[no_fear]

Congratulations!! Sometimes you choose the bike, sometimes the bike chooses you. In this case its the latter. May you enjoy long long miles with your new ride

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

I couldn't look more misfit riding the bike in a flowing kurta pyjama and a loosely tied beard. But what the heck, we both enjoy/enjoyed the bike. Congratulations once again and may you enjoy many happy miles with the bike!

Sorry but I disagree with you here RRSTEER. Yes, it is not ATGATT, but a RE driven by a tough looking hombre, in a flowing beard and a flowing kurta pyjama is actually the very definition of the brand!

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

It was an Orange Crush, 2019 bike with some 4700 Kms, bone stock. Location was Jalandhar, some 120 Kms from me. The listing mentioned that the bike has had 2 services, had a few scratches on the tank, and was well taken care of mechanically.

It also mentioned that to comply with the proper running-in procedures, he had not taken a pillion for 2500 kilometers!

But most importantly, the asking price was a brilliant 2.25 Lacs.

I saw that ad and first thought in my mind, whoever gets it is going to be one lucky chap as I sulked here thousands of kms away. I knew this won't last long. Most 650s here are close to 3L some even more. I am glad you got the bike which arguably is the most desirable bike for that money.

P.S. Saw replies from ex-owner. What a gem.

[AirbusCapt]

A big congratulations on your purchase. You bought what's India's most practical big bike. Enjoy!! A couple of requests from one biker to another:
Please dont customise /add on anything, until you take atleast one big/multi day ride and understand your bike

A hardcase pannier is a much better bet than softcase or overseat/tank slung bags

Please do add an engine guard/leg guard asap. Protect the oily bits.

[DH82 Tiger Moth]

Congratulations to both of you! The interceptor is a world class bike and don't succumb to all the dimwits and negative reviews out there trashing the bike.

You bescribed what is one of the best things about this forum. There's nothing like meeting another BHPian and buying a vehicle from a fellow member. Your post just sum's the warmth of it all perfectly.

Kudos to TeamBHP and its wonderful community of members unlike any other anywhere in the world .

[sureshkumar]

That sure was an unforgettable buying experience. So there are certain fringe benefits in being a BHPian. Congratulations on your fantastic purchase.
I had driven a friend's bike of the same colour and specs and I really loved it. The ride actually brought back memories of the RD 350s I used to own. The engine is really nice and aggressive. The handling is perfect.
I never knew Team BHP had a Classifieds section. I was trying to sell my Benelli Imperiale 400 on OLX and the response I get there is not worthy of comments. Now I am seriously thinking of posting an ad on our own Classifieds.
I wish you many miles of great driving.

[clementw]

Congratulations on your bike! The story was great to read too. Team BHP throws up many pleasant surprises.

[sasi405]

A lovely write-up on how pure passion for a machine can give you sleepless nights and that urge to do whatever it takes to get hold of one. I faced a similar situation in November 2018 when the bike was launched. It was way too irresistible. I went ahead and booked one in early December and fortunately got it on 10th of January 2019. It is now a tad over 8500km run and every time I start it (even after a month of sitting around), it purrs to life without as much as a hint of hesitation. Here is my beauty with the fabulous Tijara Fort in the backdrop. Both represent the glory of the past reinvented for the modern world.
For those who may want to know, I am using AEW T-201 exhausts since the past 1.5 years and it is amazing in terms of sound and has had no discernible impact on the working of the machine.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by sasi405

A lovely write-up on how pure passion for a machine can give you sleepless nights and that urge to do whatever it takes to get hold of one. I faced a similar situation in November 2018 when the bike was launched. It was way too irresistible. I went ahead and booked one in early December and fortunately got it on 10th of January 2019. It is now a tad over 8500km run and every time I start it (even after a month of sitting around), it purrs to life without as much as a hint of hesitation. Here is my beauty with the fabulous Tijara Fort in the backdrop. Both represent the glory of the past reinvented for the modern world.
For those who may want to know, I am using AEW T-201 exhausts since the past 1.5 years and it is amazing in terms of sound and has had no discernible impact on the working of the machine.

Love the looks of those pipes. This is what it should have come with, as stock. Simple, Clean, Retro. Enjoy the ride

[Urban_Nomad]

Congrats on getting the bike home. Having read through your travails of trying to find a decent example make this thread that much sweeter

Originally Posted by sasi405

I am using AEW T-201 exhausts

Love the looks of these exhausts. My only hesitation is that you would need to remove the exhaust if you were to ever remove the rear wheel (?), to fix a puncture for example

I'm absolutely in love with these retro pipes, although I wish they were a bit smaller... ending around the axle or just before the rear wheel maybe

Not sure what the fascination of our Indian aftermsrket manufacturers is to make these loooonnggggg exhausts and not something simple, short and classy

I stare at this triumph's pic below at least twice a day. Sigh!

[fordday]

Originally Posted by Stribog

Sorry but I disagree with you here RRSTEER. Yes, it is not ATGATT, but a RE driven by a tough looking hombre, in a flowing beard and a flowing kurta pyjama is actually the very definition of the brand!

Rightly said. I am still in that age when the RE ad used to come on the TV depicting this exact scene and the background score, if I remember right, goes something like 'yeh bullettt meri jaan, manzilon ka nishan..'

[SedanGuy]

Congratulations ! I really envy this post. How many of us can boast of such a phenomenal buying experience. @rrsteer - you my friend are a true legend. I rather think the flowing pyjama and loosely tied beard sums up the persona RE is targeting.

As soon as I read this post, i went through Tbhp classifieds to see if there are any interceptors available for sale in Bangalore . The main reason I am putting off buying one myself is the limited amount of time behind the wheel and saddle in the past 2 years (~10k kms in 2 years).

[RiderZone]

A few updates on the Inty. The bike has done about 2000 kms since I took it home from rrsteer. Friends and I have been exploring Himachal quite thoroughly on it, and it is still a lovely piece of art. It's particularly fun in the mountains, the acceleration out of corners makes you giggle like a kid. The weight obviously is a problem in the twisties, but there's a kind of charm in trying to lean a pig through a hairpin.



No niggles with the bike at all, only the throttle got a bit sticky, didn't want to go back after you twisted it. Took it to a nearby RE SVC, they adjusted the return cable for 20 bucks. Reminds me of the first gen KTM days.

The front suspension still sucks, I might put some heavier fork oil in there, but it's not leaking yet. The footpeg position sucks even more, both rider and pillion, but I haven't found a solution for either so ignoring the problem for now. The headlight is still non-existent, but I don't want to put in a white-ish LED, and I don't think an aftermarket bulb will make all that of a difference. The Pirellis are still bringing shame to their legendary name, but I'll ride them until they die.

1. Fender delete and Zana backrest:

I hated the black plastic rear fender on the bike, made the bike look ugly in my opinion. I first tried to take it off non-destructively, by disconnecting the taillight and rear indicators, and removing the wire that threads through the fender for some reason. The taillight is easy to disconnect, but the 2 indicator connectors are the stuff of my nightmares. They are the same type of idiocy I wrestled with during my failed Pulsar restoration. I tried disconnecting one for about a minute, and then immediately gave up.

To cut the fender off I tried a variety of different tools, but weirdly everything failed except a blade, which cut through it like butter. The bike looks much better now, and having gone through some water crossings and slush too, I can confirm that it doesn't make any big difference in how much the rear seat gets splashed over. With a bigger 140 or 150 section tire it'll look even better.



After finding out that the rear seat is a certifiable torture device, I took a Zana backrest off a friend and put it on the bike to make the pillion's life slightly less miserable. However, it looked just too damn ugly, unbearable eye sore. So after just one day it came off and the stock grab rail went back in. I guess I'll just not take a passenger ever.

Stock

+5 BHP

-5000 BHP

2. BMC air filter:

Because this seemed like the easiest "upgrade" on the bike, I spent the 6000 or so bucks and got the BMC filter with the stage 2 kit from Bikenbiker. First they forgot to send the stage 2 kit, but were nice enough to expedite its shipping when I told them, so I didn't have to wait another week for it. It's just 3 little pieces of flimsy metal anyways.



My friend decided to try the other route, and he cut off the stock snorkel on his Interceptor, without changing the filter. After having ridden both bikes back to back a number of times, I can say the following:

a. The BMC air filter makes the bike sound slightly louder under hard acceleration. It's not exactly an induction "roar" as it is a polite induction cough. Cutting the stock snorkel has almost the same effect, 80% of the sound at 0% of the cost. The sound is definitely different from the stock setup, but nothing special.

b. There's no real effect on the way the bike behaves, acceleration or top speed. If there is an effect, it's hard to say if it's real or psychological. Sometimes I do feel that my bike is a bit more tractable at low RPMs, but impossible to quantify. There are no negative effects either.

So the lesson here is that if someone's looking to change their filter, I don't think they need to bother. Just cut the stock snorkel out with a blade, and you're good to do. Stock air filters are dirt cheap, no real reason to spend the 5500 bucks here, UNLESS you are planning other upgrades too, like exhaust, ECU stuff.

2. Sell me your old junk

Speaking of exhaust, I found a used AEW 102 on OLX, but it got sold off immediately after I found it Keeping with the used theme of the bike I don't want a shiny new exhaust, and I do want a slip-on at the minimum. Like I'd feared, the stock exhaust is a pain to live with, just a few days ago I had one nanosecond of skin contact, and it hurt like hell for hours afterwards. This is the only reason why I want to change it, I quite like the way the stock exhaust sounds, but it's just a monumentally stupid design.

I ideally want to buy a TEC Stinger, for the weight reduction bro, but I don't know if I'll be able to source it, especially considering TEC is based out of the UK, who have decided to lock themselves in their cold and damp island with Brexit. AEW 102 slip-on is my second choice, because it looks like stock, isn't too loud, and hides the joint between the pipe and the can. If anyone's upgrading from their Stinger or 102, please sell it to me!

I am also looking for a used RE leg guard, the type shown in the photo below. I want one because I know for sure I'm going to get into trouble sometime soon, taking the bike up some hill and into a pond and over some rocks. It is fun, and I don't want to be scared of dropping the bike. Again, I would prefer a scratched up oldie rather than a shiny chromed beauty. If anyone has one lying around, I'm your boi.



3. The Trips:

Since I've bought the Interceptor, I've barely ridden the Xpulse. I had expected, and feared this. Riding the Xpulse is like homework, it's training and sweat and hard work. Riding the Inty is like Counter Strike with your friends, it's fun and exciting and addictive.

Speaking of friends, thank gawd for moto buddies! I was a solo riding guy for a very long time, but it's just so much more interesting to go with a small group. My Interceptor friend and his wife usually accompany me on the Himachal exploration trips, and it's a blast. Below are a few photos from our trips around Bharkra Dam, and Jot (near Dalhousie).

[CarManMotorcycl]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

Speaking of friends, thank gawd for moto buddies! I was a solo riding guy for a very long time, but it's just so much more interesting to go with a small group. My Interceptor friend and his wife usually accompany me on the Himachal exploration trips, and it's a blast. Below are a few photos from our trips around Bharkra Dam, and Jot (near Dalhousie)

Is this the same guy who used to hate on REs and used to ride solo because people are stupid and shouldn't be trusted? Seeing a massive change in you since your blogging days, and I guess it's a good thing.

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by CarManMotorcycl

Is this the same guy who used to hate on REs and used to ride solo because people are stupid and shouldn't be trusted? Seeing a massive change in you since your blogging days, and I guess it's a good thing.

Something has changed for sure, when I got back into riding a year or so ago, I literally begged my friend to buy a bike too, because it was boring alone Last week I met my old LOST Mumbai buddies, Sachin Nair and the gang, they were also rather shocked at me showing up on the Interceptor. Not sure if it's s good thing, but I am having a good time, so why not.