Well Well... having followed this thread for quite some time now, here goes the inevitable post.
The Hooligan came home on
11-12-13... yes thats the auspicious date. Now for a short recap!
A decision made -
Having been one of the first buyers of the R15 Crotch Rocket in 2008, 5 years with a bike was getting a little boring. Past the line of 30 and an aggressive stance, multiple small niggles meant I wasnt riding that much, which I was not liking either. So when I saw the Bank balance rising day day to the desired level, I was in the market for a new bike. A Rs. 57k resale price helped make the decision easier. So I went ahead and shortlisted -
1. CBR 250 ABS
2. RE TB 500
3. Duke 390
in that order and went for the dealerships!
1. Honda needs to have a strategy for selling Rs. 2 L bikes side by side to Rs. 50k bikes. The showroom treatment for the premium biker is pathetic. The bike itself looked great, but the aggressive stance along with a no Test-ride position of the dealership saw me abandoning ship.
2&3 - Liked both the bikes on test ride. Was always apprehensive of my ability to keep up to the "nakhras" of an RE. And some discussions on T-BHP made the decision clear - The hooligan it is!
Just one more decision point remained - Should I go for the much easier 200 or the 390! Compared the rides of both at the Vashi KTM showroom, made a decision to aim higher in life and booked the 390. That was about 3 weeks back. Dealer promise - Bike to be registered and delivered within one week. And luckily, I was amongst the last lot to beat the Price hike.
Bike Delivery -
Dealer promises - they always have a different meaning. So, some regular calls to the Madams and Sirs at the dealership and one more week of delay later, the day arrived! 11-12-13! Asked the showroom to have the number plates done at my cost and then dropped in the evening with my lifelong (at least thats the plan) pillion! Rest of the Delivery saga in Pictures! (pardon the quality, taken on BB, Will have better DSLR ones soon!)
Experience till now!
The first ride back from the showroom to home - Careful navigation, getting to know the bike better and getting fried!
Post that have done very short in city rides and my two cents on the experience -
Likes -
1. Stability and Handling - Man, if the R15 was a great handler, this is a new benchmark for me!
2. The sound - The grr is addictive. Putting around the city in 4th gear at around 60 kph is a new addiction for me, at least till the run in is completed. The constant grring is sweet to the ears, has a note of quality and makes me feel like I have ARRIVED
3. Linear power delivery - I own a Linea T-Jet and i feel this bike complements the Linea so well when it comes to the power delivery. All this on the lower side of 6k RPM though. Yet to unleash the beast higher!
4. Posture -After leaning on the handle bars for 5 years, its good to sit upright and breeze around!
I guess there will be more likes as time goes, but for now i have larger list of dislikes - Not to take it to heart though, cause most of these are more of getting used to -
Dislikes -
1. Heat, heat, heat - enough said!
2. Vibrations - there is mild foot peg, handlebar vibrations at around 4k RPM mark. Cause of concern? I need to visit service centre, but just riding it out now to see if they settle in.
3. Suspension - I felt the suspension is quite hard. That coupled with a light weight, makes some of the Mumbai road uneven ness closer to my home a not-so-good experience, especially for the pillion too! I have this feeling with my Linea too, so guess this is just getting used to.
4. Pillion seat - Doesnt really seat a pillion as much as keep her on tenterhooks!
5. Side Stand - For a shortie like me, its quite a hassle to get the side stand down, because of the way the foothold on the stand is behind the footpeg. Scraped my leg twice on the footpeg now. Note to self - Get used to it!
5. Snob Value
- Come-on, I would definitely do with some more oohs and aahs and admiring glances at the traffic. Note to Self - Poser!
Some changes I am going to make soon -
1. Seats - The rider seat needs some cushioning. But I dont want to loose the nice surface of the existing seat. So i guess, this will mean getting some cushioning under the seat material. Any good suggestions for seat makers in Mumbai East/Central line? The pillion seat needs some broadening for my better half to get over the "on an edge" feeling!
2. Windscreen - I am torn between the KTM powerpart and the MRA ones. Spending 9k doesnt seem justifiable and given that I intend to start touring again, I definitely need something comfortable. I am strictly against Jugaad jobs (more personal) like FZ screens, etc!
3. Gear peg needs to be adjusted a little higher! Also, there are times it gets stuck at the bottom.
Now for some open roads to run her in!