I have been a Royal Enfield fanboy since I was a kid and my previous motorcycle was a Thunderbird 350X.
BHPian LeoChakraborthy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Introduction:
This thread is going to be a blog of a Barcelona Blue Interceptor (possibly the first?) on Team-BHP. I plan on jotting down every experience I’ve had & going to have in this thread. I’ll try my best to detail my observations and opinions, and make the reading as enjoyable as possible!
About the Wizard:
Though my riding journey started late (in my mid-20s), my love for motorcycles was always there. My Dad had an RX100 (Metallic Black) and my uncle a Rajdoot 350. Together it was like listening to a Duet! I was always around the RX whenever my Dad used to fiddle around the machine, be it removing a puncture or replacing a spark plug or working with the cables! I always wanted to get my hands on them and twist the throttle to listen to the sound.
Then one day, Dad took me to a ‘Bullet dealer’, who was in essence a Bullet mechanic selling second-hand Bullets or the ones fitted with a diesel engine, back in 1997. That was love at first sight! A Royal Enfield fanboy was born!
Biting the Bullet:
Fast forward to 2012. My riding till then has been minimal on the RX with shopping errands as I was commuting through public transport / walking for work and general travels. But I was getting married and I needed a 2-wheeler for my long overdue riding pleasure. No points for guessing which showroom I visited first. Unfortunately, Classic 350 had a waiting period of 6-9 months! And I had to ‘settle’ for Apache Hyperedge. It served me well for the next 6 years, carrying me and my wife around for ~30000 Kms in and around Bangalore and a few trips of 200+ km.
In 2019, I felt the urge again to buy myself a Bullet! Coincidentally, my application to team-bhp was also cleared, when I was making the decisions on my next motorcycle. I was getting ready with a thread outline too! First choice was Bullet 500, else TB500! I was always around ‘Amun-Ra (Royal Enfield Bullet 500 : “Amun-Ra”)’ thread by then. Thank you for the reading pleasure Majumdarda!
By the time I decided to bite the bullet and place the order, it was too late though. In spite of booking Bullet 500, in Forest Green mid-Dec 2019, the booking was not honoured when Royal Enfield stopped production of 500cc motorcycles! My good friend and fellow BHPian PrasannaDhana, suggested me to go for Interceptor then.
I TD-ed the bike multiple times from different showrooms and used a friend’s GT650 for quite a while and absolutely loved the refinement in an Enfield and had an instantaneous crush on Orange Crush. I’m 6 feet tall and I could handle the weight. Everything was great but I couldn’t at that time get my hands on one due to unforeseen personal circumstances.
Again, I would ‘settle’ for what was my second choice, Thunderbird 350x! No cause for complaints here, but just the longing for a retro motorcycle left unfulfilled. After all, the heart wants what the heart wants!
I planned trips for when the run-in period was done. Alas, it was 2020 and we all know what happened! By the time it was all behind us by late 2021, I was in a mentally difficult state to plan and go on rides. 3 years and just 2500 kms later, coming out of a depression and feeling the need to start riding again, went on a few breakfast and sightseeing rides just for the need to be outdoors, every other weekend. Started going out and making spur-of-the-moment plans. I would decide to go to some place 50-60 kms away, at 4 PM on a Sunday evening and would gear up and step out. Missed opportunity of 3 years ago was slowly raising its head from its deep slumber, every time I stepped out and rode!
In March ’23, we get a glimpse of the new 650 twins. I again went through all Twins threads on Team BHP. I’m no longer in my 20s and can’t live carefree, as 40 is closer than 30 right now. So, one fine day, out of the blue popped the question to my wife, asking whether I should just go for it. An immediate nod of approval was all the encouragement I needed. She is 5 foot tall and can ride 350x, with her toes just about grounded when braking. Inty is heavier, so she has that going against her. Had to ask my Son’s permission too and he wanted to choose the color. Showed him the options online and he decided on Black Ray. Then showed him live and he changed his mind to Barcelona Blue the moment he saw the glittery metallic finish!
For me it was nostalgia, reminding me of the metallic black of our RX100. I personally loved Cali Green, but it apparently was too plain for my son! Little does he know that I plan on removing the orange/yellow vinyl from Barcelona Blue and putting twin golden lines like the RX100! At the rate at which he is learning about motor vehicles, my secret is safe here till he reaches the legal age for driving!
What I liked and what I can live with
There are enough threads and ownership reviews here that list out the pros & cons of the Twins, I’ll give my version though. One of the first things I noticed during my TDs was the ground clearance. Riding 350x in Bangalore roads, been hitting those high & steep speed bumps. Another 40mm of ground clearance and a relatively shorter wheelbase, eases the anxiety of grinding the underside! The weight is well disguised once on the move and is nimble to manoeuvre during office commutes. Based upon body weight and luggage expected to carry, one might want to calibrate the rear suspension to avoid bumps!
Pros:
- It is a Royal Enfield!
- A few (or many) might miss the electronics in the twins, but I love the minimalistic design and the console.
- Simple and uncluttered retro design, as has always been the case with the twins. The new models might not be as retro as the earlier ones with blacked-out schemes and might not appear as appealing to a few.
- Finally, it comes with tubeless tyres (only in Black Pearl & Barcelona Blue) – I’ve had my fair share of puncture troubles during my Apache days and don’t want to have the trouble with a 200+ kg motorcycle.
- Though I love to ride with stock accessories initially, there are a wide variety of customizations available if I decide to do so. My 350x is still completely stock!
- The exhaust note! Don’t mistake me, I absolutely love the dug-dug of a Bullet but this exhaust note is a different genre of music! I feel this has a bit more bass than the previous versions.
- LED headlamps in the new models
- Adjustable clutch/brake levers
- USB port is a welcome addition, though I wouldn’t have missed it much. Power banks are almost always in the bag.
Cons:
- Everyone has spoken about the front suspension and I can’t agree more. Something I’ll be playing around with in the future, to my liking.
- Pillion is a no-no for long trips, for that matter even on short rides if they’re even moderately tall. My wife is 5′ and I shall keep updating pillion comfort as we go!
- Seat!!! The single seat without any split or even a slight contour looks pleasing to the eye. But the stock seat is a bench! (After the booking had purchased a different seat from Rao’s, after testing & exchanging a friend’s Interceptor stock seat.)
- No gear indicator even on the new models (or for that matter no clock as well). If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle with a digital clock earlier, it is not a problem. But if you’ve had one in your motorcycles, you’ll miss it more than you think.
Booking Experience
I walked into Kwality (Banashankari) on the last week of Mar’23 for a look around and to get a feel of the showroom, as I didn’t want any bitter experience from booking to delivery. The staff were courteous and calmly explained the new changes on the 2023 variants and that alloys aren’t available yet as an off-the-shelf accessory (Cali Green was anyway shot down by my 7-year-old). I asked them for a couple of days time and came home. On April 1st, walked in again and with minimal fuss made the booking for Barcelona Blue. Expected waiting period was 30 days minimum. There was a glimmer of hope when they mentioned that they’ll be receiving 2 motorcycles in that color scheme for earlier bookings. Now, the wait begins.
Delivery
I got a call from them on 11-Apr, saying that they have a vehicle that can be delivered to me, as one of the earlier bookings has been changed to a different paint scheme. Though I was excited that I could get my hands on my own 650 earlier than expected, I was a bit worried about overthinking if the earlier customer backed out after noticing any flaw in the vehicle! I told them in no uncertain terms the vehicle shouldn’t be registered without a personal PDI from me. Went to the showroom on the 12th and had a thorough (at least to my eyes) PDI. Satisfied, I gave them the go-ahead and was promised that they can get the vehicle delivered post-registration, the next day.
During PDI
I’d asked for the large crash guard and ceramic coating. But I was informed that I’ll have to wait a couple of days and can get them done when coming for number plate fixing. After a formal photo of the handover of the keys, on 13-Apr got my 650 home!
In addition to the seat, I’d also bought the Falcon Saddlestay (HDR Modz) and the mandatory mobile holder before hand. Just the fitting was pending, which I decided to do by myself.
The packaging was done really well for the saddle stays, with plenty of bubble wrap.
My better half working on fixing up the accessories
I’ve just crossed 900KMs on my Firebolt, and yet to have any long trips but the riding experience has been a pleasure till date, be it 2 days a week office commutes or weekend breakfast runs. Looking forward to plenty of miles!
Picture from our first date
It is one thing to be grateful and feel blessed with a wonderful partner. It is totally another thing to have a partner, who doesn’t just nod her consent to buy a new motorcycle crush, but is also willing to part-sponsor your new machine!
PS: We have a new pastime now! BarcelonaBlue is still a novel color scheme and we often catch people giving a second, long(ing?) look at our new ride!
It is a late post, over 3 years late! But it has been worth the wait!
Keyword: How I bought latest Interceptor 650 with alloy wheels: 13 pros & cons