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-   -   The Royal Enfield Interceptor & Continental 650. EDIT: Launched @ Rs 2.50 - 2.65 lakhs (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorbikes/192178-royal-enfield-interceptor-continental-650-edit-launched-rs-2-50-2-65-lakhs-50.html)

The Continental GT 535 came with a single seat (with the hump) as stock and those who wanted to carry a pillion had to buy the double seat from RE that cost Rs 4,150. Now the GT 650 will be sold with a dual seat as standard which means that you will have to buy the single seat as an accessory which has been highlighted in some of the reviews. Royal Enfield is smartly selling the seat and the rear cowl separately though. It allows owners the flexibility to change the look of their bikes by making the unit modular. So if you wanted to change the seat cowl to black and you already had a white one, you can just buy an additional cowl for Rs 2,500 and interchange it when you want. With the GT535, that wasnt possible.


The seat costs Rs 3,200 (link - https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/h...talog/1990426/) and the cowl which comes in white, blue or black, costs Rs 2,500 (link - https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/h...talog/1990430/). So that an additional cost of Rs 5,700 to complete the cafe racer look.


As an existing GT 535 owner, Ill be interested to see if the touring dual seat is a straight fit on my bike. The current RE dual seat is too thin and gets tiring to sit on over day long rides. It costs Rs 3,500.


All images were taken from the RE website. For those looking for functional windscreens, look out for the Givi option. I purchased one from Hitchcocks in the UK. Ive seen a lot of riders adopt the Himalayan screens as well recently. That would be certainly cost effective compared to the Hitchcock ones.

A big amount of people stayed away from the Classic range, precisely because they hated what RE did with the new engines. Although RE tried so hard to replicate the 'feel' of Cast Iron thump, it was still not good enough for them. And so the resale value of the older models sky rocketed to ridiculous amounts.

Thankfully a whole new army of first time buyers emerged who had no such baggage, and rewarded the way RE should have been for their effort at the time. (let's leave aside the niggle bit for now). Sid had taken a bet, and it paid off in a way even he wouldn't have anticipated. And I feel it gave him the courage to take this chapter forward towards bolder horizons.

And now, you will hear this grouse a lot once again, but the sheer number of buyers who have moved past the 'feel', will drown their voices again. Nothing good or bad about both sides, just the way things are.

Also, look at the scenario from a price point perspective. The four wheeler segment has seen a shift of their best selling model from Alto to Dzire, a three fold increase in price. Which means, the Interceptor might be bang in the territory of the price point people can digest, if the value proposition makes sense.

Even if there are big holes in this presumption, still one could argue that the 2.5 - 3L on road price point is currently ill served, with the potential of a significantly larger customer base. Sid might be in for another (pleasant) surprise.

I have been following this thread in a very neutral manner as I am not very fond of RE. The only good thing I feel with this launch is market improvement in terms of product offering and price correction over premium-ness that would benefit the motoring community as whole in coming future.

So, I never visited any showroom or launch. Yesterday evening I was in an auto rickshaw on a crowded street and heard a sweet rumbling coming from behind. It was distinctive enough to catch your attention in the usual traffic pandemonium but not loud or thumpy. I loved it. It gave the first sign of being a multi-cylinder.

It came ahead and I saw a Goa numbered shiny metallic orange Interceptor. Man it looked so balanced and neat, and no signs of bulkiness in design. The exhausts were giving a nice flow to the side, lifting the rear design (like Nike's logo)! I was IMPRESSED.

Not very hard to see now why the the bookings are going through the roof.

You are right. THe first time i visited the showroom, the guys were hesitant to start the bike as it looked like they had strict instructions from RE not to start the bike. But I really wanted to hear the rumble..So, when i went yesterday, he was more than willing to let me hear the engine. The note was sweet and a little throttle let everyone in the showroom turn their heads and admire the sound. Totally different than the existing models. Brings a smile on your face and no vibrations felt..:D

Looks like test drives will start from Monday in Bangalore. Looking forward to it..Particularly the engine heating problem as mentioned earlier by another Bhpian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wQ2P6HkM_8 Looks like an honest review. Not sure whether the speaker and rider are the same though. On a different note, just from looks perspective, the red Classic 350 parked next looks bigger and brawny.

Yes, internationally the Street Twin has got a bump in power and plus some other features. I really love the looks of the Street Twin, those alloy wheels look oh so sweet.
I will go against the flow, and say that spokes have never attracted me. They're a pain to maintain. Would love to see RE offering alloys as accessories.

Straight swap with the thunderbird x alloys. That was my plan.

Still is :)

Thunderbirds come with 19" front wheel. I'm assuming TB-X series continues to have same wheels while twins have 18" both front and rear. Also, TB rear wheels have tires of width 120. Twins have 130. Not sure if it can be a straight fit.

Hahaha. I do that too. Whenever the RE bug bites me bad, I just go put a Classic 500 worth of money in Eicher stocks. Just looks like this time, the Interceptor has bitten me bad!

I was rooting for that too. Especially after seeing the twin seat they have given on the new GT. But I doubt if it would be a straight fit though. I read somewhere or I heard in one of the reviews that the tank is a bit smaller than the GT 535. If that is the case, then the seat might not be a straight fit as we are hoping it to be. I'd be happy if I'm proved wrong though.

We have a test ride event organized by one of our dealers on Sunday. I'm hoping to go and get a feel of the twins if I manage some free time in the morning.

Since everyone is booking the Interceptor, I have a question to ask. Are there any reasons for individuals to be avoiding the Continental GT650?

I think it's a brilliant bike, it looks great and fit well. I am of the opinion that the bike makes a great city rider that's sporty, has good grunt and speed plus it should also be good for any rides up to 75-100kms.

Does no one else feel this way? I can see that almost everyone is going for the Interceptor because it can be used for more than 1 purpose (city riding, touring). I thought at least bikers who already own a motorcycle may go for the GT650 as they already have the other riding needs covered, but surprisingly no one on this thread has mentioned of booking a Continental GT650 (or did I just miss them)?

I hope it gets the love it deserves.

I don’t think that is the case. I for one would love to pick up the Continental GT 650 instead of the Interceptor. I already ride the 535 one and if I were to upgrade, an Icy Queen Continental GT would be my pick.

We already have a member who booked the Conti. I know the majority is leaning towards the interceptor for its subtle looks and a more comfortable riding posture.

Also, it is not just a good city rider, it is pretty fun to take it on the open highways too. For the regular mortals, that 47 horses will have enough grunt to keep them happy even on the long open highways. You can easily do 300+KM ride without too much exhaustion.

I too am interested in the Conti. Rides at EC RE Store Singasandra have apparently not started for me to compare the two bikes though..

Found out that the Thunderbird X has both front and rear wheels of 18" size. But regarding the tire width, I too don't know whether the tires will be a straight fit.

Well, I use a CBR250R right now, and I guess the riding position of the Continental GT should not be too different from that of the CBR. However I have booked the Interceptor without even looking at the bikes in person (forget a TD!) just based on my expectation of it being extremely relaxing to ride on. I will certainly do a TD before buying the Interceptor, and at that point if I don't find the Interceptor to be very communicative while riding, I will switch to the Conti.