Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

No need, i booked baker express in November with a waiting period of 120 days, but ravishing red arrived 3 weeks before on Feb 26th, i went to the showroom and confirmed the color and took 5 days to pay the amount, after full payment, one day for temporary registration. And there is a slip attached to the owners Manuel the date of sale mentioned is 28-2-2019.

Bike got delivered on march 8th, and the registration process took nearly 45 days, thanks to corrupted RTO the guy openly asked Rs 30K from the dealer which they refused, and after nearly 6 or 7 visit, and submitting every single document i could, i stopped, later some deal might have made with dealer and RTO the called me after a month, i think i even did my first service before RTO registration.

So in short see the bike in person and pay the money later, if you booked then then the bike is already allocated to you and it will reach the showroom.

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Theoretically for charity purpose, but why would a dealer ask for that (if they asked) never heard it before , pay if you want to but IMO not a good practice to encourage.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Sounds made up to me, just a way to extract extra money

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Can someone enlight me what a FLAG DAY amount of 700 INR mean?

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Here i paid the full amount and got the bike same day they have the bike ready called me i transferred the some. And they did the rto thing which is only a few hr thing as it is online here. Total wait was for 70 days.
Full payment only when I he bike was there. And yes they do have to pay to rto for registration.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Guys quick question, should we make the full payment before the bike reaches the showroom? The dealership say that the bike in transit and I will only get it after RTO is done.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Hi Denzz, It's the stock seat modified. Only the base used, entire foam and cover changed. Done at Salees, near Kombara junction. His contact is 9447509654. Yes, it's comfortable for me than stock seat. I have done a separate video on this which you may watch at :



Thanks brother 👍

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Thank you for sharing, the seat look really nice,

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Hi sreejith, where did u get your seat from... Is that the stock modified or an entirely a diff one?
I am from cochin if you can help me it'll be great.
Also how is the comfort on this one?

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

For storage option on Interceptor, the viaterra seaty (https://viaterragear.com/shop/luggag...erra-seaty-v2/) strapped on to Zana's top case plate has worked well for me.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin


[QUOTE=hiteshbhatia1996;1388252]


Coming from a car, the lack of storage space is what seems off but I will get a touring bag or something that I can keep the documents in. Carrying a backpack for now.

A bag that sits between left rear foot peg and the grab rail above the rear suspension works well, rear foot peg serves as a support i normally use thread but for

every day use bungee cord can be used and it remains stable at high speed, and not much issue with heat.

Welcome to the community, ride well

seeya

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

You just summarized the character of the 650 twins, and one of the huge factors for it being a runaway international worldwide hit!

It basically has a soul, as biking community would say. It's highly rewarding whether your gentle or aggressive with the throttle. I always look forward to riding it, be it buying groceries, or commuting to work, or weekend long rides!

Welcome to the clan and wishing you lots of Happy Miles of Motoring on the Interceptor.

Cheers!

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

You are from Delhi , you can go to Azad market there you will have many options for cover. I have the biggest one black with made like gun logo on it. It fits good. Bought it for 350 only 3 years back still working for Interceptor. Azad market is like a mandi for covers they make custom size too. Otherwise Raida is a good brand and many are using it.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Thanks, will get it from there then.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

I got my cover from the RE showroom itself. it's a perfect fit, and reasonable quality.

Re: Interceptor 650 Twin

Hi all,

Happy to say that I took the delivery of my Interceptor 650 Twin in the Silver Spectre color yesterday! Photos attached

I'll put forth a few points, in the following criteria:
1. Introduction (decision to purchase, money matters, background)
2. Showroom experience (from the first test ride to the delivery)
3. Ride quality (and the perspective of someone coming from driving a car)
4. Final thoughts and issues
INTRODUCTION
I've been riding bicycles since I was 3 years old - balancing was never the issue. The only powered two wheeler my (late) father had was a scooter. I was told early on that the roads in Delhi are unsafe (which they are!). It didn't stop me from cycling, because if you're careful and you stick to the rules, even if you fall, nothing really happens. I made my fair share of those falls.

Fast forward to 2020 - I'm 23, very stable job, back in my home city, and I want to throw away a little money. Investments are going good - so I decide to buy a vehicle. My family owns an i20 (a 2010 model that is still kicking and kicking well, these things are tanks), that I have driven since I was 18. Its a boring car, but it gets the family around and from the perspective of my mother and brother, the need for another vehicle just isn't there. I figured a car would be a waste, and in Delhi there's plenty cars on the road anyway. Its time for a bike. My mother understandably was very upset.

A little before this, twice in 2019, while I was in Mumbai and in Goa respectively, I rented an Avenger 220 just to learn bikes. It was worth it - I realized I drive and ride like a grandma, and nothing really happened to me. I took the JVLR several times to work and had my first experience with the traffic on a bike. Its very different from driving a car but not as much as I expected - some learning do translate over just fine (spacing, traffic speed, letting people race ahead of you if they really really want to). Goa was what set it in my mind - the Enfield 350 I rented there felt extremely underpowered (even compared to the Avenger??? Maybe its just me), but it was fun regardless. My girlfriend did encourage me to get one, which is when I decided I'd be buying a bike.

The budget was not restrained, but having never owned a bike, I seriously considered several options. My segment was sub-litre class bikes, and I considered and tested all suggestions

USED
R15 V3 2018 - Felt revvy, but definitely not what I wanted. Its very smooth but the riding position felt too heavy on my hands. (I'm 6', nearly 118 kg now). Was getting a 2018 non-abs model, ridden 37k for 1.1L which is the one I tested. I was told it didn't belong on the highways but that didn't discourage me. Didn't get it though.
Xpulse 2020 - Nope. Didn't feel right, and having ridden the Himalayan, it felt like a copy but underpowered.
Dominar 400 2017 - It had all the right bells and whistles, 10k ridden being offered for 1.1L. Having gone through the Dominar thread though I saw huge issues, and the Bajaj service I center visited to have the bike checked (just before I was going to buy it), scared the hell out of me. I am used to the Hyundai service center where they treat your car like your car and you like a human being. Didn't get that feeling here. Dropped the idea entirely.

I asked the dealer if he had any Interceptors, I had been eyeing the bike for over a year but hadn't tested it out yet - turns out few people sell them and they do get bought up. I was trying to find a Ninja 400 and 650, but didn't find anything at the time in Delhi. Ended up not testing any Kawasaki bikes at all.

NEW
Dominar 400 2020 - I liked it but wasn't sold on it because of the above reasons.
CBR 250R -The Honda service center wanted to sell me an Activa more than the CBR250R. The Najafgarh road showroom didn't offer even a test ride for it. It was funny to me, at the time the CBR 300 wasn't announced, so this was their biggest bike in the city segment that was not imported - and this is their attitude towards it? Activa is their bread and butter but its time to expand, people just like me came to their showroom and walked away disappointed. I did ride a CBR 250R that my friend lent to me for a day - it felt good, wasn't as committed as the R15, but it didn't click.
Interceptor 650 Twin- Its what I got, the "why" is below

SHOWROOM EXPERIENCE
I first visited a Royal Enfield showroom in Worli, Mumbai. My family lives in Delhi, but I joined a firm in Mumbai (because career). It boasted being the very first RE showroom in Mumbai, and their treatment of you shows why they're still around. The kind salesman told me everything about the three bikes I asked for (Thunderbird 500, INT650, CGT and Himalayan). He handed the keys over, asked me to try them all out. I had to be careful and I was a little nervous - and he handed the biggest bike to me first. This is a nice trick they have up their sleeve.

The first ride utterly changed my opinion on bikes - I had not felt this with any of the above bikes, it could be the engine, the torque and other random numbers, but at its core the Interceptor, if you let yourself ride it, WILL seduce you. That is what I was, seduced, and I felt guilty - surely, a bike this expensive would be worth it, but it felt like it was being sold for far too little what it was worth. The route they have is fairly long, it has slight stretches where I pushed the bike (mind you, a flick of the throttle and this thing GOES to 60 on the second gear). It didn't scare me but the fear of falling off without a full face helmet and gloves did, and I pulled it back to sane speeds. At a stop, it feels heavy, but my frame can handle it (I felt it was perfectly fine and not too heavy - the Himalayan feels light and the others felt like bicycles compared to this). Let it go to 40 and the weight is gone, replaced by confidence. The ride quality perhaps contrary to opinions here, felt fine on my 30 minute test ride. The seat didn't feel uncomfortable. I did ask them if it was the touring seat, they said it was stock. The color they had the test bike in was Orange Crush. I did test drive all the others, nothing rang home, the Himalayan is slightly more uncomfortable but understandably underpowered compared to the Interceptor.

I didn't take a call then, and made the right decision - I got an offer from a larger firm that pays more here in Delhi. To those living in Mumbai on rent, this will ring home - given the option to move back home and save 50k a month, you'd take it, and that's what I did. Once here though, the bug climbed back to my brain, so I went to the RE Rama Road showroom, for my second test ride of the INT. Here's where things get complicated.

1. Their test bike's speedometer didn't work. I couldn't see how much the bike had run. The salesman said "This is a test bike, so we remove the wire". It felt shady - are they supposed to do this?
2. The salesmen are fine, but upon asking for financing options (I was considering the Risk:Reward of putting the whole payment down vs EMIs), the loan vendors they have treat you like crap. No idea why. I'm a little prideful, but I didn't retort. In my case this is not a deal breaker, my mom has a saying "Never get stuck up with people, do your thing", so that's what I did. Financing is 7.97% flat, or 11% reducing, for a 48 month EMI. With a 1L downpayment, the EMIs would come to 5990 x 48.

I had already made up my mind, so I'm afraid my bias towards the bike didn't let me color my opinion of the showroom. I made the booking (10k INR) on 24th of Feb and was told the bike would take about two weeks, or less. Right after I left the showroom, the salesman called and said that the Silver Spectre color is available - tomorrow! I couldn't exactly make my salary come a week early, so I told them I expected delivery in the second week but I would push it to the first. I also told them very clearly to not offer the bike as a test ride to anyone - I would come on the weekend to check the bike. I then went through this forum and checked for telltale signs of a test bike, and the bike didn't have any. I'm a little paranoid... I did push the salesman to the edge about this.

On 2nd March, I put down 1L, told them I'd get it financed. Mulled it for a few hours, then told them I'd be making the complete payment the following day, and will be taking delivery. The drama wasn't over yet though. I tend to work late hours, reaching work at 11am then coming back at home at around 11pm after gym - but I left early from work and expected to reach their showroom by 7pm - this I also told to the salesman, and told him to wait for me. He said he will. At around 6:45, we reached the showroom (and just before I left my home I reminded him again). Upon arriving, he said the account department had all left, and it was a Tuesday which was a weekly off. I told him I came home early - my expectation was I would be leaving with the bike, and I fully intend to leave with it right now. We still had to pay 2L which I was prepared to, but they said they can't let the bike go without the full paperwork, insurance, RTO etc which had not been done. I asked him why they made me wait two full days - I had made the booking and they had the bike for over one week, and I gave them 1L - why did they not bring up documentation prior to my complete payment is beyond me. My mom did calm me down a little, and said we'd come tomorrow, hopefully we would get the bike then. The salesman did offer to bring the bike to my home at 11am the next day provided I make the full payment right away, but I refused since I would also be picking my helmet and gloves.

Ultimately, I took the whole next day off. I couldn't wait anymore, so I went to the showroom to get the bike at 12pm and intimated the salesman yet again two hours prior to my arrival. Upon reaching, I was given insurance and RTO papers to sign, and the warranty. It took them over one hour to process all of this - AFTER I made the full payment. Another delivery was due just before mine - they made that one, made me wait (I did select my accessories which took me all of five minutes) and then finally gave me the bike at 1:45pm - nearly two hours after I had arrived at their showroom.

The bike itself is near damn perfect, don't get me wrong. Its the showroom experience with this dealer I have a problem with. I was expecting too much maybe coming from the Worli showroom, they are the ones that sold the bike to me, not these guys. The salesman wasn't confident in what he was saying, maybe I just researched the bike so much that I just knew more, but it felt like he knew superficial information but had absolutely no knowledge of bikes. Added to this was the fact that my insurance was 18k approx, so I was due a refund of approx 3.6k (the bike is 3.08L after insurance but it came around to a little less than that). I did get the gloves then. Still had 1100 left - and the salesman kept pushing me to buy absolutely random accessories like keychains, tshirts, mugs and what not. I get they're supposed to sell them to me, but not sell them to me harder than they sold me the damn bike! I said I wanted the 1100 and they did give that to me right away.

Look, maybe I'm nitpicking, maybe I was just pushed too far when I didn't get the bike pretty much exactly when I wanted it. Maybe I'm just spoiled by the spotless service Hyundai renders onto its customers. It was the small things that ticked me off, but the only reason I came here is because the service center and showroom I would know people at, would be only 1km away from my home in case anything happened to the bike. Rant over - but I would recommend a different showroom. Hell.. maybe RE should ask customers who convinced them to buy the bike, it sure as hell wasn't these guys for me.

So that's the drama. Please tell me if I'm being irrational - I felt this was justified seeing how differently I was treated in the Mumbai showroom.

THE BIKE, AND RIDE QUALITY
You start it up, and you feel happy. You ride it, you feel happier. You push it a little and there's a grin splattered on your face. Congratulations, you're a biker for life. This bike will convert you, to people reading this and having other bikes, if you love your bike, please don't ride this one, you'll cheat on yours . Perhaps this is also how the Harley riders do things - maybe Triumph - but to someone riding their first new bike, it is like falling in love. It has been one day, and 50KM - I have brought the bike to work. Its a looker, though it gets dirty quickly, it did rain a little in Delhi overnight. I know the bike needs to be run in, so I didn't push it too high on the RPM counter except once, and I don't intend to again. This is something I intend to keep for a decade just like I kept the car for the better part of the past half decade, and it will be treated like the queen of roads it is. Its been christened Becky by my girlfriend. My mom absolutely loves the bike (she's still pretty scared and rightfully so, its Delhi after all). I'm reading up as much as I can about bike maintenance and cleaning, I've got my research ahead of me, but this bike is what made me do it.

Coming from a car, the lack of storage space is what seems off but I will get a touring bag or something that I can keep the documents in. Carrying a backpack for now. I also did buy a cover the same day I got the bike, but even the largest one I got is too small to cover the bike from end to end. Can someone please suggest one?

FINAL THOUGHTS
I've gone back and forth on getting a bike, trying to pick one, getting confused and abandoning the thought, then YOLOing into buying the bike I wanted. It didn't hurt though, I learnt a fair bit about bikes, there's still a lot I'm learning. I absolutely love this one, I can't wait to get back on it after work. Thanks to everyone that answered the questions I had before - this forum in part is what made me more confident in buying a new bike. The INT650 is as bike as bikes get in my little experience, very happy with it. Will follow up with service reviews and any issues if they arise.