Royal Enfield Interceptor twin

[mayfly]

So, I've been out of the motorcycle world for some years.  'bout 13 years actually.  When I was in it, Royal Enfield had entered North America selling outdated designs of pre-war singles.  350 to 500 cc, all made in India.  Interesting, but not terribly exciting.

But then yesterday on a whim I checked them out again, and found out they now had this:

and this

Looks pretty exciting to me!  Kinda like a modern Norton Command with 4 valves per cylinder and ABS.  I like it!

 

[mayfly]

Oh yea:  Also has fuel injection and a 6 speed box.  I like it even more!!

 

[rgand]

Yeah, those are pretty cool. Other than the tank & seat being a little short, the cafe racer version is like the ones in the 60's and 70's. One of those would be fun, for sure. In 1970 I built this and rode it for several years as my only transportation. I had a headlight on it but it was off for repairs here.

 

[BigSteve22]

Nice bikes! I was never into motorcycles, (bicycles put me in the hospital, twice), but I can certainly understand the allure. Got one on your Christmas list?

 

[BroccoliRob]

Nice bikes! I was never into motorcycles, (bicycles put me in the hospital, twice), but I can certainly understand the allure. Got one on your Christmas list?

Daaaaaamn, Twice? Do tell! unless the stories are scary

 

[BigSteve22]

Nice bikes! I was never into motorcycles, (bicycles put me in the hospital, twice), but I can certainly understand the allure. Got one on your Christmas list?

Daaaaaamn, Twice? Do tell! unless the stories are scary

1) 9 years old(?), racing around the block where I lived, in Queens, NY. Half the kids went in one directions, half in the other. I was in the lead in my direction, but rounding the far corner, I met the leader of the pack traveling in the other. Head on, her fender, (yes, bicycles had fenders back then),  caught the inside of my right thigh. 27 stitches.

2) 11 rears old, racing down "Dynamite Hill", still in Queens NY. Right foot slipped off the pedal, ended up between the sprocket and the chain. Broken 5th metatarsal.

 

[Cagey]

! Damn! What is it about foot injuries that makes them so painful?

 

[Rick]

Speaking as someone whose brook uu

 

[BroccoliRob]

Nice bikes! I was never into motorcycles, (bicycles put me in the hospital, twice), but I can certainly understand the allure. Got one on your Christmas list?

Daaaaaamn, Twice? Do tell! unless the stories are scary

1) 9 years old(?), racing around the block where I lived, in Queens, NY. Half the kids went in one directions, half in the other. I was in the lead in my direction, but rounding the far corner, I met the leader of the pack traveling in the other. Head on, her fender, (yes, bicycles had fenders back then),  caught the inside of my right thigh. 27 stitches.

2) 11 rears old, racing down "Dynamite Hill", still in Queens NY. Right foot slipped off the pedal, ended up between the sprocket and the chain. Broken 5th metatarsal.

Oof, yeah. (I hit like on this post as a thank you for the stories not because I like that you were injured, I don't, that's something an insane person would do). But I gotta say Dynamite Hill would make a great song title so i guess some good came out of it after all. I'll pour out some ranch for your metatarsal

 

[swarfrat]

I rode a KLR. I'm not much on 'Harley's' but I absolutely love the look of the tank on the WWII era WLA's. If they just had disc brakes.

 

[BigSteve22]

! Damn! What is it about foot injuries that makes them so painful?

Not to be obvious, but: Feet....

...Dynamite Hill would make a great song title so i guess some good came out of it after all. I'll pour out some ranch for your metatarsal

"Dynamite Hill" was one block long, an a quiet residential street. Cars would avoid it, because the street at the bottom was gouged by the undercarriages of those foolish enough to use it. So of course my friends and I figured it was a good idea to pedal down it as fast as we could! I'd hit the 'ole "Hidden Valley" to toast childhood logic, and those of us who survived it!  :toothy12:

 

[bagman67]

Last time I owned a motorcycle was 30 years ago, and while I loved it at the time as a 22-year-old kid with (in my testosterone addled view) nothing to lose, as a dad and husband I wouldn't get back on one.


But I did love my trusty steed, a Yamaha XS 850 triple with low-end torque to burn.  It was like the mutant offspring of a John Deere and a Harley Sportster.  One of these, but beat to hell:

 

[rgand]

"Dynamite Hill" was one block long, an a quiet residential street. Cars would avoid it, because the street at the bottom was gouged by the undercarriages of those foolish enough to use it. So of course my friends and I figured it was a good idea to pedal down it as fast as we could! I'd hit the 'ole "Hidden Valley" to toast childhood logic, and those of us who survived it!  :toothy12:

Glad to hear you survived. Sounds like serious fun, though. I think we all had similar hills. We took ours on skateboards. There was no 'hidden valley' at the bottom of ours, just a main thoroughfare so we had to bail off on a lawn before getting to it. I got some good road rash from that. Then we discovered motorcycles... :laughing11:

 

[BigSteve22]

..I'll pour out some ranch for your metatarsal

....I'd hit the 'ole "Hidden Valley" to toast childhood logic, and those of us who survived it!  :toothy12:

Sorry for the unintentionl hijack. Let's officially return this thread to the OM's intent.....

 

[swarfrat]

Last time I had a motorcycle was just before the smart phone/touch screen explosion. NWIH I'd do it no, especially since I have a young kid.

 

[Cagey]

I rode a Honda CB750 for a couple years until I became convinced them damnable 4 wheelers were bound and determined to kill me. Constantly amazed at how you could see people could looking right at you and pull out in front of you from a sidestreet/parking lot/whatever. It was as if I didn't exist. Finally traded it in and got a nice Honda lawnmower.

 

[BigSteve22]

...Constantly amazed at how you could see people could looking right at you and pull out in front of you from a sidestreet/parking lot/whatever. It was as if I didn't exist...

I understand where your coming from, but I have never been cut off so closely or dangerously, as by people on motorcycles. Some of the crap I've seen them do makes me wonder how they ever lived long enough to get a license, And then I see these stickers: "I don't drive, I ride". I'm sorry, but if you're screaming down the road, doing 85mph, holding onto the outside of your vehicle, with nothing between your a$$ and the morgue but a leather jacket and a Styrofoam hat, you better be driving!

 

[Cagey]

I've never understood that behavior myself. Bike's dangerous enough without making assumptions about what traffic's gonna do or how it'll react. I don't even like being a passenger in a car, these days. Thank goodness for UPS, grocery delivery, etc.

 

[swarfrat]

The thing is those people are A*@#$(! in their car too. But motorcycles are completely invisible to soccer moms unless they have blue lights.

My theory is people only see vehicles they're afraid of. People "Don't see" a 300lb guy wearing 6 sq ft of lime yellow. But I guarantee if you rode down the road with a 1911 on your hip every one of those SUV's that "don't see" you would be calling 9-1-1 even where it's legal.

So what we need Reactive Body Armor for motorcyclists. You take me out - I'm taking you out too.

 

[mayfly]

During my 20+ years of riding motorcycles, I had a load of close calls with cars.  I've had people rear end me, cut me off, blow through red lights in my lane (while I was stopped at said red light), and EVEN BACK OVER THE BIKE WHILE IT WAS PARKED(?!?).  Every time I had interaction with the driver it was "I didn't see you".  Really - you didn't see a 6'2" 220lb guy covered with reflective crap on a bright red motorcycle with an illegally loud exhaust pipe and illegally bright headlights.  Wow. 

In the end I was done in by someone deciding to make a u-turn across 4 lanes of traffic.  He was on the outside lane and I was on the inside lane.  I was tossed off the bike and landed about 50ft up the road on my back.  I was not seriously injured (Aerostich suit = good), but the bike was written off.  I was happy to see that the driver was the one given the ticket.  Should have lost his license IMHO.  I had a one year old baby and my wife said 'no more bikes'.  Could not blame her - too many dumb drivers out there...

But that Royal Enfield is the BOMB!!  We just need better driver skills...