Don't buy if you don't need it for Royal Enfield Interceptor 650

Why waste your money on expensive suspension kits when you don't need to. In this video I will explain all about suspension and how you can improve things on a budget. Those of you who follow my channel will know I am all for saving money.
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#royalenfieldriders #royalenfieldmotorcycles #interceptor #interceptor650 #royalenfieldinterceptor650 #oldschoolbiker #retrobike #motorcyclemechanic #motorcyclelife

[@alvindavenport5657]

Good advice. If folks would spend more time riding and less time on forums, they would enjoy motorcycling much more. I find 90% of the issues people discuss on forums are self-inflicted by trying to add accessories or modify their bikes. If they would just ride them and leave them alone they could avoid most problems. As you said, the rider weight is a major factor in suspension setup. It would be cheaper to lose a few pounds or carry ballast to improve the ride and handling than to start throwing parts at the bike. I use my wife for ballast, and I’m ok with my bike’s suspension. Don’t tell her…

[@iantoy7778]

I just read this out to Sue. She is laughing her head off 😂

[@dezmondwhitney1208]

I have just found your channel. This is good helpful stuff. Subscribed. Thanks a lot.

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks. Hope you enjoy

[@felixVanDiemen]

Another very informative and honest video, thank you 🙏 I know the KZbinr you are referring to and he is notorious for not answering his subscribers questions. I even tried joining his Patreon so he would answer my questions, but he still ignored me so I unsubscribed. He does have good RE content at times but talk about arrogant, he thinks he's a bloody rock star 🤑😂

[@iantoy7778]

Exactly!

[@paulstoker7650]

Big thumbs up. I've changed the suspension on my Interceptor, front and back. I did a lot of research rather than be influenced by videos on KZbin. One thing that people might find helpful is that certain preload adjusters on the front forks stick up too far and won't fit with the standard handlebars, there isn't enough room between the bottom of the handlebars and the top of the fork. I fitted 30mm bar risers at the same time because I'm quite tall and wanted to slightly adjust the riding position. With the bar risers and standard bars the adjuster's fitted perfectly. Excellent video, with good honest advice.

[@iantoy7778]

Good comment regarding the preload adjusters. Thanks for watching

[@nathanbrompton453]

Im a wagon driver in the UK, so well travelled. About 10 years ago local counsels stopped "topping" roads and started tar and chipping because its cheaper. They've been doing this year on year and now its started lifting in sheets. You can almost read the age of the road as the layers lift like rings on a tree. Its got to the point where the roads are no longer repairable, they need plaining back and properly resurfacing. We're now talking billions of pounds to fix a lack of maintenance issue.

[@iantoy7778]

I had heard the UK roads were falling apart. Sounds like it's getting as bad as Bulgaria

[@DirkGentley42]

@@iantoy7778 It is bloody awful. There are sections around where I live where the lanes have slid apart leaving a 6" wide and deep ditch along the centre line. If you hit that while overtaking you'd most likely come off. Hitting a pothole head on is survivable (on a local dual carriage way I was thrown out of my seat after hitting a sudden 3 or 4" drop where a large section of blacktop had just disappeared) but a ditch running in the same direction if a killer. Our residential street has some deep potholes, recently a rock was thrown up by a quad bike and it shattered our living room window. The council comes along and sprays paint around the holes - I think it must be some fancy pothole repellent or something as nothing else seems to happen.

[@thepipesmokingbeekeeper8917]

Hi great video We all know everybody's favourite uncle hate's anyone who doesn't agree with him and only fits whatever he gets for free Keep up the good work 👍👍

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks. I didn't know it was so obvious😂

[@dinomalta712]

I never knew that! I wish I was clever like you Ian. The man you're talking about is an Ex Copper, so he must up his own ASS! And right all of the time, his channel is rapidly becoming an advertising magazine. Cheers, DINO.

[@Trev350]

Brilliant information. Thank you for taking the time to explain. You have an excellent channel here Ian.

[@iantoy7778]

Thank you kindly

[@chrispulham4779]

Great video mate,,,, yes i know who you were referring too and i agree. Chris. (Aus)

[@kevinmurphy7138]

Just found your channel yesterday and really enjoying it , keep up the good work😊

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks

[@Biggus63]

I had my Interceptor for almost two years before I decided to upgrade the suspension and it had got to the point where it was either do that or sell the bike. I live in rural Australia and the rear shocks were killing me, but I really like the bike so I put YSS upgrades in the front and rear. I can only speak of my experience but for me it has transformed the bike. There's one particular road I ride on a regular basis that's about 60kms long that I generally ride at 100kmh and before the upgrade I'd get half way along it and I'd be thinking, "Oh God, please make it end....." but now it's much improved, it's still a terrible road but now it's bearable. I also have a Classic 500 and haven't felt the need to upgrade the suspension and I think the sprung seat has a considerable bearing on that. As to the particular youtuber who shall remain unmentioned he's a bit of a tosser, I understand he deletes any negative comments people post on his channel, that tells you all you need to know about him.

[@johnwood4448]

Yes the YTer in question doesn't like being proved wrong I've questioned his wrong advice a couple of times in the comments section which have suddenly disappeared so I stopped watching his tripe

[@Biggus63]

@@johnwood4448 I almost spat my coffee out when he once claimed the Classic 500 weighed 270kgs. That's about the same as the old Yammie XS1100. For a guy who claims he's been riding forever he sure seems clueless.

I genuinely love the stock. Been using it for months and I think its lovely.

[@iantoy7778]

Depends where you ride, your weight ect to match the suspension set up. Every one is different

[@johnrocker2986]

I've been riding and fiddling since 1973 and also a time served engineer and you hit the nail square! KZbin has many weekend warrior engineers who don't know the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground.

[@iantoy7778]

Very true

[@philcox8771]

Another great informative video Ian, your channel is going to be the go to site for honest advice for problems solving & fix’s.. particularly RE brand bikes.. my 2002 Yamaha XJ900S front suspension issue was solved by fitting R1 springs, new oil & adjustable caps..

[@Azzmazz1]

Hello Ian, i am following your channel only from about 1 month and i like it very much. As usual your suggestions and explanations are top notch. Thank you for your work.

[@iantoy7778]

Thank you. I hope it is useful to you

[@stevesmith3216]

Great content in this video. I learned so much from watching wigh clear information. I am running stock front suspension and oil with a sidecar, and the front end is a bit soft. Do you think i should just try a heavier oil in the front to stop it diving as much when breaking, or is working out the sag the only proper starting place. Or have i completely misunderstood the reason for oil weights and there effects. Thanks in anticipation that you can advise.

[@iantoy7778]

Try 15w oil and put 20mm pre load in the forks, either use a set of preload adjusters or it s 20mm spacer under the fork cap. If this does not work good enough you need a heavier set of springs fir to having the sidecar on.

[@stevesmith3216]

Thanks for the information, i shLl give it a try​@@iantoy7778

[@regregor]

Good advice! I have bought spring before(progressive) and mine weigh are 75 with everything. So maybe I have been lucky. But impressive what you are talking about. Your knowledge is hard to find. I have driven motorcycles 47 years and maybe been to dealership 3-4 times 😁. And that’s because I didn’t have the tools to do the job. Absolutely right - do it yourself, that’s a big part of knowing your bike and riding a bike. Thanks- great video 💪

[@johnfountain8588]

Very interesting and informative I haven’t used my 2022 interceptor enough to notice any issues but if I do notice any you have saved me the grief of going the wrong way about it as all I see are the same KZbin sellers who get the items free Looking forward to more videos from you Regards from Florida

[@iantoy7778]

If I can help any time please ask. Always willing to help a fellow biker.

[@davidrawlings3460]

Oh and finding the right fork oil is very interesting as different manufacturers use use (w) winter values. I had to contact silkolene directly to get the right spec.

[@iantoy7778]

I normally use Ipone all the time so that you get to know what the grade is. If it's too light I go up a grade. If you change brands you just don't know as you rightly state.

[@davidrawlings3460]

@iantoy7778 at the time the recommended 15w from YSS oil was expensive in my eyes and only came in small bottles. I wanted to use a good but cheaper brand ,like silkolene but their 15w is different from the YSS 15w spec wise. BUT they told me that a 50/50 mix of their 10w and 15w 12.5w basically covered and wider temp range cold and hot than the YSS oil, so I did that.

[@Beanerds]

I have and love my 2022 Orange Crush ( like yours ) and here in WA Australia with average roads , many great bike roads up in the hills east of Perth and I have never had any problems with my suspension , even 2 up it just cruses so well .

[@iantoy7778]

Most of our roads are old Soviet roads that leave much desired. The EU provided money for repairs but the powers that be seem to spend the money on houses, posh cars, boats and flash holidays.

[@kennethheldreich6604]

Great video mate, it's nice to see see someone that is honest, so glad i didn't go down that route, i put 6mm shims in the top and it seems to work 👍🏍🇬🇧🙂🌞

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks 👍

[@davidrawlings3460]

From personal experience, it's worth doing the front fork upgrade as the oil in mine was like dirty dish water. The washers that sit on the spacer tubes were rusty, and the springs felt like they had metal swarf on them.

[@iantoy7778]

When I drained my oil it was like charcoal colour. The bike had only done 5000km. Sounds like you had a lot of condensation in your forks.

[@davidrawlings3460]

@iantoy7778 possibly but it was awful. Even if I hadn't fitted the YSS suspension kit I am so glad I actually had a look in there. And according to this youtube video, as I am 100-110 kg I did the right thing as the original springs were slightly to soft. And I have to say they have taken time and adjustments to get them right. BUT you have to take into consideration the rear shocks too. As they will alter the how the front behaves too. Mine with YSS front and rear is pretty much how I want it. Bearing in mind I ride 2's up a lot and going touring with a shed load of stuff on the back.

[@DirkGentley42]

@@iantoy7778 On another forum I've heard people say the oil they drained smelt like sick, there were uneven amounts in the legs and it appeared incredibly thin. They reported big improvements just changing the oil to something decent. Hitchcocks do heavier and lighter springs for about £40 if the standards are not right for a riders weight, and Norman Hyde does progressive springs (Ikon - Koni) for only £90 - I think these would be what I would choose if changing the oil and perhaps adding a bit of preload was not enough for me.

[@markdrummond7]

Thanks but the 'he says, I says' could be shortened a lot. Good info though.

[@iantoy7778]

Noted!

[@markwood9755]

Brilliant video,I learnt a lot about suspension on this occasion, generally leave your videos having learnt something 😀thank you. Well as for the elephant in the room, thanks for confirming my suspicions, I unsubscribed from his channel a few weeks back because my BS radar would overheat, as for the arrogance towards his viewers, well I kept telling myself it must be a humour I can not quite tune into, alas I came to realise nope, it’s arrogance.

[@lampy541]

Ive been in the motor trade/racing/building cars/bikes for 50+ years and am still amazed at the total bs people come out with a great majority of them so called professionals.

[@iantoy7778]

Problem is because it's on You Tube everyone thinks it must be true and hence waste their hard earned cash

[@JonnySundance]

This is a very good video and refreshing to hear about the technical aspects of front fork suspension. This may be an obvious point but when you refer to the rider’s weight, I presume that is when you are wearing your motorcycle kit and helmet?

[@iantoy7778]

@@JonnySundance yes as you would ride your bike

[@JonnySundance]

@@iantoy7778 Thanks for the very prompt response.

[@johncarmichael8367]

Brilliant vid well explained…just had to replace my rear stock shock was leaking Nc750x. With a yss but got the right spring for my weight. Not doing front suspension maybe change oil to 7.5w…I mind years ago I used to change front fork oil with pj41 oil made a world of difference

[@iantoy7778]

I've used that years ago for the old 2 strokes but not seen it recently

[@FrokieKlarth-qe3ei]

I installed rear peg relocators and lowered the hard panniers away from her legs and yet, my girlfriend would rather not ride pilion. So I offered to climb onto the V.I.P. section myself, but she also refuses to drive the bike. So, I guess it's a one-seater motorcycle, for me. --------- The only thing I've done to my suspension, is, hide the bronze coloured reservoirs on the rear by sticking tape on them. Finally, they almost disappeared from view altogether, when I fitted panniers. My improvement idea would be to get some shrouded shocks, for looks. But I would want them to be longer than stock, my legs are easily long enough. That would raise the rear, but allow for more suspension travel and hopefully a softer ride. I believe Hagon is one manufacturer that offers such. It's on my to-do-list but nowhere near the top. :) --------- Last time I looked, the potholes in Dorset and the Isle of Wight were maintained similarly to yours, in Bulgaria. Likewise for those "woodoof" waves in the braking areas. Like you, I left the U.K. and here, they patch holes relatively swiftly. Although I have yet to see who "they" are, it looks to me, like a bit of gravely bitumen shoveled into the hole until it's about level and then, it seems, repeated driving over those patches does the compressing. What a sight (!) but it effectively limits the depth of potholes to panholes. :) Besides, the actual tarmac used in the first place, seems to be fit for purpose, while, back in Blighty, the choice of whom to award the road maintenance contracts, was very much political... :( --------- Anyway, I seem to better understand bike suspension now and it didn't even feel like a lesson. THANKS ! :) On a purely theoretical basis, I wonder what your thoughts are on the volume of air in the forks? There must be a reason why the fork caps are not fitted with a valve each to pressurise the air within. Also, I wonder about the effect of modifying the air pressure / spring rate in the rear suspension? --------- Thanks for continuing to share your wisdom on motorcycles and the Interceptor 650 in particular! :)

[@iantoy7778]

Just be aware that if you fit longer rear shocks it will alter the angle of the front forks. It might seem only slight but it will speed the steering up as it alters the rake. As you saw in the video there are two ways of measuring the amount of oil in the front forks. Flush the fork tubes out completely using an accurate measuring jug as I did. You could then measure the air gap in that fork tube and fill the other accordingly. As for using Shrader valves to increase or decrease air pressure to use as suspension adjustment, back in the 80's a lot of Yamaha's came out as standard with this. The problem was that you will liable to blow more fork seals due to increased pressure. Also over a period of time you would get air leaks as the pressure in each fork leg would alter.

[@edwardkaminsky8142]

When one speaks of a Qualified/Competent Enfield or many motorcycle brand mechanics, you are without a doubt the go-to tuber. The misfortune is missing the proper way to tackle the concern for those who do not have more than 20 minutes. 😂

[@iantoy7778]

This is Sue replying. Don't make his head any bigger than it already is 😂I have enough trouble with him as it is😂We both appreciate your comment though

[@bobhiggins4729]

Ian very interesting video I look forward to your fork mods. I suspect a slightly shorter damper rod and spring spacer is in the offing with a longer and more openly wound spring. I am thinking of modifying my Triumph Thruxton forks fitted to my BSA A65 special which is approx 40kg lighter than the Thruxton using this philosophy. I will use your experience to guide me over this winter when I do the mod. Keep up the good work it is much appreciated.

[@iantoy7778]

I am looking forward to how your mods work out. Please let me.

[@Rosbif06600]

I just bought one, running in ... and I find the suspension crashy. It depends what you're used to maybe. I have a 2011 Tiger 800 with a (brilliant) Maxton shock and a CRF250 both of which deal with the bumps well. I totally agree that riding the bike until you're sure what needs changing. I won't change anything until I've ridden several thousand kms..... except maybe the seat.

[@iantoy7778]

Definitely change the seat. I have a new one on order.

[@lorimcquinn3966]

I've found that 80% of all bikes have compromised oem suspension. That said, everyone is different in weight, riding styles and skills. IMO, most street bikes have insufficient travel, especially in the rear. I've changed out most of my bikes suspension to suit my weight and riding style. The pre-load sag has to be set to a rider's weight and spring selected for the same. Damping is important, I would not own a bike without adjustments to fine tune things. I started riding in 1969, I've found that tweaking the suspension makes a bike more enjoyable, capable and safer to ride.

[@iantoy7778]

You are correct. A man after my own heart. The trouble is that us older guys are a dying breed. The younger ones have no idea.

[@rover100bunson]

Ive just bought a 1980 bmw r100rs,front has 7.8 inches travel,rear 4.8 inches,my gt650 is the only bike ive ever felt the need to play with the suspension,i think that is because now im in ireland not the 1980,s uk so the roads are worse,people who fit yss front kit need to understand a couple of things,first off if you are putting more volume of stuff in the fork you need to make allowance with the fork oil level,as the air above the oil is compressible and is part of your suspension,second the valves that you put inside wont work properly unless the damper rods are drilled,the holes in the damper rods are the smallest ive ever seen,good luck

[@iantoy7778]

Yes agree

[@chrispulham4779]

Ian, i wouldn't waste my time going on about him as we all know he's a want- to be. Just keep doing your great videos and forget him.

[@WyreForestBiker]

Question the Fillingham and you get ignored or blocked 🤣😂🤣

[@Biggus63]

Do you remember when he claimed the Classic 500 weighed 270kg?

[@conradstone6719]

If you don't drill out the damper holes, the yss fork conversion will not work as the size is too small for the damping control valve to have any effect! After drilling out to 8mm my kit is working perfectly, you will not have to slow down even for speed bumps. regards Con (in Thailand). PS. the Kit is much cheaper if bought from Thailand.

[@iantoy7778]

You are correct

[@whitetonguemotorcycling]

Great video . atb

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks 👍

[@peacetoall3320]

can we swap Himalayan's internals in for the interceptors front suspension

[@iantoy7778]

No the interceptor forks don't have enough travel in them to accept the Himalayan internals. There is a video coming out later this week on how I fitted Triumph Scrambler front springs in my Interceptor.

[@peacetoall3320]

@@iantoy7778 thanks for reply

[@philippash5264]

Hi, at last some one talking sense. If you but the YSS kit in without drilling the rods it feels to hard and horrible, I used standared springs and the pd valves and drilled tge rods out, result fantastic even with pillion. For anybody wanting this kit you have to drill the rods out! Great video cheers

[@iantoy7778]

Thanks for your comments. It's nice to hear from someone who knows what they are doing and thinks like I do. Cheers

[@majtimika]

Also tried with and without drilling the rods and yes, drilling is the way to go.

[@iantoy7778]

@@majtimika Yes the PD valves can't work without resistance in the damping rods.

[@Rosbif06600]

What bars did you put on?

[@iantoy7778]

The bars I fitted were from Ace Customs, London, UK. On their website they are listed as Desert Sled bars.

[@DirkGentley42]

@@iantoy7778 They remind me very much of the bars I have on my old Bonnie. I removed the stock T140 USA bars, which are quite high, and put on lower export bars from the T120. Excellent riding position for legal plus a bit speeds. Still, that a decent price from ACE Customs (just thought others may like the heads up about T120 USA bars which can be got pretty cheap).

[@maxxguzzi2745]

Is it that S.F. ?

[@iantoy7778]

Who knows 😂

[@maxxguzzi2745]

So who's the mystery guy ? please tell..

[@richard2951960]

What you are saying about YSS is not true 🤥 , when i bought rear YSS shocks for my Hunter 350 because i found the original shocks to harsh, they asked me my weight and if i carry luggage on the bike 🤔

[@iantoy7778]

I was referring to the front springs in this video. However I recently purchased a rear YSS shock for my Himalayan from Hitchcocks. They did not ask about weight etc and just sent one off the shelf.