[man_of_steel]

A proper shakedown ride was long pending for the INT after the conversion and other upgrades. Night curfew and Sunday lockdown ensured that both me and bike were grounded when I was free. Had a lazy weekday in office and ended up doing an unplanned ride to one of my favorite pieces of tarmac. The bike after the upgrades performed flawlessly. The front end feel is now phenomenal at any speeds. The roads were damp but the Apollo Alpha H1s held itself well even with all this weight (Have tried the H1 only on lighter Dukes, RCs and Dominars before). The front brake was splendid. Mid corner stability was very good and confidence inspiring. The only gripe was a small disconnect in turn ins while going into deep leans. This, I am sure, is due to the weird shape the rear tyre now is in. Wider rim will cure this for sure. Foot pegs bottomed out in deep leans and probably GT pegs would be ideal but I will not be switching to those immediately, I really like the current setup. Happy to note that the bike was dragging only the footpegs and not any other parts which were not supposed to be dragged and the frame is just amazing, RE has indeed come a long way. Seems like the suspension and tyres were the only limiting factor for the bike!

[sohanbala]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

A proper shakedown ride was long pending for the INT after the conversion and other upgrades. Night curfew and Sunday lockdown ensured that both me and bike were grounded when I was free. Had a lazy weekday in office and ended up doing an unplanned ride to one of my favorite pieces of tarmac. The bike after the upgrades performed flawlessly. The front end feel is now phenomenal at any speeds. The roads were damp but the Apollo Alpha H1s held itself well even with all this weight (Have tried the H1 only on lighter Dukes, RCs and Dominars before). The front brake was splendid. Mid corner stability was very good and confidence inspiring. The only gripe was a small disconnect in turn ins while going into deep leans. This, I am sure, is due to the weird shape the rear tyre now is in. Wider rim will cure this for sure. Foot pegs bottomed out in deep leans and probably GT pegs would be ideal but I will not be switching to those immediately, I really like the current setup. Happy to note that the bike was dragging only the footpegs and not any other parts which were not supposed to be dragged and the frame is just amazing, RE has indeed come a long way. Seems like the suspension and tyres were the only limiting factor for the bike!

Was just going through this absolutely helpful thread.
I've been through the trouble of finding 18" tyres for the RE CGT, back in 2014 we had tried swapping to 17" rims from the hero Impulse, however being 2.5 In, they were pretty restrictive.The himalayan ones seem ideal for up to 130, but yea they aren't anywhere near the stock excel ones.

Your pictures reminded me of a ride we had to Ponmudi hills with the local gt club a few years back.
I remember most of us having the footpegs marking territory on deep leans



The frame on both the twins are fantastic, thanks again for this thread.
Many more happy miles.

[rituj]

Excellent work. And thanks for logging everything. Helps a lot for people like me who might want to do similar modifications.

I was wondering what's the rear rim width on the himalayan? Is it thinner than the stock rim?

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by rituj

I was wondering what's the rear rim width on the himalayan? Is it thinner than the stock rim?

Yes. It is 3.5-ish inches. Stock was 4.5. These are just quick measurements I took. Could be +/- 0.25 inch

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Yes. It is 3.5-ish inches. Stock was 4.5. These are just quick measurements I took. Could be +/- 0.25 inch

Do check the rim, they have the size punched somewhere on the sidewall or edge of center.

Sharing an example below from my Bullet;



Regards,
A.P.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Do check the rim, they have the size punched somewhere on the sidewall or edge of center.

Sharing an example below from my Bullet;

Attachment 2208024

Regards,
A.P.

Thanks! Its 2.5"

[rituj]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Thanks! Its 2.5"

So you are running 150 section on 2.5" rims. That's borderline dangerous in my opinion and i would recommend changing them asap.
You are way too off standard, be safe. Here's a reference
https://ridewrightwheels.com/pages/m...-fitment-chart

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by rituj

That's borderline dangerous in my opinion and i would recommend changing them asap.

Agreed. Exploring various options since day 1!

[rituj]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Agreed. Exploring various options since day 1!

Just get the meteor rear 17" alloys. They are a direct fit I've heard.
I'm also planning on switching to those.

[man_of_steel]

Picking up from where I left off..

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

- Need wider rim for rear. Atleast 4.00 or 4.25 inch wide, the 150 section Apollo is rounded off too much.

Why I need wider rims

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

The only gripe was a small disconnect in turn ins while going into deep leans. This, I am sure, is due to the weird shape the rear tyre now is in. Wider rim will cure this for sure.

Originally Posted by rituj

Just get the meteor rear 17" alloys. They are a direct fit I've heard.

There was a delay in getting the Excel rims thingy worked out and amongst all the chaos at work, decided to take the easiest way out and plonk in the 17" alloy of the Meteor. Yes, it is a bang on direct fit and wide enough to bring out the intended profile of the tyre.


Yes, the alloy is much lighter than the full rim+spoke+hub of the previous setup


All the stock Interceptor titbits goes in this without any problems whatsoever.




Looking weird? It might, but a huge jump in functionality than the form.





Initial Impressions:
- she used to feel too eager to fall into the corner with the previous narrow rim setup at the rear. After the Meteor alloy conversion, as expected, the turn-ins have slowed down but whatever is happening is at a controlled and predictable pace which was exactly what I was after
- she feels even more planted now than before
- In line of the above two points, the bike feels a bit more lazier to steer but trust me, this is how it should be! May be I will drop the front end by 10mm or so and see if I can make her steer a bit more quickly
- rear looks so much fuller now looks as the 150 section alpha H1 looks almost as wide as it is supposed to look

The alloy costed me 6k and no other part needed to be ordered. Will do a thorough shakedown ride and update if I discover something new about the setup.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Looking weird? It might, but a huge jump in functionality than the form

Definitely yes. I guess the downsizing to 17" followed by the change to alloy of one wheel. Can the front alloy of the Meteor also be swapped into this? Else it looks like a mish mash of different parts. Maybe its just me. On the looks front, the stock 18 inchers suited the INT better. Ultimately, you need to be happy, that's about it. Does not matter how others feel

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

Can the front alloy of the Meteor also be swapped into this?

Nope. Meteor has a 19" front wheel.

Ultimately, you need to be happy, that's about it. Does not matter how others feel

Exactly!

[playingpossum]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

Can the front alloy of the Meteor also be swapped into this? Else it looks like a mish mash of different parts.

I think front wheel of Meteor is 19". I don't think that kind of setup would work well with the Interceptor.

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Looking weird? It might, but a huge jump in functionality than the form

If you manage to get a 18" or 19" wheel in front the looks can improve - but then slow-speed maneuverability will be affected slightly

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Picking up from where I left off..

The alloy costed me 6k and no other part needed to be ordered. Will do a thorough shakedown ride and update if I discover something new about the setup.

Wonderful

Now finalize a alloy for front as well pleas - You know my standing request on this.

Then I am your next customer in line (never mind i still don't have a Int 650 yet)


Best Regards & Ride Safe

[shabih]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

The alloy costed me 6k and no other part needed to be ordered. Will do a thorough shakedown ride and update if I discover something new about the setup.

Hello man_of_steel, hope you're enjoying the ride with this new setup. Going to be almost a month, how does it ride? Any red flags? I might get this setup done in a few weeks so wondering if you have any words of wisdom?