I prefer the chrome mirrors. Glad your wife is happy with the comfort now. Hope you don't mind me saying, she is cute! But I guess you already know that.
I installed the foot peg kit first thing and am very satisfied and recommend them them also. They are a great fit and helped my wife and son's comfort and keeps their heels off the pipe. I also like my stock black mirrors more than the upgraded ones and have no problem with vision or vibration. I absolutely love my 650 interceptor and am able to ride here in Thailand 7 days a week. Thanks for the content. Cheers
Swadee krab! I'm a Yankee living part time in Thailand. Mahasarakham in Issan to be exact. How did you like your buying experience? I feel a need to keep a 650 Interceptor over there. I'll be performing my own maintenance, oil, valve adjustments, etc Cheers.
Just went the whole length of a video where the guy never got on the very motorcycle he reviewed and bashed. This one is such a refreshing one. Riding the bike is so important and the wife experience should be priority as you do 😁
Bar end mirrors make a huge difference for pillion and solo riding. I installed some of the Halcyon round bar ends from Hitchcock's and I no longer see any of my shoulder and get a great view of the road behind me. I think they also look a lot nicer and give the bike a lower and clear profile.
Always enjoy your vids especially as you take into consideration what what your wife as a pillion likes. Just wondered if she has ever expressed an interest in learning to ride herself?
Her brother's an instructor and she did take her CBT a long while back. I bought her a DT80, which kept stalling and might have put her off. She's ridden my Grom (on private land etc, of course!), and did enjoy it, but she didn't change gear and prefers to stick to horses.
They have clearly made a mistake with the seat. I was seriously considering this, and will still probably test ride one, because everyone seems to love them, but the consistent problem is the seat comfort and there is nothing worse than being uncomfortable.
For someone who has a "forthright" pillion and we do around 90% 2-up, I second this motion. Decades ago she started to learn to ride but for the sake of humanity, we all decided it was better for me to drive and her to give helpful advice from the back (usually speed-related).
I've been looking at lots of Royal Enfield 650 videos and this is the first one that has covered the idea that some actually take a pillion, as I am looking to get a RE 650 and I my wife goes on the back of all my bikes so this video was very informative and a great help, thank you and hope to see some more covering the subject of pillions and their comfort..👍👍
Why would you buy this bike when it has so many mods available to make it better? Or is this the appeal of this own, to make IT your own? Food for thought? 👍😎
Beside the pillion peg position, there's nothing I'd say you 'need' to do. But yes, the appeal of this style of machine is the personalisation for many.
As someone has already said, makes you wonder why RE put them where they are as standard. Could there be an H&S reason (but then they provided the mod/fix)? Could there be an increased chance of trapping your ankle beteen front and rear footrests in the event of a slide-off?
I managed to get a second hand touring seat for 70 quid, bargain and I now plan to get the oem seat re shaped in the future, need a bit more support in the lower back area, if I'm on a longer journey I fit a n air hawk seat pad which are amazing imo 😀
I was ready to buy an INT650. I'd ridden one and liked it. I took my wife for a confirmatory wobble around the block and she absolutely hated the position. It was a "hell no" from the back. Since I ride 90% 2-up it was insurmountable. The dealer didn't mention peg relocation. We took a W800 for a ride and both loved it. So we bought it. It's the tropical wet season now (I rode it home in a thunderstorm) but at least here it's warm and wet. I really appreciate your take on things. Stu
Hi! Maybe it's a little bit late but just got my Interceptor so I was wondering if you were so kind to answer a question for me, please. I'm thinking about changing rear shocks + fork and hagon is one of the options I read about so I checked and there is a pair of classic shocks all covered, do you have any knowledge about them? Also I'm thinking about buy them a little bit shorter to make things easier to mi pillion, do you know if that affects the bike? Thank you Kindly. Best regards.
I bought and sold the Royal Enfield Premium Touring seat, it was better than the standard plank that comes with the bike but again after 45 mins was starting to grate on my backside, waste of money, my advice is to get the standard seat re upholstered by a professional, details of who did mine available on request.
Good to know about the pillion foot peg relocators. And I agree the chrome mirrors look right, esp if they don’t already vibrate. Aside from the color and style, I also don’t love the logo on the black mirrors. Aside from all that you just seem like a really pleasant and cheerful chap, and your wife is adorable 👍
Try a big National Cycle shield. Plexistar windshield is 5 times bigger than the one you have on. Covers hands and a few inches left and right below the headlight on each side.
That looks really cramped. You're basically balls deep in the gas tank and falling off the foot pegs. Your legs are so scrunched up you may as well be riding an r1
Arguably the worst bike for pillion riders. Even Royal Enfield agree..(well almost). And the seat feels like a bench after 20 mins of riding on Indian roads! What I can't seem to understand is the attitude of RE...they are indifferent at best to customer feedback.
I purchased comfort enfield seat for my himalayan but it didn't feel better at first.. buuuuuuuut on a longer mileage or time run it was much much better...I'm 12 stone and original seat squashed down to a plank..!!!!.merry Xmas folks
The comfort seat con!! Essentially a slightly different foam which can only cost the manufacturers a couple of pounds at most. Just fit them as standard, no one ever complained their seat was too comfortable!!
Well I'm sure it's cheaper than the yoga classes needed to bend the misses to the shape of the bike. We don't have the same problem here luckily, my better half is literally the size of a pint and can all but use the pegs without even needing to bend her knees. In fact, this tiny indian sized bike was the most comfortable one she'd ever sat on!
I am not really understanding these bikes I rode numerous models through the 70s same issues with pillion comfort for my girlfriend at the time so why is it still happening in 2020
I saw the original back in that day . It was good but stank of gas and oil coming out almost as fast as . Today for the most part fixed deserving a spot next to your Scout .
@@bennettsbikesocial Leg length plus false knee I'm afraid but maxi-scooter sorted everything - don't know why they get so little respect in UK! At least Steve Parish acknowledges them!
@@drdoolittle5724 Ah, yes - that'll do it! My Dad switched to a trike when his arthritis and replacement knees got too much. You won't see us knocking maxi or standard scooters. If I had the space and the money, I'd have a T-Max. Steve Lamb here has a chinese scooter, Gavin has a PCX125 and Luke has a Burgervan (Burgman).
Like your reviews can't stand royal Enfield's yes there cheap but ever last detail shouts out cheap. Especially the indicators. I'd pay that bit more and buy the triumph.
and be another sheep in the Triumph club......ride the royal enfield before you decide you don't like them because they definitely don't feel cheap to ride and they are easy to customize.
I have ridden this model and I also have eyes working in the motor trade I know what's put together right with proper thought and components royal Enfield is a long way off . I'd rather be a sheep enjoying riding a triumph when you get off a triumph you can actually admire the detail and build quality of the bike not so with Enfield's.
Thank you for sharing this video. It's really good to know how to change the rear footpegs on Interceptor 650. One question though, have you changed the front and rear shock absorbers?
Enjoying a challenge I made my own peg relocation kit .. both pegs share the same 1/4" plate which when sprayed black looks stock. I dropped the front pegs 3" and fwd 2" using factory anchor points, now the pegs are in front while standing and a more comfortable riding position .. pillion pegs 5" fwd and 2" down. Made new linkage.. actual cost under 20 bucks. I'm happy, pillion is happy.. Works great!
Thank you for your video. I want to fit the Hagon's too on my Interceptor and the Legend bags. Do the bags rub against the shocker while riding the bike or do you have something to keep them away from the shockers? I like the footrest relocation too. Are the Hagon's a big improvement over the standard shockabsorbers? And did you do something to the front suspension too? All these questions oops.
I don't have the bike anymore I'm afraid, but if I remember rightly the bags did rest against the shocks. The Hagons are an improvement, though it's not a night and day transformation. I didn't get a chance to do anything to the front before I got knocked off it. I'd hoped to do more with the bike but unfortunately supply issues after the accident meant I had to stop. Cheers, John
The upswept silencers on both the Interceptor and GT versions of the 650 force the pillion pegs to be very high with respect to the seating position of the passenger. It also makes standard luggage fitment difficult. As a result there are now all sorts of extras available to reposition passenger pegs (as you have done) and small format luggage and racks - a bit of a cludge. Surely silencers that are almost parallel with the road would have avoided all this? Save the "sporty" upswept silencer position for the "sporty" GT?
Hi John, having had the RE for a few months would you say you would have it as your only bike ? I have sold my Fireblade and looking for something that is fun at legal speeds and can do short tours on just worried the 650 low power would get boring quick, what would your opinion on someone coming from a 1000cc to this machine ? Thanks
Hi there... it's so personal, it's very hard to say what you'd like, but if you're looking for something without the crazy speeds, then yes - it should be great. I'm not a fan of litre sports bikes as they seem so wasted on the road - you just can't use much of their potential at all; I prefer a 600cc sports bike. If you think you want that adrenaline rush still, consider something like an S1000XR - I have a 2019 model and love it. It's also hugely practical, easily taking full luggage and a pillion. The Interceptor isn't slow by any stretch, but it is much more of a relaxed ride. If you're doing small tours it's fine, but it's not comfortable like, for instance, the S1000XR. The Fireblade (depending on the model) wasn't a particularly extreme sports bike, so isn't terrible for short tours. I own the BMW, a 1999 ZX-6R and a Grom, along with the Interceptor as a loan bike. If I could only have one, it'd be the BMW as it does everything I want it to, but again, that's so personal. If you're using the bike for pleasure only, and aren't desperate for an adrenaline rush, the Royal Enfield is a great bike and excellent value. I would genuinely own one. I'd say test ride it and see how it makes you feel - personally, I love pottering around on it. Cheers, John
Bennetts Bike thanks for the detailed reply very helpful! Yes the XR is on my radar but they seem immune to depreciation so still out of range. Also saw your crash video, hope you are fully on the mend, all the best.
@@theincrediblesulk5543 Thanks! You might get lucky with one of the earlier models, but yes - BMW tends to keep the prices fairly high, especially if keeping them within its own dealer network. Cheers, John
My wife wasent happy with the stock seat so I had one custom made in India, it is longer higher and slightly wider £160 inc delivery but import duty was charged
I will be doing something on servicing, but as for caring for it - it's not looking great at the moment! To be fair, that's because I'm about to do a huge cleaners test, so this will be sparkling again soon!
Brought one of these brand spanking, when they first came out. Personally thought it was pants. Very disappointed with the bike, had many 350's and 500 singles. Thought this would be the natural progression, but not for me.
That's a shame. What did you swap it for? I would genuinely buy one, and would potentially have had this one if it hadn't just been rear-ended by a car. John
The issues I had were the pegs, always taking two inches off my shins. Seat and bar height not being quite right. The one I had also had a hair clutch? Took it back to the dealers, and without spending more money couldn't get it just right. I know I could get a pegs, seat, bar risers from hitchcocks (who are excellent) I just found it to have to many niggles. I could of had the dealers lemon?? I've now brought a Harley iron, but will be looking out for the new BSA'S when they launch. Cheers Steve
@@stevereader3885 Not every bike is right for everyone (it'd be boring if they were) - it sounds like the clutch needed a look, but the riding position clearly just wasn't right for you. I've wanted a Forty Eight for years... now though, I do think I'd have the Interceptor. Maybe. Glad you got something you're happy with. John
Yes - anything above that height and they need oxygen, but those air tanks make them cause more damage, so it's best to keep even a polycarbonate screen out of their flight paths. It's why helmet manufacturers are going over to twin-glazed visors, as the kinetic energy behind a bluebottle equipped with breathing apparatus can take an eye out.
@@UncleLongbeard In nearly 50 years of biking, I've never had a bike with a screen. So I will have to take your word on that. (Current bike BMW K75 from 1988).
@@UncleLongbeard Even a small screen, or a carefully designed lamp housing, can deflect some of the wind blast, taking pressure off the body at motorway speeds. If it's not due to oxygen-assisted insect danger, it might be because the screens are super-fly.
