Biker BT & the Motorcycle: 2022

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Should you buy Royal Enfield Saddle bags for the Interceptor 650?

If you do motorcycle tours that are overnight or for a few days, you will need to carry basic clothes and stuff. Unless you have friends accompanying you in cars and they have room to store your bags, you will need motorcycle saddlebags.

I traditionally prefer stock motorcycle accessories as aftermarket stuff often lacks quality and may have gaps in safety considerations.

Challenge with normal Motorcycle Saddlebags

Unlike other bikes, the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 has stylish upswept exhausts, and the normal saddle bags do not fit as they touch the exhaust, leading to the burning of the bags due to the heat. You can consider changing the exhaust, which my dear friend Dr. Deepak Nakra tried and found a loss of power with after-market exhausts as per his experience and switched back to stock. Doc is found more often on his Ducati these days ;) Either way, I prefer the Interceptor Upswept exhausts!

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with Stock Upswept Exhausts

Do the Royal Enfield Saddlebags for the Interceptor 650 fit well?

Yes, they fit well and are tight and snug once you have loaded some clothes and stuff. Ensure that you keep the weight between both sides more or less equally balanced for optimal riding.

Clear tall gap between the RE Saddle bags and the Upswept exhaust

The Royal Enfield Interceptor Saddlebags are sleek and comfortable to ride with a pillion passenger as well.

The pillion passenger can sit comfortably, but

you may need to extend the footrest pedal a bit.

Fitting the Royal Enfield Saddle bags for the Interceptor 650

The saddlebags fit sleek and trim without too much protrusion from the motorcycle.

The saddlebags worked excellently within the 500+ km bike ride in the rains to Jaipur and back at speeds of over 100+.

Interceptor with saddle bags / Captain Bobby on the Harley & ROTSMC riders

Quality of Royal Enfield Saddlebags for the Interceptor 650

The material is quite good. It is sturdy, and the bag's top section folds stay tough and click well onto the bike.

Exterior and interior views of the RE Saddlebags

Pricing

Compared to aftermarket saddlebags available in India that range from Rs. 6000 (80$ USD) and above, this may appear pricey at Rs.10,000 odd (130$ USD).

So, should you buy the Royal Enfield Saddle bags for the Interceptor 650cc?

It is a decent buy if you are considering -

a 2 or 3-day tour with just essentials..few t-shirts, a couple of jeans, spare shoes, etc.
Quality is good as far as the material used and my current experience.
Sleek and fits well within the ergonomics of the Interceptor 650 build.
Retains the interceptor aerodynamics and is built for Upswept exhausts.

Downsides: It's not waterproof, but do you care if you are a real biker? Just wrap it in a plastic bag and slide it into the saddlebags.

Live 2 Ride ~ Ride 2 Live.

Cheers

Biker BT