[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by tharian

The KTM Duke 390 was a serious contender for a long while, but the main negative for me was the seat. Even after the Adv was launched, I felt this is not the right bike for me. It wasn't the bike, but there was that feeling that I won't be growing old with this bike. Both the ways.
.

I'm in the process of researching bikes to buy for college and you have described exactly how I felt about the Interceptor 650 and the Duke 390.

At first the Duke 390 seems like a better buy because the performance numbers are close on paper, the 30-35kg weight advantage, the high tech gizmos and what not. But the Duke 390 is a bike I feel like I won't be able to grow old with. I could easily see myself owning the Interceptor 650 for years or maybe even decades to come (this is the case with me and most Royal Enfield's to be honest) but I don't really see myself owning the Duke or any KTM for longer than 4 or 5 years at most.

Plus the simplicity of the Royal Enfield is something I really like. Sure they both have tech but the Duke 390 makes the tech a part of the appeal of the bike while the Interceptor gives you just enough tech (ABS, Dual disc brakes etc) and lets the mechanical aspect of the bike do the talking.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

I'm in the process of researching bikes to buy for college.

Plus the simplicity of the Royal Enfield is something I really like. Sure they both have tech but the Duke 390 makes the tech a part of the appeal of the bike while the Interceptor gives you just enough tech (ABS, Dual disc brakes etc) and lets the mechanical aspect of the bike do the talking.

Being in college, I would say the KTM makes more sense. It is a much for fun and sprity bike compared to the Interceptor and you can always upgrade to a different bike later once you finish studies and then look at a long term bike.

I didn't have the privelage to own a bike during college, but given an option back then, I would have gone for a Shaolin, which I almost got or another two stroker which is equivilant to the present day KTMs instead of a Bullet.

[tharian]

I am getting used to the bike and the bike to me and it gets better and smoother as the kms clock.

I got the bike pressure washed for the first time last weekend and after reading about some sensor wires getting affected due to the pressure, I asked the service person not to spray on the engine directly which he did of course. Once the wash was over, the engine fired up fine, but I could feel a bit of sputtering which increased when I tried blipping the throttle or when letting go of the clutch after the gear was engaged. I let it rev for sometime, but the sputtering was prominent and the engine was turning off when trying to move. I noticed once above 3k rpm, the engine was revving fine. So I slipped the clutch a bit and got the bike moving and the same issue was happening as long as I was below 3k rpm. It took at least 10 minutes of this and a opening up on a flyover for the issue to disappear. This kind of reminded me of my old Bullet 500 after wash wherein water would get inside the ignition points and the engine would refuse to fire. The bike was fine after that and I did another blast on the flyover for all the water to clear. Next time I‘ll make sure the engine area is left untouched.

After the last long ride, I try to sneak out and do a short ride on the outskirts now and then as family and work keep me at home most of the time.
The gear shifts and the engine feels and sounds good and on the last tankful which was more or less city riding, I ended up getting 25 kmpl which is good for a 650 twin. My 350 Bullet gives me the same in city.
Thank God for the aftermarket slip on exhausts for these bikes, it makes the ride that much more fun. Mine is not a free flow exhaust although it is an after market one because of the type of baffle I am using which in turn doesn’t affect the first 10000 kms of the engine running.

Bike has run 2700 kms.

At the newly opened Rail terminal at Baiyapannahalli



After a short ride this morning.

[TheHelix0202]

How did you access the rail terminal? Could you share the G-Maps location, please?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

How did you access the rail terminal? Could you share the G-Maps location, please?

Sorry for the late response.

It can be accessed via Banasawadi road as well Old Madras road.

Here is the location.
SMVT Bengaluru
081052 54941
https://goo.gl/maps/dhmNkT1BjpTm9Xmy5

If you are approaching it on Banasawadi road from the MG road side, you need to go under the Banasawadi flyover and take a right and if you are approaching from the opposite side on Banasawadi road, you need to take the Banasawadi flyover and take the off ramp on top of it to the left.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by tharian

Here is the location.
SMVT Bengaluru
081052 54941
https://goo.gl/maps/dhmNkT1BjpTm9Xmy5

Thanks! I’d been looking for the perfect place to take some good shots of my bike for a while now. Everywhere else within the city is horrid. This newly opened terminal proved to be just the right spot.

Couldn’t progress much further in, thanks to the security guard asking me not to enter. The place is quite clean, so one could only imagine how our fellow citizens would trash the place if it were open to the general public right away.

Here’s a couple of pictures -









Sorry for hijacking your thread.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Thanks! I’d been looking for the perfect place to take some good shots of my bike for a while now. Everywhere else within the city is horrid. This newly opened terminal proved to be just the right spot.

Couldn’t progress much further in, thanks to the security guard asking me not to enter. The place is quite clean, so one could only imagine how our fellow citizens would trash the place if it were open to the general public right away.

It is weird he didn’t let you in. Probably because there were no trains at the time. You are right about the cleanliness part for now. The inside of the station doesn’t resemble an IR station at all, it is more like a small sized airport.

Few of the pictures I took couple of weeks back after the first train was introduced from the terminal. I am a train buff, so posting them here.

This is how the place looked probably 25 years ago when I used to go and watch the freight action. Photos were taken by me from the opposite side of the present terminal.

[tharian]

A short 200 kms ride yesterday with a big dark cloud beside me half the way for company.

Bike performed well as always but the cross winds were so strong, it kind of spoilt part of the ride. Looks as though my back side is getting used to the seat. It was only after couple of hours that it started aching.

The route was Hoskote-Malur-Tekal-Bangarpet-Kolar-Chintamani-Devanahalli. A total of 200 kms and beautiful motorcycling roads.

[Bubango]

Your ownership experience is incredibly detailed and satisfies all my doubts and questions about the BS6 650s. I might get the bike in the same color and fit the TE103 exhausts afterward. The pillion is definitely going to feel uncomfortable and cramped because me being a young 18y/o, I am not getting away with riding alone all the time. Brilliant motorcycle, sir. Love to see it. Hope to see more.

[tharian]

It has been close to 6 months since I got the bike. Recently it crossed the 3k kms mark. Apart from the one time the engine was stuttering after a pressure wash, there has been no issues. The last tankful gave me 28 kmpl. Most of the riding has been on short weekend rides of 100-150 kms. The last one was to Makalidurga which was a nice early morning ride.

On the previous ride to that, the wind blast was quite annoying especially since there are strong winds already in the form of monsoon. The carbon racing windscreen was good only up to a certain speed. If I had to get some cover, I had to slouch which was not an option being over 6ft. So I decided to go for the windshield extender from ProSpec which was meant for the CarbonRacing windshield, just that the windshield was tinted and the extender was not. But, it didn’t look all that bad after fitting. It proved better on my last ride and I was able to do higher speeds without much discomfort. At lower speeds,it almost feels like sitting in car when the windshield is able to work well.
The bike feels good otherwise, except for slight tappet noise after a spirited ride, but it goes away the next time I use the bike.
The bike has run 3200kms and is due for the second free inspection which I am not sure if I need to send it or not. I don’t understand why there is a 6 month gap between inspection and services.

[Boringrider]

Excellent review. I went for a test ride of the Interceptor today and was blown away by the sheer brilliance and refinement this thing offers. Driving a multi-cylinder machine is truly the next level of biking being used to the regular bikes we common folk ride everyday. I loved everything about it, zero complaints.

But this has put me in a tougher dilemma now, I have already paid the booking amount for a Yezdi Adventure. I can cancel it and get it refunded. Have not yet processed the payments. If I decide to go for RE, it is a nice 1L over my budget which I can stretch if I'm being crazy enough and considering I won't be buying another bike for a long time.

My major concerns after reading the ownership reviews on here are the niggles and service centre experiences. And the seat comfort for touring. I understand it is fine for city riding and I didn't feel uncomfortable in the 20 minute test ride I took today. However, if I do decide to tour I want a good capable machine and not something which will leave me waiting for a break due to back pain every hour.

My height is 6'3 and I didn't feel uncomfortable with the riding posture and the seat height. My riding requirements are mostly going to be weekend rides, joy rides and a bit of commuting if needed. I do have a scooter for everything else. Pillion comfort doesn't have to be a top priority.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Boringrider

Excellent review. I went for a test ride of the Interceptor today and was blown away by the sheer brilliance and refinement this thing offers. Driving a multi-cylinder machine is truly the next level of biking being used to the regular bikes we common folk ride everyday. I loved everything about it, zero complaints.

But this has put me in a tougher dilemma now, I have already paid the booking amount for a Yezdi Adventure. I can cancel it and get it refunded. Have not yet processed the payments. If I decide to go for RE, it is a nice 1L over my budget which I can stretch if I'm being crazy enough and considering I won't be buying another bike for a long time.

My major concerns after reading the ownership reviews on here are the niggles and service centre experiences. And the seat comfort for touring. I understand it is fine for city riding and I didn't feel uncomfortable in the 20 minute test ride I took today. However, if I do decide to tour I want a good capable machine and not something which will leave me waiting for a break due to back pain every hour.

My height is 6'3 and I didn't feel uncomfortable with the riding posture and the seat height. My riding requirements are mostly going to be weekend rides, joy rides and a bit of commuting if needed. I do have a scooter for everything else. Pillion comfort doesn't have to be a top priority.

The seat is a concern. But, it is something that you get used to. After riding for 3k kms, now I can sit longer before taking a break.
Touchwood, I have no issues till date and the bike feels good every time I use it.

The highlight or USP of this bike is it's engine. I would say it is any day better than a Jawa/Yezdi depending on your budget.
But, if you are not in a hurry, I think the Meteor 650 and Bullet 650 should be out next year. Those would be definitely more comfortable for long rides.

[Boringrider]

Originally Posted by tharian

The seat is a concern. But, it is something that you get used to. After riding for 3k kms, now I can sit longer before taking a break.
Touchwood, I have no issues till date and the bike feels good every time I use it.

The highlight or USP of this bike is it's engine. I would say it is any day better than a Jawa/Yezdi depending on your budget.
But, if you are not in a hurry, I think the Meteor 650 and Bullet 650 should be out next year. Those would be definitely more comfortable for long rides.

There's no doubt that this is a better engine than anything else out there amongst the common choices. However, after a lot of deliberation and time, I decided not to go ahead with it and paid the amounts for the Yezdi Adventure. So, stay tuned for my ownership reviews coming soon!

[tharian]

I have been wanting to do a long ride for a while now and because of the rains, kept pushing it.
Once I got the chance last weekend , the confusion was where to ride to. I didn't want to do an overnight since I had stuff to do the next day.
Finally decided to ride to Ooty on Saturday and if I was not very tired, continue to Mettupalyam and back via Sathy and Dhimbham ghats to Kollegal and back via Kanakapura. I had done this route already few years ago on a D390 which was quite a ride.

I left around 430am and reached Mysore in couple of hours. I was surprised myself since I had kept around 3 hours for that stretch since it was the weekend. More than 100 kms of the stretch is now on 6 lane roads with most of the towns bypassed.
I hit the Gundlepet - Ooty route around 730am and the roads were good except for some rough patches here and there. The plan was to go up on the Masinagudi - Kalhahatty ghats and return via the less steeper Gudalur section, if I wasn't continuing to Mettupalyam and returning via Chamrajnagar.
The forest section was beautiful because of the greenery after the rains and I was lucky to spot some wildlife as well. The Kalahatty route did not have much traffic especially on the ghats. I remember when I did this climb back in 2009 on my Bullet 500, I was in second gear most of the time, trying my best not to over heat the engine. This time it was usually third and second and at the times first for the very steep hairpin bends. The bike could easily do those in second, but I shifted to first just in case to avoid stalling in the middle of the turn. The CEAT tyres were good on the turns, but not confidence inspiring to take turns like how I did on the D390 on Metzeler's, especially in the wet.
I reached Ooty around 10 am and decided to continue to Connoor and then head back the same way since traffic on the top was heavy because of road works and weekend traffic. And by time I was on top, my back side was in bad shape. But a good thing was that I was getting used to the seat over every ride, but still needed frequent stops of few minutes. I stood on the pegs too for few seconds now and then which helped temporarily.

The stretch from Ooty to Connoor was congested because of traffic and road works and my intention to reach Connoor and then turn back was to see some steam train action and meet a friend who has a Jawa Yezdi bike collection. I did see the station from up top and did see a steam engine parked and few diesels and had breakfast from a famous joint called Sri Ramachandra hotel beside the station. I headed back at 1230 to head home after visiting my friend as well as his bike collection and was asked to take a longer inside road via the plantations to Ooty to avoid traffic and to enjoy the ride as well. This was a much longer route but quite scenic and it was around 50 kms of only hilly roads which by the time I reached Ooty, had drained me. I stopped at the beginning of the ghats to head down for a cup of tea which helped quite a bit. I headed back the same ghats since I was running late and wanted to minimize riding in the dark to the least.
I crossed the forest and stopped at the same bunk between Mysore and Gundlepet that I had stopped on the way up. With the climbing and riding in the hills, the fuel efficiency was an impressive 32kmpl. From home to the same bunk was 30 kmpl. I have been using xp95 from Indian Oil and that bunk on the highway did have that which was good.
I hit Mysore ring road not wanting to get stuck in the city and hit the Mysore - Bangalore highway around 6p. Till Mandya, the 6 lane is being built and post that it was on the newly laid highway and in the dark. Although the lights on the bike is good only of there is no vehicle around, because of the road makrings, I was able to reach Nice road in couple of hours including a refreshment stop at Mandya. The rest of the ride back home was the usual Bangalore traffic and jams.

Total distance was 660 kms and the bike has done 4150 kms.

[bf1983]

Wow 660 kms in a single day is no small feat! Kudos.

Btw which Givi tank bag is that?