My Interceptor 650 is up to about 2600 miles so far. It has been a very pleasant and reliable motorcycle so far. The only trouble that I’ve encountered has been a nail in the rear tire. Fortunately I was close to home and called my wife to pick me up so I could go get the truck and retrieve it. None of my Royal Enfield modifications have been necessary except maybe for the handlebar change.
The very first modification that was done was adding 1” handlebar risers. On the day I left the dealership after paying my deposit I ordered a case of oil filters and a set of handlebar risers. When I sat on an INT650 for the first time in the showroom I immediately felt like it would be more comfortable if the grips were just a little bit higher. When I did the first service it was just a matter of removing the bolts holding the handlebar mounts, placing the risers under the mounts and bolting everything up with the new extended bolts that came with the risers. Not a difficult mod to do if you feel you’d like to have your handlebars a bit higher.
One actual complaint that I had about this motorcycle was engine vibration felt through the handlebars. The bars are solidly mounted and the grips are made of a thin hard rubber so I purchased a set of Grip Puppies. These are foam rubber sleeves that slip over your existing grips and add a bit more cushion and they did help a good bit. Before you bother to comment that I’m holding on to tightly, I’m not. Over 20 years of mechanics followed by 20 years of CAD work have left me with arthritic hands that are a lot more sensitive than they should be. It is what it is.
Since I use this bike for commuting and weekend 2 up riding I installed a passenger backrest and luggage rack combo. While this has been a useful and practical modification it doesn’t help the looks of the Interceptor at all and if I were ever to seriously enter it in a show it would be temporarily removed. The rack is handy to have but it’s ugly.
From the crate U.S. models of the Interceptor 650 have black sidecovers with logos designating them as the INT650 to avoid copyright conflict with another motorcycle company. I’ve joined a couple of Royal Enfield Facebook groups and one of the members offered to sell me a set of painted sidecovers with the Interceptor 650 logo for a good price so I got them. Having the sidecovers color matched to the fuel tank is a huge improvement to the appearance of an already fantastic looking bike.
Vibration in the bars was still a problem for me and although the factory cross braced handlebars looked really cool they were not shaped right for me and put my wrists at an angle that wasn’t as comfortable as they could be so I decided it was time to get serious about the handlebars so I bought a set of Emgo flat track style bars. Now the Emgo bars are way too wide to use with the stock cables and wiring so I trimmed 3.75 inches from both ends so that they would fit. Afterwards I put some metal plugs inside them, filled the ends up with lead weights and then capped them off with plastic end plugs.
Next up was a set of ODI Mushroom Grips. The ODI grips are quite a bit shorter than the stockers so I had to shorten the throttle sleeve to fit right. Once that was done it was time to locate the switch gear and drill the holes for the locating pins that keep them from rotating around the handlebars.
Now when I reach for the grips my hands are in a more natural position and between the weights and the soft thick rubber grips handlebar vibration is greatly reduced. I’m actually thinking of removing the risers now & I like the looks too!
In the beginning I had zero plans to perform any “performance” modifications to this 650 but just couldn’t help myself. I looked at the aftermarket air filters and airbox lids and decided they just were not worth the cost so I fired up my 3d printer and made myself an airbox lid with the large opening that works with the stock air filter. Does it actually help anything? Without a dynamometer to test it who knows, I kind of doubt it makes much difference.
For the exhaust side I went with a set of Powerage stainless mufflers, the reason I chose these muffler is that after watching a bunch of online videos and reading reports in various forums is that they seemed to be the quietest of the aftermarket exhaust if you leave the baffles in. They come with a wrench that allows you to remove the db killer baffle if you want it to be extra loud. With the baffle in you get a nice snarl that’s a little louder than stock. I put a video on my Youtube channel giving you a sound quality and volume comparison.
Am I done with this motorcycle? No, for someone like me a motorcycle like this is a blank canvas, a never ending rolling art project that even if it were to seem finished I reserve the right to start all over and take it in a completely different direction just because I can’t help myself. The next thing to try will be a color matched quarter fairing from MK Designs, the pictures I’ve seen look really good and the price isn’t bad either.
In addition to the Royal Enfield modifications I’ve got a few other projects to tell you about, some of them are in progress but a couple of them are already completed I just haven’t had time to write about them. Until next time, happy wrenching.
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 in Orange Crush Livery
Let me go ahead and explain why this Review is being done at 1300 miles after I took ownership of the bike and not sooner. The owner’s manual gives a recommended break in period of 1200 miles, since I am a very particular person who believes in doing things correctly I stuck to that. Let me go ahead and say that my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 has been utterly reliable with no electrical or mechanical malfunction whatsoever. I purchased this motorcycle this summer with my own funds and have complete freedom to praise or disparage it as I see fit. Here’s the best phrase to describe the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, “It’s a perfectly adequate motorcycle.” This is not meant to be disparaging, for a motorcycle commuter like myself it is high praise indeed.
very nice paint
The only color that I wanted was the Orange Crush version so I began to search dealer’s websites and called around looking for the machine I desired. Here in the American southeast within 3-400 miles of my home all of the Orange Crush painted Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 s were sold out and no one could tell me how long it would take to get one. Motorcycles of Charlotte had the best combination of inventory and prices on hand so I decided to go and purchase whatever they had in stock and simply paint it orange when I got it home. Yes I am a good enough painter to do so and it would have had a better than factory appearance. When I told Cameron the salesperson that I was working with, what my plans were, he suggested that if I was willing to wait a month that they could get me the color that I wanted. So I put down a deposit and almost exactly a month later went back to pick up my new motorcycle. I’m thankful for Cameron & the rest of the crew at Motorcycles of Charlotte for a great new bike sales experience.
The first time I ever laid eyes on her.
Let’s start by going over the good and bad points of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with what is absolutely the best thing about it, the appearance. They got it right, this motorcycle has the classic British motorcycle look. The proportions and styling are spot on. The paint is very good, much better than the old 500 Classic Bullet that I reviewed several years ago. One reason I wanted this color combo was to get the silver wheels (all other colors come with black wheels) which I prefer. The shapes of the bodywork, engine and tank work together to recall the old Interceptor 700 from the golden age of the Britbike. In fact when I was on my way home with it on the carrier behind my truck a gentleman whose dad had owned several old Royal Enfields flagged me down so that he could take some pictures of it. He thought it was a restoration and was surprised to find out it was brand new. If you don’t want to talk to strangers about your motorcycle this is not a bike for you. The phrase perfectly adequate motorcycle does not apply to the looks of the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. It is a rolling work of art straight out of the past, and arguably the best looking of all of the new “retro motorcycles” produced today.
A great looking motorcycle!
Reading through the online forums and groups you’ll occasionally see posts about electrical problems most of which seem to be traceable to the dielectric grease on the prongs of the relays that operate the circuits of the motorcycle and are usually solved by cleaning them off. I’ve yet to experience any such problems with mine. It’s been totally reliable thus far. After I put my deposit down I went home and ordered a case of oil filters for it from a reputable vendor and some good 10w50 synthetic motorcycle oil to have on hand for when they were needed. The factory recommends getting the first service done at 300 miles. This seems a bit soon by modern standards but this is a real vintage style motorcycle with real locknut and screw valve adjusters, so I guess the factory is being extra cautious.
Time for the first service!
So at exactly 300.6 miles I pulled mine up on the table and gave it a full service. I live an hour and a half away from the nearest dealer so I do my own work unless it’s a warranty repair. This bike has one of the easiest valve adjustments I’ve ever performed. 2 of the exhaust tappets were a tiny bit loose so I set those to spec. I’m not going through the service here but it is easy-peasy to perform. In addition to getting a service manual, go to YouTube and look for Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 service videos by Stuart Fillingham and you’ll learn all you need to know.
It’s very simple to check and adjust the valves.
Handling and suspension are good. It is built to a price point and that shows some but the handling is good enough that you really can ride it as is without any modifications if you desire. If you’re planning on strafing apexes you’ll definitely want to replace the original tires. I haven’t done too much twisty riding here in the flatlands but on the few curvy roads we have, I’ve found it to be more than adequate. The springs are a little soft and the front end dives under hard braking but it has the good handling characteristics that the old British motorcycles were so famous for, thanks to a frame designed by Harris Performance in England. I may upgrade the suspension to get rid of some of the softness later but for now I am actually enjoying the relatively plush soft ride. Let’s face it if you expect sport bike handling go get a sport bike but for the rest of us this is perfectly adequate as is. The same goes for the braking system, it’s basic but the ABS works and it’s matched to the bikes power & intended mission.
Comfort is a very subjective thing on a motorcycle and what works for me may not work for you. Parts to upgrade and modify these motorcycles are available all over the internet for very reasonable prices so bear that in mind if you try one and find it uncomfortable. The seat is adequately comfortable for me & I can ride reasonable distances with no problems. I’ve not taken it on any really long trip yet but don’t foresee me having any problems. Some owners have hated the seat and changed it immediately, the factory accessory upgrade is very reasonably priced. The foot peg location is another thing a lot of people complain about. The driver’s foot pegs really are located right where you naturally try to drop your feet to the pavement when you stop. A lot of people buy foot peg relocation kits to move them and I can see doing this if you’re taller or shorter than me. With my 29 inch inseam the pegs are in a great position for me when I’m actually riding, when I stop I’ve just developed the habit of putting my feet down behind the pegs. Riding comfort trumps comfort while stopped.
The only thing that was a real problem for me was the level of vibration felt through the handlebars. My day job is computer aided drafting and design, so I have arthritis and general repetitive motion deterioration of my hands and wrists. I installed a set of Grip Puppies over the stock grips and that helped a good bit, but I wound up replacing the handlebars and doing some other mods that I’ll tell you about later that took care of my only real complaint.
Please note the pictures used in this post are of the 100% factory stock bike on the day I brought it home and do not include any of the changes I’ve made since then. I’ll show you what I’ve done to it later.
The charming vintage experience generated by riding this motorcycle is greatly aided by the traditional air & oil cooled parallel twin engine. It does have a 270 degree firing order instead of a traditional 180 or 360 degree firing order. This is supposed to reduce vibration and give a better sounding syncopated exhaust note. The Bosch fuel injection system works flawlessly and there is no warm up period when cold or stumbling like you would have with a set of carburetors. What’s so vintage about that you ask? Well nothing really but it does have authentic vintage power levels, most reported dyno tests put it at 40-42 at the rear wheel. In 1965 this would have been a bad motor scooter, but here in 2022 that’s not much. Yes dear reader she’ll do the ton but don’t ask for much else. Performance is perfectly adequate for getting back and forth to work or cruising around looking really damn good on the weekend but if you want to go really fast you need to get a different motorcycle. There are no ride modes or traction control, you don’t really need them on this machine.
Improperly cut cable ties are a pet peeve of mine. Would someone in India please buy some flush wire cutters?
Even with the stock exhaust the engine sound is pleasant with a cool little burble on the overrun while shifting or slowing down. There’s adequate torque so that you don’t have to keep rowing through the six speed gearbox unless you want to. When you run the engine up to the redline the power comes on stronger as you pass 5000 rpm but be careful if you hit the rev limiter at 7500 rpm it cut’s the engine back hard. The abruptness of the rev limiter means that if you really want to get max acceleration out of this motorcycle you need to make sure you shift by 7200 rpm. If you need maximum acceleration very often the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 might not be the bike for you.
Speaking of that 6 speed gearbox let me sing its praises. Made in India quality has come a long way since the days of the old iron barreled 500 Bullets. I’ve owned bikes from every continent and my love of Japanese motorcycles is well documented but this Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 has the slickest shifting transmission of any motorcycle I’ve ever ridden in my entire life.
No speed demon, not a big loud heavy cruiser, or a giant touring bike, this motorcycle is truly a newly minted vintage style motorcycle with just the right amount of modern electronics in the form of ABS and fuel injection to get rid of the vintage shortcomings but without excessive modern electronic gimmicks that often seem to be added to bikes (and cars) just because they can. The speedometer & tachometer are good old analog gauges, only the digital odometer and fuel gauge give away the fact that this is a new motorcycle.
Orange Crush top view
Small, uncomplicated and good looking, (a lot like my wife) unless something really bad happens I think this one is a keeper. My all-inclusive out the door cost that I paid for this machine in June of 2022 was just a smidge over $7500. This includes sales tax & registration but not local property taxes. Again I cannot recommend Motorcycles of Charlotte highly enough.
You may have noticed that I keep calling this bike the Interceptor 650. The official North American model designation is the INT650, the Interceptor name as applied to motorcycles is legally owned by Honda who used it for their legendary line of V4 sport bikes. So fellow Americans when you go shopping for one of these look for the INT650, you can change the stickers later to look more like the original Royal Enfield Interceptor of the 1960s.
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