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

Published October 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.

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madreeto | 3 years ago No coverage on everyday ride comfort, suspension, service cost, service interval? 0 Reply

Kevin | 3 years ago Change of sprocket to obtain your personal gearing likes can easily be done. Lower RPM for the INT on the highway or greater low end power for the W800. Problem solved. (If any) 0 Reply