IJS
The Ghost Who Walks
“SIRIUS” - The Brightest star in the sky
Warning :-Another lamest ever ownership review below.
Lets start with the boring stuff.
(Can skip to the Technical specification part)
My riding life was going very smoothly and fine with the Dominar satisfying my needs to the T. My riding is currently limited to Sunday rides( small breakfast and full day ones) and occasional 2day rides and little in the city. I prefer my gear less beast inside the city madness. The thought of replacing the Dominar with something more powerful never occurred to me but there is small corner in heart where the greed for a multi cylinder motorcycle is hidden. last year saw the launch of very interesting motorcycles like baby BMW, Tvs Apache 310rr, and in the last part of the year the JAWA and the Royal Enfield 650 twins. I was pretty sure that I am never going to buy another royal Enfield after owning two of them in past( read no hatred here). JAWA though was really tempting me with the retro looks , all the bling and the reworked modern day engine from MOJO.
So after unsuccessfully controlling myself for many days I finally ended up inside Jawa showroom the Test ride was not available that day but, I sat on the bike for quite long enough started it and absorb everything the bike is meant to do. I was charmed by the Jawa, the only issue was the single channel abs with only front disc brake. And did I tell you that the Re Showroom was the very next to Jawa or the other way Mahindra opened the showrooms for Jawa in close proximity to Re. Here it is the adjacent showroom and this is the same showroom from where I bought royal enfield twice. I decided to meet the Re guys and check out the Twins, the sales manager was happy to see me and gave a warm welcome and asked me if I want a test ride but I said not today as I am only here to check out the twins in person.
Their Test ride Orange crush interceptor 650 was parked out side , it looked slim and simple, with the twin exhaust giving it all the mass. I sat on the motorcycle and lifted it of the side stand gosh it felt very heavy.
Came back home and waited for the test ride call from Jawa.
The Test Ride:-
The call for test ride from Jawa came around week later mid of December 2018. Took the test ride and the bike felt good but the performance seems equal to the Bajaj avenger 220 with better initial punch and too many vibrations in the seat and pegs(TD bike Issue), test ride experience was not very good as they made a showroom guy sit behind me and only allowed a very short test ride(Only few meters). Motorcycle felt light from every aspect and very easy to handle, still the heart went Jawa Jawa. I was almost sold on the maroon Jawa classic but decided to not to book it for now as it would be downgrade in terms of power considering how powerful Dominar is. Came out of the dealership after giving them a my two cents on how a test ride should be if they really want to sell the motorcycle. This time again I found the Re guys standing outside their showroom, and this time I gave into their request to have the test ride . Handed over my driving license to them for the details and they gave me the keys and say ride for as far as you wish. Now this is how you give a test ride and sell a motorcycle.
The interceptor 650 I test rode already has over 5000kms on the odometer and again when lifting it from the side stand I felt all the weight but as soon as it started rolling it was a different story all together. All those oohs and aahs that we have seen on YouTube videos were really not exaggerated and the on the move it felt light with light front end which make it very easy to maneuver around even in traffic I could only use it till 3rd gear but the pull and the punch which was hidden inside the engine was good enough to leave a lasting positive impression. I thanked the showroom guys for a good test ride and told them that I would take some time to decide on it. I was not actually planning to spend this much on a motorcycle and that too on a Royal Enfield.
Booking & Waiting period:-
The next few weeks were spent under a very confused state of mind. One part of the brain was pushing to go for the Interceptor 650 and the other was in favour of sticking with the Dominar for now. So in the early part of January 2019 I had 2 more test rides to clear my confusion and each time I came back more impressed and more inclined towards buying it, the charm and and character of the twin cylinder was working like a magnet and kept pulling me back to it.
After having 3 test rides to clear the confusion I finally booked the motorcycle on 24th of January 2019 against the refundable amount of rs. 5000/- , the top of the line Chrome variant was my first choice but I decided to book the ever green Mark three black variant as the cost difference is Rs. 20000/-. I was given a waiting period of 90 days and they promised me that it will be delivered under 90 days.
Came back home and decided not to get too anxious about the delivery and wait patiently for it to arrive. Meanwhile I kept reading about the delays in the deliveries of the twins due to on going labour issues at RE’s factory, got worried but still decide to remain calm. On one fine day I posted about my booking in my on of my riding group and also put up my Dominar for sale. January and February went over still no information on the delivery not even a single sms from the company came March and on the 10th of March I got call from a interested buyer regarding my dominar the deal was finalized on phone and he came on the same day took the Dominar after completing the formalities.
Now I was left with no motorcycle and no information on when my Interceptor would be delivered. Then on one fine day got a message from one riding buddy saying that someone in Noida got the delivery of Interceptor 650 on the same day and also got few more messages from other group members providing me with some contacts which would help me in getting early delivery. I decided not to take any obligation from any one and went straight to my showroom and told them about the same day deliveries and other info I got and they promised me to look into it an assured me that my booking would be shifted to the next arriving lot which is still next month. Came home and try to keep my calm. March got over and I keep bugging my showroom guys on regular basis and finally on the evening of 2nd April 2019 I got a call from them that one Chrome Interceptor 650 is available as the guy who booked it in November couldn’t clear the finance process and they offered me the same. I went to the showroom check out the Chrome beauty in person and I liked it checked everything and it looked perfect came back home as it is already late evening. Next day which was 3rd April I transfered the basic on road amount to their account and told them to keep the bike ready for me by the evening. So in total I had to wait for 70 days and I got lucky as guys who have booked way before me were still waiting.
Delivery:-
Nothing fancy here at around 4 pm on 3rd April 2019 as I was about to leave from my place to take the delivery I got a call from showroom regarding the accessories that I want to be fitted on the motorcycle , they offered me fly screen, brace pad and engine buffing but I politely declined all that and told them to only fix the chrome ss crash guard. I reached the showroom alone and did all the formalities rto receipt was done on same day(number came 2 days later), upgraded the insurance from normal comprehensive to Zerodep RTI one and paid the difference amount for insurance and crash guard in cash. Delivery was a normal no frill affair with no cake or ribbon just a casual handover picture got a open face Re made like gun helmet along with the motorcycle. Tanked up at the nearest petrol pump reached home went to Gurudwara Sahib ji to take blessings. and thus is the start of a new chapter.
Lets start the more relevant stuff.
Otr I paid is Rs. 316125/- with zero dep rti and crash guard .
Price breakup:-
Ex showroom- 270000/_
Zerodep rti insurance- 20895/_ (ICICI Lombard)
(1year full + 4 years 3rd party)
Road tax- 21600/_
Smart card & registration- 500/_
Postal charges - 30/-
Crash Guard- 3100/_
Total- 316125/_
Technical Specifications:-
Engine:
· Engine - 648 cc Air and oil cooled, Inline/Parallel twin , SOHC.
· Power - 47bhp @ 7250rpm
· Torque - 52.3 nm@ 5150 rpm
· Transmission - 6 Speed
· Clutch- wet multiplate slip assisted (Slipper clutch)
· Compression ratio - 9.5:1
Dimensions
· Length - 2119 mm
· Width - 857 mm
· Height - 1120 mm
· Wheelbase - 1398 mm
· Ground clearance - 174 mm
· Kerb Weight - 213 kg (90% fuel and oil)
· Fuel Tank Capacity - 13.7 Litres
Chassis & Suspension:
· Frame - steel tubular, double cradle frame
· Front Suspension - 41mm front forks, 110mm travel
· Rear Suspension - single coil- over shocks, 88mm travel
Electricals:
· System - 12v Dc
· Generation - Alternator
· Alternator output - 156W @ 1100 rpm
· Battery - 12V - 12 Ah VRLA
· Headlamp - 12V H4 60/55 W
· Horn - 320hz low and 420 hz high tone(ultra loud)
Tyre & Brakes:
· Tyre Size (Front) - 100/90-18 M/C 56H Pirelli phantom sports comp
· Tyre Size (Rear) - 130/80- 18 M/C 63H Pirelli phantom sports comp
· Brakes - 320 mm (Front), 240 mm (Rear)
· Dual Channel ABS
Now comes the riding part, by the time I am writing this down I have already done with first 500kms on the odometer and already done with the first service. Service report and experience will follow up in the next post, for now lets talk about other important aspects of the motorcycle.
Looks & Ergonomics:-
In the looks department it is a pure retro delight and the Glitter Dust and Chrome Paint scheme makes it more attractive no matter where you stop or park you will be greeted with stares and thumbs ups. Looking at it from front makes it looks slim which it actually is and plane Jane. Move to the sides and the back the the story is different the engine and the twin exhaust provides it the much needed mass.
Ergonomics are good and everything falls easily to hands and feet. Seating posture is aggressively upright. I am 5.4ft tall and due to the slim seat I have no problem putting both my feet on the ground( not fully though). The controls and levers fall easily to hand. Switch gear is basic and so does the instrumental cluster, headlamp again is a basic multireflector unit but it works well.
While sitting on the motorcycle the tank feels slim and when grabbing it from the thighs the right leg does touches the clutch adjuster arm as the parallel twin motor is actually wide. Rear brake paddle is too close to the engine and one has to be careful initially to not touch the hot engine.
If you are searching for the infamous foot peg placement issue don’t worry that will be covered later in the thread.
Engine Performance & gear shifts:-
For now I am trying (Very hard) to keep it below 4000 rpm till I get over with the running in period. I have already ridden it twice on the highway but here I would start with city rides.
Low end tractability is always been a forte for other Enfields and it is even better here even riding in 1st and 2nd gear you wont feel any hesitation or jerks from the engine gearing is on the taller side so here we have a good margin before we shift the gears. As per company claim the 80% of the torque is available as low as 2500rpm and that claim is very true I have made 2500 to 3000 rpm as my shift point for now riding in lower range of rpm the motor never protest or ask for higher gear. Riding through bumper to bumper traffic is easy as now unlike the Dominar I do not have to shift up early. Out on the open highway at 4000rpm in 6th gear it does a effortless 100kmph and there never need to shift down to overtake any slow moving thing. I did explore the 4000 to 5000 rpm range and trust me there is a second power boost available at 4500rpm it feels like the sleeping devil inside the engine has woken up. Would try to explore the beyond 5000rpm range soon. Engine doesn't protest even when we go as low as 2500 rpm in 6th gear it just pulls effortlessly.
The unstressed engine and smooth power delivery makes the ride fatigue free and more enjoyable. Gear shifts are precise and till now I haven't faced any false neutral. Shifting through gears is smooth and not clunky no unwanted sound while shifting. The first gear engage with mild thud not the massive one like Dominar and Ktm390. Clutch action is smooth and easy and slipper clutch works well while downshifting. Clutch does feels slightly heavy while riding in bumper to bumper traffic.
Braking performance:-
The combination of 320mm front and 240mm rear disk with bybre calipers works very well and it is equipped with twin channel abs from Bosch. Bite from the front brake is good and progressive, lever though on the other hand lacks the flee(more on this later). Rear brake is one of the best I have seen on any Indian motorcycle and and it has good stopping power it is so good that it some times feels noisy while stopping(little amount of noise). Unlike other motorcycles where we use front more and rear less, here we can safely use both brakes in equal amount of pressure. Stopping distance is also very good and abs works well, tested it on lose gravel and felt it kicking in at the rear. The credit for the impressive braking performance goes to high quality Brembo pads used at both the end(probably are sintered). replacement for these pads would cost slightly more that Rs.5000/- for both front and rear.
Ride, Handling, tyres and suspension:-
Ride quality is plush and suspension is tuned to be soft in the stock setup. For my weight and build I don’t see any need to change the settings. Front end is light which makes maneuvering and splitting through traffic very easy. Turning radius is very good and lock to lock u turns are easy in fact better than Dominar. The stock seat feels good enough for the city rides and on my 200kms highway ride I only have to make adjustments 2 or 3 times, but again heavier riders might need a change in cushioning and width of the seat. Length of the seat is also good and two up riding won’t left you asking for more room. High speed flickablity is very good.
Suspension is plush but it is bit on noiser side, on the broken road there is sound from rear either from the seat or the shocks, also on the front end there is sound which I assumed is from the cone set but the mechanic told me that the front disk is riveted to the disk spider and they have kept some play in it and thus the sound. I did Checked the front disk play by hand it proves that the mechanic was right.
Straight line stability is also very good and even with solid cross wind on highway I never felt any fishtail from the rear, on the cornering department you need to build some confidence before you start throwing it around the bends , to me initially it felt a bit nervous in the bends and corners but now I am more confident and can carry good speed in the and out of the bends. But this is not for the riders who are into knee scarping and are corner junky.
Weight is there and you can feel it while pushing it with muscle power but once the motor starts rolling the weight vanishes and it is easy to make it dance to your tunes. Even paddling with the engine off can be done without any problem. Suspension soaks up almost everything that the road throw at it. All this proves that the chassis is well tuned and works perfectly.
Pirelli tyres that comes stock with the motorcycle are tubeless but are fitted with tube inside to support the spokes rims. Grip provided by the tyres are good enough but you need to find the perfect balance of air in both front and rear, for me the combination or 33psi +37psi works well( recommended is 32+36 psi). I might upgrade to alloy rims in future to have a fully tubeless setup.
Headlight:-
Adding this under a standalone head because many have doubt about the headlamp illumination as it is basic setup not a led one. But trust me I have tested it in darkest of the place i can find and never been disappointed with it. Throw and width of the beam is good enough to light up the surroundings have already made a video on that and will add the same in consequent post. The 12V 60/55 W head lamp is very good. The headlamp glass does runs hot as it stays on due to AHO mandate.
Heating & Vibrations:-
With the size of the engine and no liquid cooling the heating issue is always in question, but to my surprise if found the heat management to be very good. Yes the engine does heat up and you can feel that when you stop the motorcycle and park it, you can feel the heat waves coming from the engine once you park it and it stays hot for long. While riding it is different though, on the first highway ride I did the return leg was done under scorching sun and I never felt any heat gushing to my thighs or legs while riding at 80 to 100kmph. Only when I stopped and parked it I felt that it is hot. Inside the city too I never felt any discomfort due to the engine heat I once covered 4kms in 1.15hr due too traffic and all in 1st and 2nd gear at around late afternoon, that time to I only felt mild heat on the underside of my thighs but nothing that can put me off. While riding in slow moving traffic mild heat can be felt on the under thighs an near the right foot as the brake lever is very close to engine, certainly this is not motorcycle that you can ride wearing slippers or shorts. Seems like the large oil cooler used in the front of the engine does servers its purpose well. But again this is all from my perspective as I have heard from other owners about how the engine heat bothers them too much. Much credit of the better heat management goes to the lower compression ratio or 9.5:1.
Vibrations is another topic which you can not ignore when talking about a Royal Enfield. Here in this motorcycle the only vibrations I felt were at the right foot peg at slightly above 3000rpm and it stays there. I haven't felt any vibrations on the handle bar or the tank, it was there on the seat when I brought the motorcycle home that was due to lose seat but it was fixed on the next day by the service center by adding extra rubber on the underside pads on the seat. So only mild vibrations on the foot pegs and I take it as character of the engine.
Sound & NHV:-
The sound produced by the twin exhaust is the treat to the ears and specially on the lower range of the rpm it sounds lovely and on the higher end the burble/ rumble that hits your ears along with the wind sounds really nice. The exhaust note carries the characteristic twin cylinder burble along with the thump and I simply love it and will stick with the stock exhaust setup.
Nvh or the noise and harshness of the engine is again well controlled, you can hear the engine settling down to a sweet rhythm once you start it . No unwanted tappets noise or any harsh engine clatter here. Once warmed up the idle rest at around 1200 rpm and there is faint tik again nothing harsh here.
Infamous Foot peg issue:-
By now you must have heard / read about the foot peg issue on the internet and must have seen the same on YouTube. But personally I never felt that foot peg placement causing any problems for me, I don’t have to keep my feet wide apart while at stand still nor does I felt that someone would run over my feet as I have to place them far from foot peg. I either place my feet behind the pegs or along the pegs but never felt any discomfort. While crawling in the city traffic I usually don’t use my feet to paddle along but when I does it, my shins only touched the pegs once or twice and I never had bruised shins due to foot peg. Yes the foot pegs and neither center nor very rear set but I think this issue depends on how tall you are and how you sit on the seat and place your feet on ground. With my height (5.4fts) and built I did not even thought about this and only checked it after I read in a online review and saw it in one video.
Pillion foot pegs are placed on the higher side due to the upswept exhausts and if your pillion is tall then he or she might feel the discomfort during the longer rides. My better half does not have any issues with the placement of pegs.
Things that I miss on the motorcycle:-
* There is no plastic or rubber dust cover on the clutch adjuster at the lever end.
* Some sort of heat guard with the pillion foot pegs to prevent the pillion feet to touch the exhaust.(will get it made soon).
* A small neat looking backrest for the pillion.
* A watch in the instrument cluster, can ride without the gear position indicator but watch I would like to have.
* Tubeless tyres setup from the very start, now I am waiting for official alloys from the company.
That is all for now and I will try to keep updating the thread , have already made 3 video on it will share same in the next post and service report in the next.
Time to add some pictures.
Regards
Inderjeet Singh.
Warning :-Another lamest ever ownership review below.
Lets start with the boring stuff.
(Can skip to the Technical specification part)
My riding life was going very smoothly and fine with the Dominar satisfying my needs to the T. My riding is currently limited to Sunday rides( small breakfast and full day ones) and occasional 2day rides and little in the city. I prefer my gear less beast inside the city madness. The thought of replacing the Dominar with something more powerful never occurred to me but there is small corner in heart where the greed for a multi cylinder motorcycle is hidden. last year saw the launch of very interesting motorcycles like baby BMW, Tvs Apache 310rr, and in the last part of the year the JAWA and the Royal Enfield 650 twins. I was pretty sure that I am never going to buy another royal Enfield after owning two of them in past( read no hatred here). JAWA though was really tempting me with the retro looks , all the bling and the reworked modern day engine from MOJO.
So after unsuccessfully controlling myself for many days I finally ended up inside Jawa showroom the Test ride was not available that day but, I sat on the bike for quite long enough started it and absorb everything the bike is meant to do. I was charmed by the Jawa, the only issue was the single channel abs with only front disc brake. And did I tell you that the Re Showroom was the very next to Jawa or the other way Mahindra opened the showrooms for Jawa in close proximity to Re. Here it is the adjacent showroom and this is the same showroom from where I bought royal enfield twice. I decided to meet the Re guys and check out the Twins, the sales manager was happy to see me and gave a warm welcome and asked me if I want a test ride but I said not today as I am only here to check out the twins in person.
Their Test ride Orange crush interceptor 650 was parked out side , it looked slim and simple, with the twin exhaust giving it all the mass. I sat on the motorcycle and lifted it of the side stand gosh it felt very heavy.
Came back home and waited for the test ride call from Jawa.
The Test Ride:-
The call for test ride from Jawa came around week later mid of December 2018. Took the test ride and the bike felt good but the performance seems equal to the Bajaj avenger 220 with better initial punch and too many vibrations in the seat and pegs(TD bike Issue), test ride experience was not very good as they made a showroom guy sit behind me and only allowed a very short test ride(Only few meters). Motorcycle felt light from every aspect and very easy to handle, still the heart went Jawa Jawa. I was almost sold on the maroon Jawa classic but decided to not to book it for now as it would be downgrade in terms of power considering how powerful Dominar is. Came out of the dealership after giving them a my two cents on how a test ride should be if they really want to sell the motorcycle. This time again I found the Re guys standing outside their showroom, and this time I gave into their request to have the test ride . Handed over my driving license to them for the details and they gave me the keys and say ride for as far as you wish. Now this is how you give a test ride and sell a motorcycle.
The interceptor 650 I test rode already has over 5000kms on the odometer and again when lifting it from the side stand I felt all the weight but as soon as it started rolling it was a different story all together. All those oohs and aahs that we have seen on YouTube videos were really not exaggerated and the on the move it felt light with light front end which make it very easy to maneuver around even in traffic I could only use it till 3rd gear but the pull and the punch which was hidden inside the engine was good enough to leave a lasting positive impression. I thanked the showroom guys for a good test ride and told them that I would take some time to decide on it. I was not actually planning to spend this much on a motorcycle and that too on a Royal Enfield.
Booking & Waiting period:-
The next few weeks were spent under a very confused state of mind. One part of the brain was pushing to go for the Interceptor 650 and the other was in favour of sticking with the Dominar for now. So in the early part of January 2019 I had 2 more test rides to clear my confusion and each time I came back more impressed and more inclined towards buying it, the charm and and character of the twin cylinder was working like a magnet and kept pulling me back to it.
After having 3 test rides to clear the confusion I finally booked the motorcycle on 24th of January 2019 against the refundable amount of rs. 5000/- , the top of the line Chrome variant was my first choice but I decided to book the ever green Mark three black variant as the cost difference is Rs. 20000/-. I was given a waiting period of 90 days and they promised me that it will be delivered under 90 days.
Came back home and decided not to get too anxious about the delivery and wait patiently for it to arrive. Meanwhile I kept reading about the delays in the deliveries of the twins due to on going labour issues at RE’s factory, got worried but still decide to remain calm. On one fine day I posted about my booking in my on of my riding group and also put up my Dominar for sale. January and February went over still no information on the delivery not even a single sms from the company came March and on the 10th of March I got call from a interested buyer regarding my dominar the deal was finalized on phone and he came on the same day took the Dominar after completing the formalities.
Now I was left with no motorcycle and no information on when my Interceptor would be delivered. Then on one fine day got a message from one riding buddy saying that someone in Noida got the delivery of Interceptor 650 on the same day and also got few more messages from other group members providing me with some contacts which would help me in getting early delivery. I decided not to take any obligation from any one and went straight to my showroom and told them about the same day deliveries and other info I got and they promised me to look into it an assured me that my booking would be shifted to the next arriving lot which is still next month. Came home and try to keep my calm. March got over and I keep bugging my showroom guys on regular basis and finally on the evening of 2nd April 2019 I got a call from them that one Chrome Interceptor 650 is available as the guy who booked it in November couldn’t clear the finance process and they offered me the same. I went to the showroom check out the Chrome beauty in person and I liked it checked everything and it looked perfect came back home as it is already late evening. Next day which was 3rd April I transfered the basic on road amount to their account and told them to keep the bike ready for me by the evening. So in total I had to wait for 70 days and I got lucky as guys who have booked way before me were still waiting.
Delivery:-
Nothing fancy here at around 4 pm on 3rd April 2019 as I was about to leave from my place to take the delivery I got a call from showroom regarding the accessories that I want to be fitted on the motorcycle , they offered me fly screen, brace pad and engine buffing but I politely declined all that and told them to only fix the chrome ss crash guard. I reached the showroom alone and did all the formalities rto receipt was done on same day(number came 2 days later), upgraded the insurance from normal comprehensive to Zerodep RTI one and paid the difference amount for insurance and crash guard in cash. Delivery was a normal no frill affair with no cake or ribbon just a casual handover picture got a open face Re made like gun helmet along with the motorcycle. Tanked up at the nearest petrol pump reached home went to Gurudwara Sahib ji to take blessings. and thus is the start of a new chapter.
Lets start the more relevant stuff.
Otr I paid is Rs. 316125/- with zero dep rti and crash guard .
Price breakup:-
Ex showroom- 270000/_
Zerodep rti insurance- 20895/_ (ICICI Lombard)
(1year full + 4 years 3rd party)
Road tax- 21600/_
Smart card & registration- 500/_
Postal charges - 30/-
Crash Guard- 3100/_
Total- 316125/_
Technical Specifications:-
Engine:
· Engine - 648 cc Air and oil cooled, Inline/Parallel twin , SOHC.
· Power - 47bhp @ 7250rpm
· Torque - 52.3 nm@ 5150 rpm
· Transmission - 6 Speed
· Clutch- wet multiplate slip assisted (Slipper clutch)
· Compression ratio - 9.5:1
Dimensions
· Length - 2119 mm
· Width - 857 mm
· Height - 1120 mm
· Wheelbase - 1398 mm
· Ground clearance - 174 mm
· Kerb Weight - 213 kg (90% fuel and oil)
· Fuel Tank Capacity - 13.7 Litres
Chassis & Suspension:
· Frame - steel tubular, double cradle frame
· Front Suspension - 41mm front forks, 110mm travel
· Rear Suspension - single coil- over shocks, 88mm travel
Electricals:
· System - 12v Dc
· Generation - Alternator
· Alternator output - 156W @ 1100 rpm
· Battery - 12V - 12 Ah VRLA
· Headlamp - 12V H4 60/55 W
· Horn - 320hz low and 420 hz high tone(ultra loud)
Tyre & Brakes:
· Tyre Size (Front) - 100/90-18 M/C 56H Pirelli phantom sports comp
· Tyre Size (Rear) - 130/80- 18 M/C 63H Pirelli phantom sports comp
· Brakes - 320 mm (Front), 240 mm (Rear)
· Dual Channel ABS
Now comes the riding part, by the time I am writing this down I have already done with first 500kms on the odometer and already done with the first service. Service report and experience will follow up in the next post, for now lets talk about other important aspects of the motorcycle.
Looks & Ergonomics:-
In the looks department it is a pure retro delight and the Glitter Dust and Chrome Paint scheme makes it more attractive no matter where you stop or park you will be greeted with stares and thumbs ups. Looking at it from front makes it looks slim which it actually is and plane Jane. Move to the sides and the back the the story is different the engine and the twin exhaust provides it the much needed mass.
Ergonomics are good and everything falls easily to hands and feet. Seating posture is aggressively upright. I am 5.4ft tall and due to the slim seat I have no problem putting both my feet on the ground( not fully though). The controls and levers fall easily to hand. Switch gear is basic and so does the instrumental cluster, headlamp again is a basic multireflector unit but it works well.
While sitting on the motorcycle the tank feels slim and when grabbing it from the thighs the right leg does touches the clutch adjuster arm as the parallel twin motor is actually wide. Rear brake paddle is too close to the engine and one has to be careful initially to not touch the hot engine.
If you are searching for the infamous foot peg placement issue don’t worry that will be covered later in the thread.
Engine Performance & gear shifts:-
For now I am trying (Very hard) to keep it below 4000 rpm till I get over with the running in period. I have already ridden it twice on the highway but here I would start with city rides.
Low end tractability is always been a forte for other Enfields and it is even better here even riding in 1st and 2nd gear you wont feel any hesitation or jerks from the engine gearing is on the taller side so here we have a good margin before we shift the gears. As per company claim the 80% of the torque is available as low as 2500rpm and that claim is very true I have made 2500 to 3000 rpm as my shift point for now riding in lower range of rpm the motor never protest or ask for higher gear. Riding through bumper to bumper traffic is easy as now unlike the Dominar I do not have to shift up early. Out on the open highway at 4000rpm in 6th gear it does a effortless 100kmph and there never need to shift down to overtake any slow moving thing. I did explore the 4000 to 5000 rpm range and trust me there is a second power boost available at 4500rpm it feels like the sleeping devil inside the engine has woken up. Would try to explore the beyond 5000rpm range soon. Engine doesn't protest even when we go as low as 2500 rpm in 6th gear it just pulls effortlessly.
The unstressed engine and smooth power delivery makes the ride fatigue free and more enjoyable. Gear shifts are precise and till now I haven't faced any false neutral. Shifting through gears is smooth and not clunky no unwanted sound while shifting. The first gear engage with mild thud not the massive one like Dominar and Ktm390. Clutch action is smooth and easy and slipper clutch works well while downshifting. Clutch does feels slightly heavy while riding in bumper to bumper traffic.
Braking performance:-
The combination of 320mm front and 240mm rear disk with bybre calipers works very well and it is equipped with twin channel abs from Bosch. Bite from the front brake is good and progressive, lever though on the other hand lacks the flee(more on this later). Rear brake is one of the best I have seen on any Indian motorcycle and and it has good stopping power it is so good that it some times feels noisy while stopping(little amount of noise). Unlike other motorcycles where we use front more and rear less, here we can safely use both brakes in equal amount of pressure. Stopping distance is also very good and abs works well, tested it on lose gravel and felt it kicking in at the rear. The credit for the impressive braking performance goes to high quality Brembo pads used at both the end(probably are sintered). replacement for these pads would cost slightly more that Rs.5000/- for both front and rear.
Ride, Handling, tyres and suspension:-
Ride quality is plush and suspension is tuned to be soft in the stock setup. For my weight and build I don’t see any need to change the settings. Front end is light which makes maneuvering and splitting through traffic very easy. Turning radius is very good and lock to lock u turns are easy in fact better than Dominar. The stock seat feels good enough for the city rides and on my 200kms highway ride I only have to make adjustments 2 or 3 times, but again heavier riders might need a change in cushioning and width of the seat. Length of the seat is also good and two up riding won’t left you asking for more room. High speed flickablity is very good.
Suspension is plush but it is bit on noiser side, on the broken road there is sound from rear either from the seat or the shocks, also on the front end there is sound which I assumed is from the cone set but the mechanic told me that the front disk is riveted to the disk spider and they have kept some play in it and thus the sound. I did Checked the front disk play by hand it proves that the mechanic was right.
Straight line stability is also very good and even with solid cross wind on highway I never felt any fishtail from the rear, on the cornering department you need to build some confidence before you start throwing it around the bends , to me initially it felt a bit nervous in the bends and corners but now I am more confident and can carry good speed in the and out of the bends. But this is not for the riders who are into knee scarping and are corner junky.
Weight is there and you can feel it while pushing it with muscle power but once the motor starts rolling the weight vanishes and it is easy to make it dance to your tunes. Even paddling with the engine off can be done without any problem. Suspension soaks up almost everything that the road throw at it. All this proves that the chassis is well tuned and works perfectly.
Pirelli tyres that comes stock with the motorcycle are tubeless but are fitted with tube inside to support the spokes rims. Grip provided by the tyres are good enough but you need to find the perfect balance of air in both front and rear, for me the combination or 33psi +37psi works well( recommended is 32+36 psi). I might upgrade to alloy rims in future to have a fully tubeless setup.
Headlight:-
Adding this under a standalone head because many have doubt about the headlamp illumination as it is basic setup not a led one. But trust me I have tested it in darkest of the place i can find and never been disappointed with it. Throw and width of the beam is good enough to light up the surroundings have already made a video on that and will add the same in consequent post. The 12V 60/55 W head lamp is very good. The headlamp glass does runs hot as it stays on due to AHO mandate.
Heating & Vibrations:-
With the size of the engine and no liquid cooling the heating issue is always in question, but to my surprise if found the heat management to be very good. Yes the engine does heat up and you can feel that when you stop the motorcycle and park it, you can feel the heat waves coming from the engine once you park it and it stays hot for long. While riding it is different though, on the first highway ride I did the return leg was done under scorching sun and I never felt any heat gushing to my thighs or legs while riding at 80 to 100kmph. Only when I stopped and parked it I felt that it is hot. Inside the city too I never felt any discomfort due to the engine heat I once covered 4kms in 1.15hr due too traffic and all in 1st and 2nd gear at around late afternoon, that time to I only felt mild heat on the underside of my thighs but nothing that can put me off. While riding in slow moving traffic mild heat can be felt on the under thighs an near the right foot as the brake lever is very close to engine, certainly this is not motorcycle that you can ride wearing slippers or shorts. Seems like the large oil cooler used in the front of the engine does servers its purpose well. But again this is all from my perspective as I have heard from other owners about how the engine heat bothers them too much. Much credit of the better heat management goes to the lower compression ratio or 9.5:1.
Vibrations is another topic which you can not ignore when talking about a Royal Enfield. Here in this motorcycle the only vibrations I felt were at the right foot peg at slightly above 3000rpm and it stays there. I haven't felt any vibrations on the handle bar or the tank, it was there on the seat when I brought the motorcycle home that was due to lose seat but it was fixed on the next day by the service center by adding extra rubber on the underside pads on the seat. So only mild vibrations on the foot pegs and I take it as character of the engine.
Sound & NHV:-
The sound produced by the twin exhaust is the treat to the ears and specially on the lower range of the rpm it sounds lovely and on the higher end the burble/ rumble that hits your ears along with the wind sounds really nice. The exhaust note carries the characteristic twin cylinder burble along with the thump and I simply love it and will stick with the stock exhaust setup.
Nvh or the noise and harshness of the engine is again well controlled, you can hear the engine settling down to a sweet rhythm once you start it . No unwanted tappets noise or any harsh engine clatter here. Once warmed up the idle rest at around 1200 rpm and there is faint tik again nothing harsh here.
Infamous Foot peg issue:-
By now you must have heard / read about the foot peg issue on the internet and must have seen the same on YouTube. But personally I never felt that foot peg placement causing any problems for me, I don’t have to keep my feet wide apart while at stand still nor does I felt that someone would run over my feet as I have to place them far from foot peg. I either place my feet behind the pegs or along the pegs but never felt any discomfort. While crawling in the city traffic I usually don’t use my feet to paddle along but when I does it, my shins only touched the pegs once or twice and I never had bruised shins due to foot peg. Yes the foot pegs and neither center nor very rear set but I think this issue depends on how tall you are and how you sit on the seat and place your feet on ground. With my height (5.4fts) and built I did not even thought about this and only checked it after I read in a online review and saw it in one video.
Pillion foot pegs are placed on the higher side due to the upswept exhausts and if your pillion is tall then he or she might feel the discomfort during the longer rides. My better half does not have any issues with the placement of pegs.
Things that I miss on the motorcycle:-
* There is no plastic or rubber dust cover on the clutch adjuster at the lever end.
* Some sort of heat guard with the pillion foot pegs to prevent the pillion feet to touch the exhaust.(will get it made soon).
* A small neat looking backrest for the pillion.
* A watch in the instrument cluster, can ride without the gear position indicator but watch I would like to have.
* Tubeless tyres setup from the very start, now I am waiting for official alloys from the company.
That is all for now and I will try to keep updating the thread , have already made 3 video on it will share same in the next post and service report in the next.
Time to add some pictures.
Regards
Inderjeet Singh.
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