2020 bikesales Bike of the Year Finalist: Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

The 2020 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 surprised like no other contender on this year's bikesales Bike of the Year, and in the best possible way.

A sub-$10k machine with LAMS (Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme) compliance, our Best Retro was an outlier amid a raft of largely otherwise high-performance, high-technology and (mainly) high-priced machines. That perhaps gave the Indian-made Royal Enfield an advantage – our judges were curious, if not exactly expecting a mind-bending ride experience.

What most got, however, was a grin they struggled to contain within their helmets, and the realisation that this affordable, manageable retro delivers the sort of homespun riding enjoyment that convinced us all to start riding in the first place…

Royal Enfield has been pushing its mantra of 'pure motorcycling' for years, having produced back-to-basics single-cylinder machines for over a century. In fact, the brand also lays claim to the tag of being the world's oldest motorcycle manufacturer to remain in continuous production, the Indian incarnation of the brand continuing decades after the original British parent succumbed to the fall of the British motorcycle industry.

These days it's a massive concern, with an R&D plant in Leicestershire, UK, and manufacturing facilities (and headquarters) in Chennai, India. It draws on an international cast of staffing talent and its 650 twins – the Inceptor 650 and its café racer sibling, the Continental GT 650 – have made a major push into the brand's export markets around the world.

The shift to modern manufacturing processes has led to a focus on quality control and the rollout of a three-year, unlimited-kilometre factory warranty (most established brands still only offer two). And all this shows in the Interceptor 650, which never missed a beat over 1500 kilometres of hard riding in the High Country.

Indeed, our judges flogged the living daylights out of the Interceptor 650 in an attempt to shame anyone else on far higher-performance fare (there should be a special word for the frustration evoked by struggling to keep up with a LAMS bike when you're on a superbike!). But with just 47hp and 52Nm on tap, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 managed this time and time again (albeit mainly with a certain former TT winner at the 'bars!).

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The secret is the Interceptor's sheer ease of use. The bike has an easy, upright, and relatively roomy ride position, and when combined with a competent chassis and suspension, surprisingly effective brakes, and a grunty and willing parallel-twin engine, it's a recipe for unadulterated riding enjoyment. It will waft along at a sedate pace or go like the clappers as your mood and conditions dictate, all while looking all the world like it just rolled out of the 1960s.

The (slipper) clutch is nice and light and the engine is actually very responsive – it will readily rev out in the lower of its six gears, but is happiest when spinning in its torquey mid-range. Vibration, traditionally a bugbears of Brit twins of days gone by, is nicely suppressed. There's still that pleasing parallel-twin rumble, but there's certainly not enough vibration to annoy.

The Pirelli Phantom Sport tyres were developed specifically for Royal Enfield's twins and they allow you to explore all of the Interceptor 650's healthy cornering clearance. And the conventional 41mm fork and twin piggyback rear shocks – by Indian firm Gabriel – do a bang up job on a budget. Sure, the Interceptor 650 won't rail through corners like a Panigale, but it soaks up the worst of the bumps and dips and never throws up any nasty surprises.

For a basic, Brit-style retro, there's really very little to criticise here. Okay, so the build quality isn't quite up to the standard of the other Bike of the Year contenders and it makes do with more budget-oriented components (like brakes from Brembo's Indian-based subsidiary, BYBRE). But hey, it's $9990 ride away, which is at least half the price of most other bikes assembled on this test, if not significantly less.

But with that engine, those spoked rims and that gorgeous 'Orange Crush' paint, it looks just lovely; the general public will assume it's a true classic bike, rather than a modern copy.

Our judges loved the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650's fun factor and its sheer bang for your buck, while the complete lack of tech (bar electronic fuel injection, ABS, and a small LCD trip meter) and more modest performance were detractors for some.

On the flipside, that modest mumbo also delivered the lowest average fuel economy figure on test, the Interceptor 650 sipping just 4.6L/100km despite the mountain roads and some merciless throttle use. That made it the fuel economy champion of our eight contenders.

In a complicated world dominated these days by complicated bikes, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is a simple, honest machine. For day trips, commuting, or even just admiring in the shed, it's a stonking little package that's as pleasurable to ride as it is unpretentious.

ENGINE
Type: Air/oil-cooled, SOHC, eight-valve, four-stroke parallel-twin
Capacity: 648cc
Bore x stroke: 78mm x 67.8mm
Compression ratio: 9.5:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 47hp (34.6kW) at 7100rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 52Nm at 4000rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet, multi-plate
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Tubular steel double cradle
Front suspension: 41mm fork, non-adjustable
Rear suspension: Twin shocks, adjustable for preload
Front brakes: Single 320mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 240mm disc with single-piston caliper
Wheels: Spoked alloy
Tyres: Pirelli Phantom Sport; 100/90-18 front, 130/70-18 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 202kg
Seat height: 804mm
Wheelbase: 1400mm
Rake: 24 degrees
Fuel capacity: 13.7 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $9990 ride away
Colours: Mark Three, Glitter & Dust, Orange Crush, Ravishing Red, Silver Spectre or Baker Express
Warranty: Three years/unlimited kilometres
Bike supplied by: Royal Enfield Australia