[evilmessiah]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Im speculating here, but I believe the decision to go with the tires might have something to do with affordable tire options in the current sizes. The 650s come with Pirelli Phantom SportComp tyres. This is the same size as the Pirelli Sport Demons (PSDs) on the GT535 which definitely will be cheaper than the Phantom SportsComps. Now the PSDs were known to have a short life with many GT535 owners suffering from cuts on their tires. That said, prices of a new front PSD was around Rs 5250 and and the rear was around Rs 6250 (off the top of my head) in the open market. Avons were briefly imported in the same sizes but were around 20-25% more expensive and were known to be less hardy than the PSDs. Wider tires would bump the prices up substantially.

Hey, first off, thanks for covering the event at Kochi! Nice pics and great observations! I could add some more points here regarding tire size. I guess that they went for thinner sizes because:

1) To keep in line with the retro look. The vintage models didn't have much by the way of tires- they were quite skinny, weren't they? If RE could pull off the dispersion style headlamps instead of going with the LED fad that's going on lately, why not go retro here too?

2) For better mileage. Thinner tires might equate to lesser rolling resistance (in combination with the tread pattern and compound used- I do not know about these two aspects in the Phantom Sportcomps)

3) Nimbler handling. Thinner tires can mean better transitioning and easier to tip in the corners (I'm reminded of the old R15 which had thinner tires vs the v2.0 which had fatter ones)

4) Last and most likely, as you had said- for savings in cost and durability. The PSD-s the GT535 had were of a softer compound and had less rigid sidewalls which while resulting in great traction and feel, had the drawback of less tire life. Taking feedback from the complaints, RE might have chosen the Phantoms as they might be more hardy, wear out later and might be more cheap (guessing here- needs confirmation on these)

[aabhimanyu04]

I currently ride a Yamaha R3 and am very happy with my bike. After seeing the bike in flesh and admiring its seemingly good build, I have thought about waiting for a long term review before I book mine. While the continental GT is not much of a change from before, the Interceptor is very fresh and compelling. The only few downers I felt were, the meter console (very boring for this age), very soft seats ( its going to hurt me on long rides), position of the silencer going upwards will prevent saddlebags to be placed behind. I don't want to crib about the headlights being too dated as long as they serve the purpose.
Oh yes, the indicators were very average to look at, they should have tried circular ones ( maybe with LEDs) matching to the shape of their twin exhausts.
Here are a few pictures of me (183cms) on the two twins at the Sadashivnagar RE Bengaluru:

[pramods]

I am told ( by dealer-sales), the first bacth will be delivered to people who booked the bike till 16th Nov, the delivery for these bikes will be done by Dec 2018 others will get that at end of Jan 2019, take this news as you want as 16th is gone!

I booked it on 16th, was not able to resiste myself, even though my CL 500 ABS is just 2 month old, meanwhile looking for a right owner for my CL 500.
-Pramod

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

Isn't it a bit odd not to mount the battery vertically? Or, is it ok?

Battery is still placed conventionally with terminals at top, see black wire with red marking going upwards (mostly to positive terminal of battery).
We are seeing slimmer side of battery rather than wider side that we are so used to. This would be necessitated as space behind side panel is small & placing battery this way would be only way.

[Shakensoul]

Interceptor and Continental Price List from Guwahati, Assam.

[tharian]

I visited the showroom yesterday close to my place for a look at the twins. Thankfully I was the only one at the showroom at the time since it was still early for a Sunday morning.

Since almost everything is covered in the recent posts, I will stick to my observations.

- I wasn't wow'd when I saw the bike. I still go wow when I see a gleaming Bullet in a showroom for some reason. Probably because the Interceptor was in the grey shade and not the orange crush.

- Sitting on the bike, I felt at home straightaway. The footpegs being a bit rear set is something that has to be gotten used to. The seating on GT, I thought would be not as aggressive as the 535, it felt almost the same though.

-The instrument cluster reminds me of the new Ecosport cluster. Too plain. It won't matter as long as the speedo needle doesn't start dancing after a certain speed or over time.

I would definitely look at after market exhausts if I get my hands on one of these. At idling, the note is good, but it seemed it would grow silent as the revs climb which I noticed when the sales rep gave it a blip.

From my perspective, RE has priced it right for what the bike is when looked at. When riding, it will feel even more worth it just for that twin engine.

Test rides will start soon as per them and they are looking for bookings as soon as you inquire about this bike.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Battery is still placed conventionally with terminals at top, see black wire with red marking going upwards (mostly to positive terminal of battery).
We are seeing slimmer side of battery rather than wider side that we are so used to. This would be necessitated as space behind side panel is small & placing battery this way would be only way.

I did not mean unconventionally. Normally the batteries are mounted without a tilt. At low fluid levels there is a possibilty of the plates getting exposed and oxidised.

[Anand_Mur]

Hi, can someone share the price list of Continental 650 from Kerala?

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

I did not mean unconventionally. Normally the batteries are mounted without a tilt. At low fluid levels there is a possibilty of the plates getting exposed and oxidised.

Batteries these days are sealed. RE has been shipping all their models with Amaron maintenance free dry batteries for the last 2 years or so. I guess the issue you mentioned doesn't apply to dry batteries?

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

At low fluid levels there is a possibilty of the plates getting exposed and oxidised.

Originally Posted by LazyGunner

I guess the issue you mentioned doesn't apply to dry batteries?

Quoting from Amaron site about their 2-wheeler batteries:

Amaron offers Pro Bike Rider (PBR) batteries, manufactured with state-of-the-art VRLA technology, for the entire range of two wheelers available in India.

VRLA technology works on the oxygen recombination principle, which prevents water loss and provides a zero maintenance battery. Which means that the only thing on your mind will be to have the ride of your life, every time you start your engine.

No matter what your ride, there's an Amaron PBR that's going to last long with you.

Our Differentiators:

• Zero-maintenance
• High Cranking power
• High corrosive resistance
• High vibration resistance
• Improved safety
• Long life
• Spill-proof

[Rajiv0909]

Originally Posted by pramods

I am told ( by dealer-sales), the first bacth will be delivered to people who booked the bike till 16th Nov, the delivery for these bikes will be done by Dec 2018 others will get that at end of Jan 2019, take this news as you want as 16th is gone!

I booked it on 16th, was not able to resiste myself, even though my CL 500 ABS is just 2 month old, meanwhile looking for a right owner for my CL 500.
-Pramod

Heard that RE has clocked 3k bookings for the twins. Given the demand, wait times are expected to increase especially once the test rides begin

[r0ckstar.1]

I started watching this thread quite late and I am not really a biker as much as most of you guys. I have had my share of biking in the early 2000 with my RX135 (2-stroke) and I still preserve that bike (guys who own a Yamaha knows what it means! ). But recently have been having that itch to own a bike which is 500cc+ for occasional use. All my search for a such a bike, that doesn't make a deep hole in my pocket has been futile and you all know that. So, when i heard about this, i felt a little excited (not too much) for obvious reasons of RE's quality, fit/finish and in general how the bike's are put together as a whole in their earlier models. The pricing is very attractive to ignore this bike completely.

Finally, after reading all that's in this thread, I decided to go visit the showroom here in Bangalore today. Went with my wifey as well to get her initial reaction. Well, i didn't get disappointed. The bikes are not a Wow...But, they are really put together very well and the quality shows. I like the size of the bikes and the presence of it. It really looks the part for the 650CC capacity. Very stylish and demands some attention. They will turn many heads on the road and will be a desirable bike for many!

Personally, style-wise, the Continental model looks mean and pretty cool..The color ICe Queen is really attractive. Interceptor has that classic look and presence, which gives you that RE brand look to certain extent (in a very good and sophisticated way).

Hopped on the bikes to check my ride/seating comfort. Interceptor is upright position and comfortable handlebars..THe feeling and seating position is as expected (like the CL 500). The feet don't touch anywhere per my observation. The fuel tank looks big and quite prominent.

Next , it was Continental GT turn. WHen i sat on this model, it felt like I am sitting on a totally different bike. SLightly forward posture, not too much as the advertisements seem to indicate..It has that amazing mix of a modern bike with the DNA of a classic. Suddenly, the bike didn't feel huge like the interceptor and I quite liked it. The clip-on handle bars and the position of your foot is quite comfortable. I ride quite long distances (75-100kms) during weekends on my Bicycle and I am fine with a forward riding position. Compared to the posture on my bicycle, this is pretty much nothing.

Wifey loved it and said that this looks better on me, in comparison to Interceptor for my personality. I am 5' 11" and weigh about 78Kgs. Infact, she's wondering if she can ride them too... :-D

In summary, I was very excited about the proposition this bike has to offer. The sales team was quite confident that the bike has gone through really good testing/Quality check from RE and it's built to last and outperform. So, I came home and booked the Continental GT (Ice Queen) color. Let's see when they will deliver. Showroom says that it may be End of Feb. Meanwhile, I will keep an eye on the feedback here and also on the outcome from my long test-ride later this month. I can always cancel if I don't like the ride (hope not). For now, I have blocked so as not to delay the start of ownership incase I like the bike.

[Steeroid]

This thread needs a vote panel for those who have booked, those who looked but didn’t book yet, and fence sitters.

[bsenroy]

Rajputana Customs has modded a GT 650.


gotto say... loving the cowl here.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

This thread needs a vote panel for those who have booked, those who looked but didn’t book yet, and fence sitters.

And a large set who aren't really interested in buying a new bike, leave alone a RE bike, but just like to discuss and deliberate the pro & cons (as they always do on tbhp)