The Royal Enfield Interceptor & Continental 650. EDIT: Launched @ Rs 2.50 - 2.65 lakhs

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

Is there any possibility of a Himalayan 650 to be launched in 2018? With that ~45-47 bhp power output?

Very unlikely!

For Himalayan, the upcoming launches would be sticker jobs and new paint schemes. A 650 cc with 45bhp seems to be a far cry.

Just hope that they get the niggles on the current version sorted so that folks are ready to buy it at large.

Ride Safe,
R-Six

[aravind.anand]

Woohoo ! My Interceptor has arrived

Well at least, the 2D scale model that I had ordered has arrived. Available at Royal Enfield stores and also on their online store, I placed an order last week.

The scale model came in with really good packaging


Upon opening that, a high quality casing similar to the ones that come with wallets was found


And then the final really well detailed and brilliantly made Interceptor 650 twin's 2d scale model was rather impressive!


With the scale model already joining my garage, can't wait to get my hands on the real one now

[vikramvicky1984]

Given the high power, would tubed tyres be safe on these twins?

Like the 350x & 500x this too should be launched with tubeless tyres (and therefore alloys) at least as an option.

What would be the total cost to buy new/used alloys and good tubeless tyres post purchase,can we retrofit from some other existing bikes?
IIRC GT535 had tubeless pirellis with tubes. In that case one will need to spend on alloys

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

Given the high power, would tubed tyres be safe on these twins?

That is a good point there. The Retro styling is all fine but they could have gone the Bonnie way and provided alloys. Some compromises for utility/safety are warranted rather than following a purist design approach.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

Given the high power, would tubed tyres be safe on these twins?

Mate while I am all for tubeless tyres but I am not sure how tube tyres are not safe for high powered motorcycles as Triumph Bonneville T100, Honda CB1100, Kawasaki W800, Yamaha SR400, and many more models still use tube tyres on their spoke rims(maybe they do so to retain the old world classic charm). One cannot fit tubeless tyres on spoke rims due to the physics involved, which has been discussed extensively on other forums including TeamBHP. There are specialized spoke rims used on bikes like Triumph Tiger 800/1200, BMW R1200 GS, etc. that can take tubeless tyres. But such specialized spoke rims comes at a premium, hence many manufacturers shy away from equipping their bikes with the same.

Like the 350x & 500x this too should be launched with tubeless tyres (and therefore alloys) at least as an option.

They can have variants like Triumph Bonneville does, one with spoke rims and other with alloy wheels.

What would be the total cost to buy new/used alloys and good tubeless tyres post purchase, can we retrofit from some other existing bikes?
IIRC GT535 had tubeless pirellis with tubes. In that case one will need to spend on alloys

The price difference between tube and tubeless tyres is marginal and with regards to alloy wheels there are a lot of aftermarket options.

Originally Posted by rideon74

That is a good point there. The Retro styling is all fine but they could have gone the Bonnie way and provided alloys. Some compromises for utility/safety are warranted rather than following a purist design approach.

Mate as mentioned Bonneville too has a variant with spoke rims tube type tyres called the Bonneville T100 and there are many more retro classics that I have mentioned above that do so. Although I would be very happy to see if RE brings in a variant with alloy wheels as they recently did with the Thunderbird 350x and 500x. While they are at it, a dual channel ABS on the 650 twins would be a cherry on the cake.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

Given the high power, would tubed tyres be safe on these twins?

Like the 350x & 500x this too should be launched with tubeless tyres (and therefore alloys) at least as an option.

The Triumph Tiger 800, with a 95 PS engine has tubed wheels (on the xc line). The Bonneville T100 and t120 both have spoked wheels with tubes. So I don't think the interceptor with 47 bhp and tubed tyres is a problem. As far as what I've seen, the Twins come with pirelli phantoms which are the same tyres used on the new Bonneville range.

Some of my friends use the outex tyre sealer that converts spoked rims to tubeless and have ridden many 1000s of kms with no complaints.

AFAIK the media rides will happen some time in April

[GTO]

Thanks to Tanuj Dalal for sending these images in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing them with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Spotted on the Chennai-Calcutta NH5:

[R-Six]

Spotted on the Chennai-Calcutta NH5

Is it just me or do you guys also feel that the overall posture of the rider looks weird? Is he sitting on top of the fuel tank? The GT has a longer petrol tank and it is not quite possible to attain such an up straight riding posture.

The bike doesn't look interesting at all in these images.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Is it just me or do you guys also feel that the overall posture of the rider looks weird? Is he sitting on top of the fuel tank? The GT has a longer petrol tank and it is not quite possible to attain such an up straight riding posture.

GT has a lower set clip-on while the one in the pic is the Interceptor with an upright handlebar.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

GT has a lower set clip-on while the one in the pic is the Interceptor with an upright handlebar.

I understand that. I ride a GT to work every day.

What I was trying to ask was about the distance between the handlebar and the rider. It looks too close even with an upright handlebar.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by R-Six

What I was trying to ask was about the distance between the handlebar and the rider. It looks too close even with an upright handlebar.

I wont deny the fact that the rider is sitting too intimate to the tank!

Also, I don't think the interceptor's tank is shorter than the GT. And the ergonomics look more or less in line with the retro nature of the bike.

[tanuj_afc]

I had rolled down the windows to click the pictures and listen to her roar. Neither it sounded like a parallel twin and neither did it look impressive. But the rider did look comfortable and was cruising comfortably at speeds of 90-95

[rideon74]

A better, more in depth look at the twins by the Aussie YouTuber - Dangar Motorcycling:

https://youtu.be/ZFvmSabCwvY

PS. His channel has some really DIY videos for the Himalayan owners.

[rascalangel]

Just a quick calculation of prices in Australia and India for other models (Himalayan and Classic) puts the Indian price at 2.6-2.7Lakh bracket. I think this would a very very good price for the twin. But knowing RE brand power in India wouldn't be surprised it being price 3 Lac+.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by rascalangel

Just a quick calculation of prices in Australia and India for other models (Himalayan and Classic) puts the Indian price at 2.6-2.7Lakh bracket. I think this would a very very good price for the twin. But knowing RE brand power in India wouldn't be surprised it being price 3 Lac+.

I was unable to find a relation actually. They are talking about AUD 10,000 & AUD 10,390 for the Interceptor and the GT, however a Yamaha R3 retails for around AUD 7,500. But we have a CKD structure, which I don't think Australia has.

PS: I am not sure how this dealer in Australia is so sure about the pricing while the rest of the world is still speculating