I had the new Enfield 650 up on Glendora Ridge Road this week and I thought I’d share a few photos with you. Not a lot of words this time, folks, other than to say I’m still breaking in the bike and I’m taking it easy. And the bike is pretty enough that it doesn’t need a lot of explanation. I’ll offer a little, though, and with that in mind, here we go.
To me, the Enfield is the closest thing ever to the original Triumph Bonneville, more so even than the modern Triumph Bonneville (in my story on the Royal Enfield in Motorcycle Classics magazine, I said that Enfield out-Triumphed Triumph). And that’s a good thing, because to me a ’60s Triumph Bonneville is the yardstick by which I measure all motorcycles. Edward Turner and the folks in Coventry got it right, and late ’60s Triumphs were the ultimate in style, performance, and cool. I spent major portions of my youth dreaming about Triumph Bonnevilles (and maybe a little bit about Raquel Welch). The 650 Enfield has that old Triumph Bonneville look and feel, and that’s the highest compliment I can give a motorcycle. But’s it not old Triumph quirky. Think original Triumph mystique, but with Honda fit and finish, and you’ll pretty much have an idea of what this motorcycle is like.
That’s enough wordsmithing for now.
More photos, you say? Coming right up!
It was a glorious day up in the San Gabriels. Glendora Ridge Road is always a great ride.
The new Enfield photographs well, I think. There are several colors available in this new model. I like the metalflake gold. It’s the same color as the test bike I rode in Baja and it makes for great photography.
This next photo could be a magazine cover. There aren’t too many magazines out there any more. It’s nearly all online now, as Gresh and I know all too well. That’s a topic for another time. Back to my point: This next shot would make a hell of a magazine cover.
And finally, one more photo…my signature selfie. This one is yours truly in the Enfield’s starboard muffler.
Glendora Ridge Road is a great road and a great place for breaking in a new motorcycle. A road with 234 curves in 12 miles…just what the doctor ordered for keeping the revs down and the shifts up. Click on that link above and you’ll learn more about GRR, and please do follow the ExNotes blog to learn more about the Enfield. I’ll be posting a lot on this bike. And I’ll still be posting stories about my CSC TT 250 and RX3, too. The right tool for the right job. They’re all great machines.
I may head over to Douglas Motorcycles later today; they’re having an Enfield open house and if I go I’ll grab a few more photos to share with you. There are other Enfield colors (they’re all beautiful), and they need me and my Nikon. The 24-120 lens and I hear them calling.
Hey, there are other Enfield owners out there. Let’s hear from you! Please add your comments to the blog. Folks want to hear what you have to say!
That is a beautiful motorcycle. Timeless design. Looking forward to reading more.
I’ll do my best, Steve.
My favorite color and my new favorite bike. I saw Harris run this bike 152 mph at Bonneville in 2018… they are quick! Now you get one and enjoy it for the rest of us… enjoy the ride and share what you can with us, the great unwashed.
Will do, Terry.
I feel much the same way about my INT 650, affectionately known as Ginger. This is the bike I dreamed of living in California in the early 70s. She is just a joy to ride.
Thanks for your inputs. They are beautiful motorcycles.
Good looking bike for sure. How was the seat? Looks thin in the photos but what did your butt-o-meter say?
My buttometer said I needed my sheepskin seat cover.
I began riding on those late 60s Triumphs you fondly mention … But mine were all the single carb Tigers with the larger tank for touring. I have similar thoughts and feelings about my own Interceptor 650 AND my 2000 Kawasaki W650. That Turner guy was a genius! He oughta be a patron saint to some of us.
Well said, Jerry. I had a single-carb Tiger back in the day as well as a few Bonnevilles. I thought the single-carb bike was as good as the Bonnevilles.
Completely bitchin’ bike, Joe. 1960’s Wet dream come true. Totally jealous…
Yep.
There was a used one on Craigslist up here in the PNW. I was eye balling it for my next bike Joe.
1)Would you ride this across the country for weeks at a time?
2)What mods / farkles would you do to it? Wind screen , luggage
3) what gas mileage are you getting? I assume it will get better once broke in.
4) any thing on it that you dont like?
Very Interested in it and your experience with it.
Rob:
I don’t know that I’d use any motorcycle for weeks at a time on a trip like that at my age (if I was going to do a trip like that it would be in a Subaru). That said, take a look at the Baja/RE article I did. That bike did 70 mpg once broken in; mine is not yet broken in. More to follow; I’ve only put about 60 or 70 miles on mine so far. Keep an eye on the blog; I’ll be posting lots more once I get more miles on the bike. Overall, I’m impressed with the motorcycle. I was impressed with it on the Baja trip and it’s why I bought one.
JB
1) It’s a decent sized platform for touring mount for one rider. 6,000 miles between serious maintenance intervals and they are owner doable.
2) In my case I am pleased with the cost/performance of the RE released farkles they offer. I have added the case saver guards, skid plate & touring version of the seat via ebay vendors from India (all the usual ebay caveats, look for long feedback & preferably “expedited shipping”). The local dealer said unlike the Himalaya the RE accessories aren’t as available in parallel at release.
RE’s gap for the 650’s on the luggage and screen I used some reputable 3rd party stuff. A smallish Givi wind screen, Motone tank rubber pads and offset handlebar mounts, techbikepartsusa RE 650 specific luggage rack.
3) 50 mpg + on our low btu California version of petrol, still on the 1st 1,000 miles break in though. Most UK feedback seem to indicate 70mpg is possible but as I recollect the imperial gallon is a pint or so larger.
4) I was a little worried it may feel too Japanese like (if that makes any sense). But instead I like the character it imparts its just a pleasure to run through city or countryside. Clutch is light and its nimble for the city. Its fairly well planted out on the highway at 75. In the bendy hills the torque delivery makes the roll throttle & less brake form of riding smooth. (Still getting used to the Pirelli’s but the ground clearance healed over is very good)
Great response, Mark. Thanks very much.
On the 650 we had in Baja, it was delivered with just a few miles on it. On the first tank, we got about 60 mpg. On the last tank coming home, with over 1000 miles on the odometer, we got a little over 70 mpg.
Joe – I feel exactly the same way about the Yamaha XS650’s. Thats why I own 6 of them. Oh, and Craigslist. Yeah, stay off Craigslist if you have any money and room in the garage. Definitely.
I had one in the ’90s, the black chopper one. I know the feeling. I was teaching a class at McDonnell Douglas and my computer screen saver deal was a photo of a green Triumph Daytona 500 I owned at the time (the baby Bonneville). One of the engineers in the class told me about his Yamaha 650 and said he wanted to sell it. It only had 900 miles on the odometer, and he charged me a buck a mile (I got it for $900). Rode it for a while and then I traded it to Bert’s (plus a lot of cash) for a ’97 TL1000S Suzuki. Six of them, huh? I’m impressed.
Kawasaki w650, Yamaha xs650, Triumph Bonny, Royal Enfield Int650 exact same bikes, only totally different?
They each have their own interpretation. The only one I haven’t ridden is the Kawasaki 650.