Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 India Ride Review

Quality

But, before I do, a closer inspection of the motorcycle reveals that a lot of attention has been paid to the quality, and fit and finish. The paint, for starters, is high-gloss and almost flawless. The brushed chrome finish for the crankcase and the cylinder heads look rich, and well executed. There are no ugly welds, no unnecessary long bolts, no afterthought jugaads, and even the wiring all round has been thoughtfully lined.

What's more, the switchgear works well; the levers - be it for the hand or the foot - are ergonomically placed; and there's clear thought behind everything. Take the guards on the engine fins, for instance, that keep your knees from burning. Or, the easy release seat, which makes it simpler to mount a tail bag. If at all, I would have liked to see a better, more current design for the instrumentation. It is easily the most boring bit on the bike.

Comfort

Once on the move, the Interceptor 650 continues to impress. The seating ergonomics are good, if not great. The handlebar is at a comfortable height; the seat is low; and the foot pegs, though rearset, are only slightly so. Plus, the seat itself might seem narrow and thin, but it didn't prove to be uncomfortable. Even after hours of saddle time.

The bike also has light controls. The clutch pull doesn't require much effort, though it isn't as light as the term 'assist clutch' might suggest. The gearshifts are light and precise, and false neutrals on an RE now seem like a thing of the past. And, the throttle or the brake operation, again, isn't hard on your senses, even after constant and repeated use.

Then there's the calm of the 650. It has a fantastic exhaust note, yes, even on stock pipes. But, it isn't loud enough to bug you. There's also the lack of vibrations, the quiet running of the engine, and the tight turning circle, all of which further add to the likeable, easy to ride, comfy persona of the Interceptor 650. And, even with over 200kg of weight to haul around, the INT is surprisingly easy to ride around on busy city streets.

The ride, however, isn't the Interceptor's strong suit. The ride over mildly broken tarmac, rumbler strips, and low amplitude undulations is pliant and well-judged, even though it does feel slightly firm at lower speeds. But, come deeper undulations or potholes, square edged bumps or road joints, and the Interceptor struggles. Its ride transforms to borderline harsh on occasions. And, if you catch a bad one, well, your lower back will bear the brunt.

Performance

Performance, like quality, was one of the things, I had hoped Royal Enfield gets right if the 650 twins have any chance of setting the sales charts on fire. And they have!

The new engine - 648cc, parallel twin, four-valve, oil-cooled, and crucially, running a balancer - is the party piece of this motorcycle. It is refined, almost vibe-free, and potent to a fault.

It will take you from 60kmph to twice that speed in 6th gear (yes! It gets six gears), with the same sense of quick acceleration, the same refinement, and the same stress-free feel. Launch it from a standstill, and unsuspecting folks will end up pointing its front wheel skywards.

It also revs higher than most new REs. And the gear shifts aren't just well-engineered by Royal Enfield standards, they are great, period. And did we mention, even after riding it for over an hour and a half in city traffic, it refused to set our legs, thighs, and calves on fire?

RE has got the braking sorted as well. The bite, the feel, and the progression from the front Bybre setup is spot on. ABS too, isn't intrusive. But yes, the brake could do with a bit more power to ease the effort on the right wrist.

As far as handling goes, things are a little old-school. It handles the long, flowing corners well, feeling stable and communicative all the time. It doesn't mind the right hairpins either. And there's good amount of cornering clearance too.

But, steer the Interceptor with vigour, and the rest of the bike takes a second to catch up with the front. It's not scary, just something one needs to get used to. It also weaves and wallows when pushed hard, but, again, nothing that will make you back off the proceedings significantly.

But, the head shake over bumpy roads, did make me slow down. It never turned into an ugly tankslapper, but I much rather slow down and err on the side of caution. Also, the Interceptor doesn't like being hustled from one corner to the next. As I said, old-school. It needs to be cajoled into corners. Do that, and there's enough grip in the tyres to achieve satisfying lean angles.

Technology

The Interceptor 650 gets fuel injection, a four valves head, ABS, a slipper clutch, and not much else. It's quite simple in that sense. Air / oil-cooled engine, cable-type throttle, no rider modes, no traction control, and no adjustable levers either. So, yes the INT 650 is basic. But, we are more than willing to overlook this for the price it is expected to come at. How does Rs 3 lakhs on the road sound? Well, that's our educated guess.

Fuel Efficiency

As with most motorcycles, fuel economy is a function of how you flog the engine. Here too, when ridden with an energetic right wrist, the Interceptor 650 returned a tad under 25kmpl. When we short shifted, rode the torque curve, and opened the throttle as most boring people would, the fuel economy figure almost touched 30kmpl. But a realistic figure, in our opinion, would be around the 25-26kmpl mark.

Fitness Of Purpose

The main purpose of the 650 is to give the ever-increasing Royal Enfield 350cc owners something to upgrade to. That something must have the RE character, yes, but, it must also do everything better.

Hitherto, the only options have been from Harley-Davidson and Triumph. And, needless to say, the price divide between the RE 350 and these bikes is so high, many never bothered about upgrading.

But, with the launch of the 650, all that changes. It has the same Royal Enfield character, but it is better built, better thought-out, quicker, more comfortable, more dynamically able, and literally more every everthing at a price that's not just attainable, it's down right luring.

And there's the other small matter of helping take the Royal Enfield brand global. And about having a worthy product to compete with the likes of Triumph, H-D, Ducati and others. And on that count too, the 650 is a big step forward.

Our Take

If it isn't obvious from the review so far, let me spell it out for you - the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a job well done. Yes, it doesn't have the best ride quality in the business, and when pushed hard, chinks in its dynamic armour do begin to show. However, it does everything else so right, you can't help fall for the bike. This one certainly falls under the 'must-have' list.

Now, let's just hope we got that Rs 3 lakhs on-road pricing thing right.

Photos: Kapil Angane