Author Topic: FULL REVIEW ON THE 650 INTERCEPTOR WITH PHOTOS AND THE HONEYMOON REPORT  (Read 20339 times)

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wildbill

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LOOK OVER AT THE BIKE













« Last Edit: February 23, 2019, 04:25:58 am by wildbill »


wildbill

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Reply #1 on: February 23, 2019, 12:22:31 am
NEXT















wildbill

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Reply #2 on: February 23, 2019, 12:29:08 am
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wildbill

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Reply #3 on: February 23, 2019, 12:31:30 am
FINAL TWO






FAVOURITE SHOT!



mattsz

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Reply #4 on: February 23, 2019, 01:02:10 am
Wonder what's happening with the engine case paint along the front edge of the engine?




I see you're riding with your bouncy jacket now...

Quote



wildbill

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maybe it shit itself after that near miss with that close call on the wallaby -I know I nearly did!...lol


sceptr

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Reply #6 on: February 23, 2019, 01:52:56 am
Wonder what's happening with the engine case paint along the front edge of the engine?

Looks like gasket/sealant material. Over exuberance in the factory?


BikingTim

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Reply #7 on: February 23, 2019, 03:35:56 am
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Yup, there is the banjo, as offensive as ever!   ;)   I would yearn to replace it.

How woul you feel about waddling your bike backward across a slick carport floor?  Would your shins
hit the pegs or would your calfs hit the pegs?  In the various YouTube reviews, hitting the pegs
seems to be a common problem, and I would be afraid of my foot slipping while waddling the bike because
it had to be so Out There to avoid hitting the pegs.  A neighbor slipped doing that with his Triumph Triple
and pulled a groin muscle so badly that he had to be carried to an emergency hospital.

BikingTim


wildbill

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say you are in runners- the pegs protrude 1 foot above ground level so hit the calf area of the leg.
I tried the shuffle idea two ways. one legs to the near outer side of the pegs and the was alright but then I took a closer look and decoded I could do a mini walk if I placed my legs behind the pegs and it worked well and pretty easy and drama free


wildbill

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RIDING THE 650 INTERCEPTOR!!!

BY: WILDBILL

A few days ago I purchased the new Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor in the colour scheme of Ravishing Red. Three days down the track I am still happy with the purchase and that choice of colour too...LOL

This new bike from Enfield I must say is truly a credit to the company and is far better than I had anticipated. The fit and finish to the bike is better than on my 018 C5 but saying that I think my 018 plated Classic is pretty well finished off anyway. Far better than when I originally bought bikes from the earlier years.

FIRST IMPRESSION

The bike is very pleasing to the eye. I love the look of those big duel upswept exhausts and how they tilt skywards...Some may say Norton commando style! Plus that big chunky motor give the impression you DO have a worthy power plant to play about with which i can assure you as of writing - is correct.

I also love the styling of the tank with its Monza style flip lid and reminiscence of a bit of '70s styling I say. I also like the fact that they included the Speedo/tacho separate rather than housed or threw them all together. Although just as a visual -A kick starter would have been a nice addition or a better still working option. Even better an optional extra.

The patterned seat caught my eye in various promo shots and at first I didn't like it too much-but in real time it's not too bad on the eye at all and get use to it fine.

START UP

With just a turn of the ignition key and a duel sweep of the instrument needles you press the starter. The bike breaks into song immediately and I repeat immediately -no hesitation no second crank -it's instant! Simple as that.

What is more amazing it doesn't even think about settling into an erratic idle. it has scored the magic number first off and its magic is purring away in the tune of a good swiss watch. Maybe not Rolex quality but a pretty good quality regardless. Just thought I'd throw that one in...LOL No crap hunting for the ideal mixture either unlike other Enfields - it's spot on first time and ever time!

Grip and blip the throttle and you get an immediate burst into song as the 650 comes to life and a pretty satisfactory growl to boot from the factory duel exhausts - sort of like music to your ears. Well let's say music compared to the zappy sewing machine buzzing from my factory tired C5 exhaust system.

Actually I think you could just live with these factory exhausts and forget about upgrade. that may or may not happen but they are fine in stock for. far more enjoyable that the other offerings from the UCE stable range.

RIDING EXPERIENCE

Once you straddle the seat on the Interceptor the first thing you find which is rather strange or strange when coming from a C5 is the peg position layout. Once seated they are directly below your hip. Where on the C5 they are in a more forward position.

Once mobile and at the very first corner i had to stop to give way to a car. It actually took me quite a while to take off as i couldn't find the gearshift lever due to the odd angle...LOL After a while or several changes later it becomes much easier or second nature. You soon learn to position and point your toes in towards the motor. After that it becomes a no brainer.

The bike is unreal. that sums it up in pretty quick UNREAL! I have pulled away from cold starts a few times now and stopped and rode off again ...with not a hic-up! A faultless fuel delivery system and absolutely no surging or any other crap associated with C5 fueling type issues what-so-ever.

I've ran the bike a bit over 100 miles of stop/start running to do the camera work and it has started first time very time -drama and problem free and very hard to believe that at times ...I am riding a Royal Enfield...A new release model at that!

No doubt a huge amount of $$$'s went into the fueling side of this bike to get it right. More important the money was well spent and get it right they did. Fueling on the C5 is very poor compared to this baby!

GOOD POINTS.

I would put the Interceptor's fueling as the very best point on the bike but saying that there are so many other good points it's just personal preference here. So why did i choose the fueling. Well the C5 fueling is really poor delivery from cold especially when compared to how this bike delivers the goods

It's a real pleasure to get on from a cold start up and ride off and not get jerked about and so on and forth and when you apply the throttle it just takes off nice and smooth -doesn't bog or carry on and does what it is suppose to do or was it designed to do. None of that surging or chain slapping and carrying on. Just perfect!

ENGINE

The motor feels great and that jump from a 500cc single powerplant to a 650 CC twin may only be an additional 150cc extra but that also added an additional 20 ponies to the equation. Over-all it's a great motor with bags of low down torque and pulls stong in the lower gear. I have not really tested it in all its full glory but i can assure you -it's a pretty peppy affair!

SLIPPER CLUTCH.

What can i say ..what a great feature on an Enfield! Just a tad lighter on the pull than say on my C5 Classic BUT man can it chew through the gears...Well take it from me - you bet it can! Plus it's lightening fast on the down changes .

On one section of highway running I was cruising along at 60mph in 6th gear and in a matter of seconds dropped to 2nd gear to do a sharp left hand turn. The shifter ran down through the box to 2nd gear like a hot knife through butter as I powered around the corner and out on the straight. If I had done that to my C5 i'd had rear wheel lock up and maybe a new gearbox tossed in for good measure...LOL

GEARBOX

while at it the gearbox is great to use. Very positive with short quick and precise throws. In actual fact a pleasure to use. Never had a missed shift or false neutral yet. No trouble getting into or out of neutral at any time either. Never experienced a box full of neutral and trying to sort out the gears to try and find neutral to get started either. Just a good honest box.

Not sure about this one. When you come down to a complete stop to hit first the shifter appears to lift up and lock into first gear. By far it is the very best box i've used on an Enfield too.

SEATING

In my opinion I think that bench style seat is pretty good to park your carcass on. In fact I'd say it's far better than what I have on my C5 Classic. So far on the rides I have been on i have not got off once and said ....What a crappy seat to sit on and i require something better. I once had a new Kawasaki Versys X300 and rode it just a few klm and arrived home and took the seat off and butchered it to improve the ride...LOl. This seat for my riding style is fine.

HANDLING

If you have watched any of my videos it would appear that the handling is fine by me. That's about how I ride a bike. I don't push bikes to their limit but i do give four wheelers a good work out. You could say I don't put 100% trust in two wheelers.

Saying that though It does appear to go around the corners pretty well and also appears to handle better than the C5 which is the closest bike I can compare. It can be slightly unsettled on rough bumps but not enough for me to worry about with shock upgrades etc as it rides way better than a C5....so that's good enough

BRAKES

The braking system is outstanding and although both rides run the ABS braking system -this bike has the far superior brakes. I've had the chance to apply them several times now and they are good-extremely good. Nice to the touch with good positive feel. Not spongy at all and great bite. Overall great stoppers with good stopping power and great bite. i'd say they would wash down the high klm reading pretty quick and safely.

VIBRATION

I'd like to say its got some and make some C5 owners happy BUT it's really not the case. The vibration is that minimal that it's more on a scale of 1. out of 10. There is a very slight buzz on the bars and I mean very very slight. Shit I'm a friggin vibration expert and sold C5's because they shook when i looked at them or just walked past them and that's prior to start up too -

but there is virtually nothing.....Bars/Pegs/Tanks. No tingling hands going on with this bike.....Sorry nothing!

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I have to say it's the best bike Enfield has ever put together. Should have been here 10 years ago but as the saying goes- better late than never. It really is a great bike to ride and i can see in the future these 650's doing very long overland trips all around the world. In areas too that the 500's would struggle in.

I can tell just from my few short trips that they will be real long distance mileage eaters. Bet you could ride this bike around Australia. They have almost swung into Indian/Japanese territory too.

This could be the very first Enfield you just get on and ride and ride and ride. Plus you may never have the pleasure to tighten up all the nuts and bolts day after day and week after week. Or even check all the junk which comes out of the new motor or filter and ask forum Gurus for their best advise and is this OK for my new motor.

This could be the very start of a new breed of Enfield.

CONCLUSION.

So over several days I have put roughly 125 miles on the new bike under various riding conditions and now have some interesting thoughts. First off I have had no drama whatsoever in any areas on the bike itself. It has started first time every time. Nothing has shook loose either.....bumma! It's actually been perfect...dare i say too bloody perfect!

Unfortunately I didn't even get the chance to remove the included tool kit to tighten anything up.....Nothing at all shook loose. In actual fact I have done absolutely nothing to the bike at all apart from walk out the door and get on and ride the bloody thing. In a way it felt a bit like going to bloody work!

Today I walked across to old faithful - my good old Gun Metal Grey C5. She has sat silent for several days now. No complaints really as she is more the single silent type. Most-likely eyeing off her new stable mate...and probably a bit pissed off too!

I'll be honest here! Deep down I thought I may have let her down and in reality I knew I needed her as much as she needed me.

My eyes fogged up with tears of joy as I noticed a loose 12mm bolt on the right front mudguard stay as she sat patiently while i eagerly grabbed the ring spanner from the tool box and excited the task like a master technician. A task which I have performed many times before.

Just for a few short seconds I held my hands on the cold metal parts . Metal real metal...not plastic........Those were the days.

How good it felt to be wanted and appreciated.

I got up and walked back to the house and then glanced slowly back. Sure that new kid on the block did things well....No doubt about that!

I then looked across to the Classic 500. Although the 500 is riddled with all its 1940s style faults - it's a Classic regardless. Should I turn my cheek to a new era of let's say the 1970s 650 bike standards or ask one simple question -

 

Well Punk! If i could only afford just one bike...Would i cash you for that sweet talker next to you........Well would I

My guess Probably NOT!.......LOL

But thankfully for me I don't have to make that choice!

Hope you all enjoyed the read.
« Last Edit: February 23, 2019, 04:22:32 am by wildbill »


Jako

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Great review WILDBILL .
Here's a video with sports exhaust
https://www.facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldSydney/videos/536859920140654/
2020 Rav Red Interceptor (wife's bike) ,Interceptor 2019 bakers express ,  2021 Honda cb500X, 2021  euro4 Himalayan (wife's)


wildbill

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thanks jako- I should have just sent the review to you...lol it has a couple of minor flaws.

1. nothing has gone wrong with it and
2. I have not touched anything on the bike with spanners

that's a first for me in 15 new bikes.....lol


ace.cafe

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thanks jako- I should have just sent the review to you...lol it has a couple of minor flaws.

1. nothing has gone wrong with it and
2. I have not touched anything on the bike with spanners

that's a first for me in 15 new bikes.....lol

You'll be bored stiff with it in no time.
Home of the Fireball 535 !


wildbill

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lucky I have the reserve. I can go out and attack it!


GlennF

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« Last Edit: February 25, 2019, 07:12:18 am by GlennF »