[sumithb]

Got delivery of my GT on Saturday (21st March). Having fun, have already crunched 150 KM

[strike909]

Guys, I've recently done a TD of the CGT and TB500. From there on the confusion has started. I own a std 350 CI and am in the process of renovating it. It is a comfortable bike with a good riding posture as I have installed bent handlebars and widened the seat. In a similar perspective the TB500 checked all boxes in relaxed and comfortable riding with adequate performance. The Continental GT on the other hand is a mad dog in terms of performance (coming from a std 350 CI owner). During the TD I took a break as it was too much to handle in one go. The bike has a tendancy to keep pulling in all gears(awesome usable torque).I was taking the TD in Agra and I remember the instance when I was at 95 kmph wondering whether there is one more gear remaining (yeah a seasoned std 350 CI owner doesn't venture in this territory often), so I just tried and lo behold it went into the final gear with a complimentary jump of 15km to 110kmph. It was one Crazy TD and I couldn't stop raving about for a week. However, in about 5mins of TD (that's all I could handle). the inner part of my palms below my thumbs were hurting. And this was the only downer in the otherwise fantastic bike.

This was 1 month back and I am still contemplating which bike. But a major shot in the arm was yesterday when I came across an ad on Quikr for a CGT in Defence Colony Delhi where the owner has raised the handlebars and cushioned the seat. The ad also mentions the bike as a scrambler. I think this is absolutely doable. It'll probably bump up the cost by atleast 10 grand but I'll get the bike my heart went with all along.

Images attached for your consumption. I compliment the actual owner for these mods

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by strike909

Guys, I've recently done a TD of the CGT and TB500. From there on the confusion has started. I own a std 350 CI and am in the process of renovating it. It is a comfortable bike with a good riding posture as I have installed bent handlebars and widened the seat. In a similar perspective the TB500 checked all boxes in relaxed and comfortable riding with adequate performance. The Continental GT on the other hand is a mad dog in terms of performance (coming from a std 350 CI owner).

Mate as a fellow RE owner I would suggest you to opt for what is more comfortable to you. In the long run it is the comfort that matter more than the performance. Having said that the CGT takes some time to adjust to due to its café racer configuration. The clip on handle bars and the backward set foot pegs require some time to settle onto. I am saying this from my personal experience coming from a Standard CI background as yours. Looks and equipment wise the CGT simply owns the Tbird500 while comfort wise the latter excels.

This was 1 month back and I am still contemplating which bike. But a major shot in the arm was yesterday when I came across an ad on Quikr for a CGT in Defence Colony Delhi where the owner has raised the handlebars and cushioned the seat. The ad also mentions the bike as a scrambler. I think this is absolutely doable. It'll probably bump up the cost by atleast 10 grand but I'll get the bike my heart went with all along.

Listen to your heart mate and you will never regret, if CGT it is then go for it. But remember, a CGT's character are those handlebars and backward set foot pegs. Those are the ones that make the CGT look authentic and real. You can modify it for your taste and comfort as long as you are satisfied with it. I am planning to transform my AVL Tbird350 into a café racer, but from my experience of riding a Café Racer I will reserve it for short rides on the weekends. For touring nothing comes close to the Tbird500.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by strike909

Images attached for your consumption. I compliment the actual owner for these mods

Sorry, but have to disagree.
This is embarrassing the bike more than the person who rides it.

Why would someone buy a Cafe Racer and change its key parts to make it comfortable to ride, like this is the only bike in the market?

Getting used to the Cafe Racer as it is only a matter of getting used to the right riding posture. There are ownership threads on the forum for reference.

TB500 and the GT are two different bikes altogether. See what suits you best and go for it.
If it is the GT, go for it and enjoy it for what it is.

These are my views only.

[neil.jericho]

Egad! It took me quite some time to gather my wits after seeing that particular Continental GT. I cant get the image out of my head.


On a slightly more serious note, yes the performance of the Continental GT is quite something (its all relative) and the seating position does take getting used to. I have heard that several owners in Madras have raised the handle bars to make the posture a lot more comfortable. I havent seen such mods on Bangalore bikes so I dont have any pictures.


The stock single seat is a lot more comfortable than the double seat. You could always get more padding added (easy to do tastefully) to improve comfort.


All said and done, whether your planned mods are functional or aesthetic, its your bike and your money. Go with what makes you happy!

[strike909]

Yep agreed to navin_v8, taharian & neil.jericho. the essence of a café racer is missing in this mod. That's actually the character of the CGT and what draw's you to the bike. I am used to the comfortable seating of my Std 350 CI and will have to break in my seating position should I go with the CGT. In the long run owing a TB 500 will definitely be sensible but I may keep regretting not having bought the CGT. And then there is a talk that this fellow is on the way by RE (image attached). I guess I'll complete the renovation of my present Std 350 CI, fall in love with it all over again and wait it out till my brain and heart are somewhere in synch. Thanks for the sane input guys I needed it.

[ganesc]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I have heard that several owners in Madras have raised the handle bars to make the posture a lot more comfortable. I havent seen such mods on Bangalore bikes so I dont have any pictures.

One such handle bar mod in Chennai.
I keep seeing this video often as the sound track goes well with the ride

https://youtu.be/OnvzXg7yNZI

Also came across this GT turned to a cruiser. Himalayan inspired may be.



OLX

[mkovuri]

Some colleagues said it very rightly. Of the modifications are taking away the very spirit of the café racer, why not go for the Thunderbird 500 which is nearly same engine, if performance is what you want. In a recent long ride, one of my friends on Classic 500 was faster than me by an average of 10 kmph. It's the rider who makes the difference when it comes to small vehicle performance differences. If your preference is comfort, don't go for CGT. It's not bad, but that's not its strength.

[Ironhide]

Saw this interesting review of the Continental GT on rideapart. I fail to understand whether the writer was purposefully trying to trash the bike or he actually had a piece that gave him troubles. However, the article had me in splits. The comments that follow are a hoot to read as well

http://www.rideapart.com/articles/li...continental-gt



Some of the gems........

In each gear along the rev range, there's this window where you think, “Oh yes, here is where the power comes in," but no...you're greeted by the redline and rev-limiter at a measly 5500 rpm. I cannot tell you how many times I yelled "F**K!” inside my helmet. It took a couple days (almost a week) until this became a non-issue, but now and again it would recur and cause almost homicidal levels of frustration.

Throttle response and rider input is...um...vintage. Not that hipster, Echo Park, interpretation of vintage, I mean it really feels and behaves how you would expect an old bike to behave

You say, "Well, Sam, it’s a single cylinder thumper, it’s supposed to vibrate." I say to you, “Silence, fool!”

You know what…I've never been on a NEW motorcycle yet in my life where I wanted to throw my hands in the air and say “F**k it, I'm out. I'll walk home,”

You know that blue-ish purple-ish color that sets in once you put a couple hundred miles on the bike? That happens on the headers of this bike, but it also happens on the muffler. I'm not sure it’s supposed to do that. When I say "I'm not sure," I mean to say I'm absolutely 100% positive that the exhaust muffler is not supposed to change color.

The Continental GT is as close as you will get to owning a vintage cafe racer without going out and buying a vintage cafe racer

Cheers !

[Hammer & Anvil]

On my way back from RiderMania i was surprised to see these bikes- three of them with TN20 temp plates and as i came on them, the chunky tires got my attention.
They were silent and cruising so comfortably that I had to throttle down to let the wife shoot some pix.
Cant wait to see what other chassis they put this new EFI535 engine on, other than the Continental, I mean.

[Viju]

Since the bike seems to be on test by ARAI and there is no visual difference except the exhaust end-can, I think it is the BS-4 upgraded version of the GT undergoing homologation.

[Endofdayz]

Originally Posted by Viju

Since the bike seems to be on test by ARAI and there is no visual difference except the exhaust end-can, I think it is the BS-4 upgraded version of the GT undergoing homologation.

Sorry but this is the same silencer even my bike has. I dont see any visual difference on the bike shot and mine. May be some other test.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by Endofdayz

Sorry but this is the same silencer even my bike has.

Oops! My bad. am not too familiar with the GT. The exhaust looked different to me, and the image on the official web-page did not have the heat-shield.

Thanks for pointing that out!