Royal Enfield INTERCEPTOR 650, The fall and rise of Royal Enfield!

Ive been racking my brain after my full review of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, as to what is so appealing about it. This is what I came up with!

[bryanmedway]

Hi Stuart, well I am now 78 years and 51 years ago I had a Royal enfield Constallation 700 sports twin, and packed up bikes at 24years old, So 3 years ago I got myself a 883 HD but found it not suitable, so my daughter now has it and last year I bought a new Kawasaki Valcon s "cafe" 650cc again that did not suit me, so I had a ride on an Interceptor demonstration, and I was absoultly thrilled with it!!! and ordered one same day going for the Chrome version, I just cannot wait to take delivery, the Constallation I had was brillant back in1958, and the ride I had on that Demo just brought it all back, so with the new engine and frame this will be my last Bike for a while, I certainly am a born again Biker and I am so pleased that Royal Enfield are back in production and it will not be long before the roads and lanes will be full of them, must say your show is the best and what you say is so true, look forward to more of your vido's

[muhammedzaihancv]

Dear Stuart,
I am 19, from india. I've seen only two videos of yours with this being one. Being a heavy critic on YouTube videos and YouTubers and media in general among my mates. I would like to let you know that I feel like you are what I'm gonna become as an adult. I see so many philosophies on bike and on life pin pointed to the very last detail between yours and mine. I rarely comment on videos. But I think this video for reason I don't quiet understand I will treasure.
I was having a bad day.
And finding somewhat like a soul twin made me feel good for a while.
Thank you .

[saurabhchandra]

This should be the official short documentary for RE Interceptor 650.... Great speech man.

[joshnnik]

I think you have hit the nail on the head with your summary in this video Stuart, well said mate.

[bigbadbear]

"Prison that is adulthood"..i am experiencing that madness 😕😕.Biker and philosophy are the best combo 😍. Good content mate

[arjunshanker]

Great video Stuart. I took the interceptor and continental gt for a test ride a few weeks ago and I was impressed by the simplicity.

I do not think riding modes etc. are necessary on a motorcycle. All you need is a good well balanced machine that you can command.

Needless to say I ordered one.

[rosco]

Perfect reasoning Stuart, that is why I have kept my 1974 Norton 850 Commando for 40 years.

[barryroberts]

Very interesting comments Stuart I'm 70 next week and am not sure if I will get an Enfield (haven't ridden one yet) but I fully understand your points. I have a Yamaha MT10 and I rarely use it's full potential, nice to have it there when I can be naughty! I agrre that this Enfield has a unique place. Bonus is that it sounds like the bikes I grew up with. Much better sounding than the Triumphs and other modern classics.

[jackleonard]

Came for the shiny bits. Stayed for the words of wisdom. Another great video Stewart. Hope you get good weather this weekend so you can enjoy the new ride.

[ldnoida]

Excellent monologue. Beautifully stated. I am 56 and therefore relate to everything said!

[gwynnromano]

Another thing about all of the electronic aids and features of modern cars and bikes is who can fix them when they fail? For the most part the ectronics are not repairable units. It’s diagnose, out with the old and in with the new. At a substantial cost. If I own a five year old machine with negligible resale value and I’m told that the ECM that controls the ABS is shot and a new one is a thousand dollars, I’m selling the bike for parts or scrapping it. Are electronically adjustable forks repairable? Probably not in your garage at home. I agree that the Royal Enfield is the answer to a question more and more are starting to ask. How much electronic gimmickry do I need in my daily life?

[fasthracing]

Picked up my Interceptor 2 weeks ago, its done nothing but rain since. Wife has an 05 Triumph Thruxton kind of match each other.

[Dave-in-France]

Hi Stuart, imo you hit the nail perfectly on the head with this video. For many years I have been sucked into the machine which says I NEED the latest phone/telly/bike etc The T100 that I had for about 5 yrs was the start of me wanting to be me and not the cash-cow of manufacturers. But it was heavy, somewhat dull and not very comfortable. Currently I run a Tracer 700 which has many, many admirable qualities - what it doesn't have is the 'dream' facter. So I plan to keep Trixie at least in the short term, but there really is an itch to be scratched with the RE Interceptor. Tried one for a short ride and all was good, so I recently went back to the RE dealer for another look. Had only seen the orange tank version up 'til then but on this visit saw the Chrome Tank version - Oh my giddy Aunt what a beautiful machine.
So obviously I'm hooked, just a matter of ordering now and not getting it until September, or order in Sept for delivery next March -


Decisions

[critterIMHO]

When I bought a brand new bullet in 2001 it came with a brochure that said “isn’t it time you started living in the past? “ I still have that bike. How do you part with a Royal Enfield ?

[spoerers]

I would have really valued a running in video when I picked my own Interceptor up on 1 March! My first ever new bike. Your thoughts about the niche that RE have spotted and filled are very similar to my own. I’ve returned to what is now a middleweight bike after nearly three decades of car world and a few recent returner years on a Honda VT 125 Cruiser. Sometimes, as I ride the same roads once I travelled on my much missed 1969 T120, powerful sensations and sounds from the past resonate with the sheer joy of riding my Enfield. Same engine size, same bhp, then and now in a fantastic blend of memory and experience. It’s much more than nostalgia, it’s lived and new experience sitting side by side. I just love it.

[ssreeni]

Well said Stuart. I only miss one thing classic in the interceptor. It's the kick starter. The fun of kick starting a bike is one thing that I love.

[ronnronn]

"It fills a hole in the motorcycle industry market"
And it fills a hole in my life.
Ronn
Thanks for sharing your perceptions of the psychological affects of this machine.

[NightGlidr]

My first real motorcycle was a 1972 Yamaha XS650 Twin.It had lints that you had to adjust every so many thousands of miles, no electric starter, only a kick starter, 2 carbs that you could easily adjust, other than that was a pretty plain bike. But it was so remanicant of a Triumph, that I absolutely loved that old clunker, it was a classic that taught me how to ride, how to use a clutch, how to quickly find neutral so if I stalled it at an intersection, I could quickly kick her over and speed off before being too embarrassed because of my lack of experience gently pulling away with proper use of the clutch. The bike took me on camping trips, evening rides in the cool air, bar hops on a hot summers day. She wasn't very fast by todays standards especially for a 650 cc motorcycle, but back then speed limits were 60 MPH and driving at that speed was perfect for it. It was freedom. That was in 1981-82, I have owned many other motorcycles since then, everything from Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Suzukis, Hondas a couple of BMW's a 2 Moto Guzzi, a Triumph T100, and a RE 500 Bullet Classic. Honestly, not many of those bikes ever gave me the feeling that I had when I rode that old 650. Maybe it was because it was my first real bike ( my moped in my teenager years hardly qualifies as a motorcycle), or because she was a simple and honest motorcycle, not full of high tech electronics, ABS, traction control etc, but something that I learned to tune up and repair by myself when required.
Yes I do miss that old XS650, and when I saw the New RE Interceptor 650 Twin, my heart started racing like it did when I had my Yamaha 650. I don't own one yet as they are like hen's teeth here in Canada, but I can myself having one in my stable next year. I still love the big twin like Harleys, the touring comfort of a Goldwing, the fun factor of a dual sport, but I am not getting younger, my shoulder complains when shuffling around an 800 plus pound bike and I find that I don't really enjoy riding 120 Kms/hr all the time anymore. A lighter, easy going 650 twin that has enough grunt to go out and do some touring on is really all that one needs unless the thrill of mach 1 speed is needed to enjoy the sport.
Anyway I really enjoyed your video Stuart, very well said, so much so that it really inspired me to share my memories and hope to create more as I near that age of retirement. Long may you ride and feel free to continue sharing your experiences. Cheers

[justbanter]

Absolutely agree 100% - 70's rider here. I'd never bother with anything above 750cc and fly-by-wire never did appeal to me!
The only thing I ever wanted with a current running through it are my lights and spark plugs

[MrSpooky]

Totally Stuart..the intercepter hit the right buttons for the needs of simple motor cycling of yesterday years..