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Another Royal Enfield demo day
- Thread starter TK4
- Start date
I went to this. Tried the Interceptor 650... I felt it was everything it needed to be, and nothing more, which is fine.
I don't think it's a bad bike, but I much prefer my thirteen year old, fuel injected Triumph Bonneville SE. I bought the Bonnie used with only 6k km for half of the out the door price of a new Royal Enfield. I admit in a couple ways the Royal Enfield has benefited from coming out 13 years later to be smarter than my old girl: Six speed tranny, an easy to remove seat, and exhausts that don't get in the way of the rear axle! Sounds simple, but I'd love those things. The trouble is, outside of those three things, my old Bonnie SE with the 17" mag front wheel outperforms the Interceptor 650 in every way.
A gentleman I talked to (cool guy, if you're out there, hi!) said he has 11k km on his Continental GT, but the Bonnie is the better bike... you just can't buy them new for the same price... Fair enough, he's right about that. I asked him about any issues and he said his brake rotor started to warp and needed to be replaced under warranty. I told him about this thread from the guy who had to have his Enfield replaced after it completely failed him in the first 200 km: https://www.gtamotorcycle.com/xf/threads/new-royal-enfield-dealer-in-town.214675/page-2#post-2770523
Test ride video for those who care to hear me ramble really deep thoughts and meaningful insights like "It's okay" and "it's totally adequate"
Ignoring the fact that low KM Bonnevilles pop up every few weeks around the GTA and beyond (okay, so I went to Ottawa to get my last two)... The Royal Enfield really is fine. I'm neither going to **** on it nor sing it's praises. It only makes mid 40s hp, at 7,000 rpm, with the catch being that once I'm over 5k rpm the bike starts to feel like it's noticeably upset with me.
For in the city, lanesplitting, riding around and looking cool in front of girls and marks who don't know anything about motorcycles, you've hit the nail on the head. This is the bike for you. But show up at a meet with a group of riders who've been on two wheels for a decade or few, and we'll all be thinking the same thing: A good bike isn't a bike that's good when it's new, a good bike is a bike that's as good as new when it's five years old. Will these things last?
Time will tell.
I don't think it's a bad bike, but I much prefer my thirteen year old, fuel injected Triumph Bonneville SE. I bought the Bonnie used with only 6k km for half of the out the door price of a new Royal Enfield. I admit in a couple ways the Royal Enfield has benefited from coming out 13 years later to be smarter than my old girl: Six speed tranny, an easy to remove seat, and exhausts that don't get in the way of the rear axle! Sounds simple, but I'd love those things. The trouble is, outside of those three things, my old Bonnie SE with the 17" mag front wheel outperforms the Interceptor 650 in every way.
A gentleman I talked to (cool guy, if you're out there, hi!) said he has 11k km on his Continental GT, but the Bonnie is the better bike... you just can't buy them new for the same price... Fair enough, he's right about that. I asked him about any issues and he said his brake rotor started to warp and needed to be replaced under warranty. I told him about this thread from the guy who had to have his Enfield replaced after it completely failed him in the first 200 km: https://www.gtamotorcycle.com/xf/threads/new-royal-enfield-dealer-in-town.214675/page-2#post-2770523
Test ride video for those who care to hear me ramble really deep thoughts and meaningful insights like "It's okay" and "it's totally adequate"
Ignoring the fact that low KM Bonnevilles pop up every few weeks around the GTA and beyond (okay, so I went to Ottawa to get my last two)... The Royal Enfield really is fine. I'm neither going to **** on it nor sing it's praises. It only makes mid 40s hp, at 7,000 rpm, with the catch being that once I'm over 5k rpm the bike starts to feel like it's noticeably upset with me.
For in the city, lanesplitting, riding around and looking cool in front of girls and marks who don't know anything about motorcycles, you've hit the nail on the head. This is the bike for you. But show up at a meet with a group of riders who've been on two wheels for a decade or few, and we'll all be thinking the same thing: A good bike isn't a bike that's good when it's new, a good bike is a bike that's as good as new when it's five years old. Will these things last?
Time will tell.
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that thread about the bike failure is mine! to be fair, i've yet to hear or read anything about anyone else with the issue i had.
i've since gotten a replacement bike and it has been running perfectly fine. though i've only got 6k'ish km on it so far while splitting riding duty with my other bike.
one thing i will agree on is i think the hype on this bike is INSANE. literally every review from youtubers to major moto outlets praises this bike as if its the 2nd coming of jesus. even yammie noob who had famously hated RE had come around to it on his latest videos.
i have no idea why. its a bike built on a budget. but i love the way it looks and thats really why i bought it tbh.
its essentially a kawasaki w650 (visually) but somehow RE released the RE650 at the right time and sold a ton of these, whereas the w650 flaked out with in a few years for whatever reason.
unfortunately, despite budget status, its kind of expensive for what it is in my opinion (at least in canada. i think you can get it cheaper in the US). the saving grace is that its super cheap to maintain (at least in comparison to my ducati if you can't do desmo service yourself). you can literally do valve service yourself in like 20 minutes. this slightly offsets the fact that you still have to do it every 10k whereas most other modern bikes probably dont need to be adjusted until 20-30k.
having both 18" rims on both front and rear is kinda dumb and limits your tire choices but oh well.
i rarely hit 5k rpm unless i'm on the highway. even then it cruises 130-140km/h just fine (or at least as fine as a naked bike can). in the city i rarely rev it pass 4-4.5k rpm and you don't need to, since the majority of the torque is down low around 3k.
i'm definitely a casual cruiser where most of my riding is commuting (at least before the pandemic when i actually had to go to work) with the occasional weekend trips out of town. overall im happy with it for my riding style and needs.
i've since gotten a replacement bike and it has been running perfectly fine. though i've only got 6k'ish km on it so far while splitting riding duty with my other bike.
one thing i will agree on is i think the hype on this bike is INSANE. literally every review from youtubers to major moto outlets praises this bike as if its the 2nd coming of jesus. even yammie noob who had famously hated RE had come around to it on his latest videos.
i have no idea why. its a bike built on a budget. but i love the way it looks and thats really why i bought it tbh.
its essentially a kawasaki w650 (visually) but somehow RE released the RE650 at the right time and sold a ton of these, whereas the w650 flaked out with in a few years for whatever reason.
unfortunately, despite budget status, its kind of expensive for what it is in my opinion (at least in canada. i think you can get it cheaper in the US). the saving grace is that its super cheap to maintain (at least in comparison to my ducati if you can't do desmo service yourself). you can literally do valve service yourself in like 20 minutes. this slightly offsets the fact that you still have to do it every 10k whereas most other modern bikes probably dont need to be adjusted until 20-30k.
having both 18" rims on both front and rear is kinda dumb and limits your tire choices but oh well.
i rarely hit 5k rpm unless i'm on the highway. even then it cruises 130-140km/h just fine (or at least as fine as a naked bike can). in the city i rarely rev it pass 4-4.5k rpm and you don't need to, since the majority of the torque is down low around 3k.
i'm definitely a casual cruiser where most of my riding is commuting (at least before the pandemic when i actually had to go to work) with the occasional weekend trips out of town. overall im happy with it for my riding style and needs.
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TK4
Well-known member
Coming up to 8,000 KMs on my 2021 INT650 and I'm perfectly happy. No issues (3 year warranty with roadside assistance if there were). It is what it is, a budget answer to a Triumph Speed Twin, Kawasaki W800 or even H-D 883 Sportster. Cheap to run, maintain and insure - just what I was looking for when I bought it. The build quality is very good for the most part, some stuff is cheap (handlebar switches for instance) and there are a bajillion accessories available from RE North America, Hitchcock's in England and dozens of vendors in India. If bikes like these get more bums in the saddle, or encourage older riders back then good on them.
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Always like the RE bikes. The styling is fantastic (IMO) and my only concern is they don't look over comfortable for extended rides.
How's the comfort on them? Wind blast?
It seems like a great bike for all around commuting duties, and maybe short (<200-300km) rides?
Wish I had caught that test ride day as I'd love to try one out.
Maybe it's a better option than the Sportster for me (although that bug seems to have passed).
How's the comfort on them? Wind blast?
It seems like a great bike for all around commuting duties, and maybe short (<200-300km) rides?
Wish I had caught that test ride day as I'd love to try one out.
Maybe it's a better option than the Sportster for me (although that bug seems to have passed).
TK4
Well-known member
Like any naked bike you don't have any protection. Be prepared to add a flyscreen or something more substantial for tripping.
200-300 kms are a breeze. The stock seat is a bit of a plank but if it bugs you there are lots of replacements.
Chris-CJ
Well-known member
Do the RE's come with a kick-start?
Was the "Scram" in the demo fleet?
I remember seeing a video clip of Jay Leno on one of the RE 650s.
Classic styling, paint and chrome, falls down in detail touches and from all the ride reviews, a bit of a slouch in the power department. I guess the price-point makes up for the failings.
If I was a coffee-shop cruiser then the bike may have appealed to me.
(Not saying that you can't do more with the RE, it is just my 2 cents).
Wonder how the Norton (now owned by TVS India) and the BSA (from Mahindra's India) will be.
Was the "Scram" in the demo fleet?
I remember seeing a video clip of Jay Leno on one of the RE 650s.
Classic styling, paint and chrome, falls down in detail touches and from all the ride reviews, a bit of a slouch in the power department. I guess the price-point makes up for the failings.
If I was a coffee-shop cruiser then the bike may have appealed to me.
(Not saying that you can't do more with the RE, it is just my 2 cents).
Wonder how the Norton (now owned by TVS India) and the BSA (from Mahindra's India) will be.
TK4
Well-known member
Do the RE's come with a kick-start? NO
Was the "Scram" in the demo fleet? Not available here yet
Wonder how the Norton (now owned by TVS India) and the BSA (from Mahindra's India) will be.
Norton (if it ever shows) will be way more $$$. BSA is only for sale in England right now, more $$$ and availability bumped back to at least the end of the year.
RE has a dealer network here now - service information, parts and accessories are readily available and for all the teabaggers out there the 650s outperform anything from the 'golden age' of Brit bikes. No, they won't run with any of the equivalent Japanese machinery but that isn't the point, is it ?
Was the "Scram" in the demo fleet? Not available here yet
Wonder how the Norton (now owned by TVS India) and the BSA (from Mahindra's India) will be.
Norton (if it ever shows) will be way more $$$. BSA is only for sale in England right now, more $$$ and availability bumped back to at least the end of the year.
RE has a dealer network here now - service information, parts and accessories are readily available and for all the teabaggers out there the 650s outperform anything from the 'golden age' of Brit bikes. No, they won't run with any of the equivalent Japanese machinery but that isn't the point, is it ?
Priller
Well-known member
The Meteor 350 single is the best selling motorcycle in the UK over the first half of 2022:
www.bennetts.co.uk
Granted, it's a bit of a technical victory, considering how GS sales are broken out between the base and luxe model, but still impressive nonetheless. Clearly they're more than a novelty builder at this point...
Royal Enfield Meteor 350 is UK best-seller of 2022
Big BMW GS Adventure toppled in the sale charts
www.bennetts.co.uk
Granted, it's a bit of a technical victory, considering how GS sales are broken out between the base and luxe model, but still impressive nonetheless. Clearly they're more than a novelty builder at this point...
I enjoyed all of your reply but I just wanted to focus on this part... Here's the dirt swept under the rug behind the curtain these guys don't tell you, coming from an honest YouTuber with a humble 8,700 subscribers:
Positive reviews get wayyyyyyyyy more views than critical ones, meaning positive reviews make youtubers way more money than negative reviews.
Here's how it works
Positive reviews will get you more watch time, more thumbs up, more new subscribers, more engagement, and more shares from all of the fan boys. YouTube's algorithm interprets that as "this video must be ******* great, i'll push it out to more people" - so more fanboys see it, and you've got a positive feedback loop.
It's about "feels" not "reals"
On the flip side, negative reviews get way less watch time because fanboys get butt hurt real quick. You get a lot of insane small dick energy and even poorly written death threats when you insult someone's motorcycle. People are insecure as **** and are completely ego invested and pointing out some negative aspect of their motorcycle offends their sensitivities. Less view time, less likes, less shares, less subscribes, etc. So YouTube thinks "wow, this must be a really bad video" - no matter which video actually is better or worse.
Do you trust people not to be greasy?
If you're a greasy youtuber, you pretty much know a positive review of a motorcycle is going to rank higher than a negative one when people are searching for "_____ review", and you pretty much know that people won't watch more than the top 3 video reviews of a given bike... So the question is, are you honest with yourself and your audience and call a spade a spade, or do you sell out and go for the views because that's what determines your pay?
I could grow my channel a lot faster if I just borrowed all of my friends' bikes, and took em for a spin, and said how great they are... For every YouTuber you can find that frequently dumps on motorcycles, I'll find you 10 that seem to sing the praises of every bike they ride. Sad truth, but people suck. My channel doubles every year and I don't have to BS anyone, so that's good enough for me.
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TK4
Well-known member
After his demo ride a lad from the CVMG posted a scathing review because he couldn't figure out how to latch the seat (?) He went on to claim that the INT650 wasn't as good as his worn out 40 year old Suzuki GS650G. I begged to differ, as a result I am no longer a CVMG follower. We're all entitled to our opinions.
TK4
Well-known member
The old 350 and 500 singles are no longer in production, after what 50 years ?
Mad Mike
Well-known member
A review by one random rider means nothing unless they are a recognized reviewer.
RE is a proven commodity, they build way more bikes than HD, or any Euro maker. Their bikes are simple and tough, most have to spend their life on rough roads.
I don't see a comparison to a GS650, that was a sport bike in its day... love to see a GS negotiate the Rohtang pass.
Maybe his GS650G couldn't, but I think my G650GS could do it just fine... just a lot more buzzy as my BMW is a single. Different bike, I know, I know, but it's a freakin anagram so let me have it okay? lol
Speaking of buzzy-ness. I'd love to try out an RE 650 outside of city roads and see if it's buzzy @5k rpm or if it smoothes out on the highway. If any of you guys want to lend me one for an hour or two, I'll make a small donation in your name to the charity of your choice. I promise not to lanesplit this one lol. Feel free to DM me.
TK4
Well-known member
You can borrow mine any time. After break in it got a whole bunch smoother. East York - PM me.
Chris-CJ
Well-known member
RE's are simple, tough and built to a price.
Nothing wrong with a RE, it is just that they are of a different genre.
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