The upgrade of the headlight from halogen to LEDs was very welcome from RE but, I found them to be a bit dull for my liking and that’s the reason I wanted to go with a custom set of projectors.
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RE Continental GT 650 – 2023 :- 4 Month impression & review
Before I begin, I would like to thank all those who took their time to visit my 1st post in Team-BHP. Always wanted to be a part of this great community and hope to learn a lot from the lovely people of this community.
I have a thing for cafe racer bikes and always wanted to own one and make mods to ’em down the road. My 1st choice was to go with the Honda CB350 RS and settle as I didn’t wanna dish out lot but, the GT…. It just made me go mad for her.
Finally, went with what the heart wanted and not a moment’s regret with my decision.
Brought home the beauty back on the 12th of June this year and the more I rode her, the more I fell in love with her. Named her “AYRA’ and will be referred so from here on.
Let me start with some of the likes and dislikes
Likes:
- The Bold looks. She’s definitely an eye turner wherever I take her. When you move around the road, you definitely know that people are giving you the looks (spoiler alert : not the ladies. but the guys, oh they do)
- The Confidence she gives you. Whether you cruise around or race around, she holds her ground solid. No way she’s gonna push you down.
- RE still sticks around with ‘Ride by Cable’. Meaning :- She’s sensitive. Even a small twist at the throttle and you get an instantaneous response. No lag, no fuss. And the engine always seems to have something more to give even when you are pushing her hard.
- The exhausts. The OEM ones were fine but doesn’t have that oomph. The Red Roosters bring out that roar when you need it. Those can be loud when you what them to be, but they can also be quiet at those checkpoints if you know what i mean (wink,wink). Still, be responsible people. There are sound limits for a reason.
- The Vredestein Tyres. I’m glad that RE finally decided to upgrade the tires on their 650 twins lineup. More on this is the review section below.
- It’s a GT 650. That’s enough for a reason.
Dislikes:
- It’s Heavy. I know, I know. I shouldn’t be complaining about it, but I feel like its needs to be put out there. I’m around 70kgs and not someone who can be called tall and pushing around a 200kg bike is a bit of a hassle for me. The 1st time when I was pushing her around trying to park her, I misjudged the weight and actually let her fall to her side and break a mirror. That’s when I knew I had to be a lot, lot more careful when I move her to park/wash.
- The riding posture. It’s aggressive and makes you lean forward a lot. For short sprints, it’s great, but when you’re in for the long run for like 2-hour ride, it starts to get to your back. I once had to attend a marriage and that seems like an opportunity to get to know Arya better. It was a 230km run and by the end of the ride, my back nearly broke. So, that’s that. The interceptor’s handlebars are placed higher and has a more comfortable rider’s triangle. My advice to people who ride a lot is to install the interceptor’s handlebars, believe me, it does wonders. Your back will love you for it.
- The mileage. My 12 year Vento Diesel gives me the same mileage as this one. Sometimes, when I drive smooth, my car gives me more miles that the bike. The car is like having a financially responsible wife and the bike is the expensive mistress on the side. (Just a joke, my apologies if it sounded insensitive). I’ve talked about this down below in the review section a bit more extensively, if you guys wanna check it out.
- The position of the pass switch and the indicator switches in the new switch gear isn’t really user friendly. They make me move my grip each time I wanna use them and that still annoys me even after 4 months.
- The fuel gauge. It’s practically useless when you just wanna check the level. For the 1st couple of minutes, it shows a higher level and then suddenly drops to the actual level. This seems to be an issue that has been plaguing this model for quite some while, but I know it ain’t rocket science. So, why hasn’t RE fixed this yet. Never heard this kinda issue with any other brands.
Now, let’s get to the review part.
Its been exactly 4 months and 11 days since Ayra came home and has had a few mods made to her.
1st was the blacked out heel guard and air intake guard, then the exhaust, went with the Red Rooster and love the way it makes her sound. The latest additions were the custom headlights and taillights. (Pics Included – would love your thoughts on it)
These are a couple of her with the Red Roosters.
The Headlights
The upgrade of the headlight from halogen to LEDs was very welcome from RE but, I found them to be a bit dull for my liking and that’s the reason I wanted to go with a custom set of projectors. The pins for the headlight is different for the 2023 version (Not the regular 3 pin plug on the halogen version, more like the 4-pin version from the Harleys) and had to do a bit of meddling with the cable (the headlamp side of the cable, I never touch the original harness unless it’s the end of the world). So, anyone looking forward to change your default headlights of your 2023 GT/Interceptor, heads up.
Here are some pics
No lights
On low beam
On low and high beam
The pic might not be doing enough justice for the high beam but believe me, its far enough and narrow, so that nobody else is getting blinded.
Coming to the Taillights
Unlike the headlights, the taillights are the same as the older models. Was really hoping for them to be LEDs but RE ended up sticking with the same old halogens. Functionally, i didn’t have any problems with ’em, but in terms of looks, they felt a bit too old timey for my liking. If they were like the ones on the Honda CB350, I wouldn’t have decided on changing but, here we are. Found one that kinda went along with the giant exhaust holes in the rear and they did look good. They have great visibility, and the best part is, the turn signals are integrated into the two circles. So, bye-bye old boring halogens.
Here, take a look
Continue reading BHPian Ashwin_Surya_D’s review for more insights and information.
