Registering decent sales, Royal Enfield 650 Interceptor has emerged as a popular choice in retro adventure tourer bike segment. However, just like everything else, RE Interceptor 650 has its fair share of problems that need to be resolved, as per Abhinav Bhatt, who is a moto vlogger, as well as owner of a brand new RE 650. He has categorically identified these Royal Enfield 650 problems, and posted them in a new video.
Abhinav claims that these problems can only be known to an owner who has ridden the bike for quite some time. He has shared his experience of riding Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 for around 2 months, covering approximately 2,500 km in city traffic, highways, inter-state roads and even a dirt track jump session.
As described in the video, many of the problems seem to arise only when you are riding long distances. For example, there’s the issue of the seat being too soft. Over longer distances, the seat tends to sag and create discomfort. Headlight is also described to be inadequate for riding on highways. Another problem is that there is no gearshift indicator, which can be confusing when riding the bike on highway. There is no way to tell if the bike is already in 6th gear and the user tends to upshift, trying to find another gear.
Instrument cluster of Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 does not have an inbuilt clock, which makes it difficult to know time, especially if the rider is using full riding gear comprising jacket and gloves. Fuel gauge seems to show inconsistent reading, with the bars sitting idle for long durations and then falling suddenly. Instrument cluster is supposed to be water resistant, but on Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, it seems to have some seepage. That’s evident when indicator lights go crazy after a bike wash. This is a common problem with other Royal Enfield motorcycles. But it was expected not to be present in 650 Twins.
Other problems described in the video relate to handlebars, footpegs, horn button, ergonomics, right side rear view mirror, and rusting issue with brake rotor. However, rather than using the problems to demonize the bike, the rider makes it clear that Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is one of the best bikes he has ever ridden.
His final verdict is that even with the problems, he would still buy the same bike in the price range if given the chance. However, the rider does expect Royal Enfield to fix these problems and issues in future upgrades of Interceptor 650.
