[aargee]

Went for a ultra short ride circuit for nearly 100 Km & was astonished to see such places
Chennai to Neyveli, just 100 Km? Confused? Keep going...












And the roads were inviting like this






Try for yourself & you'll be amazed; but try doing it before the Spring - https://goo.gl/maps/2S92fS7aYMTe9Swu8

[nutcracker]

Been an year since you bought the bike, any update on your impressions now?

I loved my Inty 650 test ride, but I did feel that the ergonomics needed to be fixed, the spoke wheel problem and I resonate with all the problems you've listed. Thus went for a CB350 which I've ridden 14k kilometers in 2 years. I'm been inching to upgrade and am still waiting.

Am I stupid to hope for an updated, fixed edition of the Inty 650 in the near future anytime soon?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Been an year since you bought the bike, any update on your impressions now?

It's posted here sir; Pls feel free to ask if you need anything specific please.

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Am I stupid to hope for an updated, fixed edition of the Inty 650 in the near future anytime soon?

No it won't, forget even the clock let alone the alloy wheels. What's wrong with Inty is the comfort & creature comfort that's all; otherwise it's a classic style AFFORDABLE motorcycle that's, easy to maintain, no unnecessary electronics, unnecessary metallurgy, has all basic needs rightly met to enjoy riding a motorcycle (ABS, slipper clutch, Steel braided brake lines), has ASC at almost all cities & even some small towns, sounds fabulous, aesthetic pleasure, easy to accessorize, more than sufficiently powered (in the combination of India + retro styled motorcycle) & all these forms the major 80%

The 20% where it can be improved are, suspension, the lighting, the spoked wheels, the overall metallurgy (barring the engine perhaps?), clock, seats & ofcourse our need for more cease to find a limit

When the 650 twins are averaging about 18000 units a year when their competitors struggle to make even 500 a year, forget any innovation for now; RE is basking not hays, but minting gold while the sun shines!!!

[aargee]

I wish posting this on completion of 1 year 1 day


Unfortunately, I hadn't had a chance to complete this fancy number until this morning, thus delaying by 1 more day


Issues so far

• Key got slightly bent & it took a while for me to realize this. Frankly hadn't expected the keys to be this flimsy!! CBR or even Activa, the 30+ year old Yamaha's key can be sometimes used for opening a bottle of soda!! RE's key got bent when I had carelessly closed the right side shield.
• As usual the hard suspension, weight of maneuvering in heavy traffic, pillion discomfort, de-pneumatic-o-phobia & add to the woes of mild tappet noise. Feeling a little apprehensive taking it to the ASC as they're overcrowded & understaffed handling over 30+ motorcycles a day

One amazing observation is that, I have been apprehensive about the engine oil drop (RE's liquid engine oil gun) & been monitoring constantly from 6K Km & have never seen a drop until now considering it has run nearly 3K Km now. It's amazing the oil has withstood the vaporization this far. CBR, no way held this good, had to be topping up few 100 ml for every 2-3K Km & that was Shell. Anyway this is a surprise which will be scrutinized in the forth coming months.

[aargee]

Ideally this post ought to have appeared in the very beginning, but, then, better than never isn't it?

One of the first upgrade that was carried out even before the seat mod was upgrading to LED. Thankfully the Downtown Drag was sold with clear headlamps & even before taking the bikes delivery, I had learnt to swap the bulbs.

Got in touch through Whatsapp & Autobahn shared the product link for Interceptor to be very sure that its a 100% fit. They were quite responsive (not the rapid fire response); once the bike was delivered, swapped the stock 55W Halogen bulb for 36W H4 LED from Autobahn.

No adjustment required, except for a minor job to cut the dust cover dia to insert the LED. This video should help to get the job done 100%; one caveat is that, he doesn't show you how to cut the dust cap. What needs to be done is, invert (inside out) the rubber dust cap & then you'll find it easy to chisel out the protrusion to fit the LED H4 bulb

https://youtu.be/VdQLZEIcFXA

I must say, the headlight throw is much satisfactory not just because the lumen output is significantly better than Halogen or consumes 19W lesser, but, the low beam throw is visually right enough for speeds up to 80 Kmph & hopefully it isn't blinding the oncoming traffic which I'm bound to check some other day.

[advstreak]

Originally Posted by aargee

I must say, the headlight throw is much satisfactory not just because the lumen output is significantly better than Halogen or consumes 19W lesser, but, the low beam throw is visually right enough for speeds up to 80 Kmph & hopefully it isn't blinding the oncoming traffic which I'm bound to check some other day.

Check if you are able to get a clean sharp cut-off line in the low beam. If it is not there then definitely you are blinding the oncoming traffic.

[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by aargee

Ideally this post ought to have appeared in the very beginning, but, then, better than never isn't it?

One of the first upgrade that was carried out even before the seat mod was upgrading to LED. Thankfully the Downtown Drag was sold with clear headlamps & even before taking the bikes delivery, I had learnt to swap the bulbs.

Do i see the small DRL broken or is it the camera view. I had a similar issue in my Himalayan and got the ASS to change it. They were of the opinion that using a powerfull bulb can cause the damage. Do check it out.

[aargee]

Service at 9202
Went to ASC on 11-Jan, asked if they could service the bike on 13-Jan, but will do a wait & take; although a little reluctant, they said they can oblige it by 18-Jan; called the technician, asked when would it be possible for them to tend comfortably & they said 21-Jan. On 20-Jan, got a reminder call from ASC requesting to confirm my visit at 9:00 Am & I said Yes.

Since the manual says:


Ordered this guy for instead of Shell for this time


21-Jan
As we had to visit the school, we couldn't wait at ASC & do wait-and-take. After the job card entry specifying:

• Customer provided oil
• Air filter & engine oil filter change
• No chain lube
• Neutral light glowing even when gears are engaged
• Valve adjustment
• Chain adjustment (as it was done at 8930 at home)

and checking out Meteor 650 we left ASC by 9:30 Am & only visited by 1:40 Pm to check. Bike was promptly ready just awaiting water wash (which was optional for me, but then ASC said it's free & encouraged me to leverage). They asked to come by 3:00 Pm to take the delivery after service. After paying the sum of ₹1302, I took out the bike for a short test ride. Found:

• Brakes to be spongy
• Second gear was struggling to get engaged
• And most importantly...

After parking this came as a little shocker:


And the first thing to pop in mind was whether ASC forgot to shut the fuel cap like this incident as RE ASC are notoriously full & technicians are under pressure to meet their daily targets. But on closer observation the oil level hasn't come down significantly. Which means, the spillage is not more than 50-75 ml or so + the oil level indicates that the bike can still be ridden.


Seems like the motorcycle is bleeding blood












Rode back the bike to ASC immediately, told them the 3 issues on brakes, difficult engaging second gear & the oil spillage; technician immediately recognized the issue & attributed the oil spillage to O-Rings at cylinder head. He said it's perhaps due to the valve adjustment that was carried out. During that 5 minutes this was the loss of oil



The gear issue was fixed by adjusting the Gear Shift Linkage; Gear position indicator sensor was replaced under warranty for fixing the Neutral light issue.

Brakes have lost that sharpness, but I think its primarily due to air bubbles within the steel braided lines; hopefully I can fix it in the forthcoming days. Tappet noise? I'm still nervous to hand over to ASC for fixing it!!

[rajeevsulu]

Hi, I have been reading your writeups for some time. Booked an interceptor and changed it to a supermeteor a week later when it was launched. Royal Enfield accomodated my request after some initial denials. I have not been given a date of delivery, but, I am in no hurry

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by aargee

After parking this came as a little shocker:

And the first thing to pop in mind was whether ASC forgot to shut the fuel cap like this incident as RE ASC are notoriously full & technicians are under pressure to meet their daily targets. But on closer observation the oil level hasn't come down significantly. Which means, the spillage is not more than 50-75 ml or so + the oil level indicates that the bike can still be ridden.
...
Rode back the bike to ASC immediately, told them the 3 issues on brakes, difficult engaging second gear & the oil spillage; technician immediately recognized the issue & attributed the oil spillage to O-Rings at cylinder head. He said it's perhaps due to the valve adjustment that was carried out. During that 5 minutes this was the loss of oil
...
Tappet noise? I'm still nervous to hand over to ASC for fixing it!!

Due to such reasons, it always scares me to drop my bike at RE Service! They're talented enough to mess up a simple job.

I didn't get which O rings are referred here, is it the cylinder head rubber gasket? No other seal is supposed to be touched/removed in the valve adjustment process.

In addition, if valve adjustments were carried out, then why tappet noise is present?

Asking for all 650 owners so that we can be careful during our RE-service!

Ride pure,
surjaonwheelz

[aargee]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

I didn't get which O rings are referred here, is it the cylinder head rubber gasket? No other seal is supposed to be touched/removed in the valve adjustment process

This is the bill; I think it's the second item; I'm not convinced with their O-ring reply as well!! Plus I think the cylinder gasket (if at all replaced) ought to have sealant/silicone applied before placing the gasket & they're sure to have missed it as well!!

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

In addition, if valve adjustments were carried out, then why tappet noise is present?

I've the same question too, but, I'm in no mood to argue with them

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Asking for all 650 owners so that we can be careful during our RE-service!

From the below threads:

• Honda BigWing Cardboard issue
• Bigwing Parts issue
• TVS RR310 Service issues
• Triumph Booster Plug issue
• Triumph Atrocious Bills
• KTM Needs Fuel Pump
  
• And ofcourse my own woes with CBR 250R

What I learnt over the years are:

• No matter RE, Honda or Triumph and no matter how careful we may remain, if things are bound to fail, it WILL fail
• We can exert to stay cautious only to an extent & take our chances that's all
• Fighting, trying to justify all these things don't matter unless we're that somebody
• Every vehicle is bound to fail in one way or other, what matters more are:
• Have minimal downtime
• How quickly we can resolve through one ASC or other & keep moving forward
• When everything fails, how supportive, quickly the top management can be reached to sort out

[aargee]

Unveiled : The Reality of Interceptor's Puncture

Yesterday we went for a short ride, without a plan or direction, calm, slow ride avoiding the city towards villages in & around Chennai. As we neared home (some 6-8 Km), the ultimate fear of every Interceptor owner turned true: Puncture on Rear Tire

Since it was around 4:00 Pm, we were close to home & was very familiar with the place, we were neither shaken nor stirred

Shop 1: Expertise of Puncture Shops
First thing to do was park Interceptor near a shop & walk by to nearby puncture shop (some 100 meters) & ask him to come & check the bike before touching anything. He inspected the motorcycle, told us "There's a motorcycle workshop nearby, ask them to remove the wheel & I shall fix the puncture". Told him, I've RSA & will get in touch with them. Told him bye & started pushing the motorcycle. One fortunate (and little inconvenient) thing about pushing Interceptor is, engage the first gear & release half clutch & voila, you can walk for miles, just that you need to have strong tendons & ligaments to balance the motorcycle keeping it straight. So it wasn't that difficult

Shop 2: Reality of Puncture Shops
On the way saw another shop & decided to try my luck, however, dismissed it quickly & thought why not inflate & give a try, perhaps if it was a minor puncture the air would hold on reaching home? Alas, on inflating the tire the air was leaking continuously with very much audible sound. I'm positive he would've heard this hissing sound, yet never opened his mouth anything on puncture. This guy made his quick ₹10. We moved on. Asked Wife to take a bus to home & continued my persevering in muscling Interceptor

The RSA Experience
Decided to try RSA; so parked the bike in front of a Church so that the mechanic who might come can identify the spot easily & called up. First thing - No number!! Google rescues to 1800-210-0007.
Attempt 1 - No ring, no tone, phone held to ears for nothing
Attempt 2 - After standard IVR responses (2 for English & 1 for Emergency Road Assistance), IVR conveyed a message along the lines of "All our agents are currently unavailable, please hold or try again later"
Attempt 3 - After standard IVR responses, spoke to representative that took 12:48 minutes to convey:
The model & make of the bike, my credentials & my location (this one part I liked) & finally say the technician would arrive in 1 hour time!!

The RSA Reality
What I could infer was, RE (and perhaps Honda too) has outsource their RSA to a company Europ Assistance India, which seems good to me after visiting their website.

Reality is:

• Technician remove the wheel, visits a nearby puncture shop, fixes it & fits it back to the motorcycle
• The technician charges us for his service
• Owner has to pay for both service + the cost of puncture

Awesome isn't it?

Oh!! I forgot to mention the caveat here is - she was unsure of the technician's fee but sure that he would visit in an hour's time, but the cost of repairing a puncture should be standard for a typical puncture shop. I've to blame the boring CBR that has spoiled me to the core!! It costed me ₹135 for the capital & is still under recovery!!

The Reminisce of CBR 250R
During the eBay days in India, I had bought 30 puncture strips for ₹135 & some 20 of them are preserved safe & 4 of them under CBR's rear seat; I was happy paying ₹5-10 for inflating the tire. I think I've used 3 of them perhaps. And what does it cost to fix a puncture on tubeless tire today? ₹150!!

Back to RSA Reality
Told her 1 hour is unacceptable because I could easily walk home by that time; then she says, 1 hour is SLA & the technician MIGHT visit sooner. Thanked her for talking & said firmly I will manage on my own this time.

Story of New Tube
As I was not a fan of fixing tube & always placed my trust in replacing, thought why not simply ride instead of working out the muscles, tendons & ligaments? As I kept riding, found an automotive spare shop; stopped to check if they had a tube; fortunately YES, they even had CEAT tube, but for 100/90-18. He was confident on the fitment on rear tire despite my apprehensions. Told him I might return for a refund or replacement if it doesn't for which he agreed. Paid ₹300 for the tube & continued. This episode is to be continued...

Shop 3: A Honest Puncture Shop
On the way stopped at a third puncture shop where I had learnt a vital lesson. This time, I asked them to fit the tube instead of fixing the puncture. Easy job for them, saves time as well. But this guy was no different, or so I thought? He too initially asked to remove the wheel from a nearby workshop & he'll fix the puncture & he added - As the wheel is equipped with ABS, it takes a trained mechanic to fix it back at the risk of troubles with ABS. This was a revelation for me as I hadn't thought about this point earlier. Thanked him & continued to ride at the pace of 1st gear

Hell is Where Sinners Go
Reached ASC around 5:45 Pm, went directly to service section & told them about the woes & requested if they can remove the wheel for me.
They said NO as they're nearly closing for the day
Told them, I can leave the bike for them to fix by tomorrow (as I was sure they're open on Sunday)
They said NO as the puncture shops would not be open on Sunday
How about just replacing the tube? I attempted handing over the tube
They said NO as the puncture shops would not be open still & were accommodating enough asking me to come by Monday
Finally they spilled the beans, 28th & 29th are monthly holiday for small, independent shops as an order by Corporation
Told them, I'll take it by Monday after which they opened JC & I headed home. Meanwhile, ASC confirmed that 100/90-18 tube wouldn't fit the rear tire & asked me to get bare minimum 120/90-18 bare minimum, if not the standard 130/90-18.

Return of The New Tube
Rode back to the same automotive shop & told them to get a replacement or refund; they were kind enough to return ₹300

Enlightenments

• Although our experience is not noteworthy, reality is - a puncture can be really a nightmare in the middle of nowhere
• Although RSA claims to send a technician, what's the guarantee that he has the relevant experience?
• Without relevant experience, it's quite possible to lose money both with technician claiming to have fixed the puncture & later fixing issues at ASC
• Let's say the technician claims ₹150 & fixing the standard puncture costs ₹200, ₹350 might sound just 0.1% of the cost of motorcycle; flip side is TIME that costs more than money, especially when one is out of town
• A motorcycle tire puncture consuming hours to fix is totally UNACCEPTABLE for 3.5 Lakhs motorcycle, especially in 2023 AND having 2 different tube sizes for each tires. Either make the size difference negligible or tubeless tires
• Thankfully there's main stand aiding to remove the rear wheel; hopefully there're someone around to aid with muscle support to fix a puncture with front wheel
• Worst part? See the 1st video of 1:21 min at the bottom that says how to remove the rear wheel for 650 twins, but gives just 3 seconds to assemble back. Hopefully there're no complications of ABS as stated by that honest puncture shop guy
• Looking at the 2nd of 14:30 (more realistic) minutes at the bottom, its a little concern removing the rear wheel in the middle of a ride as Interceptor is notoriously known for it's dual furnace exhausts

Dear RE: If you can make 21" & 16" alloy wheels, you can certainly make 18"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRfS5fODWWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uN0kAcIsyg

[surajspai]

I don't know how much more bigger are the interceptor tires compared to a fat-bike bicycle, but, you get tire liners for cycles which prevent punctures.
How feasible would it be to put fat bike tire liners in between the tube and tires? Maybe it would require some creativity or sticking in place but it should give some degree of protection, though not complete coverage.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by aargee

Unveiled : The Reality of Interceptor's Puncture

Yesterday we went for a short ride, without a plan or direction, calm, slow ride avoiding the city towards villages in & around Chennai. As we neared home (some 6-8 Km), the ultimate fear of every Interceptor owner turned true: Puncture on Rear Tire
[/url]

You were lucky that you were close to home and not in the middle of no where. Looks like getting a puncture is the ultimate breakdown on this bike. Removing and refitting is one challenge and the other is finding a puncture shop who can do both. I dread the thought of getting a puncture on a ride.
Few days back I picked up the Seelin liquid sealant that can be filled in the tube and works as a sealant when a puncture occurs. I have a long ride planned and most of it is through rural Tamil Nadu.
Although this product has negative reviews from many, it worked for me on my Bullet once when I was returning from Chennai and did its job with a one inch cut in the tyre and not some small nail or screw. Something is better than nothing especially when I don't have the option of using a tubeless conversion kit because of the tube type tyre. I will carry a spare tube as well after reading your experience.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by aargee

Brakes have lost that sharpness, but I think its primarily due to air bubbles within the steel braided lines; hopefully I can fix it in the forthcoming days. Tappet noise? I'm still nervous to hand over to ASC for fixing it!!

I just carried out a 20,000km service. I've not had to touch the valves to date. There is no noise either. I'd advise not touch the valves until you can hear them. The oil spillage appears excessive. Its as though they over filed the oil and it started spraying out through the breather tube.

On the brakes, it is air. It took a service for me to realize there was something wrong with the brakes. My rear brakes were low on pressure. There was air in the system. They did a brake fluid replacement. The front was fine but they still carried out a fluid replacement. Brakes are now back to being sharp or like how it was when I took delivery of the bike. Hardly any play on the levers now.

My bikes been on Motul 7100 for the last 3 services. Just switched to 3100 10W40. Will see how it goes.

On your flat tire experience, its always good to attempt a removal of the wheel (at home) atleast once so you know what to do in the event of a flat tire. I'll admit I have not done or tried this. I do have a spare tube on stand by and a few puncture patches (Stored in the bike tool kit). The former is useful for long rides. The latter is useful if you want to do a tire removal of the rim (not unmount the wheel rim) and access the tube. You'll need a pair of tire lever tools for this. Considering time delays with using RSA, you need a backup plan and that is you having the ability to unmount the wheel and carrying the wheel rim to a tyre shop.