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By MartinB
#82771
Well I was at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb this afternoon and upon leaving I spied a new 650 Interceptor and got talking to the rider who turned out to be a journalist with a long term test bike. Having not seen one since my road test 2 weeks ago I have to it looked impressive and the chappie said he had been impressed by the bike too!Hoping to take delivery of mine on Tuesday.
By MartinB
#82958
Well I've got my bike but haven't ridden it yet due to our lovely weather.
By sofiaspin
#82961
The new 650s are on a par weight-wise with the Hinckley twins - in other words, heavy. I am not buying one because of the huge weight. The new Triumph Speed Twin is 10kg less and it has a 1200 engine and all the rest. The bikes are too high and too heavy.
By MartinB
#82966
These bikes are NOT that heavy.I've had a Bandit 1200 , Kawa ZRX1200, Moto Guzzi Griso 1100-all too heavy for me but these are fine-as are the W650 Kawa and Guzzi V7.
By Enfield_Vega
#82970
Almost 500 miles on mine now and I can tell you the bike does not feel at all heavy whether pushing or legging it around, very manoeuvrable. I've a 32" inside leg and have no issue with the left side peg position, not hit my leg once. The bar position is also spot on for a bit of 60-70 riding giving a bit of elbow bend so it remains comfy on the slower, twistier stuff too.
1st service on Tuesday at the sister dealership to the supplying one but 70 miles closer. Honda and Yamaha dealer with experienced techs but they'd not done a 650 before.
"What, it's got tappets!" was the reaction to the valve clearance check. Apparently the tank had to come off along with the ABS unit and various disconnections. 4 hours, but by the sound of it an experienced tech would still be looking at 3 hours. My advice to any potential buyer is to negotiate the 1st service as part of the deal.
Feels peppier now though and I'm now using up to 6k revs, more than the manual says but it still feels safe enough with quality oil and fuel.
By MartinB
#82971
That's good to know.Mine's still not turned a wheel in anger due to the poor weather we've had since i took delivery on Wednesday. I've been in touch with our hosts who have already developed some upgrades with more to follow hopefully. You can access what's planned by clicking on the specific model and then under "include out of stock items".
By PO51UHD
#82976
Mine’s still on order, hoping for delivery in next couple of weeks. I ordered mine after the test ride BECAUSE it was so light and manoeuvrable!
Thanks for the pic Martin, mine’s going to be silver too - looks great!
By MartinB
#82982
Just been for my first brief (20 miles) ride and all is good as you would hope : a nice little relaxing ride with hopefully many more to follow.

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