Tripper Navigation is offered as standard fitment on the Super Meteor 650.

According to a media report, Royal Enfield will soon offer Tripper Navigation as an optional accessory on the Interceptor and Continental GT 650.

Royal Enfield recently introduced several updates on the 650 Twins. The bikes now come with alloy wheels, new switchgear and LED headlights. Besides Tripper Navigation, customers will also be able to equip their bikes with LED turn indicators.

The Tripper Navigation pod will attach to the existing twin-pod instrument console. It is essentially a Bluetooth-enabled display that shows distance and direction metrics. Reports suggest that customers will have to shell out Rs 5,000 extra for this feature.

Tripper Navigation is offered as standard fitment on the Super Meteor 650. It is unclear if it would be possible to equip older Interceptors and Continental GTs with this feature.

Source: Autocar India

Both the Interceptor and Continental GT 650 get additional kit from the brand's genuine accessories pack.

Royal Enfield has revealed new special editions called the Interceptor 650 Lightning and Continental GT 650 Thunder for the European market.

The Interceptor 650 Lightning comes equipped with an engine guard, an aluminium sump guard, a touring seat, detachable soft panniers, a fly screen, touring mirrors and a CNC oil filler cap.

The Continental GT 650 Thunder also gets an additional kit, including removable soft panniers, an engine guard, a sump guard, a CNG oil filter cover and a tinted fly screen. Besides this, the bike comes equipped with CNC machined bar-end mirrors and a standard fit seat.

Royal Enfield hasn’t made any mechanical changes to the special edition bikes. Both share the same 650cc parallel-twin engine that makes 46 BHP and 52 Nm and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

The test bike is also equipped with the circular tail lamp from the Meteor 350.

A test mule of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 has been spotted with alloy wheels, which suggests that the bikemaker could be planning to offer it as an option on the 650 Twins.

At present, the Interceptor INT 650 and the Continental GT 650 seen in this image come with wire-spoke wheels. The bikes could also switch to tubeless tyres with the introduction of alloy wheels.

The test bike is also equipped with the circular tail lamp from the Meteor 350. Besides that, the 650 Twins could also get updated switchgear.

Both bikes share the same 648cc, air-cooled parallel twin engine that makes 47 BHP and 52 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed transmission.

Thanks to BHPian ishan12 for sharing this image with other enthusiasts!

I've been sitting on this blasted question of 'What bike?' for about 2 years now, without any real need or reason to buy one.

BHPian Sudarshan42 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Did the headline grab your attention? Did it make you wonder what sort of scatter-brained fellow would have such a wide range of needs, budget and consideration set? Well look no further- welcome to my idle musings on what my next motorcycle should be; musings so idle that my mind has well and truly become the devil's workshop.

Speaking of the devil, the epic poem Inferno by Dante Alighieri divides hell into 9 concentric circles, each home to those guilty of a particular sin. The first circle is where I do some of my best work, and it's aptly titled Limbo. I've been sitting on this blasted question of 'What bike?' for about 2 years now, without any real need or reason to buy one. Yet I can't seem to dispel it from my mind for one reason or another. After all, the souls in Limbo are not punished directly, but are condemned to "suffer harm through living in desire"; their punishment is to be left desirous of salvation.

Ok, enough of all that. Now let's talk about bikes.

I currently ride a Pulsar 220F, and have owned 2 Thunderbirds in the past. All of these bikes have been hand-me-downs of sorts, with the 2 T'birds passed on to me by dad. The Pulsar 220 I ended up owning because of a misunderstanding with my cousin- you see, my indecision extends back to 2017, when I borrowed his bike for a few weeks just to try it out and see if it works for me. During which time, said cousin in a typically impulsive move went and bought himself a Classic 350 from a friend. My dad misconstrued that as "Oh my son has basically stolen that other boy's bike, let me pay him for his troubles."- and ended up transferring twice the amount of what one would pay  So I ended up stuck with that one unintentionally. Mind you, that bike is no slouch- I have loved riding it. I'm so hard-pressed to find a replacement with that exact combination of soft cushy suspension, decent mid and low end grunt, looks that aren't exactly 'to die for' but aren't half bad either, and that fill-it-shut-it-forget-it ownership experience.

Here's what BHPian comfortablynumb had to say on the matter:

If you could mention the purpose for which the bike would be used (city only, highway only, mixed usage), people can give better suggestions. Based on the text quoted above, my recommendations are Apache 200 4v, Gixxer 250, Honda CB 350.

Meanwhile, here are some existing threads for you to go through:

Buying advice: Hero Xpulse vs TVS Apache RTR 200 vs Honda Highness vs Others

Looking for a faithful companion for the next 2 years | Which motorcycle should I buy?

What bike at 40? What do you call this urge at this age?

Which motorcycle for a short person?

Which commuter bike for city rides?

The Usual Bike Dilemma: Interceptor vs CB350 vs G310R

Need a comfortable commuter with great ride quality | Is Unicorn still worth buying?

What comfortable middleweight bike for 500 km/day trips (once a month) and city commutes?

Here's what BHPian am1m had to say on the matter:

Test ride, test ride, test ride. Comparisons online, opinions from others and Excel sheet comparisons can go on forever and are fun in their own way, but a bike that 'ticks all the boxes' on paper may not "do it" for you when you actually ride it and a bike that seems not-suitable theoretically might just end up being a whole lot of fun when you take it for a spin. More than most cars, bikes have a way of defying the specs. So have fun and take a lot of test rides of all the bikes you are considering.

And do pen down your impressions of them, head-to-head comparos are pretty rare. In particular, I'd be very interested in your FZ25 vs. Gixxer 250 impressions.

Here's what BHPian drt_rdr had to say on the matter:

Pulsar 250 seems to be a great bike. The riding position is a bit forward set for comfort but easily manageable for the city. I personally wouldn't let the lack of dual channel ABS stop me from buying it. Dual channel ABS is a great thing to have. But it's overrated for such low capacity machines. In my eyes, it's all the better that Bajaj has cut costs with single channel ABS while providing practically more valuable stuff like the slipper clutch. I mean, if I'm commuting in the city, I'd much prefer my clutch to be effortless (which I'd be constantly using throughout the journey 5 days a week), than be covered for the possibility of the rear locking up once in a blue moon. Wish the other 250s and 300s provided the option for single channel ABS so that I don't have to pay for stuff I don't need. I'd anyway take the fuse out.

Don't get me wrong. ABS on the front wheel can be a very useful thing to have. But on the rear wheel, not so much. Front slides can possibly turn the handlebar and take control away from you in a second, they're dangerous. But rear slides are much easier to manage since the rear wheel's freedom of movement is more limited and the slides are more predictable.

I recently had a crash offroad thanks to the front locking up. It's not my first crash this way and it still scared the shit out of me because I was thrown off the bike before I knew what was going on. But the rear locking up is a ho-hum event and throughout all these years of riding, only once have I fallen due to a rear lockup, and that was because I was riding over rocks and couldn't find good footing to recover from the slide.

On the road, slides are a less common occurance. Unless you're one of those who uses the rear brake more than the front, chances of the rear locking up are low. Dual channel ABS only comes in very handy during the rainy season or if you're a particularly inexperienced or careless rider.

All said, I'm not trying to persuade you to think "single channel ABS good". Just giving information based on my personal experiences and observations.

Also, if you're dilly dallying on buying a bike of the same class as you 220, I'd say keep your 220 and just get a Yamaha Aerox instead. Seems like it makes more sense to have a scooter. I mean, it scratches your itch for something new, while also scratching your itch for decent performance, and all the while, also being easily usable by your other family members. You also get variety for your commutes. Does the morning feel spirited? Take the 220 out. Are you having a lazy morning? Take the scooter out. Etc.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 Anniversary Editions are limited to just 120 units.

Royal Enfield has commenced deliveries of the 650 Twins 120th Anniversary Edition in India.

The Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 Anniversary Editions are limited to just 120 units and each bike is uniquely numbered. Bike number '001' was handed over to Rear-Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil of the Indian Navy on March 16.

Malayalam actor and director Dhyan Sreenivasan was handed the keys to his bike in Kochi last week, while Olympian Gagan Narang took delivery of his special edition Interceptor 650 in Hyderabad on March 21.

The 120th Anniversary Editions come equipped with a flyscreen, engine guard, heel guard and more. They also have a handcrafted, die-cast brass fuel tank badge and hand-painted pinstripes. The bikes get a unique rich black-chrome fuel tank, blacked-out engine and exhausts and special decals.

Picked up the INT650 as a daily commuter and was planning only some fun cosmetic mods at first only to soon realize that there are far more important issues to be ironed out first.

BHPian man_of_steel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Picked up a pre-owned Ravishing Red Interceptor 650 a few weeks back. Picked up the INT650 as a daily commuter and was planning only some fun cosmetic mods at first only to soon realize that there are far more important issues to be ironed out first. Don't get me wrong, the INT650 is a brilliant VFM motorcycle with a brilliant engine and frame, unfortunately cant say the same about the suspension and other bits of the motorcycle.

Below are some of the mods and repairs I have done so far. Some might be already discussed in this mega thread, pardon my excitement.

1. Royal Enfield Touring seat

Switched to this the first day of ownership. This is the new touring seat for the INT and is much firmer and thicker (read higher) than the stock one. It held up real good till about 150 km in a go and am yet to put some serious miles on it. One thing I like was there were no pressure points that were created and the foam density feels just perfect as of now.

2. PoweRage long Exhaust

Quite simply wanted some drama while puttering around. Went for PoweRage as I liked the bassy sound and feels like the quieter one of the lot. It is sufficiently loud while throttling and has a deep growl to it. Loved it! The build quality and finish is superb. Also, it doesn't get too hot and burn everything in the path like the stock exhaust. With DB killer it is real quiet and has a shreiky sound while throttling it out (sounds very similar to a T120 with the cat removed). Feels perfect for the city with overenthusiastic cops. BMC air filter and an ECU flash in the pipeline.

Was able to hold the exhaust like this after a 20 kms city run. Wouldn't have dared to do this on the stock one.

3. Headlight

Mine is a BS4 with diffused headlight lens and was pathetic. I was expecting a brilliant throw like that of the Classic 350/500s. Had one H4 LED bulb lying around and gave it a try. I never thought LEDs would work well with the diffused lens but there is an improvement in the throw. So keeping the setup for now!

4. Front end/suspension

Okay, this is going to be a long one. Right from the moment I took a test ride of this particular bike before buying, something felt very very wrong with the front end of the bike along with a prominent wobble from the front end which translated to a tankslapper when you take the hands off the bar even for a second! Also, the action of the front suspension was very weird with the front end bottoming out every now and then (I am at my prime of bellyfat and weighs 90Kilos)!

Lets talk about the suspension first. The problem with the front suspension is that there is too much of static sag for its travel and the fork is working overtime in the upper part of the stroke and bottoms out at the slightest hint of undulation. The travel is only 110mm and the sag itself comes to a good portion of it (exact figure later). There seems to be a problem with the damping as well, especially the rebound, and that will be addressed in the future. Coming back to the sag, I was surprised to see that RE has used 2W (weight) fork oil which is kind of softest of the soft. So the first thing I set out to do was to order Marsh Auto preload adjuster (as recommended by neil.jericho) and upgrade the fork oil to LiquiMoly 7.5W. However, last minute stock mess up ensured that 7.5W was out of stock and I had to try out 10W!

While dismantling, thoroughly inspected the wheel bearings and cone set to rule them out as possible culprit of the wobbling. Both were in good condition and were regreased and put back.

Good to see tapered bearings being used.

The internals were cleaned and fork oil was replaced with 10W and it made quite a noticeable difference. The static sag was reduced and the suspension was now working happily in the middle part of the stroke and I haven't experience any bottoming out since then. Also, the front end dive was considerably reduced. However, now the suspension is on the firmer side (not bone jarring!) and I reckon 7.5W would be the best of both worlds. At this point of time, the preload adjusters were still in transit and I think the adjuster is not a must have if you are upgrading to 10W, but installed it anyway once I received it.

This is the stock fork cap and adjuster side by side. The length of both are same when the adjuster is dialed out completely (The smaller washer at the inside of the adjuster goes inside the stock spacer tube).

You will need to raise the stock handlebar at least by an inch to fit the preload adjusters.

Still in the rough tuning and research stage and I don't have the sag numbers yet (Wobbling issue has taken the front seat now). Will get my hands on a stock INT650 and check the sag and also post the current sag with the setup I have.

Now to the wobbling part. My bike used to have a violent headshake whenever hands were taken off the bars at any speed and wobbling was also felt while cornering. While changing out the front fork oil noticed that both front and rear wheels were having a noticeable bends. So, both the rims were straightened and trued to the best and tires were reseated and noticed that the wobbling while cornering and the headshake at speed till 80kmph has vanished but the issue persisted at speeds north of that. Tires are having quite a bit of wear (8k in the ODO) and that could be a culprit, but have ridden bikes with tires worn down to the belt and also which has bend alloys like a snake but never experienced this violent headshake. So, the root of the problem has to be got to. Playing around with the wheels, fork internals, tyre pressure and all sorts of things has to be done.

5.Valvetrain

Wanted to check where the valve clearances were at since there was an audible valve clatter when the engine was hot. And almost shockingly, the intake side was almost at double and exhaust was at triple the recommended clearances. Dialed everything into the recommended values and there was an obvious difference in the throttle crispiness at low speeds. The valve train did quieten down but is still slightly audible when the engine is heated up. Just for research purpose, probably I can dial in the valve a bit more than the recommended setting without overtightening it and see if it quietens down the head.

6. Brakes

The rear brake is a dud and doesn't have any feel to it. Bleeding didn't improve it much, will look into it later as its not used frequently. Front brakes were spongy and I wanted to have better bite and adjustable levers for it. Was looking at Frando and Brembo RCS15 for it, but didn't quite wanted to spend that much. Then saw one current gen D390 and thought why not go for that brilliant master cylinder with lever combo. This would probably be the best ever Rs3000 spent on the bike! The initial bite and progression of the brake is just stupendous. Although I wish the adjustability range of the lever could have been wider, it turned out to be a brilliant upgrade.

The KTM Part number for the Front Master cylinder and lever combo is 36JP0017. You will have to get the Banjo bolt from KTM as well, don't have the part number for that though. I also got the clutch adjustable lever as well, this will need the lever holder to be changed as well. I got the RC390's holder which does not have the mirror mount so either I will have to get the RE bar end mirrors (which I was planning anyway) or get the D390's holder. But TBH, I have no problem with the clutch pull or the lever and I kind of love the adjuster mechanism of the stock one so, MIGHT just powder coat the stock clutch lever to black and leave it at it.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Visually, it is hard to find any difference but the bike immediately felt lower.

BHPian Torino recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

As much as I like the Interceptor, its weight and seat height were the two things that kept doing rounds at the back of my head every now and then. I’m 5.7ft and can only tip toe on both feet, a shorter seat height will allow for a better leverage while inching through traffic, during parking and reversing. As I was contemplating on modifying the seat which I didnt really want to and end up spoiling the seat, I came across the suspension raising & lowering kit from Way2Speed. The lowering kit is a one inch shorter lower shaft for the rear shock absorber, made from machined Aluminium. Looked like a nice proposition while looking bone stock at the same time. A pair of these costed Rs. 2700, placed the order sometime back in May this year and it’s been lying around with me ever since and only last week I was able to find a shock absorber mechanic close to my place and got it fixed. Since it is designed specifically for the RE650 twins, I didn’t have to worry about fitment or anything, it’s a simple bolt-on component but you need a proper shock absorber mechanic with dedicated tools to get it fixed. The mechanic completed the installation and did a great job at that and got me going in around 40 minutes. I could have simply shaved few layers off the seat to reduce the ride height and save more than half of the cost but I was a bit apprehensive about the thinner cushioning and looks and more importantly it’s not easily reversible.

Initial impressions

Visually, it is hard to find any difference but the bike immediately felt lower when I tried to reach the rear grab rail to get the bike off the main stand. There is a notable difference in the ride height now allowing me to almost flat foot on both feet, great! Since the rear is now a bit squat, I could feel the difference in rider triangle with the handlebar reach is a wee bit closer, got used to it after few short rides. Also the foot pegs feels less intrusive now since I can place my feet wider away from them. Haven’t noticed any drop in ground clearance.

Before and after pic. Can see the difference in the wheel well.

The stock vs aftermarket Way2Speed shock absorber lower shaft.

The shock absorber mechanic at work.

The difference is hard to notice.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The bike is said to be under development at Royal Enfield's technical centre in the UK.

At the moment, Royal Enfield's sole offering in the adventure bike segment is the Himalayan 411cc motorcycle. However, if rumours are to be believed, a twin-cylinder 650cc version of this bike could be added to the company's product portfolio.

Of course, if Royal Enfield was developing a new bike, it wouldn't go unnoticed. However, we might not get to see test mules of the Himalayan 650 anytime soon as the bike is said to be under development at Royal Enfield's technical centre in the UK.

After the Interceptor INT 650 and Continental GT 650, the Himalayan 650 will be the third model based on the new 650cc platform. Besides getting a healthy dose of performance, the bike is expected to be transformed into a more capable adventure tourer.

In its current avatar, the Himalayan comes with a 411cc, single-cylinder engine that produces 24.3 BHP and 32 Nm. The unit is mated to a 5-speed gearbox.

Source: Visor Down

Interceptor INT 650 and Continental GT 650 are now available in new colour options.

Royal Enfield has launched the 2021 Interceptor INT 650 and Continental GT 650. Both bikes come with new colour options as well as a host of Make-It-Yours (MiY) customization options including seats, touring mirrors, flyscreens and sump guards, among others.

Interceptor INT 650

The bike is now available in two new standard single tone shades - Canyon Red and Ventura Blue. Additionally, there are two new custom dual-tone shades - Downtown Drag and Sunset Strip. It also has a new updated version of the ‘chrome’ variant in the Mark 2.

Continental GT 650

The bike is available in five new colour options - Rocker Red, British Racing Green, dual-tone Dux Deluxe and Ventura Storm. It also gets an updated version of the chrome variant in Mister Clean.

Both bikes are offered with a 648cc, air-cooled, parallel-twin engine. It produces 47 BHP and 52 Nm and is paired with a 6-speed gearbox via a slipper clutch.

2021 Royal Enfield 650 Twins ex-showroom prices:

Interceptor INT 650 - Rs. 2,75,467 (Std) / Rs. 2,83,593 (Custom) / Rs. 2,97,133 (Mark 2)

Continental GT 650 - Rs. 2,91,701 (Std) / Rs. 2,99,830 (Custom) / Rs. 3,13,367 (Mister Clean)

Besides the new colours, the bikes are also expected to get the Tripper turn-by-turn navigation.

According to a recent leak, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 are set to get new colour options.

The Interceptor is likely to get 4 new colour options which include Ravishing Black, Gray Goose, Ventura Blue and Royal Red. The Continental GT gets 4 new colours - British Racing Lean, GT Red, Ventura Black and Blue as well as Cookies and Cream.

Besides the new colours, the 650 Twins are expected to get an updated instrument cluster featuring Royal Enfield's Tripper turn-by-turn navigation.

Both bikes will be offered with the same 648cc, air-cooled, parallel-twin engine. It produces 47 BHP and 52 Nm and will be paired with a 6-speed gearbox via a slipper clutch.

Source: Rushlane