Hi all,
just signed up to this great forum. Some personal info: 58 years old, located in Germany, 6ft6 tall (hence the nick name). I'm what they call a "new born rider", although not that new to bikes. I used to ride 20+ years in my earlier years, starting when I got my driving license. Then ceased riding for almost 20 years for several reasons, mostly because I got seriously ill at some point. After getting better again I never managed to acquire a bike again.
Well, not until end of May 2019. I pass a Royal Enfield dealership on my daily way home, and never was particularly interested. Then one day an Interceptor was parked in front of the dealership, and I got hooked. Did have a closer look the next day, then got me a helmet and did a test ride. From that point I was lost
Cannot say which voice was louder, that of the bike whispering "buy me, buy me", or the voice in my head insisting "I need this!".
Long story short (you all know what experience it is to drive that 650 twins for the first time): I decided that it was time to get back into the saddle and ordered an Interceptor Mark 3 on 31st of May.
That's when my dealer told me that I have to expect 12 weeks delivery time due to extraordinary customer demand, ouch
- the bikes sold like ice cream on a hot summer day. I accepted that, what should you do? After another 3 days my dealer called and said he was able to acquire a Mark 3 that would be available in 10-14 days, if I would take that one. Hell yes, of course!!! Went to the dealership next day to bring in insurance paperwork required to get a license plate. The chief of the service department stepped into the store, and asked me if I was the guy who ordered a Mark 3. After confirming, he said "They dropped it on the lot this morning". What??? And there she was, still in the transport cradle, all wrapped up. "Want to have a look?" my dealer grinned. Of course, so we unwrapped her and there she was in all her beauty.
Took another couple of days to do the initial service, mount some RE accessories like fork gaiters, crash guard, front reservoir cap, and to get the license plate. Finally I could pick her up on 7th of June. So thanks to the efforts of my dealership it took 7 days instead the usual 12 weeks from order to delivery. Good job indeed!
Since then I put app. 3000km on it, and did some other slight modifications: Got the stock seat upholstered by a local upholsterer, using the basepan of the stock seat. They also do stitching of any logo you want, and I decided for the Royal Enfield logo on the back of the seat (got tired of the questions what brand that bike is). However they were so excited about the bike that the logo went slightly bigger than expected
My dealer does call this "proper advertising"
Also got the Lo Bro Customs handle bar grips, much more comfortable if you have big hands. And mounted Motone Customs tank pads, they provide nice grip. Planned some more modifications for this year that will change the look of the bike quite a lot, will put up images once that is done.
Most asked questions:
• "What brand is that bike" (owner silently points to the rear seat end)
• "Did you restore that old thing yourself or you did you get it restored by a pro?" (mostly asked by grandpas)
• "How old is it?" - "It's brand spanking new" - "No way....!"
• "It's a copy of a Triumph Bonneville, isn't it?" - "No, it's not!" (grumble....)
• "How much is it?" - "Under six and a half grand" - "No way!!!"