Check out the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 in the first gear challenge [Video}

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is arguably one of the best bikes money can buy under Rs. 3 lakh price mark. It is the most powerful bike in its price segment and is pretty enjoyable to ride too. Though it weighs around 202 kg, it manages its heft quite efficiently and the extra weight is felt at low speeds only. Pulling the throttle all the way back will result in a top whack of around 170 km/h. However, how much speed does the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 attain when the throttle is pulled back fully in first gear. The video below by Sundar Kasyap answers the question. Let’s take a look at the video where the rider does the first gear speed test at around 3 minutes.

According to the video, the Interceptor 650 attains a speed between 65 km/h to 70 km/h when in first gear. That is quite a decent figure to say the least, especially since the Interceptor 650 is not a performance oriented motorcycle. However, we recommend you to not try this with your bikes as redlining can harm the engine. Doing it some times is all right but redlining in every gear often can result in unnecessary wear and tear of the engine and gearbox internals. Therefore, avoid this habit if you have one.

Talking about the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, the retro looking bike is built on a double downtube chassis instead of Royal Enfield’s traditional single downtube chassis. The chassis has been developed in partnership with Harris Performance, UK, which is now a subsidiary of Royal Enfield. The seating position of the Interceptor 650 is relaxed which is further complemented by the tall, wide handlebars and centre set foot pegs. All this makes it a comfortable and easy going bike. It has a wider appeal and therefore is more in demand than it twin, the Continental GT 650, which is a retro cafe racer designed bike.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is powered by a  647 cc SOHC, parallel twin, air-oil cooled four stroke engine. The newly developed engine produces 47 Bhp of power along with 52 Nm of torque. It will be mated to a 6 speed manual gearbox equipped with a slipper clutch. Braking duties are done by a 320 mm disc at front and a 240 mm disc at the rear. Dual channel ABS is standard across the range. As for the suspension, both the bikes will use a 41 mm telescopic suspension with 110 mm travel up front while twin gas charged coil springs with 88 mm travel will take care of the rear suspension. Both bikes have 174 mm of ground clearance.

The Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 is priced at Rs. 2.50 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). It has no direct rival at this price point but bikes like the KTM 390 Duke, BMW G 310R and the newly launched Honda CB300R can be said to offer some challenge in the price range.