[wildbill]

hi guys
here's my thoughts. i'd say if you have plans to sell your c5 and upgrade to a 650 interceptor think twice. it may be fun to do so at first but after awhile the novelty will wear off and it will be just like riding a well known jap bike....aka honda
that's how it ended up for me. sure the experience was great but after a while of just going out and getting on the bike and going for a ride -it became a bit boring. I sort of missed the hands on approach I had with the c5.
don't get me wrong though. the 650 is by far the best enfield to date and far better than a c5 will ever be but its now indian/jap standard and has lost all its character.
if by chance you want both then that may be ideal. I had both but still found it boring! in the beginning great but like all things the novelty soon wears off
if you want a bike for long distant commuting or stuff like that then the 650 is the bike for you but if you want the hands on experience and the cool factor then its very hard to beat the old c5 classic 500
well that's my thoughts...lol

[beagle]

I had a feeling that might be the case. I've sat on them, sniffed at them, almost pissed on the wheels but found when I had to push it around in a very confined space...weight was the issue.  I follow your comments on boring too, bikes can be too smooth ...... no soul....

[GlennF]

The main reason I may eventually upgrade from my B5 to the 650 is long trips (7 or 8 hours in a day) used to be a non event on my old XJ900 to the point they became a casual affair but are enough of a chore/major exercise on the B5 that I generally take the MX5/Miata instead and the B5 generally does not get ridden much.

Agreed the C5/B5 range may well be a better choice as a casual weekender and attract plenty of coffee shop /gas station attention - but the 650 is clearly aimed at people where it is the riders only vehicle or who are going to rack up a lot of km.

I would say the only downside of the 650's as a regular ride is the spoked wheels as flats on tubed tires (I have had two in recent years) are downright dangerous to the point you could die if it occurs at speed in the wrong location.

[gizzo]

Agree,  the 650 would be a very easy place to spend the day, where it's tiring on a single.

[wildbill]

yep i'd say if one wanted to ride an enfield around Australia -the 650 would be the ideal choice on tarmac

[Bmadd34]

Hey now, what's all this Hullabaloo about the C5 not being a touring bike?? :Tisc-Tisc: For shame. Have you all forgotten that Fieldy and I have been across 5 states already? We are hitting at least that many more this season as well. At least 60-70% of that being on the interstate mind you. That is the whole purpose behind doing these trips to begin with; to prove the B5/C5 capable of long distance treks.

[gizzo]

No, we know it can be toured on. Just that it'll be easier on the 650. More grunt,  less vibration, more relaxing. Not as engaging.

[wildbill]

sorry-we forgot you are out there on the proving ground and belting out the miles on the c5.

glennf

I bet you would have liked to got behind the wheel of the miata I had with 300 rwhp on tap and an estimated top speed of 265 kph. the new owner now has it re-tuned and running on E85 at 350 rwhp and I think its entered in the targa Tasmania or heading in that direction.
his extra 50 hp cost him very little $$. to get to 300 rwhp cost me $12,000...LOL

[Bmadd34]

sorry-we forgot you are out there on the proving ground and belting out the miles on the c5.

glennf

I bet you would have liked to got behind the wheel of the miata I had with 300 rwhp on tap and an estimated top speed of 265 kph. the new owner now has it re-tuned and running on E85 at 350 rwhp and I think its entered in the targa Tasmania or heading in that direction.
his extra 50 hp cost him very little $$. to get to 300 rwhp cost me $12,000...LOL

    My days of fast cars are behind me. With my sign on bonus, I bought a 1967 Plymouth Belvedere with the 440 engine, bored it, cams, headers, 9'' rear end, etc. around 400HP and 480lbs torque. I could get the front end off the ground by the time I was through a traffic light, lol. She was something.

[GlennF]

Bare in mind that some Aussie roads are so long and flat we tend to use them as emergency runways:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjKpG4hs3CU

[Narada]

Mopar or No Car!

[gizzo]

Hey now, what's all this Hullabaloo about the C5 not being a touring bike?? :Tisc-Tisc: For shame. Have you all forgotten that Fieldy and I have been across 5 states already? We are hitting at least that many more this season as well. At least 60-70% of that being on the interstate mind you. That is the whole purpose behind doing these trips to begin with; to prove the B5/C5 capable of long distance treks.

Last week I did a 4500km tour on my Japanese twin. I've done the same trip twice on my continental GT.  The GT lapped it up but I'd had enough by the time I was home. The twin, I could have kept going. 
The single is fine for touring and I kind of like the reaction from other riders to my being so far from home on such an unlikely motorbike.
"you rode THAT from WHERE?!! "
Or the time they took bets on how far it would make it on the first day before it broke. The BMW went home on a truck but the Enfield chugged through 3 states and back.

[Richard230]

The latest eposide of the blog summarizes their Bullet experience during the Baja ride.  I think you will find it interesting and right on the button for a poorly maintained example.  In spite of the issues the riders had with the Bullet, I think their review of the model was generally positive and it sounds like they sort of enjoyed riding the bike on their trip. However, the blog sure bashed the unmentioned dealer who stored the bike, its maintenance, the chain and rear sprocket and the current retail price of the Bullet, which is only $200 less than the MSRP of the new 650 Interceptor.     :  http://exhaustnotes.us/blog/

[wildbill]

Richard230
heres the video on the xr190 I picked up today. rode it 150 klm and so far so good. while I was in the shop the new 2019 honda cb500x had just arrived and still crated. first bikes in australia very good reviews on this particular bike. anyway it looked pretty good so I told him to put it together and call me and I might buy it next week

honda video https://youtu.be/pD1G-Qt5uAo

[Richard230]

That is a nice looking bike, Bill.  I hope it runs as well as it looks.  I also hope you keep it long enough to break-in the engine.     And thanks for the short video review. 

Unfortunately, it isn't big and powerful enough to be marketed in the U.S., as anything weighing less than 600 pounds and having at least 130 hp, (and of course, costing less than $20K USD) just isn't what our market wants.  We want big, fat, expensive, menacing and something that makes us look like Big Dogs that can ride the bike around the world without working up a sweat. It also helps to have a "GS" in the model name.