Will It Fit In? I Took Royal Enfield’s Retro INT650 To The Isle Of Vashon Vintage Bike Rally

There are many more photos at the end of this story.

I’ve owned a lot of vintage motorcycles, and there seems to be a pattern: Many of them were parallel twins, or P-Twins, including a Norton Commando 750, BSA A50, Honda CB450SS, Yamaha XS650 and a Yamaha Seca 400. There’s just something about that engine that has both soul and sound, aesthetics and performance. In 2020, with no vintage machines in the garage, I acquired a new INT650, also known as the Interceptor 650 outside the U.S., a thoroughly modern but very retro-appearing P-Twin from India’s revitalized and modernized Royal Enfield.

And after a Covid hiatus, the Northwest’s most entertaining vintage motorcycle rally, the VME’s Isle of Vashon TT, was back on for 2022. How would the retro-modern Royal Enfield INT650 P-Twin go over at such an event? Would I be chased off the sprawling island, located in the Puget Sound outside of Tacoma, Washington, for attempting to be a retro imposter? Or would the hundreds of vintage-riding enthusiasts allow me to park and camp my fuel-injected, ABS-equipped (but still air-cooled) slice of vintage-styled modernity within exhaust note range of their beloved time machines? Only one way to find out.

I packed the INT650 with camping essentials since our group were going to stake out spots at AYH Ranch, a former American Youth Hostel facility since converted to a vintage western-style respite for travelers, offering rooms, cabins, teepees, and acres of flat, manicured grassland for tent camping.

When motorcycle camping, you’ve got to pack light, especially on a smaller displacement machine like the INT650. Fortunately, I’ve got the gear for that. Now we just needed the weather to cooperate, and showers were in the forecast. Undeterred, our small squadron of riders left the Portland area and traversed some snaking back roads and high-speed interstate highways to Tacoma, where we hopped aboard a ferry for the short trip over the water to Vashon Island, where the pace of life is a bit slower than in nearby Tacoma and Seattle. Bonus detail: Motorcycles are first on and first off Washington’s spacious ferryboats.

Once at AYH Ranch, we set up our camp sites along the treeline, and headed into the small town of Vashon to Sporty’s Tavern for some satisfying deep-fried seafood, burgers and onion rings. Then it was back to camp for some suds and conversation. Unfortunately, the dry summer and nearby wildfires meant no campfires were allowed, so we chatted under outdoor lights into the evening about life, bikes, and adventures while perusing a selection of vintage 1970s motorcycle magazines.

My, how times have changed, but it was fun to see ads for all those “new” rip-snorting P-Twins from five decades ago that were now on Vashon Island as vintage icons.

Saturday is Rally Day, and stripped of saddlebags and camping gear, the INT650 looks light and lean. Twin upswept brushed aluminum lightweight S&S exhaust pipes let the engine fully express itself under throttle, while it burbled along with grace and composure over Vashon’s sometimes rough pavement. The first event of the day is a poker run, starting in the town of Vashon. The route circles the island, and at each stop, riders receive a “card.” At the end of the ride, the best hands win prizes. Safe to say I should not take up playing poker anytime soon.

Delicious burgers and fixins are on tap at the last stop as well, along with a show-and-shine competition and some fun motogames, including Push the Barrel and a circle race in which the circle gets continually… smaller. Get passed and you’re out of the race! The games took place on dirt and grass so even though a few bikes went onto their sides, most of the damage was to the riders’ egos.

Bikes at rally spanned the gamut, from almost steampunk-worthy old britbikes to spotlessly restored Japanese machines from the 1970s to sidecars rigs with riders in period dress. Riders on modern machines are also welcome at the Vashon TT.

MORE FROM FORBESRide Review: Royal Enfield’s Mellow Meteor 350 Brings The Zen Back To Motorcycle RidingBy Bill Roberson

How did the INT650 measure up? Royal Enfield’s market share in the U.S. has been on a sharp upswing as of late as the company works to expand dealerships and their U.S. customer base with new offerings like the 350 Meteor (review above) and the Himalayan adventure bike, but it’s still a fairly new brand to the American motorcycle scene, and the INT650 still gets people to stop, take a closer look and ask questions about what it is, where it’s made and how it rides. And overall, even the vintage riders gave it a pass, with some admitting they were considering one for themselves, thanks to the affordable $6,199 price tag, and deft mix of vintage style and modern technology.

Safely back to camp, we passed around some bottles and new stories as the air grew heavy with moisture, and sure enough, drops began pattering on my tent’s rain fly as I dozed off for the night. By morning, skies were just cloudy as we packed up for home. The ride back traced through tiny towns and farm land, across soaring bridges of steel and along the mighty rivers of the Northwest until the Portland skyline appeared in the distance. All too soon, the INT650 was back in the garage with its wheeled siblings, waiting for another chance to prove again that modern technology and vintage appeal can indeed coexist in a motorcycles that get both values just right.

Until next year, Vashon.

On desktop computers, use ‘Command +’ to expand the article for larger images.