10 things about Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 nobody talks about!

Things nobody talks about the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.

Number 1

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a relatively slow motorcycle. Although its capacity is 649 cc, the power it generates is only 47 horses, it does generates over 50 Nm of torque but from the point of view of over 90 kg of the rider, the motorcycle is only average fast and overtaking at speeds above 100-110 km/h leaves much to be desired.

Number 2

Rear tire is ugly! This sounds like a bad joke to some of you but i'm a visual person and that means the things i'm looking at have to look good and proportionate and one of the biggest drawbacks of the 650 interceptor is its rear tire, actually its width is just too narrow in relation to the overall dimensions of the bike. So remember that one of the first things you'll want to replace on this bike is the rear tire.

Number 3

Aluminum oxidation! Although one of the main visual advantages of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 are the engine covers and the valve cover which are made of polished aluminum, at the same time it’s the greatest curse of this motorcycle. Aluminum oxidizes quickly causing ugly tarnish pits and those, left alone quickly reduce the beauty of this machine. Even if you store the motorcycle in the garage, you will have to protect these covers with some lubricants or re-polish them every 6 months.

Number 4

The seat, oh the seat! We all love low flat custom seats in motorbikes like Brat Style or New Bobbers, in practice however, the lower the seat, the less foam in it, the less comfortable. The factory seat of this motorcycle is a perfect example of an uncomfortable seat. There is simply too little foam in it and it is too soft. Unless you weigh 45 kg then maybe this seat will do but I weigh twice as much and replaced it with a Touring Seat after four months.

Number 5

I already touched on this topic in one of my previous videos and it caused a lot of criticism. Of course, this is my point of view, the point of view of the owner of a Royal Enfield bought in Poland in Europe. Here the service costs of an authorized service center are simply too high compared to the prices of competitive services of leading brands.

Number 6

The next thing is the relatively high engine speed at idle, maybe a minor fact but you buy a two-cylinder motorcycle for its sound, especially if, like the Interceptor 650, it has a 270 crankshaft. The idling speed here is 1200 rpm, if it was lower, the motorcycle would simply sound better at a standstill. I watched a fairly extensive explanation on the YT why this is happening. Apparently it is related to a lean fuel mixture that has been set to meet Euro 5 standards, which in turn caused problems with revving from the bottom, the idling speed was simply raised to fix that issue.

Number 7

The range of the motorcycle on one tank is simply poor in the city; the motorcycle barely covers 240 km on one tank. On the road with me on it, let's remind you that I am 185 cm tall and weigh 93 kg. It is difficult to achieve a result of 280 km on one tank. I know that there are many other factors that affect fuel consumption, such as wind, driving style, type of road, surface, traffic, but still, if you would like to ride this motorcycle on a longer route, 280 km is simply not enough.

Number 8

Brakes! One of the most important elements in every vehicle! These are correct at most and no Bybre badge on the caliper will change that and no Brembo badge on the brake disc will change it either. One disc, even if a large one, simply brakes on average when stopping over 300kg with a rider.

Number 9

The reliability of the motorcycle leaves a bit to be desired even though fans of the brand will deny it, there is a lot of information on the internet about problems with the engine, electrics, check engine errors, squeaking and poorly working brakes, oil leaks, problems with relays and similar issues. Many owners of motorcycles of this brand believe that this is a side effect of buying a cheaper motorcycle and they accept it because they feel that they have saved money from the start! I personally think it is unacceptable that a motorcycle from the world's longest producing motorcycle company has so many defects, even if it was cheaper than competition.

Number 10

The last thing to shake off will be the weight of the motorcycle. 218 kg is simply a lot for this type of motorcycle, for comparison Kawasaki z650 RS is almost 30 kg lighter, same as Yamaha xrs 700. In my case this weight does not matter much because I am a big guy and I am fine with it, but for lower, lighter motorcyclists it can be a disadvantage. In order not to look completely ignorant, I will add that Triumph Street Speed also weighs 216 kg, so this problem applies to some popular manufacturers too.

Have a Good Ride!

[ridicule]

Hello, I am a rider of 31 years. I average 20000km/year. I ride all year, all seasons and all weather conditions. I have owned many bikes from Kawasaki 500 GPZ to 1988 zx1000 Tomcat to track day zx10r with 6 years at Le Mans circuit . I did touring on two bmw k1600GT’s. I have had two bmw 1200RT for more than each. Today, I have my 2020 1250 GS Adventure which is my touring bike at 33000km, my 2008 1200RT my daily bike at 111000km and since last October my 2022 RE Interceptor 650 euro5. I always wanted a classic bike or neo retro bike. However I didn’t want to spend a fortune on something that was too old, difficult to get parts and not always allowed in all European towns because of emissions restrictions. The RE 650 Interceptor was the best choice in terms of styling, norm Euro5, price point and three year unlimited kilometer guarantee.

I have since covered nearly 5000km since 28th October 2022. This includes 450km day ride to 1200km three day weekend road trip.

As a motorcyclist, I love curvy roads, the countryside and even my commute to work 60km a day, is avoided on freeway or toll roads. I don’t see the point on riding a motorcycle straight up for hours and hours with no fun twisty bits.

If I do use a highway, I prefer the 1200RT which is conceived for longer, comfortable travel. It it has a 27L fuel tank and 500 or more km per tank in range. I could also use the 1250 GS Adventure with 30L fuel tank and 600km range. These bikes are worth 4 RE 650 each minimum and they are better suited to highway riding and highway speeds.

The RE 650 is designed and geared speeds for the Indian market. The bike is happiest in the 90 to 100 km/h speed range. This usually takes me on non-highway roads. Fuel economy is 3, 5 to 4, 2L/100km depending on the riding terrain being flat or mountains and if I ride slow or ride in a dynamic way. This gives a range of 385km at best (13, 7L tank) or 326km at worst. Having 27liters on the RT and 30L on GS Adventure, I am very conscious and paranoid about fuel. I carry 2x 1L mini plastic jerrycan in each saddle bag. If ever I run out, I have at least 50km reserve to find a station.

From new, I have taken the GT Continental touring seat with seat cowl to cover the passenger seat for a more sporty look. I can ride four hours before I feel I need to stop. Lets not forget. It’s a cheap bike, not my 28000€ GSA or 20000€ RT. Even the GSA or RT, after 6 hours I need to stop. Except in general I stop every two hours to have something to drink, a snack, take a photo or whatever. So I have no seat comfort issues. I am 1, 87m talk and 88kg. The RE is build for your average Indian rider of 60 to 75kg. If you a 95kg Viking, you need to beef up the seat, suspension or buy something else to suit your usage and your comfort needs. 😅

Now concerning the ‘performance’. In the motorcycle world you have two groups. Those who live and breathe numbers for HP and Torque. Those that swing a leg over the bike and just ride it, for what it was conceived, for the usage it is adapted. I just spent three days, 1200km on a motorcycle club weekend. I took the RE instead of the RT or GSA out of curiosity. I spent the trip following the BMW F800 GT lead bike, no highways. In the twisty bits, he was never more than 20m in front and I had a guy on Triumph Tiger 900 but A2 restricted to 47bhp. He did not follow us. Not the bike, just rider skill. If you ‘thrash the bike to ride it above its ‘sweet spot’, it will willingly do as you ask but you will use more fuel and suspension wise, if the road gets very bumpy into a corner, the bike can become a bit skittish but it’s something you anticipate. Again, it must be ridden for its conceived usage, it’s limits. This is not a a bike with Ohlins front and back that somebody gave you cheaply. The Ohlins shocks and forks kit is a 1400€ itself. If you really want that, you should be looking at Triumph or Ducati or BMW not a 6800€ bike. You must compare apples with apples.

The tires are perfect for the ‘flickability’ of the bike. It makes 52n.m of torque and 80% of that from 2500rpm. It revs up easily if you need power. However you will lose flickability and create some drag with oversized tire to power/torque ratio. If I was on my 200hp zx10r, I prefer the Dunlop D211 GP racer tires. On this bike, the nature of it, the style of that classic 70’s bike, nobody used a fat tire. Not even the Kawasaki H2 widow makers used that. So it’s esthetic and subjective but not a mechanical or performance flaw.

The bottom line, if you can build a bike for 7000€ or less with no faults then you should do it. However no manufacturer, not even the Chinese can rival what RE have offered us.

If you want all the bells and whistles and you want to pay 7000€ or less, you need to stop dreaming or you need to buy 2nd hand Triumph with 50000km done. 🤷

[ianw]

Hi Bart - I have been riding for over 50 years and this is the most fun bike i have ever owned - It is meant to be a back to basics bike from the 70's and does this brilliantly. I have had my interceptor for over 3 years with no problems whatsover. Maybe you should sell yours if you are unhappy with it and buy a triumph at double the cost! Cheers

[Tomasz.P___b]

I agree with most of the points, except for:
1. the power - it's a deliberate move to make the motorcycle appeal to a wider potential customer base. It's easy to increase the power to match, say, the Triumph Speed Twin.
2. As for servicing costs, I've only spent money on oil and brake fluid - I do everything myself.
3. When it comes to faults, mine has none, and the high number of mentions on various forums and YouTube is due to the large number of units sold. No manufacturer even comes close when it comes to the number of Interceptors and Continental GTs that roll off the production line each year.

[Springfieldnightrider]

I would have to agree with some of your points. But I still just love my GT 650. It literally makes me smile on every ride

[tombinkley]

You miss the point of this bike. It is not meant to be a boy racers bike, it is a gentleman's ride.

[critterIMHO]

Just a few areas where I think you’re both right and wrong.
1: I’ll take low, end torque over high end horsepower any day .
2: Yes, the aluminum corrodes quickly, but is easy to polish out.
3: The stock seat is miserable, but what other bike has good replacements available for so little money?
4: You think maintenance costs are high? Seriously? This is an easy bike for me to maintain myself, so the cost is minimal. The screw type valve adjusters alone save me a ton of time and money over anything that uses shims.

[hughphillips]

I would have thought the power is enough for most people in the real world, most people think the need more but in reality they don’t, only their ego does.

[WaterDR-twre]

You entirely miss the point. The appeal of these bikes is not what it is, but what it is not.

[morri]

1) it is quite torquey so it feels faster than it is. I agree about overtaking at higher speeds. Still my other bike is 150hp and I still enjoy riding the Enfield
2) I agree a fatter tire looks better but it’s a mistake to put a 150 on it. The bike turns so nicely because of the narrow tires and the rim is too skinny for a 150
3) agreed. You have to polish the alloy often
4) the seat is uncomfortable but the touring seat is much better and cheap
5) I service the bike myself, it’s simple and fun
6) true, I think the idle speed is to help newer riders move off. It’s not euro5, my bike is euro4 and the idle speed is the same.
7) I find the fuel economy great, 25km/l typically and 280km range plus. My Ducati has much less range.
8) the brakes are pretty average but it stops ok when you squeeze hard. The fact is isn’t very fast means I don’t brake that much anyway as there isn’t the need to scrub off speed
9) a lot of the reliability stuff seems overblown. There are many claims online but also this bike is a big seller. The vast majority of owners have no issues. It does seem the early bikes were more likely to have issues. Most of the relay and grease claims are just spread by people who dint understand about relays or dielectric grease. For example if the grease really was a problem then every single bike would have issues.
10) it doesn’t weigh 218kg (213kg with 90% fuel according to the owners manual), not sure where you got the info from. I find it top heavy to push around but it is fine when rolling. Making it lighter costs money!

[gregbagel]

Honestly a fair review, I own a continental gt 650, basically the cafe racer ver, and you points are spot on. However for its cost I still found the bike unbeatable in its class. Love mine to death.

[thanos]

i had the 650 interceptor 3 years no problems, its not slow for me it stops when i want it too, i love to clean it so it looks just like i bought it, i change all the crapi things on it, seat, exsust,all the lights, and lots more, and i can say a lot more but i cant be bothered, if you dont like it sell it.

[ihsanihsan]

Thanks for the video and your opinions. Haven't come across a video on the negatives of the bike. Another thing about it is it's service intervals and tapper checks compared to it's competitors. Again, thanks.

[motormikeb]

650 Interceptor, in Ravishing Red ! Great bike.. as to date no electrical issues... " not fast ".. fast enough for me. Last week I did nearly 2000 miles on the interstae .. 75 mph and it was silky smooth. Did have the rear master cylinder replaced under warranty. 😎

[oldgeezerproductions]

I am pretty sure that the "high" speed idle is because the engine has minimal rotational inertia, otherwise known as a light flywheel and also the ECU will not let the engine run much below 1, 000 RPM to prevent it from "lugging." If you have the bike in too high a gear and if letting out the clutch too much or using too much rear brake while going slow, the RPM will drop below 1K and the engine will immediately die, sometimes with disastrous results. I don't know if other bikes with electronic engine control management will stop the engine like this, but the Enfield's ECU does and people should be aware of it. Two weeks ago I was doing low speed, tight turn practice when I let the RPM's drop below 1K causing the leaned over bike to immediately drop while going 10-12 MPH and so I ended up with a broken collarbone. Nature's gentle little way of reminding you to watch your RPM's.

Those other things "nobody talks about" are well known to me and either they mean nothing to me or I have addressed them (such as the seat and the mufflers). There is one other thing that bugged me and that was the handlebar placement on my INT. I bought some aftermarket repositioners and now I love where the bars are. Another important thing that doesn't come with the bike is a good clock, but I bought one of those too.

[franciswashack]

My 1969 Triumph Bonneville 650 only produced only 35 horse power, so the Enfield is doing much better. And the rear tire is perfect for a classic British motorcycle.

[roverbunson]

i had the bike cutting out a few times, cleaned the lard out of the relays and fitted bosch relays, all ok since, ive also been having issue with the ignition, you need to switch on then back slightly or it goes off, ive just fitted ebc hh brake pads to the front, highly recommended, the brake after 20 miles is now phenomenal, well worth it, i service the bike myself, i told the dealer i dont trust mechanics. my last bike was a suzuki sv650s with claimed power around 70hp, i was dissapointed to be getting around 45 mpg, with gt650 im getting over 60mpg, and the enfield has much more character, its a heavy bike but ive shaved about 20kg from it so far so accelration now is much improved and i can move it around much easier, tank range is not huge but ok, forget top speeds in our little islands now, the gt seat seems better than the interceptor and maybe the rearsets help keep weight off the rear a little, the instruments steam up under about 12degrees which is wierd, keeping the alloy engine cases clean is a labour of love, the new range will solve this, tyres i found ok bu5 changed to avon, suspension is shit and tye worst thing about the bike, solved with some upgrades, would be nice if my knees could grip the tank on my gt650 but its too narrow and a little high at the rear, i think that the engine i will be able to wring its neck but if i look after it im sure it will outlast me, i wont be selling my enfield

[koosmotormuis]

I have an RE Interceptor. Have driven 12, 500 km. Your review is 90% spot on. I think the maintenance costs are not too bad. My biggest irritation is indeed having to constantly polish the aluminum. Recently I've been replacing parts that I find incredibly stupidly designed by RE. Like the turn signals, brake light and that ridiculous rear suspension. The tires have been replaced by Heidenau, slightly wider and much nicer. Exhaust mufflers have also been replaced. Smaller, narrower and more in balance with the bike. And some small stuff such as the chain protection, handlebar riser, etc. The bike is super reliable. In short, buy this machine and customize yourself 🤓

[anonyfamous]

Nice review.... 👍 I agree with most points you made. But, consisting the price, I guess these minor issues can be dealt with. Which other bike/s do you recommend at around price point?!

[antonbabych]

Good video and good buy. Few weeks ago I got my own RE Interceptor in Black ray edition and it's great!

[paulshenton]

You get what you pay for. On mine that plank of a seat was replaced very quickly. Plus i changed the 4 sub standard relays and got rid of that white grease they bung on connections. After that no issues. Servicing i do myself.