(New) Royal Enfield Interceptor compared to Commando?

I know a couple of lads with REs and they generally like them.

They can be hustled along surprisingly quickly and are easily a match for 99% of old Brit parallel twins from A to B.

Handling and braking is good.

After market options are vast. From cosmetics to big bores and serious engine tuning options.

However, they lack the torque of many Brit twins. They also lack the ‘character’ (read engineering deficiencies). Personally, I found riding one a tad bland.

Some components are bottom drawer stuff, ie forks, shocks, brakes. Rear calipers seize up if used in winter. In general, the bikes don’t stand up too well to a horrid, salty, Brit winter.

They are good bikes ‘as is’ so long as you judge them for what they are. If you start upgrading one the costs quickly add up to the point you would simply be better off buying a Triumph. Which is probably a good overall summary, the RE is basically like a budget Triumph.

MexicoMike said:

My wife owned an F750 for a while and didn't like it at all. I rode it a few times and it was OK but didn't do anything at all for me. I hadn't thought at all about BSA. TBH, I didn't realize until this morning, reading the responses, that "modern" BSA even existed!

Just checked the specs - I couldn't deal with a single!

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I think I could. Plenty of power and smooth as glass. Lots of Commandos won't hit the ton ( single carb) let alone go past it. Pulls up there quickly too. I doubt that an old DBD34 could keep up.

My experience with singles - admittedly a long time ago - is a LOT of vibration. Maybe that's been eliminated with counter shafts or whatever?

Yes, this one has a balancer shaft to eliminate or greatly reduce vibration. One reviewer even complained that it was too smooth for his liking! My guess is that he doesn’t do long rides. A vibratory bike that is fun on a short Green Lane type ride is a torture machine on a 300 mile day at 70-80 mph.
Boatloads of these bikes have been sold now and the miles ridden are racking up. I follow a couple of Facebook groups. So far there have been quite a few small problems but not many big problems. The Interceptor forum is much the same.
If you want a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, get a new Triumph. That's my observation anyway.
No doubt the 2024 version of this BSA will be better than the 2023 model. The 2023 model is actually doing quite well considering it is an all new design. It helps that the powerplant is a proven Rotax unit that has been used by BMW and Aprilia for many years.



Glen

worntorn said:

If you want a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, get a new Triumph. That's my observation anyway.

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If I were in the market for a new RE, I’m pretty sure I’d buy a used Triumph.

If you want a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, get a new Triumph.

Heck, if I wanted a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, I'd buy a Japanese bike! Oh, wait, I have one...my Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe!

Re Triumph - I prefer the LOOKS of the RE twin over the Triumph twins. The RE is the only twin I am interested in...other than my Commando. That was the reason for my original post, requesting any actual experience with both. I probably should have stated that specifically - that no other retros/twins need apply.

For the record they have Brembo brakes and Excel rims! Don't know who makes suspension.

MexicoMike said:

If you want a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, get a new Triumph.

Heck, if I wanted a retro bike with Japanese level reliability, I'd buy a Japanese bike! Oh, wait, I have one...my Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe!

Re Triumph - I prefer the LOOKS of the RE twin over the Triumph twins. The RE is the only twin I am interested in...other than my Commando. That was the reason for my original post, requesting any actual experience with both. I probably should have stated that specifically - that no other retros/twins need apply.

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I should have said " Looking for a retro bike with British styling and Japanese reliability" The classic Triumphs, RE and now the BSA all do a fairly good job on the British styling.
I assumed that's what you were after with the RE.
The Kawi looks just as Japanese as they ever did.

Glen

I really like the Kawasaki Z1 and tried to find a real one but pickings were thin and the prices weren't. I think the Z900RS captures the general look/feel of the Z1 though not really accurately since the Z900RS has a mono shock and a single exhaust. It's a nice bike but I think the RE does an excellent job of looking like a classic britt-bike and, TBH, it's 47HP is better suited for me on the windy secondary roads we enjoy.

I can't believe I'm actually thinking that 47 HP is "enough" since I was always fond of saying "There is no such thing as too much power," but I find that if I have a lot of power, I feel the need to use it as much as possible which is counter to simply enjoying a ride. I wish I had my wife's ability to just relax and ride. But in the Z I'm constantly looking for any excuse to redline the motor/scrape the pegs. She, OTOH, is equally comfortable on her 60HP Honda NCT, her 90 HP Africa Twin and her 160HP Ducati Diavel (she likes the Diavel best). On any given road she would be riding/cornering/etc at the same velocity regardless which bike she is on. I have this psychological "obligation" to push bikes so the more power, the faster I go in all modes. So I'm thinking that lower HP might force me to enjoy a ride rather than constantly thinking, "I'll bet I can go faster around this next curve!"

Yes, I realize that's totally a psychological issue, the bike doesn't decide on it's own to do wheelies/scrape pegs but I feel that if I have a "fast looking" moto I have to ride it that way. Maybe I need therapy, not a different motorcycle!

Do I have useful experience to add....not really but hey ho....that hasn't stopped anybody else...

I rode the Rickman at Carole last September and got comprehensively buzzed by a young lady on a RE Interceptor! (I may have been on my Suzuki which constitutes my excuse!)

I would doubt it was standard, and certainly I could see uprated shocks.

That wasn't long before visiting a local fellow Brit and former classic Ducati racer who has a motorcycle workshop serving locals and not so locals.

He used to be a Guzzi franchisee in the UK. You can't move in his workshop for bikes, including his own Guzzi and T140 and several smaller bikes of his wife's.

He had a Commando on the bench that he was doing a lovely restoration to for someone. And had an RE 650 on another bench he was in the process of converting for a customer to towards 900cc with off the shelf kit parts. He happily pointed out the low budget cycle parts.

But he also said....'I've ridden a couple, standard and modified', 'these are really good for the money' and 'you should get one'....

He had bought a smaller RE for his wife, but he isn't a franchise.

Later in the year a contact who built some very successful racers in the UK died from cancer. He had an RE that he made his last motorcycle ride on. He loved it and regularly told me so!

And after reading your post last night, I bloody dream't I had actually bought one with the money my wife wants to use to buy her a car! That won't be happening then!

MexicoMike said:

I've read "reviews" of the RE 650 interceptor both here and on dedicated review sites but what I'd really like is a review of how it compares directly to a stock 850 Commando as far as overall feel, acceleration, braking, handling etc. Any specific good (or bad) points compared to the Commando? I realize the RE will be essentially maintenance-free in comparison and that's somewhat important but I'm primarily interested in how the bike actually feels/operates on the rode compared to a well-maintained Commando. Per reviews the RE is a bit heavier than the Commando though reliable Commando weights are a bit scarce! So does the RE FEEL heavier than the Commando on the road or moving it around the garage?

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I have both a 74 850 Commando and a 2019 RE Interceptor. The Commando can run away and hide from the Interceptor. Smooth enough but no soul if you know what I mean. I have converted my Norton to an E-start, thank you Matt for a great product. I have to wiggle the ignition switch on the Enfield for things to start working and the seat isn't very comfortable. Thinking about selling the RE.

A Commando is pretty much a detuned Atlas - that is probably what should be used as a basis for comparison ? In the old days, an Atlas would crap on a RE, The new RE might be a bit better, but the metallurgy is always suspect - depending on where the internals are made.

acotrel said:

A Commando is pretty much a detuned Atlas - that is probably what should be used as a basis for comparison ? In the old days, an Atlas would crap on a RE, The new RE might be a bit better, but the metallurgy is always suspect - depending on where the internals are made.

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How many times Al ?
A commando engine is a tuned up atlas engine
Take a look at the concave low compression atlas piston's and carburettor size FFS

acotrel said:

A Commando is pretty much a detuned Atlas - that is probably what should be used as a basis for comparison ? In the old days, an Atlas would crap on a RE, The new RE might be a bit better, but the metallurgy is always suspect - depending on where the internals are made.

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Serious question Al
Why do you not reply when you are called out for giving out wrong information?