Royal Enfield's new Meteor 650 - Whad ya think

[EVENKEEL]

The Interceptor 650 is neat. This model should be a hit with those who don't want to pay HD money.

 

 

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

A friend had a Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor back in 1970. This model looks like they have carried over a few design elements from those days, especially in the cylinder heads and exhaust system. But this bike looks like it is in a different category from the original.

[Henryford]

Looks very nice if you are into cruisers. What is it's price?

[EVENKEEL]

23 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Looks very nice if you are into cruisers. What is it's price?

Just came out in India this year, but I'm sure it will be a hit in Thailand. The Interceptor 650 is in the 230K range, saw some quotes in the 250-300K range.

[papa al]

be stylin'.

[eisfeld]

I've seen more new Royal Enfields on the streets of Phuket than Ducatis (same dealer) or Triumphs (lots of competing models). And with this model they'll steal chunks of market from Harley Davidson. Royal Enflied gets you something like 80% there at a fraction of the price. A very good business strategy.

[kickstart]

11 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

A friend had a Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor back in 1970. This model looks like they have carried over a few design elements from those days, especially in the cylinder heads and exhaust system. But this bike looks like it is in a different category from the original.

I very much doubt it in 1970 it would have been push rod modal engine although it still produced 60 bhp,

This new interceptor has a modem OHC engine and better manufacturing Proces, and probably does not leak oil hence the old nick name Royal Oilfield.

This one is designed for the USA market? not my cup of tea .

Last year when in the UK a friend of mine had a demo on one design more like the old model he liked it, same guy last spring spent 2 weeks in South Africa riding around the Servana on a 350 RE was well impressed with it

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

14 minutes ago, kickstart said:

I very much doubt it in 1970 it would have been push rod modal engine although it still produced 60 bhp,

This new interceptor has a modem OHC engine and better manufacturing Proces, and probably does not leak oil hence the old nick name Royal Oilfield.

This one is designed for the USA market? not my cup of tea .

Last year when in the UK a friend of mine had a demo on one design more like the old model he liked it, same guy last spring spent 2 weeks in South Africa riding around the Servana on a 350 RE was well impressed with it

Yes, the mechanics on the new bike will be different from the 1970 Interceptor, but the appearance of the cylinders and exhaust pipes kind of resemble those of the earlier model. I suspect the designer was possibly looking to evoke the style from yesteryear a bit.

[EVENKEEL]

15 minutes ago, kickstart said:

I very much doubt it in 1970 it would have been push rod modal engine although it still produced 60 bhp,

This new interceptor has a modem OHC engine and better manufacturing Proces, and probably does not leak oil hence the old nick name Royal Oilfield.

This one is designed for the USA market? not my cup of tea .

Last year when in the UK a friend of mine had a demo on one design more like the old model he liked it, same guy last spring spent 2 weeks in South Africa riding around the Servana on a 350 RE was well impressed with it

I really don't think this was designed for USA. Harley's and Triumphs of similar style aren't so expensive. Now Thailand it will be a hit for both Thais and foreigners because of price. 

[JeffersLos]

Quote

Whad ya think

Can they put the cover back over it, please. 

[Yellowtail]

They had some good-looking bikes at the show, I liked this one: 

 

[riclag]

Is there a toy version,Candy Apple red for me please!

 

[kickstart]

This is what I meant the more classic design, not as the OP said not wanting to pay HD money.

[EVENKEEL]

13 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

They had some good-looking bikes at the show, I liked this one: 

 

I bought an Interceptor 650 2020, great beginner bike as I hadn't sat on a large bike in over 30 yrs. Cool bike, I sold it a year later and bought a used Triumph 1200cc. 

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I bought an Interceptor 650 2020, great beginner bike as I hadn't sat on a large bike in over 30 yrs. Cool bike, I sold it a year later and bought a used Triumph 1200cc. 

Triumph had some nice bikes at the show, but I thought Ducati looked pretty sad. 

 

Never had a really big bike, biggest I ever had was a CB750 back in the '80s. Have only ever ridden the company Wave in Thailand, and then only around the plant. 

[eisfeld]

36 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I bought an Interceptor 650 2020, great beginner bike as I hadn't sat on a large bike in over 30 yrs. Cool bike, I sold it a year later and bought a used Triumph 1200cc. 

What would you say are the biggest differences between them?

 

26 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Triumph had some nice bikes at the show, but I thought Ducati looked pretty sad. 

Do you mean the models Ducati is bringing or the vibe at the booth? For me a bunch of their bikes went backwards in terms of design, especially the Monster which now looks like a random japanese or chinese copy of its prior self. Scrambler also not as nice as before. But I think their V4 Granturismo engine is pretty interesting.

[EVENKEEL]

9 hours ago, eisfeld said:

What would you say are the biggest differences between them?

 

Do you mean the models Ducati is bringing or the vibe at the booth? For me a bunch of their bikes went backwards in terms of design, especially the Monster which now looks like a random japanese or chinese copy of its prior self. Scrambler also not as nice as before. But I think their V4 Granturismo engine is pretty interesting.

The Interceptor 650 has 47 hp and my 1200 has like 67 hp. The extra weight keeps it steady with cross winds cruising at 110-120 kph. My Triumph with the solo seat just looks cooler.

[EVENKEEL]

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Triumph had some nice bikes at the show, but I thought Ducati looked pretty sad. 

 

Never had a really big bike, biggest I ever had was a CB750 back in the '80s. Have only ever ridden the company Wave in Thailand, and then only around the plant. 

The RE 650 is a nice size bike to get your feet wet again.

[Yellowtail]

12 hours ago, eisfeld said:

Do you mean the models Ducati is bringing or the vibe at the booth? For me a bunch of their bikes went backwards in terms of design, especially the Monster which now looks like a random japanese or chinese copy of its prior self. Scrambler also not as nice as before. But I think their V4 Granturismo engine is pretty interesting.

Both. The booth was weak and while I'm not a bike guy, I thought the product offering looked meh. 

 

I used to look at most any Ducati and while they (except maybe the Scrambler) were not my style, I thought they looked great. They even ruined the Scrambler...