Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Custom Long Term Review: We made it better!

Seating Ergos

The problem

I had already installed the ‘Touring’ seat, which is a must have, by the way. But, I still wasn’t completely happy with the jutting out rider footpegs, which fowled with my shins in traffic, and these also made it difficult for me to hook onto the bike via my heel and legs. I also had to reach for the handlebar, which wasn’t very comfortable. It was either that or moving up right to the tank to compensate. I wasn’t happy with either. Plus, the angle of the hand levers – the clutch and the front brake – was a little too high for my liking, and I had an aching right wrist to show for it after my daily 40km commute.

The solution

First, I went and bought myself a Renthal. Now, Renthal handlebars are not easily available in India. But, if you do find yourself one, go for either the Jimmy Button bend or the CR high. Both these bars are wider and taller than the stock Interceptor handlebar. However, if you can’t find a Renthal, handlebar risers are a good option as well. The end result for me is a handlebar that is two centimetres taller, five centimetres closer, and five centimetres wider as well, compared to the stock unit.

Then, I went and swapped the footpegs. Now, this is the easy part. All I did was get the gear shifter lever, the rear brake pedal, and mounting plates and heel plates of the GT 650, and voila, all my problems relating to fowling shins and not being able to grip the motorcycle were gone! Additionally, the new rearset footpegs naturally push your upper body forward.

And, with the new handlebar now closer, the seating ergos overall, are not only more comfortable, but also sportier! If you are interested in the figures, the new footpegs are around 12.5 centimetres rearset and around two centimetres higher off the ground compared to the INT ones.

And yes, I also dropped the angle of the hand levers so that I didn’t have to bend my wrist while using them.

Riding Feel

The problem

I really like the way the Interceptor 650 behaves at slow speeds, it tracks straight, it has a plush ride, and it also isolates the rider against most road irregularities. But, pick up speed, even close to 60kmph, and it can feel slightly loose, a bit wallowy, and not very enjoyable. Plus, with luggage or a pillion, the rear wallows more and the front begins to seem vague.

The solution

The easy fix to the luggage and pillion problem was to dial in more preload. But, the higher we went on preload (it has a total of six settings), the more the bike’s rear tramlined. Finally, we settled on the fourth preload notch from stock, which isn’t perfect, but is the best compromise we could come to. So, the bike still tramlines a bit, but the rear is more pliant and load friendly now.

There is no preload option for the front. And the front forks could certainly do with slower damping. In fact, these could do with slightly stiffer springs as well. But, for this report, we replaced the front fork oil with more viscous oil. And the difference was immediately evident. While the stock forks can take upto three oscillations to settle down, our reworked Interceptor 650 now takes two for the same applied force. Ideally, it should be done in one and a half.

Next Up

Next time we will wrap things up with the Interceptor. We will tell you the pros and cons, the must-have accessories, and how best to enjoy your INT650. So, do come back…