For better or worse

[pdedse]

Hmm. Poking around the Bike Shed website, that INT650 is available for rent for $60 a day. I think a day's ride on it will be my Christmas present to myself!

That could be a very expensive $60...

Gone, you make me thinking about trading my white std for a nice INT650 next season....maybe???
Do these match Honda quality and reliability??

I'm no RE expert, but did a fair amount of reading on them. Seems that the RE brand has improved its product quality substantially the last 10 years. They are producing some very nice looking bikes at attractive prices.

Perhaps an indictor here in the States: there were 108 RE dealerships in Mar of 2020, and as of Nov 22 there are 142 according to the 'net.

One drawback might be the service schedule with valve checks called for at every 3000 miles. I was concerned about that until I saw this video, which makes it seem quite do-able.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI9KlKsUe8]Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 - Valve Adjustment
EDIT: if you want to hear how the INT sounds, FF to minute 10:00


If anyone does the one day rental, would love to hear your thoughts.

Problem is- nobody 2nd hand is going to pay dealer prep, freight, tax, etc- those thousands do hurt the original buyer as they are sunk cost.

Example- my new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory stickers for 11k but nobody is getting out the door of a dealer for less than 13.5k or more on one.

Try to sell it a week later? Don't try to ask more than 10.5 at most- even with 100 mile on it- nobody will call. You will get emails offering 8k or less.

My one year experiment with the W800 café worked well financially only because the dealership reduced msrp by over $3,500. But with the INT650 this is why I decided to buy nearly new...let someone else pay those "sunk costs".

That could be a very expensive $60...
...
How do you reckon pdedse?

That could be a very expensive $60...
...
How do you reckon pdedse?
You ride one and you'll want to buy one!

How do you reckon pdedse?
You ride one and you'll want to buy one!
Ah - of course. I forgot about the emotion. Yeah, been rationalizing that away for awhile now.

I think for $60 greenbacks one could consume joy-by-the mile and really immerse in the decision process versus speculating how they might feel.

I think renting for a day is a great idea...I've only done it once, and it was with a Bonneville, and it was for my birthday as well. $60 per day is fabulous. For the 'ville it was more, around $110 for the day and this must have been 7-8 years ago. I think I rode it some 300 miles during my 24 hour period...that experience helped me decide between buying it and the CB1100.

Hmm. Poking around the Bike Shed website, that INT650 is available for rent for $60 a day. I think a day's ride on it will be my Christmas present to myself!

That could be a very expensive $60...

Gone, you make me thinking about trading my white std for a nice INT650 next season....maybe???
Do these match Honda quality and reliability??

I'm no RE expert, but did a fair amount of reading on them. Seems that the RE brand has improved its product quality substantially the last 10 years. They are producing some very nice looking bikes at attractive prices.

Perhaps an indictor here in the States: there were 108 RE dealerships in Mar of 2020, and as of Nov 22 there are 142 according to the 'net.

One drawback might be the service schedule with valve checks called for at every 3000 miles. I was concerned about that until I saw this video, which makes it seem quite do-able.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI9KlKsUe8]Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 - Valve Adjustment
EDIT: if you want to hear how the INT sounds, FF to minute 10:00


If anyone does the one day rental, would love to hear your thoughts.

Problem is- nobody 2nd hand is going to pay dealer prep, freight, tax, etc- those thousands do hurt the original buyer as they are sunk cost.

Example- my new Aprilia Tuono 660 Factory stickers for 11k but nobody is getting out the door of a dealer for less than 13.5k or more on one.

Try to sell it a week later? Don't try to ask more than 10.5 at most- even with 100 mile on it- nobody will call. You will get emails offering 8k or less.

My one year experiment with the W800 café worked well financially only because the dealership reduced msrp by over $3,500. But with the INT650 this is why I decided to buy nearly new...let someone else pay those "sunk costs".

I'm no RE expert, but did a fair amount of reading on them. Seems that the RE brand has improved its product quality substantially the last 10 years. They are producing some very nice looking bikes at attractive prices.

Perhaps an indictor here in the States: there were 108 RE dealerships in Mar of 2020, and as of Nov 22 there are 142 according to the 'net.

One drawback might be the service schedule with valve checks called for at every 3000 miles. I was concerned about that until I saw this video, which makes it seem quite do-able.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DI9KlKsUe8]Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 - Valve Adjustment
EDIT: if you want to hear how the INT sounds, FF to minute 10:00
Thanks Pdedse.
Easy peasy like last century valve adjustment, done thousands of these..
Every 3000 miles...are they using aluminium or copper ??
Most likely as a dealer $upport maintenance.

Good to hear confirmation that it's easy. I've done valve check/adjust 3x on my KLR650 (shims), but each time it was done at a "tech day" when like minded KLR enthusiasts met locally to help each other work on their bikes. You do your own work, but under the supervision of those more knowledgeable. I went to 4-5 of them and we had anywhere from 5 people show to up to 25. I'm forever grateful for those guys / gals who organized those get togethers.

But every 3000 miles, yeah. Could be a conservative move and maybe later it's upped to 5000...or maybe they know their product! The CB1100 had 8k mile valve checks the first few years and then later upped it to 12k. On RE forums, I read that even at breakin service (a valve check is required) several owners found them out of spec, so it would seem they are finicky in this regard. If I didn't think I could do the valve check, then likely I wouldn't have purchased the INT650. Yet in the back of my mind this is a "one-year-stand" bike, so maybe it wouldn't have mattered much.

As pretty as these bikes are, and are they ever pretty… I want to see if it’s basically a slower version of my Bonneville. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing. My Bonnie is the one bike I’ve kept over the years and has the most miles, because it’s pretty and comfortable. It’s also as reliable as a hammer and has asked for nothing but a few pairs of tires.

An Enfield would need to replace the CB300R in the fleet, because I’m not selling the Bonnie or the 1100. Which means there would have to be the potential for Mrs. G to be able to learn on an INT650 while also becoming part of my commuting fleet. Doable from what the internet says.

There’s a RE dealer nearby, and like my other bikes, it would never see a rainy day. But, would it have the reliability of a Honda or a Triumph? Maybe. But, I’m getting ahead of myself before I’ve even swung a leg over one.

Reliability...right after I bought my '14 CB1100 I read of the high/low idle issues, and I thought "well, that won't happen to my bike" (with my fingers crossed). But then it did, and so "Honda reliability" rang hollow for me--this was my first real experience with Honda. Happily, the '17ex has been trouble free.

My understanding is that the RE for many years was infamous for issues, but in India they are ubiquitious and the repairs were easy with parts always available. Then over the last 10-some years they made changes to improve their product and people are finding them more reliable than anticipated. New RE bikes come with a 3 year warranty with a roadside service. Is that confidence in their product, or is that an attempt to change perception about their bikes...maybe both?

So my fingers are crossed again that this bike will be trouble free for 1-2 years, and then I'll likely sell it. Unless I don't.