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Riding with a large Royal Enfield group of bikers on my Interceptor 650

4th June 2024, 18:05 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

There were 2 customized Super Meteor 650s that looked like the new Shotgun and I also spotted 2 Himalayans, a very popular model.

BHPian sandeepmohan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It's been 3 years and 7 months since I've had the Interceptor. The odometer ticked over the 30,000 mark about a month ago. Except for an after-market air intake unit and AEW exhaust system, I've not done anything to the bike in terms of improving it. I am happy with the way it goes. Seat comfort remains an issue and the front end can have a mind of its own on certain days. I don't really know what triggers that. Ambient temperature causing havoc with the way the fork oil responds to load is all I can think of. I've made my peace with it.

I thought of upgrading the seat to the one Trip Machine sell but I don't think it will solve the issue of comfort. What it will do is improve the aesthetics. As a motorcycle package, there's lots to love about the Interceptor. It has the right amount of power that complements New Zealand's not-so-fast or perfect roads.

I've still got the issue around the Low Battery Light staying on for extended periods. It has not caused any issues around starting the bike, even after several weeks of staying idle so I've decided to leave it at that.

I continue to maintain the same service intervals as before. Between 6,000 and 7,000km. The oil filter was not changed (previous to the last service) and the bike had run with the same filter for >12,000km. I may get by with it here as the weather is cool. Not worth risking it in hotter climes.

Still on the factory valve setting and the bike is running fine. I will be doing it for the next service, even if there are no issues while running. The last thing you want is the whole thing seizing up.

Over the last year, I signed up on a Royal Enfield New Zealand Facebook Group and also joined NZREOR which is the New Zealand Royal Enfield Owners Register. There are some benefits being a part of NZREOR. They are partnered with an Insurance Provider and Official Dealer Network and offer discounts as part of the membership. I participated in a Group ride organized by the NZREOR in early April. Rides happen every now and then. It's hard to attend every one of them. I thought of making this one as my workload was easing up at the Office and I could head out with my mind at ease.

This event was the Royal Enfield Day at Whanganui and included a River Road Ride which was absolutely stunning. Whanganui is a little town on the West Coast of the North Island. I headed up the night before from Wellington as the event was to start by 8am. Wanganui is 200km one way and takes about 3 to 4 hours, depending on how many stops you make. It's an almost arrow-straight road, with some twists and turns, up and down section of road for the last 35km leading up to Whanganui.

I left Wellington at 6pm and got to Whanganui by 9.30pm. Walked into a Motel that was close to the start of the event, which was at 8am the following morning and at a Cafe called Red Eye. This cafe was once the original premise of the 1925 Percy Coleman Motorcycle Shop. He started as a Harley dealer and in the 1930's, raced a Royal Enfield on the Isle of Man TT and came back to New Zealand as the official Royal Enfield Distributor. There is nothing that remains of the old dealership other than the building that is standing.

Temperatures tend to drop at this time of the year so by the time I got to Wanganui, I was quite cold. Had a hot shower and blasted the heat pump. A good night's rest ensured I was up early and in time at Red Eye Cafe. It was great to see a line of Royal Enfields parked outside. I was hoping to find older Royal Enfields, as I have come across some really old vintage MK2 Interceptors for sale online. Unfortunately, that was not the case. 99% of the 40-bike fleet was from the modern fuel-injected era. One early 2000s Standard 350 was the sole old-school cast iron Enfield.

\Two Custom motorcycles showed up from Napier. They towed the bikes all the way in a Trailer and unloaded them for this event. These were customized Super Meteors that now look like the new Shotgun. One thing was quite clear, the Super Meteors are doing well in terms of sales. It is already known that Royal Enfields offer tremendous value in terms of what you get for your money. The Super Meteors have further cemented that fact. A Cruiser for not a lot more than an Interceptor is quite the bargain, if you are after such a motorcycle.

Our travel itinerary looked like this. I didn't head back to Whanganui with the rest of the group as it was going to be a long day. I wanted to head home before the sunset. The River Ride consisted of just this section, up to a place called Pipiriki with a stop in between at Matahiwi cafe. A cafe in the middle of nowhere. The section between Whanganui and Pipiriki is a good 80km of slow and twisty roads, right beside the river. It was nice not gunning it for a change. Very relaxing and I could soak in some of the surrounding scenery. Most of us were riding at the same pace.

After the first pit stop at Matahiwi cafe, I started to ride along with a Gentleman by the name John on his late brother's Classic 500 Chrome. Man, this bike looks the part. It has a beautiful profile with that single-seat arrangement. We were riding together for the last 70 or so kilometers leading up to Raethi and finally Ohakune, which was our lunch pit stop. This is a small ski town and the only area you will find snow on the North Island. Is usually jam-packed in the Winter months. Its also got a charm of its own that never ceases to amaze me, every time I visit this place.

40 bikes are enough to take up 50% of the town's total street parking. It's that small. Also draws a lot of attention. Picked up a Pie and a soft drink, walked around a little bit, socialized with some of the others, reflecting on the route we just did. Everyone found it beautiful. It's also rare to find so many one-make motorcycles gathered together. The General public was also quite intrigued looking at all the motorcycles.

This was also the point where I bid goodbye to the group. I decided to head home from here. There was prize giving and dinner after heading back to Whanganui but I decided to head home, as it would get too late. The ride back was uneventful. Ohakune to Wellington is exact 300km and is part of the Main State Highway 1 that connects Auckland to Wellington. Nothing exciting other than mostly straight roads with some ups and down. The entire country is like this.

I was riding with a large group after many, many years. The last time I did this was probably back in 2002 when I joined FM Tharian for an RTMC Ride (Royal Thunder Motorcycle Club). We used to ride all over the place but it was mostly just two of us. Generally stayed away from large group ride gatherings. Is rather unfortunate in this part of the world that I don't see many young riders. Everyone was my age or much older. Feels like the motorcycle cult ain't gonna last very long here. As it is, spotting a cool-looking motorcycle is almost impossible, other than at some gathering like the DGR or over a weekend.

Sharing some pictures from the event.

I have no clue whose bike this was but it was pretty old.

All lined up at Red Eye Cafe

The two customized Super Meteors

A nice green 350 with the address of the manufacturer on the front mudguard

Pay attention and you'll notice a few cosmetic touches such as the steel brake reservoir cap, steel cable stays and a clutch cable cover on the side case