[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by 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.

.

Guess the usage is more in the city hence the low mileage on the brake pads. Mine is still going strong at 15500 kms, not changed still. But my usage has been primarily on the highways.

@Karthik: Good to see that for a city usage you have got 10K, gladdening to read that the price has been brought down by 400 rupees.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by 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 ku69rd

Guess the usage is more in the city hence the low mileage on the brake pads. Mine is still going strong at 15500 kms, not changed still. But my usage has been primarily on the highways.

@Karthik: Good to see that for a city usage you have got 10K, gladdening to read that the price has been brought down by 400 rupees.

My usage was predominantly in the city as ku69rd said, around 70-80% of the 10k km were in city and 20-30% came from solo highway rides. I do use the rear brakes as well (not just the front) for my riding style so maybe that helped to prolong the life a bit I guess

[shabih]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Guess the usage is more in the city hence the low mileage on the brake pads. Mine is still going strong at 15500 kms, not changed still. But my usage has been primarily on the highways.

@Karthik: Good to see that for a city usage you have got 10K, gladdening to read that the price has been brought down by 400 rupees.

Yeah, that's true, my riding has been within the city limits mostly. Did long highway cruising only twice in one year.

[GrandTourer]

Originally Posted by MadTiger

So here it is - Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Ownership Review

Hey... I remember watching this review and thinking to myself - "This owner is really articulate and detailed in his review, for a non-journalist".

Now that I know you are a TBHPian, I know why the review was so detailed and helpful.

[bangaloreguy]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

After sales service experience

Great review, helped people like me. I have booked an interceptor baker express yesterday. Delivery is 45 days. I'm a little nervous as I'm riding after many years but hopefully will enjoy this motorcycle.

[Zen Av8r]

Thank you KarthikK for helping me make up my mind. I last rode a bike (Yezdi Roadking) in 1997. Been owning two four wheelers but no two wheeler since then till 2015 when I picked up a TVS Wego for local runabouts in Bangalore.

I have been over the past few months, thinking of buying a bike to ride between Bangalore and Coorg. I started with considering a Jawa 42, moved on to shortlisting the Mojo and the Interceptor 650. I went through your review a couple of times and finally decided on the Interceptor. Finally booked one this morning at Acclaim Motors, Yelahanka. Hoping for get the bike within a month.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by bangaloreguy

Great review, helped people like me. I have booked an interceptor baker express yesterday. Delivery is 45 days. I'm a little nervous as I'm riding after many years but hopefully will enjoy this motorcycle.

Thank you bangaloreguy, glad it helped you in some way.
Hearty congratulations on your booking, enjoy the agonizing wait now

Don't worry about the long gap, the Interceptor is a very un-intimidating motorcycle and is beginner friendly. You will enjoy the ownership and riding the bike. Happy mile munching, and do post a review of your opinions once you get it home!

Originally Posted by Zen Av8r

Thank you KarthikK for helping me make up my mind. I last rode a bike (Yezdi Roadking) in 1997. Been owning two four wheelers but no two wheeler since then till 2015 when I picked up a TVS Wego for local runabouts in Bangalore.

I have been over the past few months, thinking of buying a bike to ride between Bangalore and Coorg. I started with considering a Jawa 42, moved on to shortlisting the Mojo and the Interceptor 650. I went through your review a couple of times and finally decided on the Interceptor. Finally booked one this morning at Acclaim Motors, Yelahanka. Hoping for get the bike within a month.

Thank you Zen Av8r, really happy to hear that it helped to make up your mind on the Interceptor. This bike is a real delight to own and ride, I went through your dilemma and it is certain the twin cylinder refinement and the extra horsepower on this bike will keep your smile wide and ever plastered on your Bangalore - Coorg rides. Congratulations on your purchase and wish you many miles of happiness with it. Awaiting your thread once you get the time to post your opinions

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

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.

Does this work more from a polish perspective or the rust removal aspect? Asking with regards to the latter - the reviews seem to be mixed.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Does this work more from a polish perspective or the rust removal aspect? Asking with regards to the latter - the reviews seem to be mixed.

On the Interceptor, I do not have any rust as such, so I am not a good judge on the rust removal aspect. I can however testify that it restores the shine on the chrome bits to a noticeable extent and I was able to remove some stubborn water stains, etc.

I can try the rust removal bit for you and update on that if you like . I have a few other insignificant things which have surface rust on them, good to experiment on those.

Are you having any rusting bits on your Interceptor?

[KarthikK]

A few days ago when I had given the Interceptor for service at the brand store service centre (BTM Lake road), the service rep Sandeep had checked that my fuel tank cap rubber gasket was cut and he had told me this was an issue with the early batches of Interceptors (mine is among the earliest ones from Feb 2019). Later than April 2019 batches have this fixed from the factory I believe.

I was surprised that the gasket by itself wasn't available separately in their parts bin. The remedy for this issue was to change the entire lock set under warranty, this consists of three pieces - the main ignition lock module, the underseat cavity lock and the fuel tank cap.



This lock set wasn't in stock at the service centre on the said day, and Sandeep promised to place an order for me and would let me know when the parts arrive. He had advised me to avoid riding in very heavy rain until then. Earlier this week he informed me that the parts had come in, and again reminded me yesterday. I found some time today and got it done. Thanks to him and RE service for proactively following up and making the customer get it replaced.

Ruptured rubber gasket seal on the underside of the fuel tank cap. It does look big when stretched but when it is shut and compressed, the crack contracts and is not a major gap as such. It is still not to be taken lightly though, because water ingress should never be allowed to happen





Arriving early at the service centre in the morning



The entire process was done within an hour. I waited outside the service centre and took home the vehicle rather than leaving it there and having to come back again later. I particularly like RE's automated messages which keep updating the status of the service - from entering the job card details till the gate pass is delivered. This screenshot just shows a subset of the updates, but these are quite useful if someone has left the bike there and gone out, and wants to be aware of what stage the service is at.





New lock set installed on the ignition key slot





The new fuel tank cap with the 'new design' gasket





The new keys look somewhat nice with that embossed logo, better than the drab looking el cheapo keys I had earlier



Updating the service centre visit logs with this issue (and rectification). Since this was done under warranty, the cost was zero!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Updating the service centre visit logs with this issue (and rectification). Since this was done under warranty, the cost was zero!

Thanks for the update Karthik. Super to read about the identification of the problem and resolution provided by RE for the issue. No penny pinching and being told to wait for just the gasket. In a way, good it happened so you could have the new nicer looking keys.

Keep the updates coming and ride safe.

Cheers

[KarthikK]

Return to (mile munching) form with a 'Cheesecake ride':

With all the work happening from home due to this whole pandemic situation since February this year, office commutes and city errands were completely cut off and the Interceptor was yearning for some mile munching in other ways (namely travel).

We (better half and I) have also taken it slow to resume travelling full fledged, the way I used to during pre-covid days when I used to be out religiously every weekend of the month with some vehicle or the other. Glad to say, the travelling has restarted slowly over the past couple of months, and will go back to our old rate in a few weeks from now.

Obviously some changes have been needed in small ways - we don't visit crowded restaurants on the way, hardly dine out unless the place is open air, mostly have packed / parceled food in picnic style for breakfast (this saves a lot of time as well), avoid touristy spots, avoid large resorts and hotels and stick to preferred BnBs and homestays with minimal crowd, etc.

This past Saturday, BHPians rbp and ebmrajesh joined for a quick ~600km daytrip ride to Chikmagalur and back the same evening before sunset. The Interceptor got a nice workout on expressways, bad and broken roads and some basic offroading as well. Incentive for me? A nice large slice of homemade cheesecake and some cashew macaroons , and of course a trip down memory lane, visiting the place after a long gap when we used to do 600+km daytrips frequently in this zone pre-2020.


We left Bangalore before 6am, and quickly reached Channarayapatna by 7.45 for a quick picnic style breakfast



Winter fog has begun



After a short break and some refueling at Arsikere, we decided to try one of the broken road routes to a lake called Ayyanakere. We spent an hour there by the lake side, lovely weather and fresh air. I had carried my new DSLR along and wanted to try out some shots but alas, the light wasn't great with too much harsh sunlight in all the wrong angles. I couldn't do justice to the DSLR but just took some namesake shots anyway.

Break time!



Ayyanakere lake from the Eastern side



rbp's 2017 Duke 390





ebmrajesh's immaculately maintained Ninja 1000



And the Swiss army knife of yours truly, lol!





Surroundings were nice but there was nothing much to see around



Some group shots at this place before we left







Our next stop was Coffee barn cafe, an open air cafe set in a Coffee estate, around 20 km north of Chikmagalur on the Tarikere road. That was around 10 km from this lake so we quickly reached the place.



Open air seating. They have some nice garden side tables set amidst the foliage too, which we occupied later. We were the only ones in the Cafe for a long time, and we must have spent almost 2 hours there.



A small fountain in the garden



Incentive for the ride - Lime flavoured cheesecake. They make it very well, and I have always indulged in this everytime I passed by. This trip was no different.





Some cashew flavoured macaroons



And of course, who can miss the Coffee itself in 'Coffee barn cafe', lol!



We relaxed, had a leisurely brunch and were out of the place before 1pm. It was a very warm afternoon with clear skies. We didn't take any breaks on the way back except for a 5 minute coffee break at Empire, Kunigal. Made it home before sunset by 6pm.

577 km in under 12 hours, with some delicious food and scenic roads for a nice, short weekend break.



The bike had got dirty after the mild 'offroading' trails we took near the lake, and multiple waterlogged deviations en route





A nice wash and wax session with tyre dressing and the bike is back to its usual self





This trip once again reinforced the simple, go-anywhere, enjoy-anything kind of usage the Interceptor is capable of. Everything along the way was dispatched with ease - city roads, open and fast expressways, bad roads, water wading (deep slush), dirt trails, mountain twisties and many more, and I came back with a smile on my face. With daily office commuting duty removed perhaps forever, the Interceptor will see many more of such daytrips when the pillion doesn't join .

Until my next update, ciao!

[Sarvodaya]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I was surprised that the gasket by itself wasn't available separately in their parts bin. The remedy for this issue was to change the entire lock set under warranty, this consists of three pieces - the main ignition lock module, the underseat cavity lock and the fuel tank cap.
Attachment 2071204

My 2014 xtreme Igintion lock conked off. I was unable to lock the bike. My mechanic told that Iginition lock won't be available as a single unit. It comes in set - Iginition Lock, Fuel Tank Lock and underseat Lock. This is applicable to all bikes. Costed Rs.2,000. Should be around same price for Interceptor 650.

Some spare parts does not have child parts. Have to take the whole kit. Nice way of making money for Companies

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

The bike had got dirty after the mild 'offroading' trails we took near the lake, and multiple waterlogged deviations en route
Attachment 2077900

Are you planning to install the RE Aluminium Sump guard?

IMHO it will offer some protection and also prevent the area around the oil filter get dirty like that.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Sarvodaya

My 2014 xtreme Igintion lock conked off. I was unable to lock the bike. My mechanic told that Iginition lock won't be available as a single unit. It comes in set - Iginition Lock, Fuel Tank Lock and underseat Lock. This is applicable to all bikes. Costed Rs.2,000. Should be around same price for Interceptor 650.

Some spare parts does not have child parts. Have to take the whole kit. Nice way of making money for Companies

Interesting ordeal you faced. How long did you have to wait?
Nice point you raised about the practice of fleecing customers making them buy the whole set for one faulty part . Fortunately in my case it was covered under warranty.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Are you planning to install the RE Aluminium Sump guard?

IMHO it will offer some protection and also prevent the area around the oil filter get dirty like that.

It is a good accessory for protection like you said. Thank you for reminding . When I bought the bike among the first few batches, RE didn't have that OE accessory in stock, somehow I have also kept procrastinating during my subsequent visits to the dealership(s) and forgotten during services. I'll try and remember to add it the next time I visit there.