You are greeted by long sweeping curves the minute you move outside of Tumkur, very tempting, knowing the reviews, I looked to keep the bend marginal.
At 5K rpm, the ride was starting to feel slow considering the open roads that was available. I decided to up the anti to 6K rpm, nice...a cracker of an exhaust, and I literally mean fire crackers, you drop the throttle and vroom.. budu budu budu phat budu budu
The bike came into its own at these speeds, it takes bumps like a car and sometimes even better, in other words, it irons the highway out, you could be turning into bends and good speeds and hit those bad tarred small and continuous bumps- no issues, it simply eats them up.
Riding Pattern change
I had to make a couple of changes with the way I usually ride:
Fuel Injection- its my first and I like it, the constant idle feels nice when you start, also, no need to rev when you hit the starter.
Gripping the tank- with the foot pegs set to the front, you find it difficult to grip the tank, when you hit bumps- you will find yourself jumping off the seat just like you would on a scooter- lol, that was funny when it happened the first time. I figured its easier to push against the foot pegs instead of gripping the tank- which works well.
Shifting Gears- I noticed, initially the gear box didn't take engine braking very well, it would prefer to be slowed down and then down shift.
Balance- This bike is very well balanced, you don't need to ride the bike, just sit and throttle, but, I found myself dropping my right leg down instead of my left whenever there was a need to slow down to a stop. While the balance of the bike works really well when on the move, I found myself on my toes every time I had to drop my left leg down, with right leg on the brake. The reason seems to be a left side offset rear shock. I don't see it as too much of an issue, but did feel a cramp in constant bumper to bumper traffic, this was after a long journey. You could choose to use the front brake instead, something I'm not used to yet.
Braking- ABS is a must for this bike, emergency braking is not its forte. Keeping distance and allowing braking space is the approach you need to have, locked up rear discs results in an immediate back end sway even in the slowest of the speeds. I noticed this when I had to brake semi hard for those invisible humps.
Some more observations
I love to keep my motors shiny and new throughout my ownership, I'm actually obsessed with them looking brand new.I had washed the bike the day before and could not help notice how well put together the bike is, its pretty evident its made with a lot of thought and love.
Looks- believe me you, is not subjective in this matter, I haven't come across one person who said anything negative about the looks, and I haven't come across one person who said anything positive when they looked at the pictures, and that includes myself.
Tires- Pirelli, no complaints so far, I just hope they don't get punctured as often as the MRFs on my now sold FZ. I think they look beautiful.
Front stance- Although I would have loved a simple round doom, this set up is not bad either, the twin lamps and LEDs add character.The beefy front mudguard and the champagne/ gold forks look really nice.
Matt black Alloys- I like them, not too fancy, wide gaps to clean them easily.
Engine Guard- love it, looks well made/ premium, and adds a nice but subtle look.
Engine bay- Gloss black means I can wax it and keep it shining for a long time, aluminum/ steel nuts gives the engine a nice look, premium feeling if I may say.
Radiator shrouds- Ooze character, black shrouds with silver highlights look really cool.
Meter Console- Very nice, variety of information available, can record timings/ top speed etc. back lit in blue, analog rev, remains lit up in red at the point of your last highest rev. its simple and compact.
Fuel Tank- Although its a 21 ltr tank, you just don't feel it when you sit on the bike, you feel like you are on a Pulsar. And it seems to be intelligent design more than anything else. I like that its not plastic claddings that make up the tank and its all metal.
Handle- its probably the most perfect riding position for touring.
Mirrors- Very well positioned, they helped a lot on highways, I'm not a sucker for mirrors, but these I will keep. Simple and practical design, gave me a good view of the whole road behind me.
Seat- Wow, this is a star, I felt like Mahindra had my bottom in mind when they designed the seat
Tail Lamp- Beautiful, the way it integrates to the back flip/extension is neat.
Indicators- simple, nice and bright.
Number plates- Spot on positioning, integrates with the rest of the bike very well, specially the back plate.
Exhaust- I cant imagine the kind of attention Mahindra has given to the exhaust, it looks and sounds beautiful, it does not cry out loud visually, hell you may not even notice it until you hear the bike, being a twin, makes it one of a kind, the fit and finish is just great.
Side Profile- In white, the champagne/ gold chassis and fork add a lot of character to the bike, its an eye catcher.
Grab Rails- Again simple and integrate well with the bike, the white lining on the seat around the grab rails give it a nice look when viewed from behind.
Back extension- Ducati Scrambler kind of look, I love it, smart Mahindra logo. Glossy paint gets scratched very very soon. The twin exhaust gives a balanced look from the back, additional mudguard will make it look better, plan to get this later.
Clutch and Brake levers- Aluminum levers on the handles, looks and feel nice. A special mention on the clutch, its almost as soft as riding a 150 CC, and this goes a long way in the comfort factor.
Gear and Brake foot levers- They both look the same, its funny when you use them for the first time. They work well, did not notice any issues in using them.
Foot pegs- Aluminum and Rubber mix, they are big and look practical for muddy situations. Close and open with a nice click.
Performance- 5 stars, I'm so very impressed, it can be your sporty bike, it can be your cruiser, it can simply be your everyday ride.
Additional Likes - You have to depress the clutch to start the bike- nice
- Roll over function- The bike is designed to cut off fuel if dropped
- Overheating function- The bike is designed to restrict your rev limit to 5K rpm in case of overheating, it goes back to normal once the engine cools down- apparently, its not offered on other bikes in India.
This bike has so many characters mixed into it, that it will simply please all kinds of riders.
Start it, and it sounds like you have started a Super Bike
Ride it slow, and it sound like you are riding a Harley.
Ride sporty, and it feels like you are riding a KTM.
Want to ride relaxed, sure, why not, and you feel like you are on a Bullet, absolutely doesn't rush you and allows you to ride as relaxed as you want.