Congrats on the new job, Dan.

It's not even about being half or a quarter etc. The INT650 is way more akin to my 75 GL1000 Goldwing in terms of power to weight if a bit less - 47hp and 470lbs vs "80hp" (different standard of measurement back then) and 600lbs. I loved the balance of power and weight my GL1000 had. Similar styling too.

The SV650 is sorta half of my 1200 I guess. My VFR is 580lbs with 170hp stock, or about 145whp through the shaft drive. Mine makes 164whp. The SV650 makes 70hp and is 436lbs. I would call it more like a third of my bike in terms of power, and 2/3 in terms of weight.

I'm not really chasing power though. I just want something powerful enough to keep up with any traffic, be a tad more economical, and a lot more fun to ride "hard" without going triple digits speeds in the blink of an eye. 0-100mph in a hair over 5 seconds is nothing to sneeze at. I do love it, and as I said, I may keep it, but I would have to just have it sit there all the time when somebody else could enjoy it.

I also don't do much corner carving on the street. The INT650 has a much better chassis than people think. The SV is just a next class up from all of the other bikes I am looking at. I am only considering it because I have always wanted one. I love a 90 degree Twin. Plus, the 2024 model has a bronze frame and black paint. It looks really cool.

https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/r...JIIIYTURG4.jpg

The big appeal of the INT650 is that it's a simple, old school looking (my favorite) air cooled torquey lump of a 270 degree twin. It makes all the right noises, goes the right kind of speeds, and from my limited time in the seat a very fun bike to ride around on and just enjoy riding. I'm not a big cruiser guy, but I do love a good standard motorcycle with classic looks. Plus, in terms of price, it's right where I want to be.

The Honda CL500 being the closest direct competitor to it. I love Hondas, it's one of the lightest bikes on my list at 423lbs wet. I love the looks of it. It also comes in Orange (yes, I have a thing for Orange lol), and like the SV650, the engine has been around a really long time so it's going to be almost bullet proof.

The MT03 is the slightly odd one out on the other end of the spectrum. Similar power, much smaller engine but with a much higher rpm limit, actually fits my tall body fairly well for such a small engined bike too. Also the cheapest of the bunch at just $5k. The only thing I am not the biggest fan of is the styling. It's not the worst ever though.

Thank you! It's been a bit of a rough couple of years for me, and the economy turning to crap didn't really help my situation either. I finally feel like I am back on my career path again and not hating to go to work every day. That started even before losing my last job that I was at for 7 years. That place was turning to hell for the last 3 or 4 and it was affecting my health due to the stress.

Having had the loaded-up SV650 (V-Strom-my brother has it now) and the RE, I can tell you the V-Strom would kill the Interceptor. It has lots more power and are completely different bikes. The V-Strom was sweet, handled well, and was fun in the twisties. That said, it was covered with Tupperware and needed a lot of ergo adjustment for me, regarding peg extenders, bars and risers. It was also a royal pain to wrench on. I liked the more naked style of the SV much better because of this reason.
The RE is a true, pure retro-styled bike. It's not fast, BUT the power is completely usable. It's a super friendly bike and is like dancing with an elegant lady in an evening gown, as opposed to mud wrestling with an Amazon. Also, as opposed to many of the newer Japanese bikes, the RE's are designed to be worked on by the owners. All of my RE's are super easy to wrench on. Everything is accessible.

The interceptor has its charms. I like a naked cafe, and the engine promotes low anxiety cruising with rewarding torque in the curves on a twisty mountain road. I rode my brothers Triumph in the 70s and it was a blast.

I did buy a DL1000 VStrom and loaded it up. It took me on a few trips including a trip to Denver. I cruised up to Boulder, then up Boulder canyon (FUN!) past Barker Reservoir to Nederland, then took Peak to Peak highway North towards Estes Park, but headed East down to Lyons (Oskar Blues brewery), and then after break, down to Two Hands Brewing, then back through Boulder to Denver.

The VStrom was fantastic in the long swoopy 70-80mph curves up there, with spectacular mountain peak views in the distance. Worth a trip out there if you have time! ;)


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They are definitely very different bikes, but both of them are fairly easy to work on. The RE is definitely a much much easier bike to work on for sure, but I wouldn't call the SV difficult either. Remove the seat and lift the tank and you can pretty much do most of the maintenance work that would need to be done.

The SV650 is kind of what I consider to be the definition of "motorcycle" if you just want a bike with the right amount of power, weight, and size to suit almost any and every rider. It's quick, but not extremely fast. It has great ergonomics that suit both sporty riding and just cruising around. It makes a great noise, and has been around so long that parts are cheap and easy to get and all of the gremlins have been worked out.

Yeah it's true that DL650 and DL1000 have higher center of gravity and steeper front end geometry. I don't know why I got sucked into the adventure sport craze. The TL1000 might be similar in orientation, but much heavier. At least the DL650 has the same engine.

I rode the DL650, and liked the engine a lot. I can see how it would have good manners and range in a road oriented frame. It would be great on those high mountain highways NW of Boulder, and especially fun in Boulder canyon (better than the DL1000!).

That bronze frame and black body do beautiful too. Both bikes (RE650 and SV650) have proven engine designs. Whatever you decide, you'll be happy. Of course there's always door number 3... a used BMW R65 ;)

A used German vehicle? I'd rather have a horse kick me in the scrotum...

Yes, it would be a rather boring "new" bike :lmao:

Dependable though

Never done a valve adjustment on the rear cylinder, did ya? Worst motorcycle job I did (motor in the bike). Unfortunately, it was mine!

I did on an SV1000 I owned years ago. I would rather do that rear cylinder 1000 times before the front cylinders on my VFR again.

"Dependable"

You won't convince me on the German stuff. I appreciate them for what they are, but my experience with German bikes is too mixed. The S1000RR is the only one I would remotely consider, and it's not my cup of tea.

I had a R100RT complete Krauser fairing/hard bags. Getting to to points was a pain in the neck, but valves were easy. And it ran like a dream. Definitely a dependable bike. Nice road manners, excellent ergonomics. But it was not nimble like my GS850G (Vetter faired, no bags), and not nearly as much fun.

The more I look at that SV, the more I like it. It screams fun. I think it's going away in favor of a parallel twin closer to 800cc. But they have one exactly like your photo above in stock (2024 model) locally just under $8000

So, after a ton of thought and deliberation and more thought... and more thought...

I came across a bike I didn't know was a thing entirely by accident and it's entirely related to he Interceptor 650 from Royal Enfield, but it's a little bit bigger and more relaxed than the Interceptor, but not quite full cruiser of the Super Meteor.

The Shotgun 650.
https://www.royalenfield.com/us/en/m...s/shotgun-650/

I went in today to talk to them and see if they were in, which they are not. They have 4 coming in in a week or two and I am going to get a call when they have it ready. I love all of the colors except the grey.

As long as it fits me ok and doesn't feel too cramped I am going to buy one. My Honda will be going up for sale this weekend.

Watched a review on the Shotgun on YT. Impressive, and I also like it a little bit over the Interceptor. But I'd still want to compare them side by side at the dealership.