Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (2018-on) Review

Overall rating

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a retro naked middleweight with a 649cc engine that makes 47bhp, meaning it's A2 compliant. It's one of the best-value bikes on sale in the UK, with a list price below £6000 including a full warranty and dealer support. It was launched alongside the Continental GT roadster, but the Interceptor is the most popular model by a significant margin. In fact, it's one of the best-selling bikes in the country at time of publication. 

The engine is lively without being intimidating, the handling is fun without being patronising, and the finish is good without breaking the bank.

• Related: New Royal Enfield 650 cruiser spotted
• Related: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 on MCN long-term test fleet
• Related: See this bike in our best A2 motorcycles article

When you take into account the price, it really is a suspension overhaul away from being a five-star bike. I’ve saved the best bit till last too: the average age of an Enfield owner in India is 27. If they can repeat that trick over here, we could be looking at the bike that saves the sport.

And thanks to its relatively low cost, the Interceptor makes a great base for a custom bike, with plenty of parts available. Jump to the Equipment section for more on that.

Owners in the UK are able to join the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Owners Group on Facebook.

Video: A year with the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

Ride quality & brakes

The Royal Enfield test riders say their brief for this bike was to make it fun and they’ve succeeded. Because it doesn’t make huge amounts of power, you can rev the nuts off it and spend the whole day stretching your throttle cables without feeling like you’ve had the stuffing knocked out of you.

When a corner approaches, the Bybre brakes scrub off speed well with a decent bite and good modulation – hell even the budget Pirellis do a great job of sticking to the road, although they're not brilliant in the rain or slippery conditions. An aftermarket upgrade is a massive improvement. 

Riding along you start wondering where they’ve saved the money, then you come across some challenging corners and it all becomes painfully apparent.

When you really start to push on, the budget suspension starts to struggle. The Interceptor is very soft, at the request of the Indian market, and can wallow on fast, sweeping roads.

When you do hit a bump, it’s under damped so it blows straight through the first part of the suspension and pops back with a jolt.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 price: seriously good value

When you consider the price, you can forgive the bike a few faults – there are more expensive bikes with naff suspension too – but it’s still disappointing.

In truth, a suspension swap wouldn’t be the hardest job in the world nor the most expensive, and Royal Enfield did hint that posher suspension options might find their way into the catalogue in the near future, but for now it does mar the finish on an otherwise great bike.

Many owners report the standard seat is a little firm, which makes extended riding a bit of a chore. You can buy a Touring seat for the Interceptor from Royal Enfield dealers for around £150 and this is a far better option if you want to cover big miles. 

One thing you do have to go without is adjustable brake and clutch levers, but firms like Tec can supply aftermarket items at relatively low cost. 

Aftermarket upgrades for the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 twin

We had an Interceptor 650 in the 2020 MCN Fleet and have swapped the tyres to Continental Road Attack 3 (you have to get the rear in a 130/80 instead of the 130/70 that comes as standard) and upgraded the suspension with K-tech rear shocks and fork cartridges.

The new parts have transformed the bike’s handling from adequate to sharp without sacrificing comfort. 

Engine

The Interceptor is fitted with Enfield’s brand new, air-cooled 650 parallel twin, also used in the Royal Enfield Continental GT. It doesn’t make huge amounts of power or torque, but that’s not really the point and it has ‘enough’.

Down low there’s a reasonable amount of torque with most of it arriving before 2500rpm, so you can chug it out of corners but you can rev it too without it ever feeling like it’s going to bite. The throttle is lovely and smooth too, plus it’s A2 compliant.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 will do 100mph

Holding on to gears brings you a bit more power while also rewarding you with a fantastic exhaust note. It sounds like it’s straight out of the ‘60s, which is a miracle in a Euro4 strangled world – there are even some S&S cans for noisy types.

The new six-speed gearbox (an Enfield first!) is slick and if you keep feeding it gears it will clamber all the way to the magic ton.

Watch and listen: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with S&S slip-on pipes and air filter kit

During our time with the Interceptor on the MCN Fleet in 2020, we installed some S&S slip-on end cans, a high-flow air filter and an air filter restrictor removal kit. These make the engine note considerably more interesting, 

Reliability & build quality

For the brief 150 miles we rode the bike on the launch in September 2018, nothing broke. In all seriousness Royal Enfield doesn’t have the best rep for reliability but that’s something they want to change.

All the new bikes that come off the line will have gone through a 1007-point-check, which Enfield said took over six hours to complete. If that’s not enough, every new bike came with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, so there was peace of mind when purchasing an Interceptor, too.

Speaking personally – we wouldn’t have any concerns about buying one and it falling apart on the ride home.

To find out what the Interceptor's reliability is like over the course of a year, we're running one on the MCN long-term fleet during 2020.

In May 2020 a recall was issued for this bike due to corroding Bybre brake calipers. 

We've got nine Royal Enfield Interceptor owners' reviews on the site, with an overall score of 4.4 stars out of 5. Comments include the firm standard seat, relatively expensive servicing costs and a few electric issues. 

Value vs rivals

Royal Enfield are known for the budget bikes and the Interceptor continues that crusade, starting at just £5500 for the standard 'Orange Crush' model, rising to £5990 for the 'Glitter Dust' option.

A brand new 650cc twin bike with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty for under £6000. Sounds like a bargain to us.

Rival bikes you may consider include the vastly more expensive Triumph Street Twin, the Fantic Caballero 500 and of course, sister bike, the Royal Enfield Continential GT.

We took the Interceptor around the MCN250 test route against two of its main rivals in the form of the Triumph Street Twin (£8100) and Kawasaki W800 (£8645).

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 vs Triumph Street Twin

Forget everything you know about old Royal Enfields because the new Interceptor 650 is in a different league. It still oozes old-school Enfield simplicity, but it’s well-built, classily finished and packed with well thought-out detail touches. It’s light, easy to ride, fun and handles incredibly well. At normal MCN250 road speeds, it’s as capable as any retro roaster, but at a fraction of the price.

Slicker, with funkier styling, more equipment, presence and more of a big bike feel, the Triumph is a class act and, compared to the BMWs and Ducatis of the world, decent value. It’s packed with character, superb handling, grunt, speed with easy road manners. 

It’s worth some of the extra cash over the Interceptor 650 for all its niceties, but for the pure riding experience there’s little to separate the two, which just goes to show what an incredible job Royal Enfield have done and why the 650 is our winner.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 vs Kawasaki W800

Attracted to retros for a taste of classic motorcycling? Kawasaki’s W800 hits the spot. Actually, it does more than that. Yes, it has the sensations and charisma of a British classic, but build quality and finish are far superior to how bikes used to be. And though its focus is on leisurely outings, the engine and chassis are more than capable of dealing with the frantic modern world.

Royal Enfield’s Interceptor also has traditional appeal, but in a package capable of more all-round use. It’s got the famous old name, classic looks and ample authenticity, enhanced by its basic nature and the fact it’s built to a price. But the 650 has far more grab-it-and-go versatility than the 800 – and is the best value retro on the market, too.

For laid-back Sunday morning thrums, sun-drenched evening pootles to the local meet and touchy-feely garage encounters, buy the Kawasaki. If you want a practical, affordable, jump-on-and-ride bike with plenty of old-school appeal, go for the Enfield.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 vs Fantic Caballero 500 Deluxe

Royal Enfield’s Interceptor 650 shook up our ideas of what was possible from a circa-£6K retro, but it’s no longer the only option. Last year, historic Italian brand Fantic came out with the fun and funky Caballero 500 Scrambler at a shade over £6K and it’s just been improved further with this latest Deluxe version. So how do the two measure up when pitted head-to-head around the MCN 250?

The Interceptor is almost unchallenged at being the most affordable retro. By ticking literally all the retro roadster boxes, proving to be a decent, pleasant ride and chiming in for almost £2500 less than the cheapest Bonneville (which, though better performing, can’t match all the retro details), the Enfield is so compelling.

But this test also revealed three further things: The Enfield’s not perfect and, pushed hard, reveals its slightly budget nature (although for many that might matter little). The Caballero, starting at £6399 (although not in this Deluxe spec), is priced close enough to be a valid, if slightly niche, alternative that a B-road connoisseur will enjoy.

The good news is that the spirit of the ‘street trailie’ is alive and well. If you’re of an age that remembers the hooliganistic joy of a Honda Dominator shod with Avon Gripsters, Fantic have rekindled that – and then some.

The Caballero might not be a true retro, it might not be as cheap as the Enfield and have limited range. But as a real-world B-road blaster or town bike with bags of on-trend ‘cool’, there are few bikes better.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 vs A2 restricted Triumph Street Triple and Honda CB650R

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650’s modest power output means that it can be ridden on an A2 licence without the need for a restrictor. But how does it compare to more expensive and powerful bikes that have been modified to fit the licence laws?

We took the Interceptor around the MCN250 test route with low-power versions of the Honda CB650R and Triumph Street Triple S to find out.

With the traffic travelling at a steady 60mph, all three bikes merrily slot into a commuter role and as there is no requirement to rev their engines we are hard pressed to spot their limited power. However, try an overtake and caution is advised.

Pull out on the Honda, drop a few gears, and just where you expect the inline-four to take off it remains static in its acceleration as the revs plateau and its power is curtailed. Shifting down a gear doesn’t help. If you want to find acceleration you are better off going up a gear and remaining low in the rev range.

It’s a similar story on the Triumph, whose triple doesn’t feel muted but certainly responds better at lower rpm than it does at high revs. That’s the sacrifice for remaining under 47bhp; more revs equals more power and that’s not allowed. But what of the Enfield, whose performance is unaltered by being A2-legal?

Enfield designed their parallel twin to hit 100mph, which it may do, but it’d require a long run up! Far happier at legal speeds, the Interceptor’s motor has a linear power delivery that means it too doesn’t thrive on being revved. In fact, the one time I did drop too many gears in an attempt to perform a speedy overtake I hit the rev limiter. I really wasn’t expecting it to chime in because the motor hardly felt like it was working.

By the time we had fought our way through to Boston the general consensus was that, yes, you could certainly commute on these three, but they aren’t the machines for zipping past fast moving traffic unless there’s plenty of room to build up momentum for the overtake. Momentum being the key word here... Through Boston and onto the clearer A52 and A607 towards Leicester and all three of these A2-legal bikes start to shine.

With clearer roads to build up and then conserve speed it was impossible not to thoroughly enjoy the ride as we flowed through the faster bends. Unlike some ‘budget’ bikes the fact all three come with known-brand tyres ensured loads of confidence in grip levels despite the damp surface. And with ABS and even traction control on the Triumph and Honda, we could relax and focus on the bends ahead.

Once going we wouldn’t have spotted they were A2-restricted and it was only accelerating out of 30 and 40mph limits that we felt a bit lacking in terms of oomph. However, with the tarmac drying and a twistier B-road  route ahead, would the afternoon’s riding change our perception?

Owning an A2-legal bike should be a fun experience because for many riders it is their entry on to two wheels, so they’ll more than likely spend more time on enjoyable roads such as the ones that make up this section of the MCN250.

Both the Triumph and Honda sit reasonably high in the price scale at £8100 and £7199 respectively, so you’d expect them to deliver in terms of the ride quality through high-spec components. Sure enough, while a couple of quid has been scrimped on the design of Street’s calipers and adjustability on its forks, both machines respond brilliantly on this B-road section.

Costing just £5699 the Interceptor doesn’t feel as high quality as the other two. And there are obvious compromises not only in the interest of budget restraint but also in terms of looks, such as the single brake disc, twin shocks and skinny tyres.

While its light weight and agile chassis mean that you can whip through bends with pace, it isn’t quite as composed as the heavier and more modern Triumph or Honda and its motor also lacks that bit of zing. On the Enfield you learn to enjoy the slight bounce and wobble you get through its suspension as it gives the bike a bit of character and spirit.

It’s in no way a slouch through the corners, it’s just happier at a slightly slower pace than the other two and rewards flowing riding rather than hard braking and acceleration.

If you aren’t in a rush I’d recommend the Interceptor to riders with a full licence, not just those on an A2. It’s fun to ride, cheap and cool-looking; perfect for those who want to take it easy. But if I was starting on my path to discovering the delights of motorcycling, I’d want something with a bike more fizz – or in other words, the Triumph Street Triple S.

Equipment

Despite its budget price there’s some decent kit. Brakes are from Brembo subsidiary ByBre and they’re paired with Bosch’s two-channel ABS. Pirelli provide the tyres (although 18" sizes don’t leave many aftermarket options).

The retro clocks are nice too and they’ve even got a fuel gauge, although they’re not as feature rich as the ones on the Royal Enfield Himalayan, which is a bit of a shame. The fit and finish of the rest of the bike isn’t bad either – the only thing that really lets it down is the budget suspension.

Royal Enfield Interceptor collector and dealer, Jeremy Pendergast, has been riding Royal Enfields since the '90s. Watch the video above to hear Jeremy talk about the golden age of the Interceptor and how he celebrates the bike's greatest following on the American West Coast.

The bike's available in six tank colours: Orange Crush, Mark Three or Silver Spectre (all £5699), Baker Express - below - or Ravishing Red (both £5899), and Glitter and Dust, which costs £6199. See the full range of colours here.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 custom mods

This roadster is a great base for a custom build. There are myriad options out there to make the Interceptor your own.

• Related: best custom base motorcycles

You can choose exhaust options from the likes of Zard, Tec and S&S, and the latter company can also supply various motor mods to increase performance, including an 850cc big-bore kit and wilder cams.

In fact, even Royal Enfield themselves offer a range of mods for the Interceptor. You can pick from parts like bar end kits, Scorpion exhausts, engine guards, taller windscreens and bike covers at their website.