Royal Enfield Intercontinental GT 650 bar end update

The new bar ends work a treat. Much nicer than the chunky grey originals.

I purchased the bar end caps from Cafe Racer Club and tried to fit them to my Royal Enfield Intercontinental GT 650 yesterday.

The original bar end caps.

As others had found, the bar end weights, designed to minimise vibration in the handlebars, do not allow bar end insert mirros to be fitted, or after market end caps.

Left: Original end cap and bar end weight. Right: Cafe Racer Club bar end cap and insert.  

Others have found that removing the bar end weights is relatively easy. Not for me. In the end, we used a slide hammer to get them out.

The new bar ends are much narrower.

Once removed, the Cafe Racer Club end bar caps were fitted, and it works a treat.

The Cafe Racer Club bar ends are the tapered version. They are much narrower than the originals.

With the bar end mirrors and the end caps, I have noticed no noticeable difference to handling or vibration in the bars.

The original bar ends are quite chunky.

I think it looks great and it has shaved a bit off the width of the bars which has proven handy for getting through my gate.

EV hype hits the wall

EVs have become such a virtue-signal that the thought of driving one makes me want to puke.

The latest real-world testing from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) delivers a sobering jolt. Many popular EVs are falling short of their advertised ranges by up to 23 per cent, leaving potential buyers grappling with the perennial problem that refuses to die – range anxiety. This isn’t just a minor glitch, it’s a fundamental flaw in the EV ‘narrative’ (there’s that leftie term again) that policymakers seem determined to ignore.

Let’s start with the facts, courtesy of the AAA’s groundbreaking independent testing program, launched to cut through the manufacturer spin and provide Australians with honest data. In their initial round of real-world assessments, models like the BYD Atto 3 SUV clocked in a staggering 111 kilometres short of its promised range – a 23 per cent deficit that translates to real frustration on the open road.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, EV hype hits the wall.

EVs have become such a virtue-signal that the thought of driving one makes me want to puke.

The latest real-world testing from the AAA delivers a sobering jolt.

Many popular EVs are falling short of their advertised ranges by up to 23%.https://t.co/UnctoMEXYJ

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) August 11, 2025

Speakman silent while renewables wreck regions

Wendy Tuckerman has actively engaged with regional Australians impacted by reckless renewables.  

Blindsided by the resignation of frontbencher Wendy Tuckerman over the party’s limp support for Labor’s controversial renewable energy laws, NSW Liberals leader Mark Speakman has presided over a fiasco that exposes the deep fissures within the Liberals.

The crisis erupted when Tuckerman, the MP for Goulburn, sensationally quit the opposition frontbench in protest over her party’s handling of Labor’s rushed electricity bill. This legislation, aimed at accelerating the transition to renewables, has been slated for its lack of consultation and its blatant disregard for the impacts on rural landowners.

My latest in The Spectator Australia, Speakman silent while renewables wreck regions.

MICHAEL DE PERCY | "Blindsided by the resignation of frontbencher Wendy Tuckerman over the party’s limp support for Labor’s controversial renewable energy laws, Speakman has presided over a fiasco that exposes the deep fissures within the Liberals."https://t.co/MNv17yQEol

— The Spectator Australia (@SpectatorOz) August 10, 2025