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HomeAutoPhotos In Pics: 2023 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 First Ride Review
In pics: 2023 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 first ride review
By: Paarth Khatri Updated on: 12 Jul 2023, 10:51 AM
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Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a roadster from the brand. It was updated recently to comply with BS6 Stage 2 norms. With the update, the manufacture
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Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a roadster from the brand. It was updated recently to comply with BS6 Stage 2 norms. With the update, the manufacturer also added some new colourways and important features.
1/11 Royal Enfield updated the Interceptor 650 to comply with BS6 Stage 2 norms. They introduced a few new colourways and features as well. It is priced between ₹3.03 lakh and ₹3.31 lakh. Both prices are ex-showroom.
2/11 The motorcycle now gets some cycle parts from the Super Meteor 650. The Interceptor gets a hazard switch, rotary switches, new grips, a USB port to charge mobile devices and a set of adjustable levers.
3/11 Up-front there is a new LED headlamp that is not very bright. The headlamp switch on the switchgear is also quite high and there will be an adjustment period that the rider will have to go through.
4/11 The blacked-out versions come with blacked-out colour scheme for the engine casings, header and the exhaust. They can be a bit tough to maintain if scratches and the black colour also tends to emit heat.
5/11 Suspension duties are performed by telescopic forks in the front and twin gas-charged shock absorbers at the rear. The front suspension is still softly sprung which robs away some confidence in the corners. This also means that there is a continuous up-and-down movement from the front-end.
6/11 There are no changes to the instrument cluster. It is still an analogue unit with a small readout. While some people will love it for displaying speed and tachometer with needles, it would have been nice if there digital readout would show a gear position indicator and time.
7/11 Braking duties are performed by a disc at both ends. The front one measures 320 mm and the rear one is a 240 mm unit. While there is not much feel from the lever, the brakes have the amount of braking power to make the motorcycle come to a halt in an effective manner. Moreover, the dual-channel ABS is also calibrated well.
8/11 There are no changes to the engine. It is still an absolute gem of a unit. However, there are a few vibrations now as the revs climb, Having said that, this issue might not happen on the motorcycles that are serviced periodically and have properly followed the run-in period.
9/11 The blacked-out versions come equipped with alloy wheels that are wrapped in Ceat Zoom Cruz tyres that are tubeless. The spoked versions continue to come with a tube. The new colour schemes with spoked wheels are Black Pearl and Cali Green.
10/11 The gearbox is the same 6-speed unit that is a joy to use. There are no false neutrals and it shifts precisely every time. However, the clutch is on the heavier side. Doing down-shifts is also quite easy and rev-matching should not be an isssue.
11/11 The engine can cruise all day long at 100 kmph doing just 4,000 rpm while the 120 kmph comes at 5,000 rpm. There is still an ample amount of power in reserve that the rider does not need to downshift while overtaking on highways. This means that the Interceptor 650 is a good cruiser as well.
647.95 cc
25 kmpl
170 kmph