2 pleasant weeks riding my friend's Interceptor 650: 10 observations

The torque that this engine generates is exactly what my biker soul was left wanting ever since I sold my diesel car.

BHPian Swarup5 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Got a chance to ride Interceptor 650 (pre-facelift BS4) for 2 weeks as a dear friend was traveling. While I was passively hoping to convince my better half to buy this mean machine, I somehow ended up doing otherwise.

Here are my thoughts on a short 2 weeks of driving. I'm no expert biker but having driven commuter bikes all my life, I sold it all and bought a scooter once family became a priority. This welcome break was something very pleasant after a long time.

  1. Engine perhaps is the biggest factor which brings wide smiles. It's very rev happy and likes to be driven all day long.
  2. The torque of the engine was exactly what my biker soul was left wanting ever since I sold my diesel car.
  3. At cruising speeds of around 80 Kmph it's a delight to drive all day long.
  4. Power in all rev bands is pretty decent with a brilliant mid-range and low-end.
  5. Wind blast above 80Kmph is pretty annoying.
  6. Handle vibration was pretty evident after a long drive and I wasn't using a glove hence ended up with a pain later. Maybe I had to lean a bit with my height of 5 10.
  7. It's not comfortable to use in traffic, gets difficult to manoeuvre in heavy traffic.
  8. Weight of the bike is not felt while driving however once in parking lots it gets difficult. Pushing with flat tyres would be even more painful.
  9. Seating on the pre-facelift isn't a comfortable one both for rider and pillion for anything longer than 20km ride.
  10. Suspensions are pretty hard and not tuned for comfort and certainly not meant for the pothole-ridden urban commute. On highway speeds it comes to life in all glory.

Finally, I find this bike something which I envy every time I see it on the road, however, needs some more convincing for my occasional usage to justify a purchase of 4.3 L+ on road.

Cheers!

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