[goandude]

Back from a 540 km round trip to Chickmangalur on the Hornet and the first time with a pillion for such a long trip. 170 kms or 4 lane Neelamangala to Hassan and Hassan to Chickbelapur 2 lane undivided roads about 60 kms.

Few findings:-

KRSTC bus drivers in general are horrid keep a sharp look out for the more celebrated idiots. Saw an accident where one KRSTC had gone into another while overtaking on a bend.

The pillion seat gets uncomfortable after 1 to 1.5 hours and a butt rest is essential. This reduces your overall average speed.

Cruising at 100+/-10 kmph is in the (my) pillion comfort zone, anything above this and she tenses up.

A back pack for pillion is not a problem for this distance. She sometimes forgot she had it on her back. My Viaterra tank bag ticked all the right boxes on this trip.

The bike is a pain to park in public places. In fact for our visit to Chennakesava temple, we hired an auto as the public would have a field day trying to get themselves photographed on it. As it is, in our homestay http://www.thespectrum.in/ some of the guests were very pissed off when I refused to let them sit on the bike to take pics. Also when stopped at a roadside eatery always park the bike in eye shot.

The Hornet gave me 28 kmpl in this trip.

Few pics:- In this pic, taken a fes days ago, she is not in her riding boots. However she refuses to wear knee guards. Rest is how we traveled.

Outside CCD on the way out 110 km from home. I had tied my track shoes to the RHS grab handle and it stayed firm all the way. On the way back packed it in the tank bag.

The homestay.

A view of the Chennakesava temple.

Our auto had a fishtank as his backrest, a LCD screen on the top left part of his cockpit and speakers in passenger headrest.

[killjoy]

Nice pics. Everytime I open this thread, I think for a moment that you ended up buying another bike, then I realize that you call your Ninja the Green Hornet

[Haroon]

Nice ride and seems you both had a good time.

For longer journeys and to give a little consideration to the long haired general's back, how about considering a rear rack that blends with the tail without looking like a sore thumb (in the link below). That way if you invest in a waterproof 49/89 ltr tailbag like Ortlieb, etc, she doesnt have to carry the heavy backpack and also this tailbag will be like a safety-support for the pillion. And yes, some additional foam padding in the seats from a good seatwallah will do wonders on the long haul.

http://www.riderforums.com/ninja-650...tall-pics.html


Ride safe & pile on the miles

[goandude]

Now 8 months have passed since I got the Green Hornet and have done 4000 kms on her. So I felt I need to update this thread.

She has been performing to perfection, absolutely reliable, starts first thumb of the starter button even after 4 weeks of lying idle. The linear acceleration at all RPMs > 3000 is something that brings a smile to my face every time I whack open the throttle. She is stable at speed and the highway is where she excels. Take her off road and the weight of the bike shows. The brakes with the EBC Pro pads are adequate for my requirements and I don't feel the need to change lines, perhaps my riding style is more conservative.

The fairings are great at redirecting the wind (and heat) away from my legs and the only part of my gear that gets dirty is the upper part of my jacket, where the wind hits.

The Rt rear indicator broke. How, is a mystery, as I didn't make contact with anything. It was fine this morning when I set off on our morning team-bhp rides. Till a fellow rider pointed out the broken piece. Kawasaki is asking 2300/- for the single indicator.
I have been maintaining the Hornet myself with weekly cleaning and 500 km chain cleaning and lubing. Decided that a few stickers would add to the looks department so here:-

Negatives? Hmmm The exhaust note for one. Maybe it's me, but on the twisties I have to really put an effort to counter steer the bike into turns.

Done a few 2 up rides and the pillion comfort is Ok for 100 odd Kms. The breaking performance does get compromised with a pillion, so one needs to be cautious.

[lohithrao]

Mod Note : There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the forum experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use a spell-checker.

[goandude]

Needed to update this thread now that I've completed a year of ownership and 6000+ kms on the Hornet. The bike has no problems at all, starts first push of the starter button even after a month of non use when I was out of town. But at least 2 weekends a month have been out with Team-BHP group for about 100 to 200 kms trips. Did a longish trip to Yercaud with 14 other bikes for an overnight stay, during which got caught up in a fierce thunder shower where I got drenched, but the bike behaved normally.

Did a service last Sunday at Auto Service Banashankari and the oil, oil filter and air filter was changed. Cost 6325/- of which the parts was 4000/-, servicing 1500/- rest in tax and consumables. Add to this was the insurance of about 7000/- for an IDV of 4,30,000/- and home ministry wasn't very happy.

Tried using the top transparent pocket of my Viaterra tank bag for placing my cell phone while reading maps on the go, but found it to be dangerous as I had to take my eyes off the road to look down. So a Rynox 5.5" mobile holder is the next purchase.

Will post a picture after getting hold of the mobile holder and reviewing it.

[wolfy]

Originally Posted by goandude

Add to this was the insurance of about 7000/- for an IDV of 4,30,000/-

Hello Goan dude!
My 2013 650 insurance is due too. I have got quotes ranging from 9200-11000/- for an IDV of 4L.

Could you kindly pm me the insurance company details (and a point of contact if any).

Regards,
Kapil

[goandude]

Wolfy, PM sent.
Here a pic from our yesterday ride.

And one of the Mobile holder with a 5" phone inside, my 5.5" fits perfectly. I finalised this location as it is the only one which doesn't foul with the tank on turning lock to lock, falls within my primary visual area and allows most of the instrument panel to be within sight, except the fuel meter.

[goandude]

After a lot of research on various forums and with no negative effects on the bike reported by users I took the plunge and upgraded my stock bulbs for osram rallye h7 64217 65 w from http://store.candlepower.com/osraulhiouh7.html . Attaching pictures taken in my basement where the ambient light is constant. Camera on tripod and settings on manual.

Dipped beam stock

Dipped beam 65 W

Both beams stock

Both beams 65 W

There is a definite improvement

[goandude]

It's been awhile since I've updated this thread so this is a 14000 kms review.

The Hornet has been at its buzzing best these last 11000 kms that I have ridden her. Longest ride I did was a solo to Goa in November. But mostly were breakfast rides and overnighters.

Few issues that cropped up:-

Around February I found the oil level in the window falling slowly after every ride. Oil was leaking from somewhere and I couldn't figure out where. Not so much when cold but while riding the level would drop. So left it for a few days with auto Service and they too had a tough time to figure out where the oil was leaking from. Eventually, the culprit was the junction between the oil pan and the crankcase. The pan was removed, joint cleaned, gasket not replaced, put back together and there has been no recurrence of the problem since then.

Then one fine day the right indicator repeater (green blinking light) in the speedo console failed. No water ingress, no damage, just failed. The indicators themselves were working fine. There is no replacement part in the console, it needs to be replaced as a whole piece. And it costs $ 625 So I just added a small tweeter under the seat to remind me of switching off the indicator if I forget.

Then last week an old puncture in the rear tyre started leaking. Took the bike to Sai Iyengar in Indiranagar and he fixed it with a mushroom patch from inside. He also pointed out that me tread was just about gone. So got a good deal from Tyre Center Colle's park and now have Metzeler M5 Interact tyres in OE size.



PS. My best mileage was 31 kmpl and worst 27 kmpl.