[supercub]

Interested to know the price for this bike. It may step on Sportster sales a little. Maybe RE sales too, but the RE is more of a niche market whereas Kaw and HD are mas-market bikes.

[Rick Dangerous]

I doubt this bike will make it the the USA.

The W650 (my first bike, and excellent one) sold poorly here, note sure about the W800, but at the end of the day it just "looks" like a retro British bike.  It's still japanese which is a buzz-kill for many.  Even though they are all made in Asia now, people do still want the name, Triumph, Royal Enfield, Norton, etc.   RE should really buy the Norton name and make 1000cc+ retro bikes under that Moniker to compete with Triumph on the high end.  Maybe 3-5 years down the road once RE's market share and presence is more solidified in the US market.

[iblastoff]

How is a respected Japanese brand a “buzz kill” at all.

It’s pretty obvious this bike will end up in North America just like how the regular z650 is.

The w650 was over 20 years ago when people still wanted high cc bikes. Things have obviously changed a bit.

If anything, royal enfield are the ones with the uphill battle with its brand anywhere outside of India. Im glad they’re selling well but most people I talk to in my area don’t know anything about royal enfield at all. Everyone just assumes it’s a triumph. 

If this bike looks right id sell off my RE650 in an instant.

[supercub]

I read that it was US bound. The W650 was very well done. It looked better than the Bonevilles because the header pipes didnt have the bend in them like Bonneville did. The fit and finish was great. The bevel gear was a big eye catcher. If I had the money at that time I would have brought one.

[om15]

Due to aging knees I found the Interceptor hard going, there was a lot I loved about it but I sold it a couple of months ago, find the Himalayan ok and enjoy every minute on that.
I looked around for a small light weight twin road bike and eventually found an X plate ER5 with only 2300 miles on it, (21 years old and not fully run in), it is light to move around and has 50BHP, very zippy and easy to ride.
However, I do miss the growl of the Interceptor and the riding position was much better, but at least I am still on two wheels.

[ReddingRider]

Getting older is an interesting journey. About 7 years ago I decided my Ducati 1198 was really "too much" bike for the public roads. So it makes around 175 RWHP and I've thought for the last 25 years that all you can realistically use on the road is 100HP max. So I let the rego lapse and just saved it for the track. I love that bike but it's just ridiculously over the top on the road. So then it's down to the Guzzi and Ducati 1000ss for the road, both around 80 RWHP and that's a pretty sensible road output with decent mid range torque. As much as I can use on the road sensibly. Then I step down to the RE at 43 RWHP and although it feels under powered it causes you to re evaluate what is really necessary on a road bike. I know if I rode in a group with a lot faster bikes I'd be able to keep up in the real world it's just I'd need to wring it's neck a lot and honestly I'm past that in a group ride situation. The target market for the RE is the young urban professional thats more about the style than the performance and us old blokes that aren't interested in tearing about at warp speed trying to prove something. Combine that with a truly amazing up front price and I think RE have nailed it personally.

Ciao

Agree. I’ve never been interested in having a race replica motorcycle, but have had high performance bikes like my K1200 GT and Diavel. Now I find that my INTerceptor is actually ideal for most of the riding I want to do now. It wouldn’t be my first choice for touring, but my middleweight BMW covers that. In retrospect, I think I was buying “too much bike” for many years. Would I do it again? Probably.

[ideola]

https://www.motorious.com/articles/features-3/kawasaki-goes-retro-again/

[Effektor]

Those are some really ugly bikes. 

I'm willing to put up with the lackluster performance of a retro bike that looks good, but those seem to be the worst of all world's in my book. I don't get the half assed retro styling, but I wasn't a fan of the inline four naked bike styling to begin with, and the twin is just bad. I recognize the looks are subjective, so I'll refrain from positing on the potential for success.

[iblastoff]

Those are some really ugly bikes. 

I'm willing to put up with the lackluster performance of a retro bike that looks good, but those seem to be the worst of all world's in my book. I don't get the half assed retro styling, but I wasn't a fan of the inline four naked bike styling to begin with, and the twin is just bad. I recognize the looks are subjective, so I'll refrain from positing on the potential for success.

there are definitely some bad half assed retro ones. yamaha xsr700 looks weird to me. so does the suzuki sv650x 'cafe racer' edition which looks just...wrong. same with the honda cb650r.

kawasaki imo do a good job blending both though. its kinda like my ducati scrambler. good mix of modern stuff with enough retro styling and performance.

i mean if you dont like the way the z900rs looks (which we're all assuming the new z650rs will look like), thats cool. but i think it looks pretty sweet.



but yes if you want a heavy ass, slow bike that looks great, the RE650 certainly meets those requirements.

[ReddingRider]

I have trouble thinking of the INTerceptor as a “heavy” motorcycle. After bikes like my BMW K1200GT or Guzzi California 1400, mine feels like a featherweight.

[Hoiho]

I have trouble thinking of the INTerceptor as a “heavy” motorcycle. After bikes like my BMW K1200GT or Guzzi California 1400, mine feels like a featherweight.

Yep, all the reviewers say the bike feels light to ride...
It is heavy enough to feel planted too - was out riding in a gale on Sunday (trees were falling, had to warn a homeowner the road was blocked outside their house) and it felt fine in the corners despite the winds.

[axman88]

RE should really buy the Norton name and make 1000cc+ retro bikes under that Moniker to compete with Triumph on the high end. 

Is the Norton brand up for sale again already?

It seems like just a year ago, that TVS bought it.   https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/story/bikes/norton-motorcycles-acquired-by-tvs-motor/

650 twins make up a very small percentage of RE sales.  In a recent month the 650s comprised less than 2% of domestic sales volume, and although they sell better in the export market, the total volume is still less than 5% of overall sales.   https://www.rushlane.com/royal-enfield-sales-exports-breakup-july-2021-classic-bullet-meteor-12410089.html

I wouldn't think RE would want to spend the considerable investment it would require to try to push their way into the high CC segment, which is already pretty well covered.  Better to stay in the middle weights, which is NOT particularly populous, and which, in that part of the world, is considered "big".

Sales figures of Harleys in India were pretty awful.   https://www.statista.com/statistics/1185142/india-number-of-harley-davidson-bikes-sold/

BMW doesn't do much better, and, as was the case with HD, most of the bikes they did sell were their smaller ones.  https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-news/bmw-motorrad-records-best-ever-sales-in-india-419656

RE is primarily interested in their domestic market, and I don't think that India wants the big bikes.  With petrol there already at about $5.60/gal. and trending up, and median yearly income around $3,100, ( 31 hundred, not thousand), you can hardly blame them.   

[Effektor]

but yes if you want a heavy ass, slow bike that looks great, the RE650 certainly meets those requirements.

The INT650 is a heavy ass bike but the Z900RS isn't? 

If I was that worried about performance I certainly wouldn't be wasting my time with that Kaw. Hell I could have just kept my R1! 

[ReddingRider]

Yep, all the reviewers say the bike feels light to ride...
It is heavy enough to feel planted too - was out riding in a gale on Sunday (trees were falling, had to warn a homeowner the road was blocked outside their house) and it felt fine in the corners despite the winds.

Out in a gale with trees falling. My hat’s off....

[whippers]

Is the Norton brand up for sale again already?

It seems like just a year ago, that TVS bought it.   https://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/story/bikes/norton-motorcycles-acquired-by-tvs-motor/

650 twins make up a very small percentage of RE sales.  In a recent month the 650s comprised less than 2% of domestic sales volume, and although they sell better in the export market, the total volume is still less than 5% of overall sales.   https://www.rushlane.com/royal-enfield-sales-exports-breakup-july-2021-classic-bullet-meteor-12410089.html

I wouldn't think RE would want to spend the considerable investment it would require to try to push their way into the high CC segment, which is already pretty well covered.  Better to stay in the middle weights, which is NOT particularly populous, and which, in that part of the world, is considered "big".

Sales figures of Harleys in India were pretty awful.   https://www.statista.com/statistics/1185142/india-number-of-harley-davidson-bikes-sold/

BMW doesn't do much better, and, as was the case with HD, most of the bikes they did sell were their smaller ones.  https://www.autocarindia.com/bike-news/bmw-motorrad-records-best-ever-sales-in-india-419656

RE is primarily interested in their domestic market, and I don't think that India wants the big bikes.  With petrol there already at about $5.60/gal. and trending up, and median yearly income around $3,100, ( 31 hundred, not thousand), you can hardly blame them.

I’m sure the sales of the 650s are relatively small in India but bear in mind that the Interceptor is one of the top selling bikes in the UK and in markets like Australia and New Zealand has sold strongly. Probably more niche in the USA I’d guess