Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 vs Kawasaki W800: Real World Performance Numbers Compared

  • Oct 28, 2020
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Which is the quicker British twin of the two?

Recently, we came across a small dilemma of which is the better non-British British twin? Is it the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, a retro roadster with British lineage but now adopted by India; or the Kawasaki W800, an authentic lookalike of the Norton, Triumph and BSA twins of the 1970s and 80s? To know what the numbers speak, read on. But if you want to know what two Bawas think of it, scroll down right to the end of the story for the video.

Acceleration

 

Kawasaki W800

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 BS6

0-60kmph

2.92 seconds

3.00 seconds

0-100kmph

6.24 seconds

6.42 seconds


For all its extra displacement, power and torque on offer, the Kawasaki W800 didn’t have that much of a commanding lead in acceleration over the Interceptor 650. It was a mere 0.18 seconds quicker to a hundred. There are two reasons why the difference isn’t too much: First, the weight. At 224kg wet, the Kawasaki is a full 22 kilos heavier than the Interceptor. Second, and more importantly, engine character. The W800’s 360-degree crank offset gives the bike a very mellow and linear power delivery. There isn’t any urgency from the motor, allowing you to ride at a very sedate pace.

Roll-on Acceleration

 

Kawasaki W800

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 BS6

30-70kmph in 3rd gear

4.39 seconds

3.84 seconds

40-80kmph in 4th gear

5.22 seconds

4.81 seconds


In addition to the weight and engine character, the tall gear ratios also play a part in slower in-gear roll on acceleration timings. It is close to half a second or more slower in this regard than the Interceptor, which makes comparatively slower getting past traffic. The difference is apparent when riding the two bikes back to back as the Interceptor’s livelier engine, thanks to the 270-degree crank, allows it to spurt away at the crack of a whip.

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Braking

 

Kawasaki W800

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 BS6

100-0kmph

50.72m

47.21m

60-0kmph

18.12m

16.49m


Both motorcycles are running a single disc with twin-piston floating caliper setup on the front wheel-- no dual discs or fancy radial calipers here. Still, both have commendable stopping power, the Interceptor more than the W800. Thanks to sintered brake pads, the bite is extremely fierce. ABS calibration is just that smidge better on the RE and as a whole we quite liked just how precise the feedback was from the system.

Fuel Efficiency

 

Kawasaki W800

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 BS6

City

21.14kmpl

25.35kmpl

Highway

29.68kmpl

33.17kmpl

Fuel tank

15 litres

13.4 litres


There was no doubt here who was going to emerge victorious; the Interceptor’s smaller engine was always going to be more fuel efficient. We were pleasantly surprised to know that the Kawasaki was able to run at lower revs in fifth gear at 100kmph than the Interceptor in sixth. That still couldn’t overcome its displacement disadvantage on the highway. And even though the W800 packs in 1.6-litres of more fuel on board, the range on offer is just slightly more on the Interceptor.

If the numbers haven’t helped you make up your mind, the video below definitely will.

Which one of these two will you go for? Let us know on our social media channels or in the comments below.

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 Video Review

Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650
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