So, I decided its been a long time since I test rode bikes. The current motorcycling scene in India has undergone a change in the last 10 years with a lot of new bikes coming in.Time to check them out - what say ?
The first test ride of the season has stated with the
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. This is a new bike from the RE stables, and after years of speculation, RE released a twin cylinder bike.
Enough of bike sites are regurgitating the same stuff about the specs etc ( written in prose format - making for very difficult reading TBH). So, I am not going into the specs here.
This is a ride impression.
But first - I want to talk about the guys in the showroom. This has been the best experience that I have had for a bike test ride. The showroom guys were very curteous and set up the ride fast. They also let me ride out alone - which is a big change from someone or the other sitting pillion and not letting me get a real feel of the bike.
The bike is actually a bit smaller ( or should i say slimmer) than the normal RE. The seat height is lower than the himalayan and so more comfortable for me to get on. The seating is less wide than the machismo and the classic models - your knees are not pointing out like someone carrying bamboo sticks on the bike. All in all, sitting on the bike is quite comfortable. The ride though --- that was a bit uncomfortable - see below.
As you can see, i have my foot easily on the ground.
So, lets start the bike. Like all the recent bikes, this also comes with an electric start. The switch assembly is the same as other RE bikes - i could not really see any difference. A touch, and the bike rumbles on.
The sound is quite different from the normal REs. If your impression of getting a RE bike is the 'dug-dug-dug' sound - forget it. This bike has a growl. Nice if you ask me.
The bike moves and feels quite planted. The tyres are pirellis, so the grip should be good. However, these are spoked wheels, which means, even though technically the tyres are tubless ones, you have tubes in this. Hey RE - please fix your wheels.
The gear pattern is like most modern bikes. 1 down, 5 up. Since I usually ride a karizma, its easy for me to use it. However, the gap between the gear shifter and the footpeg is slightly narrow, which meant, with my boots, the toes would sometimes not get under the gear shifter easily.
BTW, No False Neutrals !
The bike pulls. It's got power with the twin cylinders coming in at 47bhp, and it shows. The bike wants to leave you behind as you twist up the throttle. Its unnerving. Especially as the tank is slim and the thigh grip does not work at all. Add to it, the handlebars are way ahead ( see the side pic above), so you are reaching out to it. This lead to a most uncomfortable riding position for me. Ride ergonomics is not good.
The speedo is tiny. Sure, when the bike is stopped and you look at it, it looks ok. But when the bike is moving, and you want to quickly check your speeds - naah. Its too small. Its unreadable as you are moving around in traffic. Maybe it was because I am not used to it and I could not quickly read my speeds.
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| The speedo assembly - via Autocar website |
The handling is pretty good. Its like the
RE Continental GT in terms of handling. You can flick it in and out of traffic. The bike leans and rights up as you direct it. Unlike the sluggish nature of the classic RE bikes, this is a great improvement.
One of the things that people said when the bike was launched was this is unlike any RE. I agree, its not like the usual RE bikes you have. Its much more refined.
Its an impressive bike by any means, and the cost ( on road price is a tad below 3L in Delhi) is also pretty sweet.
I am going to be test riding a few bikes in the next few weeks. Lets see how this holds up with the other bikes that I am planning on riding.
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After thoughts: At the end of the day, when I was returning back on my old karizma, my bike felt a lot under powered :D :D :D
