[TangoSierra]

I am attending Rider Mania and Royal Enfield is providing 6-10 km test rides of the Twins. I took a test drive of both the bikes.

Engine:
The best ever from the Royal Enfield stable. Zero vibrations and i was left blown away by the engine. Very refined and pulls away clearly with a twist of the wrist. Power delivery is spread across the rev band. You don't need to downshift to overtake. The engine produces a bassy burble at idle and it is music to the ears.

Gearbox:
Smooth as a knife in butter. Very smooth and the clutch feels light to use. No false neutrals and clutch less upshifts are easy and smooth.

Overall:
Old school, retro classic design appeals Much. RE has put in a ton of effort to bring a ton of fun and it has payed out. RE has a clear winner in their hands. Harley Davidson is in trouble atleast in India, if not in global market Because of the twins.

Met people from product team, Engine testing team and R&D team. They were directly taking feedback from people who take test drives and i had a good chat with them.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

You too Steer !!!

As you said its too tempting even with the traditional rival's latest Avatar. I am leaning a bit to that at the moment but the 27 BHP is the main damper.

The pictures Neil had taken shows a reasonable build quality as well

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

I had a fellow come after me offering Rs.2.5L for my 35 year old RD in Cochin. Maybe I should've taken him up on it, but I love that howler too much - it will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. Its a keeper.

Compared to those prices, 2.99 on road for a brand new 650 twin makes it a ridiculously easy decision to make. No-brainer, really.

I expect the ridiculous prices for old RDs (most of them in terrible shape for the kind of money asked) to crash big time. I might buy a 2nd one for spares supply

PS: About that 'traditional rival' (which it never was, BTW) - I would wait. It is contract manufactured by an offshoot of a manufacturer who milked the market with rehashed versions of ancient vehicles, much like Enfield. And there is talk about this Mojo engine being a gem - how many Mojos have you seen on the roads? I suspect there are more 30-year old RDs still running around than the motorcycle being alluded to. How do people make a conclusive decision on such an engine being reliable?

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Right side panel opens with a key & reveals battery, toolkit. Circular knob on top allows cable pull for unlocking seat.

Attachment 1819251

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

[kiranmohandas]

Originally Posted by keroo1099

This is my story (Technik Indiranagar)

Saw the Bike
Sat on the Bike
Started the Bike
Booked the Bike

[/i]

Congratulations on your new bike.

Same story here but in a different order.

Saw the Bike
Booked the Bike
Sat on the Bike
Started the Bike !!

It was so crowded, thought it best to get ahead on the queue on the booking while i was waiting.

Have a CL500 from the very first batch. Came with a faulty Fuel Injection that gave me hell. Finally moved it to a carb and got some relief. Quite frankly, i had promised myself not to buy a brand new RE ever again. But the Interceptor 650 grew on me over the last 1 year since they announce it. All the reviews sound so promising that i had jump in again.

Booked at Whitefield Motors, Bengaluru. They mentioned deliveries from mid-Jan. Although i highly suspect that it would happen. Will be fortunate to get it by early Feb. Also better to keep expectations low. That way i could be in for a surprise!!

[varunswnt]

Price list from Brahma Motors, Wakadewadi, Pune.
It includes accessories pricing as well.



Int650 is bulky, brawny and heavy. Footpegs are placed for relaxed riding, handle bars are easily reachable. I am 5'7" and I couldn't flat foot the bike, heels were just little above ground. Int650 Mach 3 colour option on display.

No test rides available, they didn't even allowed firing up to hear out sound even after request by couple of visitors.

Test rides would be available after 10 days as per RE crew, mind you crew are clueless in terms of colour options and features both. They better brush up soon for better customer experience.

[sansad]

Originally Posted by kiranmohandas

Congratulations on your new bike.

Same story here but in a different order.

Saw the Bike
Booked the Bike
Sat on the Bike
Started the Bike !!

here's how it went for me...
booked the bike...
yet to see the bike...
yet to sit on the bike...
yet to start the bike...


the last three, planning to do on the delivery day ... that committed (all set to trade in my Desert Storm)

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[Rocky_Balboa]

Had a visit to the Whitefield RE showroom, which had White GT and Silver Interceptor 650 on display. They let visitors sit on the motorcycles and start/ rev them to glory. I loved the burble at idle, though I was not content with revving it at standstill. By the way, the rear shocks are Gabriel and the accessory list is made available as well.

There was a 650 twin project representative - Abilash, with whom I had a nice chat for sometime. He was suggesting that the initial negative feedback from Himalayan, made them put more miles into Twins project; and also mentioned Pierre Terblanche, bringing them much needed inputs including contribution to the Bobber concept.

Test rides are supposed to be available from next week, but RTO approval has not been attained yet! I booked mine in Silver

[evilmessiah]

Saw the twins day before yesterday at the Enfield showroom at Edapally. Here goes my two paise:

1) The quality is a huge step up from the usual Enfields. Wiring and welds are much neater than before. The crimps below the fuel tank used to be an eyesore, but it'is finished in a much better manner than before.

2) Only three places where I could find some bad welds and finish- the rear passenger grab rail, the exhaust header and the joint that connects to the muffler (nitpicking).

3) The switch-gear is average- looks like old RE stuff, but with marginally better quality plastics.

4) The dispersion type headlight is a plus in my books- it looks cool and I prefer it to LED-s which I haven't found to be effective in fogs or the highways (I felt that the throw wasn't good).

5) Am a bit unsure whether the twins are a bit under-tired at 100/90-18 in front and Rear :-130/70-18 at the rear.

6) This thing is heavy and the exhausts stick out at the rear. Parking and moving it in the crowded two wheeler parking lot at my workplace isn't an option. Great if your commute doesn't have much traffic or else it's strictly a weekend bike in my books.

7) I like the GT's committed position as it's more or less like how I sit in my CBR. The seats in both bikes are way too soft for me.

8) Clutch action seems light when it's stationary- have to test it while riding it.

9) The rear shocks are not Paoli- they are from Gabriel and are pre-load adjustable.

10) Loved the fuel lid- it's awesome.

11) Keeping all that chrome shining is going to be a tough job- especially in a monsoon heavy area like Kerala. Wish that at least the GT came with blackened engine parts (I think it'll definitely be coming as a future color option- most probably all matt black). On the other hand , that chrome appears to be of good quality.

12) The sales guy said that the service interval is 5000 kms. Was clueless about the interval and guessed it's 6 months. Would love to be proven wrong on both counts. Maintenance is going to be more than what the single cylinder bikes guys like me are upgrading from. Hope that the service personnel are upto scratch- the service center I saw was pretty crowded already. Would there be dedicated bays for the twins like Honda has for CBR-s?

13) Salesmen were saying that the engine runs hot, but I think it would be hot only in traffic. It should be quite alright on long runs.

Thoughts while walking away from the showroom: Damn you again, Royal Enfield. The Classic 500 got me hooked to bikes in the first place and it seems that these twins are going to get me hooked to higher capacity bikes. Incredible bang for the buck. I should probably start saving soon

The mind says to wait and watch for actual initial ownership reviews to come out- which is what I might probably do. RE has had issues in all its previous models- be it Classic, Thunderbird, Conti GT 535 and the Himalayan. If it has got its act together- nice. Let's hope for the best.

[vikramvicky1984]

I booked the interceptor in orange today without seeing. Prices came after I booked
No display bikes in my place (Jamshedpur) so have relied on feedback here.
I have been told bikes will only come in February( I was the first one to book interceptor)Look forward to more feedback from fellow members from big cities on the bike and accessories . I am not going to ride much, having and seeing my own retro twin is enough to keep me happy.

Question: to those who have seen in person is the orange really good? I booked the colour hearing praises of it in overdrive review and the launch ceremony. I am not looking at exclusivity just it should be pleasant/ nice colour. e.g. I find purple civics very bad. All my past bikes were is the common colours ( red splendor, blue victor, whita zma, red navi). Would request your views as I won’t be able to chose later, they would send customer bikes directly n not display ones. This is probably my last bike.

Need complete riding gear and helmet too. Jawani wala cramsters ls2 etal were passed on to friends after I got bikeless.

[alphadog]

Neil, thanks for the great initial launch update from Kochi. I used to live near Edapally and unfortunately missed the occassion as I am out of the country.
Wish I were there to see the machines in the flesh.

Originally Posted by evilmessiah

Saw the twins day before yesterday at the Enfield showroom at Edapally. Here goes my two paise:

5) Am a bit unsure whether the twins are a bit under-tired at 100/90-18 in front and Rear :-130/70-18 at the rear.


11) Keeping all that chrome shining is going to be a tough job- especially in a monsoon heavy area like Kerala. Wish that at least the GT came with blackened engine parts (I think it'll definitely be coming as a future color option- most probably all matt black). On the other hand , that chrome appears to be of good quality.

12) The sales guy said that the service interval is 5000 kms. Was clueless about the interval and guessed it's 6 months. Would love to be proven wrong on both counts. Maintenance is going to be more than what the single cylinder bikes guys like me are upgrading from. Hope that the service personnel are upto scratch- the service center I saw was pretty crowded already. Would there be dedicated bays for the twins like Honda has for CBR-s?


The mind says to wait and watch for actual initial ownership reviews to come out- which is what I might probably do. RE has had issues in all its previous models- be it Classic, Thunderbird, Conti GT 535 and the Himalayan. If it has got its act together- nice. Let's hope for the best.

Exactly, my thoughts, evilmessiah, especially about the tyre sizes. I feel, they should have been a wee bit wider, atleast the rear one. I had commented on this previously, when they were first launched. But hey, I am not a designer, so maybe there is a reason they are not wider.

It looks like RE have managed to pull another great coup. Going by the online reviews, these twins seems to be better put together than any of their previous offerings. But having said that, if I were in the market, I would certainly wait for a few months, until the proper inital ownership reviews come out and the niggles get smoothened out. The pricing is spot on as well.

The launch of the Jawa bikes are mouth watering too. The Jawa Perak custom bobber seems worth waiting for and will be a great addition to any collection.

Great times for Indian motorcycling scene, and I am happy that these are made in India products with Indian hearts. Hopefully the reliability factor is covered and taken care of.

Cheerio!

[MMV]

Neil, thank you for your update, presented nicely too.
It's been a pleasure to see RE grow leaps and bounds from the old 350(which I had later in my college life, to be specific the one with break on left foot). In fact it's the investors (stock) who were rewarded the most. Slightly !
Coming back to the bike, my RE (purchased 2nd hand in early 2000s for 15k ) had lot of niggles, somedays it refused to start, whether or not the platinum point ignition was going to fire was a matter of luck. But it was sheer driving pleasure. Never felt bad with niggles, even when friends used to make fun of my old bullet and it's reliability (in fact once had reached exam hall 30min late as I had to walk!)

Post college I was forced to part with my bullet (had no choice back then), since then RE product portfolio has grown rapidly and so the fan following too. Never felt like driving the new breed RE till now, may be some time soon after reading about the higher cc ones.
Regarding the centre stand which many other BHPians also referred too, an easy to use centre stand will be a great pleasure, the old bullet had a uniquely proportioned centre stand which could easily be deployed even while sitting on it, to be honest deploying the centre stand with ease of such a heavy bike was a great showoff, many of you who have done that will definitely have a chuckle on their face.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

What else? Why should one not book one of the 650 twins? Let us know your concerns.

I can tell you the reason as to why I havent booked my silver Interceptor - I already have a Continental GT 535 and a Street Triple and dont get enough time to ride them both. If I would have booked the Int 650 at the launch (trust me, I was tempted!) and come home and asked for forgiveness, there is a high chance that I would have been kicked out by the Home Minister and been forced to sleep in my garage for a few days

Originally Posted by alphadog

Neil, thanks for the great initial launch update from Kochi.

Thanks alphadog.

Originally Posted by alphadog

Exactly, my thoughts, evilmessiah, especially about the tyre sizes. I feel, they should have been a wee bit wider, atleast the rear one. I had commented on this previously, when they were first launched. But hey, I am not a designer, so maybe there is a reason they are not wider.

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.

Originally Posted by MMV

Neil, thank you for your update, presented nicely too.

Thanks MMV.

[aravind.anand]

After following the Royal Enfield 750cc twin (back then it was supposed to be a 750) for almost 3 years, I actually bought into the idea of the bike rather early - right when the first spy shots surfaced online. I have been frequenting these threads on our forums and few other forums over the last 2 years.

I even got so obsessed with this bike that I started discussing this idea with friends and family even before Royal Enfield unveiled the bike at the 2017 EICMA show last November. I have been hunting for pics and videos like a maniac all through last year, it was a tough and agonising wait for me. Google knows how many times I have used the search word 'Interceptor 650' over the last one year, and I already have a 400+ pictures album with pictures of the twins - right from the first spy images to the recent plethora of images post the media events.

When I heard about the twins launching on 14 November, I quickly called up the dealerships at my hometown to book it over last weekend - as I was there for a personal work anyway. Unfortunately none of the dealerships were taking the booking - before RE made things official.

So I had to make a visit to my hometown again this weekend and since today was an auspicious day, my mom & wife were pestering me to not book it yesterday... Close, yet so far! There was no display bike in any of the dealerships in Coimbatore, so I haven't seen the bike in flesh yet. But I don't have to, as I made up my mind several years ago anyway.

So, after crossing all those hurdles, I am extremely glad to have finally booked my Interceptor 650 in Baker Express colour at Coimbatore today!

[nik hill]

I had booked a test ride online for interceptor. Got a call yesterday from the showroom asking me to come for a test ride. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that test rides are available but could not go yesterday due to other commitments.
Today i got a call again and could not resist the temptation to go. So finally reached the showroom and waited patiently for my turn. The agency gave me the bike to ride without any restrictions on the route, time, distance, pillion etc. So i had the opportunity to ride the bike for a long distance spanning almost half an hour in city traffic and few empty stretches of road. The bike felt easy to ride and handle, the exhaust note was nice to hear and no vibes, pulled well from low speeds, brakes were efficient.
overall a good experience but somehow found the continental GT much more good looking. Waiting for the continental GT test rides to commence before i finalise my plans.

[Raulspace999]

Okay. So saw the Interceptor in the flesh today as had to accompany a friend who was keen on booking one. I am 6’2 and felt completely at ease on this ‘bulky’ bike. The deliveries in Navi Mumbai, the Nerul showroom to be precise will only start in February 2019.

It does have a high imposing stance and the grunt surely is something.

Attaching the pictures with me on the bike for reference