Your experiences

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by Sport Rider

doing that kind of mileage every trip, I'd go for something a bit bigger. you're asking a lot from these little motors to do 65 mph for long periods of time and do it day after day.

I did a quick check on craigslist near me. there are a number of bikes in the 3000 range, but several, surprisingly are bigger cruisers. I did see a 500 suzuki. it would certainly be capable of the highway speeds. it's not off-road ready, for sure. if you put some ADV tires on it for better weather handling, it may suit your needs for the snow situations.

Saw the same thing. Seems like 2/3 to 3/4 of the bikes for sale are Harleys or big Japanese cruisers. Not sure why.

[Im_that_guy]

So I thought I would update this. I ended up buying a Royal Enfield 650 interceptor that I’m putting dual sport tires on. I also ended up buying a regular carb’d Hawk 250 because my 83yo neighbor wanted a small light weight bike he could thump around and was offering $2k for my XR250 that will never be forsale (long story). So I bought the Hawk to give to him because this guy donated his time and a good sum of money on lumber and parts for my bus conversion. This dude is 83 years old and still wants to go out and ride everyday…. Respect!!!! I reluctantly went and looked at the Royal Enfield because my neighbor told me back in his younger days (3 years ago) he used to spend 6 months out of the year in India and spent a lot of time on Royal Enfields. I actually went to look at a Himalayan but as I was walking the show room holding my 2 1/2 month old baby boy, he kept looking at the Orange Interceptor. This is the only time we ever noticed him responding to any color. So I test rode it and filled out a purchase order because the one they had was a demo and they would get me a zero mile unit from their warehouse. Later that night (6 hours later) our baby boy passed away from SIDS. I was going to cancel my order but my GF convinced me to go ahead with the order and do a build on it in his honor because on th drive home I told her I would build it up with our son and give to him on his 16th birthday. That was July 29, 2022 and I took delivery on my birthday August 4, 2022. And today I’m going to give the Hawk to my neighbor (which he hasn’t seen yet, and he thinks I found him a bike to buy, not one I’m giving to him) because we finished up my bus last night and we are going to be moving into it slowing and be out of our house by the end of the month because I just sold it and in the spring we are headed back to the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re still with me, thanks for reading even though it’s long and my punctuation/grammar are horrible…. And cheers.

[Sport Rider]

Oh man...I'm really sorry for your loss. We had a friend this happened to and there's just no way to explain or justify. Many prayers for you and your GF.

As for the RE, even though we focus on chinese bikes, keep us posted here. I've looked at the 650s myself but leaning toward a himalyan.

[Thumper]

That is a lot of highway miles. I think you should just avoid dual purpose. Too light and tall for highway commute...

Maybe consider a KPR 200. It is a road bike, about $2400 plus shipping from Powersportsmax, has EFI (no carb). This will be more capable for your commute. It is also lower out of the box, and you may not need to lower it. It has a 6 speed engine (Lifan).

There are other road bike alternatives. Any suggestions out there?

[IdahoRider]

I just finished a 70 mile ride on my KPX and I can see it doing ok at 65 but would want some taller gearing to keep the revs down. On a selfish note, I'll like to see you choose the KPX to see how well it will hold up and I bet Lifan and Venom would continue giving you excellent support even after the warranty runs out as I could see this being a great marketing tool for them (maybe even some perks, especially if you were to do some social media and provide them regular feedback on how a 15,000 mile a year KPX is doing). Worst case, it doesn't work out and even if it only lasts a year, you've gotten your money out of it.

I made a couple of attempts to buy a RE Himalayan and then a Scram but I kept running into road blocks with the dealer and a private seller. It was almost as if they didn't really want to sell bikes. I had enough after a month, and went back to my original plan, to buy the KPX and I haven't regretted any part of the decision.

[Megadan]

I think you two should have read his last post where he bought an RE 650 Interceptor.

Great choice on the bike btw. I love those 650s

[Im_that_guy]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I think you two should have read his last post where he bought an RE 650 Interceptor.

Great choice on the bike btw. I love those 650s

Thanks. I’ve put 3300 miles since I brought it home august 4th. I am satisfied with everything about it except the tires and I’m not getting the fuel economy everybody else is getting. I’m getting around 57 at 65 mph with my tires at 40psi and I’m told I should be getting about 65. Maybe it’s because I run 87 octane. I’m thinking about getting my GF the KP- whatever the cafe bike 200…. After watching bikes and beards on YouTube I see that it is very off-road capable. I’m still getting a KPX 250 but not until we settle somewhere near the Elbe Hills ORV park. The reason for that is I’m not a fan of trailering my XR and as I get older I’m less a fan of kick starting.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Im_that_guy

Thanks. I’ve put 3300 miles since I brought it home august 4th. I am satisfied with everything about it except the tires and I’m not getting the fuel economy everybody else is getting. I’m getting around 57 at 65 mph with my tires at 40psi and I’m told I should be getting about 65. Maybe it’s because I run 87 octane. I’m thinking about getting my GF the KP- whatever the cafe bike 200…. After watching bikes and beards on YouTube I see that it is very off-road capable. I’m still getting a KPX 250 but not until we settle somewhere near the Elbe Hills ORV park. The reason for that is I’m not a fan of trailering my XR and as I get older I’m less a fan of kick starting.

How are you calculating your economy? 57 isn't too bad, but a few mpg can be a margin of error depending on the method being used.

Beyond that it's all about riding habits. A big twin like that can get away with shorter shifts to keep the revs down. Keeping a light touch with the throttle also helps. My vfr1200 can gain and lose 6mpg just by the way I ride it. A bit apples to oranges as it is literally twice the engine with 4 times the power, but I am sure you get what I mean.

Also, the stock tires that come on them are cheaply made with very little tread, so they tend to wear out quickly.

[Im_that_guy]

The tires on it suck all the way around. My last set of Shinko TM230 on my V65 were a lot better. I’m getting Bridgestone Battlaxe adventure cross tires for it… well… it’s on the list. I have to put money back into my budget first.

[Thumper]

Originally Posted by Megadan

I think you two should have read his last post where he bought an RE 650 Interceptor.

Great choice on the bike btw. I love those 650s

I was thinking about the $3000 or less budget. I guess that changed.

I am sorry to hear about the little guy. He left a RE 650 legacy!

[Im_that_guy]

Originally Posted by Thumper

I was thinking about the $3000 or less budget. I guess that changed.

I am sorry to hear about the little guy. He left a RE 650 legacy!

I was able to double my budget because I sold my truck for 3x what I wanted for it.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by Im_that_guy

The tires on it suck all the way around. My last set of Shinko TM230 on my V65 were a lot better. I’m getting Bridgestone Battlaxe adventure cross tires for it… well… it’s on the list. I have to put money back into my budget first.

The chinese and indians have to cut prices somewhere. Tires is one of those places, did it come with the tires made by ceat?

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by Wild Dog

The chinese and indians have to cut prices somewhere. Tires is one of those places, did it come with the tires made by ceat?

The OEM tires are a factory spec version of an existing Pirelli tire. The aftermarket Pirelli version is actually better, with more tread depth and better rubber compounds.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by Megadan

The OEM tires are a factory spec version of an existing Pirelli tire. The aftermarket Pirelli version is actually better, with more tread depth and better rubber compounds.

These are the tyres being sold with the RE 650 that are assembled in my country.


And the opinion given by Im_That_guy is very similar to the opinions of a few fellas that got a RE 650.

I didn't knew they were a copy of a Pirelli tyre.

[Im_that_guy]

I do have the Ceat tires. I don’t like them. I also don’t like the 18” wheels because it makes getting tires in OEM sizes like trying to find unatainium