With the engine’s torque coming on strong low in the powerband, it was an easy promise to keep.
The engine redlines at 7,500rpm - peak power is at 7250rpm - so I vowed to keep it under 5,000 for the first 300 miles. Would the INT650 be a smooth operator or a buzzing short-trip specialist? My INT650 showed just 1.2 miles on the odometer when it arrived, so I checked in with Royal Enfield about proper break-in and they basically said just don’t ride it like a maniac, so that was easy enough. Fun bikes to be sure, and parallel twins are great motors, but they can also be paint shakers. I’ve owned dozens of motorcycles, including a 1973 Norton Commando 750, a 1960s BSA A65, and a 1973 Honda CB450SS, each featuring the classic parallel twin (”P-twin”) two-cylinder engine. Heading out for an evening ride on the INT650 was one of my favorite activities while. The INT650 essentially debuted in 2018, along with its more sport-styled stablemate, the Continental GT. this time around due to Honda owning the trademark, but no matter, “INT650” still seems like a proper motorcycle moniker. They were unable to call it an Interceptor in the U.S. The onlookers confusion is really a compliment to Royal Enfield’s execution of the INT650, which is an homage to the original British-made Enfield “Interceptor” model from the 1960s.
Before anyone else can set a similar line of questioning into motion, I fire up the INT650 and head back out onto the curving back roads.
With the story finally straight, he’s stunned to learn the bike is a 2020 model with ABS and fuel injection, it’s made in India, costs $5,799 brand new and it’s not 50 years old or a custom build. “So, is it a Triumph?” he asks, adding he’s been riding motorcycles for the better part of 50 years and has never heard of “Royal Enfield.” “No.,” I reply with a small sigh, but seeing how the INT650 could easily be mistaken for the iconic British parallel twin, I tell him I understand the confusion, and explain things.