Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (2022) Review

For a portion of the year, Alex was granted the opportunity to kiểm tra life with one of the UK’s biggest selling motorcycles in the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650.

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Who knew 47 bhp could be so much fun? We spent a portion of 2022 with the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. It’s certainly a head-turner at motorcycle meets, but what’s it lượt thích to live with?

Having briefly sampled the Interceptor 650 at a One Ride sự kiện back in 2021, I was keen lớn see exactly what has made the retro-styled inline-twin such a stalwart of a seller since its initial introduction way back in 2018, with its name khổng lồ this day found at the đứng top of many ‘best seller’ lists compliant for A2 riders và winning loads of awards in its time on the UK market.

Given it’s available at such an attractive price point in the UK, many riders have turned to lớn the raw & basic offering of a classic-styled machine with no rider modes other than twisting the key and firing it up. An added benefit for these riders is the sheer abundance of accessories and modifications available for such a bare-bones machine - it’s for this very reason you’ll see countless custom builds out there, even commissioned by Royal Enfield themselves.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Price & Availability

Since its 2018 release, the purchase price has steadily increased over the years as new generations find their way onto the scene with new colours & iterations - the current price is listed as £6,039, with alternative colours stretching the price lớn £6,539.

As tested, the Downtown Drag (as seen in photos, with the tank in a sleek black, cyan and silver) is priced up at £6,399. It’s not my personal favourite colour from the eclectic colour palette(with some seen below), but it’s nevertheless a stylish option.

Royal Enfield’s dealer network is ever-growing, and many dealers will have a corner of the showroom dedicated lớn the Indian-backed marque thanks to lớn their seemingly endless availability in the UK.

New models are sold with a 36-month (3-year) unlimited mileage warranty. That’s đứng đầu stuff!

What I’ve been up lớn with the Interceptor 650

You may have seen my 2022 fleet included the long-term stay of the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer, so naturally, for any long-distance luggage-laden tour, my eyes would turn to Team Green. But, for stylish Sunday cruises or local rides, the natural go-to was a spin on the Interceptor.

Public appearances included a visit khổng lồ Two Wheel Tuesdays in Old Buckenham, Krazy Horse Customs in Bury St Edmunds, & a few trips khổng lồ the big smoke of London for days in the office.

In short, any opportunity for a countryside spin was happily undertaken on the Interceptor 650, quite simply great fun.

Engine

Many spec-sheet snobs will scroll the power nguồn on offer here and turn a blind eye khổng lồ what is otherwise a fantastic unit. The retro middleweight is powered by a euro 5 compliant air-cooled 648cc twin with electronic fuel ignition, with an A2-compliant 47 bhp on tap at 7150 rpm, & 52.3 Nm of torque peaking at 5150 rpm, but most available nigh on instantly from the 2000 rpm mark.

Power is put down really smoothly through the 6-speed box with an assist & slipper clutch, & you really get out of it what you put in. Ride aggressively and work the gearbox and you’ll have loads of fun squeezing all of the nguồn you can with the throttle pinned - yet town và city cruises are just as appealing with a lovely burble from the twin exhausts.Naturally, your arms won’t be pulled off when accelerating hard from a stop - though I again refer to lớn the old adage of ‘it’s great fun to lớn work a xe đạp to 100% of what it’s capable of’.

If cruising at 60mph in sixth gear you’ll certainly want khổng lồ click down a couple of gears before putting the hammer down, making sure to work all of the gears lớn make the most of the torque that’s available down low.

If pushed you’ll (allegedly) meet triple digits, but the steering does start to lớn feel a bit twitchy when hammering away. It’s far happier cruising at 75mph than at full tuck & full twist (of the wrist). If you’re after a long-distance mile-muncher, this may not quite be the plush choice you’re after out of the box.

Riding, Weight và Tech

With the steel tubular double cradle frame, most of the 217 kilogam wet weight is held low on the xe đạp - the engine holds most of the bulk - và I’ve seen Interceptor owners attempt khổng lồ shed some of the weight by removing superfluous bolt-ons, including the centre stand, and swapping out indicator & brake light clusters for slightly slimmer & sleeker options.

I’m a 6’3” rider, và whilst I was adequate enough in the 805mm saddle to lớn not ache in pain after longer rides, I did find the xe đạp a tad unsettled when mid-corner as my 88~ kilogam weight added a tad of top-heavy weight to the mix.

Moving the xe đạp around when parked was also a tad weighty, but certainly manageable. Asking my shorter riding pals to lớn hoik the bike onto its centre stand also induced a few heavy grunts, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

That being said, once the wheels are moving, the steering is exceptionally nippy and it’s an excellent option for a city/town rider who wants to shimmy their way through standstill traffic - I can vouch for it in the centre of London.

When it comes lớn tech… there’s little khổng lồ nothing on offer, but that’s to lớn be expected on a retro-influenced machine. You have no gear indicator or fuel gauge on the analogue dials, và whilst there’s the LCD to display your mileage, other factory options are few & far between. Though I hazard a guess that nobody is buying one of these for native điện thoại cảm ứng thông minh integration.

Brakes và Suspension

With 18-inch wheels front và rear, braking power nguồn is provided by ByBre in the size of a single 320 milimet disc up front, & 240 milimet disc at the rear. Dual channel ABS features and braking performance is soft in application but adequate, particularly for riders looking for an easygoing feel.

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Suspension comes in the size of 41 milimet telescopic forks with 110 milimet of travel, and twin rear shocks with external reservoirs (which look very Öhlins). It’s not the best suspension thiết lập ever seen on two wheels, with successive bumps in the road able khổng lồ unsettle some of your forward momentum thanks khổng lồ a really soft way of life, but again it’s certainly adequate for the regular rider.

If after any significant modification upgrade to lớn the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 ’s performance, I’d certainly be casting an eye at uprating the suspension.

Customisation Potential

Speaking of, the sheer number of aftermarket accessories for the Interceptor 650 will give the average evening garage tinkler a breath of fresh air. In a world where ECUs và parts require nothing short of an engineering degree to lớn apply, being able to get to lớn work with a 10mm and a can of your favourite lager (with no post-ride test, of course) is a real blast from the past.

Personally, I’d look at a little fly-screen to lớn facilitate a bit of comfort from the wind on longer rides, heated grips (because I love heated grips), and a little scrambler-style infused into the setup with new suspension for one.

Oh, & once the supplied Zoom Cruz rubber is worn, I’d be searching for an alternative pair of shoes. They’re fine, but can feel a bit squirmy in adverse weather.

Realistically, the canvas is entirely blank, and you’re able to really stamp your own personality onto the bike in whatever way you wish. In my book, that’s a serious plus point for a machine that’s already certain to turn heads.

General notes

I suppose the touring ability is worth a mention, given that many households will nowadays be one bike per resident.

The 805mm bench seat can begin to feel a little firm on day-long rides, và carrying a pillion is possible if you don’t mind being scooted right up khổng lồ the tank (for me, anyway). Pillions may find the seating arrangements a little uncomfortable over distance.

You’re given a 13.7-litre tank, & a fuel warning light that’ll illuminate with around 2.9 litres remaining. This is enough to lớn give you around 120~ miles of real-world riding before you’re wide-eyed and searching for the nearest fuel pump, the listed consumption is 4.2 litres per 100 km (but I found closer khổng lồ 55 mpg, or 5.1 L/100km).

A fuel gauge would be nice, but not vital, và adds extra retro flair to this modern-day classic.

As a final point, I found the lights fairly decent when riding at night - it’s a standard lamp that illuminates the road in front of you, & high beam offers a soft illumination above the dipped beam. It’s not great, và certainly encourages you to lớn take it easy when riding an unfamiliar route home.

What we lượt thích & dislike about the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

Like

Stylish retro middleweight optionCustomisation potential is outstandingEasygoing thành phố rider

Dislike

A tad weightySuspension is softNot comfy for long days in the saddle

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Verdict

Many may argue that modern motorcycles are losing a cảm biến of charm and character, và these are qualities that the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 really excels at. It may not be topping the charts for power and raw spec, but that hasn’t stopped it from being one of the top-selling motorcycles in the UK since 2018.

Dealers will tell you that it seems khổng lồ be a revolving door of these coming in và heading back out, và the appetite for a raw 648cc twin has by no means dulled in the 5 years it’s been turning heads on the road.

Chief amongst the appeal is the near limitless customisation potential, that retro flair being accentuated by endless personalisation options both bought & built.

My time with the Interceptor 650 certainly lived up lớn my expectations. It may not be the epitome of a perfect xe đạp on the road, but given a spanner & a dream, you can build whatever your heart desires on a truly accessible platform granted by Royal Enfield. Và it"s just simple fun when the wheels turn.

I personally think that’s exactly what Royal Enfield has done right - và consistently does with its other releases. Make it attractive, make it fun và simple, và make it affordable, & the buyers will come, as they have been và will continue to.

Would I have one? Absolutely.

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Thanks khổng lồ Royal Enfield for the chance khổng lồ sample the Interceptor 650, it’s a bike that has certainly gotten the vtvplus.vn stamp of approval, well worth a chạy thử ride - I can all but guarantee you’ll be returning lớn the dealership with a smile on your face và hundreds of ideas on what you can do.