My Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 journey began in October 2022, and by June 2023, I had clocked a decent 6500km, averaging around 1000km per month. I was enjoying the ride, exploring new routes and soaking in the motorcycle life. However, my blissful experience took an unexpected turn towards the end of 2023.
After some investigation, the culprit was identified: a dead battery. With the assistance of the local service centre in Vadodara, I had the battery replaced.
It looked like things were back on track, but no. By August 2024, I had already experienced a couple of battery replacements and 3-4 jump starts. In August 2024, when my bike went to the service centre for another such breakdown, we discovered that the battery wasn't receiving enough current to charge.
The service centre executive and mechanic attributed this to potential carbon deposition on the terminals of the wire connecting the alternator. They performed a minor cleaning and returned the bike with a fully charged battery from their docking station.
Thereafter, the service centre started advising me to run the bike every 10-15 days. They gradually reduced this interval to 7 days. When I pointed out that my other vehicles (a Toyota car, a Bajaj bike, and a Honda scooter) could remain idle for longer periods without battery issues, they began making vague excuses about BS6 bikes and fuel pumps.
Things took a turn for the worse on December 17, 2024, when my bike once again refused to start. This time, we contacted the service centre directly instead of calling Royal Enfield Roadside Assistance. Their mechanic arrived and took my Interceptor to the service centre.
The very next day, I registered the issue with the official area service in-charge of Royal Enfield. He assured me that he would investigate the matter and resolve the issue within a week.
Days turned into weeks with constant updates about various activities, such as replacing the alternator, waiting for the entire wire harness from the factory, and then discovering that it was the wrong harness, requiring another order. We received no concrete information, especially when we initiated the calls.
On January 15, 2025, I visited the service centre and found my bike in a dirty condition. When I expressed my concern about the lack of attention, I was told that the bike was ready and they were merely checking for battery drain. I was shocked to hear this, as it seemed like the bike was declared ready conveniently on the day of my visit after nearly a month. I inquired about the identified issue, the performed activities, and the final improvements observed, but the service personnel were unable to provide any specific details.
The next day (January 16, 2025), I received a call from the service manager instructing me to visit another service centre immediately, as my bike had been transferred there and a "technical person" from Ahmedabad was inspecting it. This "technical person" reduced the number of relays from five to four and claimed that a current of 13.85A was sufficient to charge my bike. However, he failed to explain why I had been experiencing battery charging issues for so long and what the results of changing the relays were. I requested to speak with his senior, which he scheduled for Monday (January 20, 2025), as I was also planning to visit the service centre that day. However, I received no calls or messages despite multiple follow-ups.
On January 21st, I called the area service in-charge, but he was out of town on official business. When I inquired about the lack of communication with higher officials at Royal Enfield (as discussed on Thursday), he mentioned that the "technical person" had a family emergency. I requested him to arrange a call himself if the specific person was unavailable, but he insisted that only that “technical person” will make the call. When I asked about meeting him, he stated that he was unavailable.
Another week passed without any resolution. He again stated that my bike was ready based on the "technical person's" assessment. I then requested him to provide a detailed report outlining the observations, diagnosis, and rectification procedures. He promised to connect me with the "technical guy" within 5-10 minutes, but the call never materialized.
In the meantime, I conducted some research on battery charging. I learned that a 12V, 12AH battery typically requires a bulk charging current of 14.4A-14.7A, an absorption charging current of 13.8-14.4A, and a float charging current of 13.5-13.8A. This is analogous to charging a mobile phone: it charges quickly initially (0-80%), then at a moderate speed (80-95%), and finally at a slower pace or even while in use (95-100%).
Based on this information and my own observations, I realized that my bike's battery was likely being charged adequately when I was riding around 1000km per month. However, as my monthly mileage decreased to 200-250km, the battery charging became insufficient.
I am still awaiting a logical explanation for the issues with my bike and the steps taken by Royal Enfield to ensure adequate battery charging.
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