A rather time consuming but recent and entertaining review of that new 650 twin from Royal Enfield (India).
Grab a coffee or a handful of munchies and roll the footage.
Think of it as a nice little vacation . . ..
If you grew up in the '60s or '70s you are gonna grin when you see, listen to, and experience the ride on the latest and greatest version of this Royal Enfield. And yes it will also be offered in the Continental GT version. In the U.S. they are predicting and MSRP of around $6K.
dick the den wrote:Been looking at this Interceptor 650 on you-tube I do like it,have to wait till the London excel bike show next feb 2010 till I see and sit on it.
I think this guy is the only dealer who still handles the Royal Enfields in my state. The inventory is limited and people who want one will go the distance.
The new "Himalayan" is a nice looking dual purpose ride reasonably priced as well.
I've noticed the Enfield's popping up around the Chicagoland area last year. Style was very impressive and caught my eye enough to stop and do a walk around a gorgeous black and gold bike. There is one dealer close to me but after watching this review could this be the Harley Davidson of India? A bike so loved for it's design people overlook the lack of dependability, excessive weight and apparently low quality parts.
I've noticed the Enfield's popping up around the Chicagoland area last year. Style was very impressive and caught my eye enough to stop and do a walk around a gorgeous black and gold bike. There is one dealer close to me but after watching this review could this be the Harley Davidson of India? A bike so loved for it's design people overlook the lack of dependability, excessive weight and apparently low quality parts.
So all that glitters is not gold? Well why not? I guess I was misinformed.
The new Continental GT and Interceptor 650 are supposed to be an improvement in quality and offer limited vibration but the brakes still leave something to be desired from what I've heard so far.
In comparison, the new Kawasaki W800 would be the next choice for a vintage looking new Brit type machine but for $4K more. It's $6K vs $10K basically. And, it can be said, that both machines have a blood line that goes way back. . .BSA for the Kaw and Royal Enfield for the Royal Enfield.
Personally I would put my money on the W800 if I had to make a choice and for 3 big reasons. 1) Dealer access; 2) Parts availability; and 3) Track record.
To me it looks like the kind of machine that can reach out and steal your wallet if you aren't careful.
That said the Triumph Street Twin would be a candidate as well. . .in the $10K bracket. But it's not like the old Bonny 650's is it?
The Royal Enfield marque just has not done well in my part of the U.S.. But if they can prove themselves with the new 650 then I think that will be a real plus for them and may help to bring them a bigger market share here. They are definitely eye candy.
Watched the "Mr. Fish" review for the 650 Interceptor . . ..
I'd put some fork tube gaiters on it and maybe see if there was something that could be done for more padding on the seat and other than that leave it the way it is. He claims the seat wasn't that comfortable. I thought it looked good though and being flat allowed more movement.
Overall I think he was a happy camper and figured it perfect for those English country lanes. At around $6K U.S. it's a great price. The two unknown factors moving forward will be how the initial build quality holds up and parts availability.
I noticed there was a lot of "furniture" on his route so he got it right not trying to ride it like a sports bike. Nice and easy does it.
The Interceptor will definitely appeal to those folks currently looking at buying a secondhand Bonneville and that should, in time, deflate the Triumph prices. If so, my money would definitely be on the Triumph. I've owned two Bonnies and can tell from looking at close up pics of the RE that the difference in build quality is substantial. Every time I look at new RE's in the showroom they look very dated engineering-wise. That may appeal to some of the retro brigade but not to me.
Having said that, I certainly welcome a lower priced competitor to the market and agree that it might be a better option than the current Chinese 400's (Mash etc) and it is, without doubt, a good looking bike, especially in orange. It will be worth following the Indian youtube reviews over the next 12 months as these guys don't hold back when describing any faults on their beloved RE's and were pretty much responsible for RE having to redesign so many parts of the Himalayan after that was initially launched.
One thing which has consistently been said in the many reviews I've watched of the Interceptor and Continental GT twins is that the build quality, fit and finish is far superior to anything RE has built before.
The Interceptor footpegs have been criticised in some reviews, others haven't had a problem.
One solution could be to fit the rearset pegs from the Continental GT?
The Himalayan didn't have anything like the R&D work that has gone into the twins, but we'll need to wait and see how reliable they turn out to be.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
Went to the London excel bike show last sunday,sat on one,very nice orange is sssssoooooo nice but the red/black is better in the flesh,and 2 years on any royal enfield parts fitted.
we will see..
Royal Enfield have outstandingly good value products with the Himalayan and the 650 twins.
Strong possibility I'll get one next. Or a Z900RS, or a Thruxton R or a CB1100RS, decisions, decisions...
