Coming from the Royal Enfield Himalayan and KTM 390 Duke, I’m considering these parallel-twin machines as my next motorcycle.
BHPian trishul recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Test rode both Interceptor and Super Meteor back to back at Bolt motorcycles, Hyderabad. Am looking for a highway tourer and city commuter, parallel twin 650cc in under 5L. Must have tubeless tyres.
Was considering Int 650 with recent rumours of an update with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres. I had stayed away from upgrading to Int 650 in the past year since I sold my Duke 390 cause of spoke tube tyres and my miserable experience fixing a puncture when I owned the Himalayan previously.
Interceptor 650
- Vehicle had 18k kilometres on the odo.
- The handlebar position was not very comfortable for me. My hands were stiff, locked in and extended. Figured this would be uncomfortable for me on long rides unless I made changes in the handlebar position or added extenders.
- I kept brushing my legs against the mid-position foot pegs when standing.
- Gear shift was clunky, was hard to find neutral.
- Brilliant engine, just as everyone noted.
Super Meteor 650
- Brand new bike with just 30 kms on the odo.
- Very comfortable riding position, I am 5’10 and 72kgs. Did not feel like a heavy bike at all, hides its weight well.
- Easy to manoeuvre in traffic and take turns.
- Wonderful exhaust note, nice sounding deep bass note.
- Smooth engine, gear shifts are smooth, clutch was easy to pull.
- Brakes might need more run in, feedback and pull on the rear brake right foot peg wasn’t right.
Overall I felt Super Meteor was an upgrade over Int 650 in terms of build quality and engine refinement. Coming from Himalayan and Duke 390, and considering the above two 650cc parallel twin bikes for a highway-relaxed tourer and city commuter, the Super Meteor ticked my requirements.
Now the negatives though not dealbreakers
- The tourer variant colour choices are either red or blue and dual tone. Personally both appear flashy to me and not in a good way.
- The base variant in black looks best to me.
- Wish tripper navigation came as optional and it’s a lost opportunity to reduce the base variant price further.
Had booked the Astral black variant in the first week of Feb without a test ride but after checking out the display vehicle. Expected delivery date on RE app is late April, hoping the bike gets delivered sooner.
Keyword: Super Meteor vs Interceptor: Need a highway tourer under Rs 5 lakh