Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Rode the Interceptor 650.

Route: Btm - Dairy Circle - 4th block - Btm (Bangalore)

> Low end torque is good pulls cleanly right from 2500-3000 (no need to down shift much)
> The handling was good easy to maneuver (You wont feel the weight once you start riding)
> Revs all the way( Not like other enfields)
> Horn is loud (No need to change)
> Suspension was decent (Did go hard on some speed breakers & it handled ok)
> Brakes are awesome!!!
> The exhaust is music to the ears but could have added few more decibels to it
> Found a glitch in the neutral light (Even after shifting to neutral the N light stayed on)
> The foot peg on the right hand side feels weird ( The engine case covers some of your foot)

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Came across this old spy shot Indian auto blog's website. it was posted a long time ago and I noticed that the exhaust looks different form what they've launched and even their other test mules and since the S&S ain't officially for our market Were they testing an India specific exhaust system too?

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Some people are complaining about heating issues did you face any? How were the slow speed manners?

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

I Did ride a lot in traffic, also a lot aggressively (on open roads) to check the heat, after 30min of ride the engine was a bit warm (Nothing to complain of though / also i was wearing regular jeans)

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Delivery has started [emoji7]

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Might have a different ECU map

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Probably cause its the GT. Less demand means faster delivery, but this is faster than what Sid Lal promised for :-)

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Really? Nobody mentioned any difference in the specification and both bikes are rated with the same power figures and a member on t-bhp reported that the GT sports a quick throttle anyone else tried them out?

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

just a one off.. not full fledged at the moment i believe.

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i don't think we should expect ditto numbers on different bikes (Same models). a bit of variation even among same models might be there.
we have no idea how those bikes were run in/used in the past.. too many variables.

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

That's RE model outside India.
Remember how Triumph cheated big time when they entered India and how down tuned Indian versions were?
What Sid Lal said might be true for Indian models - same power, same spec, same tuning.
GT should feel more spirited coz it is made for that purpose.
Don't go by Euro and Indian emissions thing - they are not 100% indication that the models are same.
Someone should dyno sold in India Twins.

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Took a better TD of the RE Interceptor 650 today (as last one a week back was for just 2kms and strictly not over 80km/h) , took it till 140km/h and it could do more, but i backed off due to lack of any protective gear other than a helmet. The tourer seat (additional cost) makes the reach to the handlebar closer by a few mm and that makes a big difference in riding position. Excellent pull, smooth throttle response, excellent brakes - gives you the confidence to do more speed.

Engine does heat-up, not maybe not as much as to be a deterrent. No vibration increase even after 120km/h. Just that expected buzz.

Another advantage of the tourer seat is that the knees now lock in right where they are supposed to be into the tank. With the normal seats the knee position and tank curve didn’t align for me at least, and i am an average height of 5'8.5-9".

Wanted to take a TD of REH right after as I am still confused between the 2. Infact I stopped my booking of REH after getting to know about the launch and cancelled it after the price announcement of REI.

But bad luck as the battery was down of the REH.

Since my riding speed is usually not more than 80 in city and 100-105 on highway, I find REH to be better suited for longer comfortable rider, especially for a person with a weak lower back.

The engine smoothness and lack of typical RE vibration is same in REH and Interceptor atleast till 100km/h. Haven’t taken the REH to 120, so cant say how much of the vibration increases, but the throttle response of REI is surely far far better than REH

The biggest complaint is that the front footpegs are not at the best position in REI, if one expects to ride in B2B traffic then first get the shin protector from your kid’s football kit. they are spring loaded for backward movement, so not as bad if you make a habit to put legs down a little ahead when doing crawling speed in b2b traffic. Or start practicing walking with legs spread with apart, like a clown 😊.

Other observation is that the silencer on right side is farther away from body compared to the left one, by just a few cm, so many will not notice it.

Basis my analysis the whole frame has been designed with REC-GT in mind and alterations of foot peg + softer suspension + handlebar was made on that. The riding position is not upright, so longer ride at high speed will surely put some pressure on palms and shoulder.

Guess for me the first alternation would be to get tourer seats ( maybe from RE, or make one a little wider from seat makers like Khajanchi ) and increase height of handlebar, then it would be great.

Other point in favor of REH in my case is the wide option of luggage system. Due to the upswept silencer the options will be limited for the twins, but that’s a major deciding factor

Decisions !!! Decisions !!!

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Got a chance to ride the Interceptor 650 yesterday. Rode it for a good 40 KMS or so.

+ Handling is buttery smooth. Unlike any previous REs.
+ No longer a massage chair. Twisted the throttle to 120KMPH expecting vibes but none.
+ Braking is spot on. People cribbed a lot for not having Dual disks but after riding it, I felt the given ones are more than enough (Unless you ride it like a maniac-under18-KTM kid)
+ Excellent seating comfort. The seat is wide enough to make you sit comfortable for longer KMS.
+ Pretty neat posture. Not relaxed like the Thunderbird nor too sporty like the Continental. One can say a comfortable posture.
+ Throttle response is very linear. Not hooliganismic to get you that adrenaline overflowing through you veins.
+ Excellent pull. RE engines are known for their torque and as with any other RE, Interceptor's engine torque pulls the bike efficiently without disappointing you.
+ Heat management is pretty good. Not the best and not the worst like the older 390s that used to barbeque rider's legs. You might find a light pinch in heavy bumper to bumper traffic.
+ Character. The moment you sit on the bike, you get a completely different feel (Unless you own a expensive ride like the bonnie). It is heavy, intimidating, tempts you to twist the throttle. Makes you feel very much royal. Some might mistake this to a bonnie.
+ Exhaust. Stock exhaust does not have the classic thump and this has a new rumble. Makes you grin on every throttle twist. Gives you the feeling of a V-Twin. The aftermarket S&S Exhaust might make it more better (As shown in the videos).

- The fuel indicator still has a mind of its own.
- The bike has some sort of pull to the left. Maybe weight, or maybe an issue with the specific bike or maybe my posture.
- Though the posture is excellent, you'll find a bit of difficulty in B2B traffic. Shorter riders might find this uncomfortable. Me being 5'10'', found no issues.
- The seat is not so comfortable on the Continental 650. Not wide enough to make you sit for longer rides.
- The bike gave off the throttle once, felt like the bike will stall but came back when I released and pulled the throttle. Don't know the issue.
- Weight. Trust me. Its a heavy bike for day to day B2B traffic rides unless you are used to handling this heavy bikes before.

The negatives are all nitpicking but when you weigh those with the positives and the price, this is THE most VFM twin cylinder you can buy. RE has changed a lot with the Twins. The build quality has improved by miles. Hopefully, Twins don't creep up with issues like the Himalayan and RE has improved their service. Have to wait and see for that.

Till then, bow down to the Twins.

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

Today, I test-rode Interceptor 650 at HSR Rajajinagar, Bangalore on a bumper-to-bumper traffic for about 4 km on Dr Rajkumar Road. I liked:



I disliked:



Let me have more test-rides before taking a final decision in the matter.

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

[QUOTE=* I was not comfortable with the position of the front foot peg. I placed my foot on the brake lever several times unknowingly.[/QUOTE]


Might be because you come from a Thunderbird. The same thing happened to me when I moved to a 200NS from Honda Twister.

Re: Royal Enfield 650 Twin Engine Unveiled. Prices out too!

I just want to add my take on the ergonomics of both the bikes, not sure if anyone else felt the same.
For reference, I'm 6'1 tall.

I had taken a test ride of both the twins for about 15-18 kms each and felt more comfortable on the interceptor and even booked it.

- the footpegs on interceptor never hit my shins while on standstill or on halt as others have mentioned.
- the carved fuel tank of the gt was digging into my knees while riding and that's the main reason I wouldn't buy the gt.