.
They should've provided the Thunderbird's projector setup in this, it is the least this bike deserves. I wonder of RE purposely put the stock seat like that so that the customers would opt for the accessory touring one and they could milk more money🤔
Wish you many more miles of trouble free riding !

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by aarnav_b

The level of attention to detail in this review is unparalleled. Was hooked on it from start to end.

Wish you many more miles of trouble free riding !

Thanks a lot aarnav_b, glad you liked it

This bike was love at first sight for me. I was at the showroom for nearly 3 hours on the day of the launch with my dad, hoping to convince him to exchange the problematic thunderbird for this, but alas couldn't do it. Still wish to buy this someday after I get a job.

That's bad luck. Hope you are able to buy the bike of your dreams once you start working . Who knows, maybe a refreshed interceptor with more juice and features, lol.

They should've provided the Thunderbird's projector setup in this, it is the least this bike deserves.

I agree, TB's stock projectors are reasonably better than these halogens. Considering this bike is capable of being used at higher speeds, they ought to have given better lights.

I wonder of RE purposely put the stock seat like that so that the customers would opt for the accessory touring one and they could milk more money🤔

Possible, because almost everyone swaps the stock seat straight out of the showroom, and the touring seat isn't exactly cheap - it is 4,000 INR for pretty much average or expected (basic) levels of seat stiffness. There is nothing 'touring' about it, this should have been the stock seat.

[irajput]

So well detailed and comprehensive review. This review has made everything about the Interceptor perfectly clear in my mind. All the pros and cons have been evaluated and presented very well! This review should serve as the first point of reference for prospective buyers.

Congratulations on the bike and I hope you have many safe and enjoyable kilometres with it!

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Thank you so much for your kind words rajshenoy. Somehow missed out replying to yours and deepfreak15's posts when multi-quoting in the series, apologies for the late replies.





Absolutely! Any information is helpful information for owners and prospects, you should definitely consider sharing it.

.

So here it is -

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Ownership Review

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by irajput

So well detailed and comprehensive review. This review has made everything about the Interceptor perfectly clear in my mind. All the pros and cons have been evaluated and presented very well! This review should serve as the first point of reference for prospective buyers.

Congratulations on the bike and I hope you have many safe and enjoyable kilometres with it!

Thanks a lot for the kind words and wishes irajput Glad it was helpful to you.

Originally Posted by MadTiger

So here it is

Really nice video and you have candidly covered almost everything about the bike ownership in 13 minutes so nicely. Thanks for sharing, it would be very helpful for prospects.

[KarthikK]

Third service update at 10,000+ km:

The third service due date was approaching and while I still had a month left date-wise for the annual visit, I decided to get it done with anyway. Perhaps for the first time since I bought this bike, I am getting a service done based on time schedule rather than distance. Thanks to Covid and lockdowns and the permanent shift to work-from-home, for me being unable to do justice to this bike's usage over the past 6 months . Hopefully my mile munching improves as things are opening up again now.

This time, in lieu of the HSR services dealership, I went to the company brand store service centre which is directly handled by RE, since it just 1 km for me from home and I could easily walk back and forth from home rather than risk using cabs, etc during this covid time. The service experience has been no-nonsense here and I will continue to visit here in future as well.

Coming to the service itself - There haven't been any niggles or new problems to report since the time that I wrote this review. The service tasks were pretty much routine, and the only thing done extra was the replacement of front brake pads since they seem to have worn out and were approaching end of life. The rear brake pads still seem to have some life left and the technician asked me to not replace them yet.

OE Brembo brake pads replaced at the front





In the review I had mentioned that this OE accessory handlebar brace pad was wearing out in 1.5 years of usage with many areas peeling off.



I got it replaced today with a new one for INR 600/-





Here is the company generated invoice with service details of the third free service. It costed me almost 4900 bucks this time around.


As can be seen, the regular service cost would have been INR ~2800, and the front brake pads added another INR 2000 to the bill. Apparently one interesting bit of information is the front brake pads were ~2400 bucks earlier, and RE has brought down the price of these now. The first set brake pads lasted me ~10,700 km, and the technician seemed to think I got great life, apparently he was seeing wear-out even at 5000-6000 km for other Interceptors in this service centre.


Putting together the historical service snapshots, here is the timeline from purchase time till date with the cumulatives. The details are self-explanatory



Ever since Turtle wax launched on Amazon, I have ordered and have been using multiple products from their stable, great stuff for home DIY timepass. I particularly liked this product which I use a lot for the Interceptor, to keep the multitude of chrome bits shiny



I must say I am very satisfied with the results in removing even some of the stubborn stains on the chrome bits of the bike and keep the bike looking new.





The Swiss army knife is ready for the next 'assignment' as always . Until my next update, ciao.

[shabih]

Quite lucky, I got my 2nd service at 5000 km and had to change my front brake pads, I do use my front brakes heavily.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Third service update at 10,000+ km:
As can be seen, the regular service cost would have been INR ~2800, and the front brake pads added another INR 2000 to the bill. Apparently one interesting bit of information is the front brake pads were ~2400 bucks earlier, and RE has brought down the price of these now. The first set brake pads lasted me ~10,700 km, and the technician seemed to think I got great life, apparently he was seeing wear-out even at 5000-6000 km for other Interceptors in this service centre.