Modern Vespa

I think I am going to leave Piaggio products behind. I have really enjoyed my MP3s even in the really frustrating moments lol. But I am at a point in my life where I want simplicity, easy wrenching and less tupperware, parts availability, more of a real motorcycle feel, something I can configure for touring and nimble. Power is not a big requirement.

So I have looked at all of the usual suspects and they all have versions of what I am looking for but I keep coming back to the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650. It seems to have all of what I am looking for and it is growing in popularity. There are also lots of aftermarket items like topcase and pannier mounts, windscreens and engine protectors for highway pegs.

So who has one or has had one and what did you like or not like about them?

PS I may keep my mp3 250 as an errand scooter. Still thinking about that.

I've now owned four RE bikes, a 2016 500, a 350 Classic 'Reborn', and two 650's, an Interceptor and a Continental GT, though I haven't owned one for a couple years now.

I will be taking delivery if a '26 Classic 650 in early April, the blue/green 'teal' model.

The 500 looked nice, but it's engine vibration at anything approaching a highway speed prematurely wire me out, as did the underwhelming performance of the 20 hp 350.

The 650's, on the other hand, were entirely pleasurable and had enough performance to do just about anything I might want from them...other than drag racing of course, but the RE twin is a great engine, simple and economical to maintain, and cruises down the road with the best of them.

The overall build quality of the Interceptor 650 is acceptable, but it's obvious that they're built down to a price in some ways, but they're technically solid beneath the surface and have been in production now for eight years, and I am not aware of them blowing up and leaving riders stranded very much, if at all.

I really don't see how anyone could be seriously disappointed in the 650...though I might say that the Int/Interceptor seat leaves a bit to be desired, at least that was my impression of it.

Funny you mentioned the seat as I am watching a video about seat types lol. Thanks for your experienced input.

The home maintenance aspects of the RE 650's is another thing in the positive column for these bikes. Believe me, I'm no mechanic, but I was able to perform my own valve clearance checks and adjustments on my 650, and although that service comes along at relatively frequent intervals, it's very doable by the owner in their own garage, and there are a bunch of YouTube videos to help.

This is what I'm getting in a couple of weeks. This model has just become available here in the US, though it's been out in the UK for a year.

Very nice.

My friend had an Interceptor 650. He did three mods
1) Removed the stock exhausts ( which contain the cats) and replaced with a Hitchcocks system. This saved something ridiculous like 12 kgs in mass as the stock pipe is nearly 18kgs

2) Hitchcocks do a dna air filter which compliments the freer flowing exhausts to achieve cleaner fuelling

Lastly a small Vespa type fly screen to deflect the wind.

He loved his and unsurprisingly called it Jensen!

If you ever did some time on an older Triumph or BSA and liked it, then this is the bike for you as the ride and power delivery are very close. JB put it right when he said it was acceptable at the price point. This means, the rubber parts will break down along with the chrome bits, the gauges may fog up after a rain, and you will be looking for a more comfortable seat if you ride mote than a few hours at a time. Don't get me wrong, RE has come a long way, but I think there are better bikes out there.

Man this thread is making me want to look at adding a RE again. I'm caught between the Interceptor and Continental GT.
I personally wont be getting rid of my Vespa to make room for one but my Wife might want to know what I'm doing with the VROD

First of all, that Classic 650 in the teal color (NOT flat black like every other new motorcycle in the world) is absolutely beautiful. But it would not work for me for two reasons. First reason is the seat height. I simply cannot get my leg over a seat that high. My Sportster 1200 has a seat several inches lower, and I can barely get on that. The other reason is its tube type tires. I have been stranded far too many times by flats with tube type tires, and have paid thousands of $$$ in towing charges over the past few decades because of them. I do have one bike with tube type tires, but it is a small bike, and I won't ride it more than 50-60 miles from home. I have a roadside assistance plan with 100 miles of towing. That would probably only work once.

I have a 2013 Royal Enfield B5 Bullet 500 that I bought new, and converted it from EFI to an Amal Concentric MK1 carburetor using a kit from Hitchcocks in the UK. It also has an aftermarket exhaust. It was one of the most fun bikes I have ever ridden. It has a top cruising speed of about 55 mph. At that speed the engine felt and sounded absolutely wonderful. That thump thump thump was very relaxing. The riding position was extremely comfortable, especially for a non cruiser style bike. I put 19,000 miles on it, and it came home on a tow truck 4 times, all because of flat tube type tires. I still have it, but can no longer ride it, because the seat is simply too tall. I can no longer get my leg over the seat. Royal Enfield does not make a single bike I can ride. Even the Meteor 350 and Classic 350 have 32 inch seats. That's dual sport territory. My Sportster 1200 and Honda Rebel 250 have 26 inch seats. I would love to have that wonderful RE 500 engine in a bike like the Suzuki LS650/S40, with its low seat. The main reason I got into scooters was because of their step through frames.

I'm sorta in the same position. The lower part of my spine is fused and doesn't allow for the flexibility I once had. But I actually prefer a higher seat so I can sit up straight to see over cars and have my legs straight under me to take bumps better. Cruisers with their feet forward position put too much load on my lower spine/tailbone area. My current ride is a CRF250L with a 34.4" seat height. I am 5'8", with a 31" inseam, I just mount it like I would a horse. One last word on the RE Interceptor - it's a bit overweight, but what bothers me is that weight is a bit high, much like a Adventure bike. That is what ended it for me. If I was bigger/taller, it probably would not matter. Again, much like a Triumph.

Try a Continental before you buy. At a recent RE demo day I took out an Interceptor and another guy the Continental ( with a gorgeous chrome tank). I really enjoyed the Interceptor, the mileage was low 191 miles so no real break in yet, so I didnt over rev it or labour it.

The handling was really nice and felt neutral. On getting back to base I compared notes with the lad on the Continental and at roughly 30-35 years young he felt it was a bit too " head down arse up " riding position. As with all bikes with clip on / low bars if you are going fast enough the wind eases the pressure on your forearms. But at 50-60 mph twisty lanes work he found the bike hard work.

Lastly I would agree with Tierney, they are a fair lump to move around. As soon as you are rolling that Harris designs chassis sheds its weight , but manoeuvres and parking reveal the bikes true mass.

honda SLC 500

I had a couple of Royal Enfields and the best advice I can give is to ensure that your garage interior is kept above freezing over the winter because if it's not, water will condensate on the engine casings and the chrome parts then water will form and then rust or oxidise the shit out of everything.

I test rode an early Continental 650 and I found it really uninspiring.

The engine doesn't really have any character as such. It runs just fine but it doesn't move you inside.

I'd suggest that a Triumph Bonneville would have a better build quality.

Having said all that, I met a guy on the Eurotunnel on a Continental who had ridden from Northern France to Greece on a couple of occasions and hadn't experienced any problems.

I think that bike had completed 38k miles.

I don't doubt that corrosion could be an issue with RE bikes in (relatively) damp climates, especially with their bare aluminum engine cases and often substandard chrome work.

Fortunately, I live in what could be called a semi arid region, and have yet to see any corrosion on any of the four RE bikes I've owned, but I know that others haven't been as lucky.

The overall build quality of Royal Enfield bikes of the past that I've owned have not compared favorably to the build and finish of my W800, CB1100EX, or Yamaha SR400, bikes that were exceptional in their quality, but we're also substantially more expensive than any comparable RE machine, so a 'better' bike is expected in their case.

I can say with confidence however, that the RE bikes DO run as well as anything else, and seem to be as reliable as their more costly competitors.

The '26 650 Classic I'm buying represents some substantial improvement in component materials and finish quality over earlier RE models, so they are catching up to the other big boys in the industry. What they come up with in the future could be quite interesting.

Agreed.

Royal Enfield bikes aren't quite 'there' yet in that regard.

The latest RE bikes are definitely better than the ones that came before them, but up until the present, I would describe most of them as 'ten footers', which was the distance one needed to view them from in order to not notice the sometimes crudely finish details of the bike.

Don't let the (revolving)door hit your arse on the way out.

I have not owned a RE, but have owned two modern Triumphs, Bonneville T120 at the moment.

It is surprisingly hard to find a 'good old basic motorcycle' nowadays if touring and longer journeys are in mind. Bonnie can do all this, but it is heavy, not so nimble at low speeds...and yeah, expensive. The fit and finish is very good though. T100 is mayby a better and more sensible package overall, but I'm just hooked into the low end torq of the T120 engine, it is quite unique.

Kawasaki W800 is easy to work with, has excellent quality and is a bit lighter& smaller, but my close friend does not like the vibrations when riding longer journeys. Powerful it ain't. I'd still take one over RE just because of the super high quality🙂.

I haven't owned one of these but did own a CB500X. Excellent machine, I only sold because my back was going south and it was getting too painful to ride.

The W800 won't win any races (even including one against an RE 650), but they are beautifully made machines and great for those lazy rural roadways when 'getting there' is secondary to the zen of the ride.

My example did get a bit buzzy at around 60-65 if I remember correctly, but Kawasaki gave it the same firing order as the vintage Triumph bikes rather than the smoother 270 degree twins that are almost the standard nowadays, and as a result, the W800 SOUNDS more like a classic British bike than any modern Triumph twin does. So although at the expense of some extra vibes at higher speeds, they do sound very good. The W800 definitely rides better than the RE 650, and has one of the best factory stock seats of any bike I've ridden. It's just too expensive for a lot of riders to justify buying one.

I used to drive a BMW R75, which was a really good motorcycle.
After 20 years of non-driving a motorcycle I decided to buy me a BV300, a scooter. That was in 2019.

That choice was based on the idea a scooter does not look so much a motorcycle and maybe the misses could be persuaded to join as a passenger. She is afraid of motorcycles. With not so much success. We made a few trips together but I could feel she was not at ease. I tried to persuade her that the best way to overcome that fear is to drive it herself. She is very handy with a bicycle and my argument that driving the scooter is just as easy did not convince her.

So, I could just switch back to a "real" motorcycle. But I got to like the BV a lot. It is so easy to drive, it is reliable, it is comfortable, it is practical, it has more than enough power, it is fast at the red lights and more than fast enough for me on the high ways, it is sober on fuel.

A few 100 meters down the road a guy is selling his Guzzi 850. Classical touring style Guzzi it is. Very nice looking and I always did like Guzzi's. Already several months for sale now so maybe it could be a good bargain

But no, I stick to the BV.

Buy the Moto Guzzi.

Is it a Le Mans ?

Thanks for all the feedback. I have always like Bonnies though I have only ridden one briefly and never owned one. My biggest goal is to get back to a vintage motorcycle bike without all of the vintage motorcycle problems. Everything I am reading points to RE, Triumph or Honda.

I have also read that Royal Enfield has significantly improved its quality, reliability, and modern performance over the past decade, and parts and service are much more available in the US than in previous years. It also scores high on the value for money scale.

Guess it is time to take a few out for test rides.

Thanks Bill. If you ever get a chance test ride an Interceptor for me. I value your input on the ride.

I was looking at those as well. Have you wridden one OAD?

AI Core Comparison (the stuff that actually matters)
Category Interceptor 650 Honda SCL500 Bonneville T100
Engine 648cc parallel twin 471cc parallel twin 900cc parallel twin
Power ~47 hp ~46 hp ~64 hp
Torque ~52 Nm ~43 Nm ~80 Nm
Weight ~218 kg ~192 kg ~228 kg
Seat Height ~804 mm ~790 mm ~790 mm
Cooling Air/oil Liquid Liquid
Price (US new) ~$6k ~$6.8k ~$11k+

Key takeaway:

Interceptor = best value
SCL500 = lightest / easiest
T100 = most power & refinement

No matter how much better Royal Enfield's build quality gets it won't ever get into the same league as the Japanese, Germans or dare I say it, Italians.

I'd say it was equal to the Chinese at best. And that's a compliment.

OK, look at that Kawasaki W800 and tell me that it doesn't look Japanese.

You know it's a copy of a British bike so why does it look like it came from Japan without a Kawasaki badge on show ?

The W stands for winning.

Or Wanton Copy.

Honda anything - if you're done with fiddling to keep riding.

Probably the best build quality out there.

Bloody things last forever.

I have to say my Honda Super Cub is an absolute dream... (aside from the key locator draining battery if you forget to put your key in sleep mode. )

Displacement is too small for your needs, but as a commentary on quality. I am a convert. No offense to Modern Vespas, but Honda is a super high quality machine at a fair price point. And cheap in the used market.

A nudge, vote, nod for you to consider the SLC500.

or whinging?

I support that message.

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2023-Honda%C2%AE-SCL500AP-5039674500#sid=303807


750 miles!?!
Already has somekind of frog decal!!!??!!!


Bet they would take 4500.00 to 4800.00!!!

(Sorry... I am living vicariously through your moto search.)

Handsome

Nice but I would have to get that tank repainted.

I buy the Royal Enfields I've owned as #2 bikes, always secondary to whatever I'm using as a #1, which is currently my '13 R1200R, and with the exception of two of my RE's (500 and 350, excessive vibration and shit-for-hp), wasn't disappointed in them, so I'm batting 50/50 on my RE experience, with expectations that the new '26 Classic 650 will lift that ratio more towards the plus side...hey! It could happen.

I will say that I think the finest motorcycles I've ever owned are specific machines from Honda, Kawasaki, and Yamaha, though to achieve that glowing assessment I will have to omit my '73 Yamaha TX750 and '83 Venture 1200, both Japanese catastrophes of epic proportion, at least in my case.

That, they are!

Although I find myself saying, as I seem to do for all of the RE bikes (except the Guerilla 450), it could really use another ten hp.

The W800 is a weighty bike, and 47 hp, combined with the flywheel effect of a John Deere model B tractor, does make for a, what, leisurely ride? Which IS ok for those nice summer morning Sunday rides.