Introduction
Meet Deadpool. Now as infantile as that might be, yes, I have named my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. And you’d agree it has the right colour hue to go with the name. More importantly, it’s lively, fun, and it's a motorcycle that doesn’t take itself too seriously. So, Deadpool.
And like Marvel’s polarising superhero, the Interceptor isn’t perfect either. Yes, it has a great engine and gearbox, it’s well built, one can accessorise it and so far, it has proven to be reliable too. But, the suspension on the bike was average at best, which, of course, we rectified with a set of YSS. And though the INT is now much nicer to ride with the suspension upgrade, it still needs something more. Say, a nicer set of tyres.
Preferred Tyre Choice
Enter the TVS Eurogrip Protorq Extreme tyres.
Made in India, but with enough science, technology, and R&D to give the bigger, more expensive names in the market a run for their money. We have ridden on the Protorq Extremes on the race TVS Apache RR310. And when we did, we were pleasantly surprised with their outstanding feel and grip. But even though that was on a racetrack we knew we wanted these for our Interceptor conversion project. Besides the high grip levels, ‘made-in-India bike running on made-in-India tyres’ has a nice ring to it.
The Eurogrip Protorq Extreme is a zero belt radial tyre. The stock tyres on the Interceptor, meanwhile, are your regular cross ply units. And therefore, the Protorqs come with the benefits of being lighter, running cooler, and having softer, more flexible sidewalls. Furthermore, the steelbelts running parallel to the direction of the tyres’ rotation in the Protorqs’ help improve traction, ride comfort, and high-speed stability, says TVS.
In our measurements, the front and rear Protorq tyres weighed around 4kg and 5kg, respectively. And in terms of tread depth; these measured over 4mm and 5mm, front and rear. Additionally, the Protorq Extremes are W rated tyres. And they use a dual compound construction to offer both good centre tread life, and fantastic edge grip.
Professional Help
Now, why 17-inch wheels, you ask? Two reasons really. We wanted alloys for the Interceptor because we wanted to run tubeless tyres. Not only are tubeless tyres convenient if you have a puncture in the middle of nowhere, but these are also a safer bet if one intends doing three digits speeds for long hours. And two, we wanted the option to use better tyres. Barely anyone makes performance-centric tyres in an 18-inch size. But move to 17, and voila, the world suddenly opens up.
The switch to 17 inchers from 18-inch wheels isn’t a direct or easy one. But, we had professional help in the form of JCMoto and its head tool Joshua Crasto. Now, Joshua is a known quantity in the motorcycle world. Be it fabricating specialised parts for motorcycles, restoring dilapidated old bikes, or building custom motorcycles, he does it all.
Says Joshua, “Step one was to centre the rear alloy for it to sit correctly in between the swingarm. This meant fabricating bespoke spacers. Then came a new sprocket to fit the new wheel. The number of teeth remains identical to the stock sprocket, of course, but the new customised unit is lighter and less prone to wear.'
'The front needed some work as well, but not as much as the rear', adds Joshua. The front disc is new, though the brake calipers, master cylinder, and brake line continue unchanged from the stock Interceptor. But, as was the case with the rear brake, a new ABS ring had to be fabricated for the front as well to match the wheel’s mounting position. The number of slots on the ring though is the same as the Interceptor.
And of course, wrapped around the new alloy wheels are the Protorq Extreme radial tyres from Eurogrip - 110/70 ZR17 at the front, and a beefier 150/60 ZR17 at the rear.
The Plan
The plan now is to see how this upgrade affects the Interceptor’s performance on the road. We will commute on it, take a highway trip, and possibly even do some laps on a racetrack! The focus for us through it all will be to record any change in the motorcycle’s low-speed maneuverability, its high-speed cornering ability, its braking efficiency, the working of its suspension, and to gauge if the lowered ground clearance courtesy the smaller wheels pose any problems. But all that in the next report…
Get in touch with JCMoto at: Email: joshua@jcmoto.in; Phone: +91 98206 02435
Product Details
Make: TVS Eurogrip
Type: Performance Tyres
Model: Protorq Extreme Radial
Size: 110/70 ZR17 Front; 150/60 ZR17 Rear
Price: Rs 4,500 Front; Rs 6500 Rear
Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi
Gallery
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Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Drive Chain and Sprocket
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