[Tukemeister]

My mates are planning a trip to northern Spain, which would mean travelling through Belgium the length of France, then into Spain. Which will be a round trip of nearly 2000 miles. We not camping.
My question is the Interceptor up for the job.  They have BMW 1200 & 800's and Triumph Tigers.
If my bike is up for it anything special I will need to take, I've never toured on this kind of bike before, I used to do long trips on BMs with shaft drive. I would like to take a photo of a Barcelona blue bike on Barcelona sea front.
Any advise would be appreciated.

[fatal]

I don't see why the bike wouldn't cope. I travelled all over the French and Italian Alps, and the Dolomites two up on a Honda CX500 40 odd years ago. True the other bikes will have the benefit of higher cruising speeds, but the motorways are best avoided. I prefer touring on the back roads, and in France these roads are fairly quiet and it's quite easy to keep up a decent speed if you want.
In more recent times when travelling with a group we made sure we had each others mobile phone numbers, a map with the route and the full address of each nights accommodation just in case anyone wanted to travel slower or just got separated from the group.
Also be aware the French are getting keener at enforcing speed limits, and the Spanish Guardia Civil can be quite ruthless enforcing traffic laws, as I and a group of mates found out to our great expense.
Have a great trip, I'm rather envious.

[lavrentyuk]

The bike will cope just fine - perhaps get it serviced before leaving - oil and tappets and check you have enough tread as tyres can be very expensive.  If you haven't already done it make sure you have a comfortable seat.

Enjoy, they are just fine as tourers.

[Breezin]

We did a month in Spain in '22, touring two up with full luggage, from Bilbao down to Malaga and back up, with quite a few diversions. Last year, it was up/down Portugal. The bike never missed a beat, even on the hottest days. If you're staying off the motorways, you'll be able to keep with your friends.

When I was a kid, a 650 was a big bike. I never absorbed the messages that I need a GS or ADV to tour, so I've never had concerns about the its ability to cope.

One thing that is worth keeping an eye on is chain lube. I found that with dusty roads the chain got very dry. I had an 'automatic' oiling system on it but neglected to keep an eye on it. It lasted the first trip, but I replaced it afterwards as it was well worn.

Oh, and don't forget a sheepskin and/or cycling shorts!

[NJ Mike]

I've done at two trips of over 2500 miles, and one of around 1000 miles on my GT, and I've done many on other bikes around the same size. My usual riding days are 200-400 miles. I'm planning another 2500+ mile trip this spring.

Start off with fresh oil, fresh tires, and check your chain, sprockets and brake pads before you leave, bring something to fix a flat, and don't over pack and you should be fine.

I will suggest a better seat than stock, I have a Corbin and it's worth every penny, and better shocks and fork springs if you're over 225 lbs.

Other than that, have a blast.

[iblastoff]

people have done long tours on honda groms. its really up to what you're willing to put up with.

[whippers]

The only issue really is the pace your friends ride at.  Even on backroads good riders are going to drop an Interceptor pretty quickly unless it’s very twisty all the way.  Assuming they ride at a pace that allows you to keep up then all systems go.

[Gone in 60]

There was a guy here, Pdedse, who's sold his Interceptor and moved on. But, he did a long-distance ride on his, and we joined up for a bit. He didn't have any problems that he mentioned. He had replaced his stock seat with a touring seat which made his ride more comfortable.

[Quest]

My mates are planning a trip to northern Spain, which would mean travelling through Belgium the length of France, then into Spain. Which will be a round trip of nearly 2000 miles. We not camping.
My question is the Interceptor up for the job.  They have BMW 1200 & 800's and Triumph Tigers.
If my bike is up for it anything special I will need to take, I've never toured on this kind of bike before, I used to do long trips on BMs with shaft drive. I would like to take a photo of a Barcelona blue bike on Barcelona sea front.
Any advise would be appreciated.

There is nothing to stop you from using and enjoying your Royal Enfield.
AS for the discrepancy of the engine displacement with your companions ... It will only matter in three circumstances.
A. If you are drag racing
B. Long uphill climbs at a aggressive pace
C. Tight, short passing gaps.

I ride regularly with full liter bikes. I think it is more fun that way  .

[Re-Cycle]

Just ride in front 
The larger the group, the faster the last one has to go.

The bike is no problem at all, I did many holidays with long days on my SRX 600 single (with camping gear). An Interceptor is probably better suited...

[Shifty1969]

Touring seat and a good pair of weight lifting gloves keep you pretty comfortable with long rides.

[Racer57]

The only issue really is the pace your friends ride at.  Even on backroads good riders are going to drop an Interceptor pretty quickly unless it’s very twisty all the way.  Assuming they ride at a pace that allows you to keep up then all systems go.

I agree 110% with this !!

[Tukemeister]

Thanks Folks, much appreciated. Bike is new but will have full service before setting off. Shocks will be fine, I'm a light weight. I have ordered a fly screen from Pyramid plastics.
Weight lifter gloves ? never heard of using those, whats that all about. I have always used specific motorcycle gloves. I learnt through bitter experience a long long time ago, and will not wear a open face helmet from the same experience.
We are keeping off motorways, that was my condition on going.

[Turbofurball]

I'm going to chip in simply to add context, since I live near Barcelona and have done a lot of touring.

The bike can manage the distance, it's a good idea to ask your group how much ground they want to cover every day and over what sort of roads.  You can then try to replicate a typical day of riding to their preferences to see if you're going to have problems - bearing in mind that for long distance touring people generally get aches and pains for the first couple of weeks, at 2000 miles you're unlikely to get beyond that stage so you don't want to be at your limit for the duration.  There's no shame in just going partway with them and then heading back, or just planning your own shorter tour that you can do at your own pace.

Ask yourself what you want to get from the experience.  I remember bumping into a father and son on a pair of Triumph sportbikes on the ferry from France to the UK, me and my partner had covered 1000 miles over 10 days by that point while stopping and enjoying the scenery, food, trying to talk French, and doing activities we couldn't at home.  The father and son had covered the same distance in 4 days, mostly on motorways, camping by the side of the road. and eating "cold pasta" because they hadn't stopped for the night until after all the eateries were closed.  Neither pair of riders would have enjoyed spending time on the road with the others.

As for Barcelona, parking by the beach might be tricky.  What one can do is to ride up the C31 from Sitges to Barcelona (a windy cliff-edge road that unfortunately now has a concrete safety barrier ... nice if you pick a quiet time of day but even if not the views are lovely) and grab a photo near the end from a "mirador" (lookout place) with your bike and the city and ocean in the background.  For me personally, I don't enjoy riding the city or anywhere near the coast because the roads are always busy ... inland it's possible to find extremely windy mountain roads that are traffic-free.

[AbueloBill]

When you have the time take a look at this series.  The rider hit all 48 of the lower states on an 8 hp postie bike, the Honda 125.  https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/utter-ridiculousness-with-8-hp%E2%80%A6.1586839/