CSC SG400's Are Finally In

[Wild Dog]

One thing i like about the RE 650 is the sound.



Royal Enfield gave few demo motorcycle to few local magazines to test and put videos about them and boy i sure loved the sound.

[stewbrash]

Originally Posted by Wild Dog

One thing i like about the RE 650 is the sound.



Royal Enfield gave few demo motorcycle to few local magazines to test and put videos about them and boy i sure loved the sound.

MAN...that guy rides that bike like he's the King of Scotland or something! About 3/4 through he completely cuts off that driver in the roundabout! That is flat-out Bad and Rude motorcycling!

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by stewbrash

MAN...that guy rides that bike like he's the King of Scotland or something! About 3/4 through he completely cuts off that driver in the roundabout! That is flat-out Bad and Rude motorcycling!

Welcome to Argentina

Yes a lot of things that we have to do here, would be seen as rude, but car drivers are not exactly much gentler either.
I know that roundabout very well and if you don't move in, you are never getting in.

[krat]

I have ridden a 650 Interceptor, 2020 model. I am 5'9" w30" inseam.

Besides being able to flat foot the Enfield I find the weight is positioned way down in the frame lowering the center of gravity. It does not feel like 450 pounds when you sit on it. I'm not saying riding it, due to all bikes being fairly neutral when you get those big gyroscopic wheels moving.

The RE 650 is easier to move around at zero speed and keep standing up on off camber stops than some others. It is comfortable and I am not hugging a bulbous gas tank to reach the bars.

The horsepower is about par for an air cooled engine. Compare it to the Jap air cooled offerings and it is about the same when cc ratings are taken in. Even the W800 Kawasaki only makes 47hp.

The low ratings on power are mostly due to the European and British regulations where they have a stepped power system of licensing. When one passes the age of 19 and graduates from the 125cc restriction the next step is the A2 license, a bike with no more then 47HP. Many of them are riding 650 bikes that have been detuned legally to meet the 47hp limit.

When you look at many of the A2 class offerings no matter if they are 400, 500, 650 or 800, or what brand they are, the HP rating will be 47hp so they can reach the largest market share. Many are making 2/3 what you would expect.

There are specialty shops (Hitchcocks and S&S) that deal with the RE and offer cams, mapping programs, exhausts and get 60-70 HP from the 650. With the big bore kits they can go 880cc and reach 80hp.

Plus you have a frame designed by the Harris Group and an engine designed by moonlighting Triumph engineers.

Plus they forgot to finish that china bike! They forgot to put the back half on. That's your weight difference right there!

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by krat

Plus they forgot to finish that china bike! They forgot to put the back half on. That's your weight difference right there!

I can assure you that a good portion of the weight difference is from the engine alone. That 650 engine is pretty hefty due to what is sometimes known as "Victorian Engineering" The rest is likely due to the frame and swing arm, which are pretty stout bits. Comparing the rear of the frames... there isn't that much of a difference between the bikes. The frame extends a bit further back, sure, but we are talking 10-15lbs of metal at most.

[China Rider 27]

Originally Posted by Wild Dog

One thing i like about the RE 650 is the sound.


Royal Enfield gave few demo motorcycle to few local magazines to test and put videos about them and boy i sure loved the sound.

Sounds great! Seems a little slow on the acceleration, I can see why they go big on the performance mods.

[TominMO]

The RE 650s are a modernized take on riding the old-school Triumphs and BSAs, etc., and they are great for that. They don't need more power; they are their own reason for existing. Of course back then there were also gearheads hard at work at making 'em better. All good.

[david3921]

Originally Posted by XLsior

There's a few custom RE 650 interceptor modded Scramblers around that look the business.
for example.

Some whispers of RE making their own scrambler based off the Himalayan but I don't think it looks as good. Scram 411.

Not to derail the OP but if the China Bike money is in the same ball park I know where'd i'd be going.

Even though I like the looks, and the performance is certainly there, I would be concerned about only having a single disk in the front.

[2LZ]

The RE 650 a cool throw-back bike and would be neat to have in the stable but yes, it's pretty dang gutless for the size, especially in today's (2021) standards. My 2006 650 V-Strom puts out 67hp and 44 ft/lbs of torque and it's considered antiquated these days. Sure, it's water cooled but in reality, that doesn't create horsepower, it just helps sustain horsepower once hot.

The de-tuning for overseas that krat brings up is understandable, but you would think there would be a U.S. download or version.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by 2LZ

The RE 650 a cool throw-back bike and would be neat to have in the stable but yes, it's pretty dang gutless for the size, especially in today's (2021) standards. My 2006 650 V-Strom puts out 67hp and 44 ft/lbs of torque and it's considered antiquated these days. Sure, it's water cooled but in reality, that doesn't create horsepower, it just helps sustain horsepower once hot.

The de-tuning for overseas that krat brings up is understandable, but you would think there would be a U.S. download or version.

Next to other 650 it's a bit gutless, but then again not a speedsters of motorcycle.

For the price they are selling here the Interceptor you can get a CF Moto 650 which has about 62 hp and is a bit faster

But the CF Moto are all a bit detuned to meet Euro Standards.

[SuperNoob]

I really prefer the look of the SG400 over the Royal Enfield, especially the grey one. What a sexy machine.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by SuperNoob

I really prefer the look of the CG400 over the Royal Enfield, especially the grey one. What a sexy machine.

It definitely is a good looking machine. I like the grey too.

[Working_ZS]

Just an update for those who are interested - the bike left CSC via Roadrunner Freight on September 7th and arrived here in Ohio yesterday morning, the 12th. It's now unloaded from that trailer and tentatively scheduled for delivery tomorrow, though I suspect that may slip a day or two, depending upon their schedule versus mine. I received the Certificate of Origin and purchase invoice from CSC on Saturday the 11th, via USPS Priority Mail.

Once I have physical possession of the bike and can verify that the VIN number on the bike and CoO match, I'll run up to the BMV, pay the state sales tax, then get it titled and plated. With luck, I should be able to get you guys some performance numbers and a decent first impression of the bike this weekend, so you can decide one way or the other about buying one yourself.

I've also got a Shorai Lithium Iron battery on the way for it too, as well as a set of KOSO Apollo heated grips. Those are supposed to get here Thursday and Friday; I'm not sure when I'll get those installed, but the battery will have priority since I don't have much faith in Zongshen's wet cell suppliers. The grips can definitely wait, though.

[Working_ZS]

Originally Posted by SuperNoob

I really prefer the look of the CG400 over the Royal Enfield, especially the grey one. What a sexy machine.

What a happy coincidence - that's the color that I chose for mine. Once it gets here, I'll try to get pictures up that do the bike justice.

[SuperNoob]

Originally Posted by Working_ZS

What a happy coincidence - that's the color that I chose for mine. Once it gets here, I'll try to get pictures up that do the bike justice.

Very interested to see pics and hear your thoughts. I search YouTube at least once a week to see if any owners have posted anything but nothing has come up yet.