The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is one of the best selling middleweight sportbikes in the world. The easy riding nature of this retro-styled roadster motorcycle is a big reason why a lot of buyers across age groups are opting for it. While it’s a hot seller in Royal Enfield’s home market of India, even international markets are warming up to the Interceptor 650, and the proof is in the growing aftermarket parts scene internationally, and also expanding video footage of the motorcycle from roads across the world. Here’s one such video where the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is being ridden hard on some twisty Austrian mountain roads. The motorcycle in the video features Zard slip-on exhausts which make the soundtrack very sweet indeed. Here, hear it for yourself.
As the video indicates, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a sure-footed handler on mountain roads, and leaves the rider quite impressed. Once again, the motorcycle’s easy-to-ride nature comes to the fore. The rider does complain about the throttle not being responsive while blipping, and can’t really figure what that was happening. It could be an issue specific to the bike that is being ridden.
Globally, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a more affordable rival to the likes of the Trimph Street Twin and the Kawasaki W800. In India though, it’s priced very sweetly, and the motorcycle competes with sub-400cc bikes such as the KTM Duke 390 and even the BMW G 310R. In fact, the Interceptor is cheaper than both the Duke 390 and the BMW G310, with a starting price of just Rs. 2.66 lakh , and this is for the latest. BS6 version.
The Interceptor 650 is powered by a parallel twin, 647cc engine with oil cooling. The engine makes 47 Bhp-52 Nm, and gets a 6 speed manual gearbox with slipper clutch as standard. The fuel injected engine uses an 8 valve head that runs on a single, overhead camshaft. As for brraking, the motorcycle gets disc brakes on both wheels and dual channel ABS is standard. Suspension consists of telescopic front forks and twin gas charged rear shock absorbers.
The aftermarket scene for the Interceptor 650 is booming. One of the most popular modifications for this motorcycle is replacing the stock exhaust with louder, aftermarket units. The aftermarket exhausts for the Interceptor 650 are not just lighter but also give the engine a couple of horsepower extra thanks to their freer-flowing nature. A high flow air filter and a aftermarket exhaust is usually the most popular performance modification for the Interceptor. Other popular modifications include handlebar risers, sump and engine case protection, saddle stays, tail rack to carry top boxes, seat covers, side stand extender and a larger rear sprocket. Royal Enfield seems to be intentionally selling a basic version of the Interceptor 650, allowing owners to customize the motorcycle according to their needs. Over the past couple of years, Royal Enfield Interceptor 650s have been customized into Scramblers, Cafe Racers and even Bobbers.