[R-Six]

Hi Neil,

Good to see you back on the forum. Without any updates on your thread, I was wondering if you stopped riding the GT at all.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Mileage: 35.02 kmpl

That is some crazy number you have got there! Good stuff. I have never seen anything above 25KMPL. The number you have shared is very well inspiring.

Ride Safe,
R-Six

[neil.jericho]

It's been over a month since my last update and in most cases on Team BHP, no updates to ownership threads usually mean good things and correspondingly trouble free riding. Wait, that is how I started off my last post as well but true to form, things have been far from boring to say the least. Despite the rising temperatures in March, I had slowly started commuting to work on the Continental GT and one one particular day, I remember contemplating whether I should pick up the keys to my Honda Jazz or the Continental GT while leaving to work. My better half even suggested I take the car but the thought of being stuck in the mind numbing and soul sapping Bangalore traffic quickly swayed my decision towards the Royal Enfield. Unfortunately, on my way back from work, the sky suddenly started becoming very overcast and before I knew it, the first rains of the summer were on us.


While this is undoubtedly cause for celebration for kids, it is a whole different situation altogether for motorcyclists, especially in India, as the roads that have accumulated grime, slush. oil and everything in-between in the preceding months, gleefully mix all of this with the first showers that hit them to give a whole new meaning to the word treacherous. I brought the Continental GT to a very slow pace as the grip from the tires was noticeably less and despite all my carefulness, my bike lost traction between a small crest in the road and the subsequent round about. Funnily enough, despite the pedestrian speeds that I was doing, the fall happened before I knew it so I had no time to get my hands up and I hit the ground on my left side. Im sure a GIF of the fall, if available, will provide a few laughs! The only physical damage that I faced was some very light skimming of the skin at my left knee (I had no riding pants on and my formal pants suffered a slight tear) which led to some minor bleeding and a slight scratch on my right leg which would have been caused by the foot peg. Had the skimming of the knee been any lighter, I would not have lost enough skin to bleed at all!


The Alpinestar jacket ensured that I had no physical damage to my upper torso and my head didnt make contact with the ground so the Shark Race R Pro didnt have to jump into action. Next time I will probably pull over and wait it out before proceeding. Or be even more careful while riding my bike in similar conditions. Or probably just listen to my better half's instincts when she questions my choice of vehicle for commuting! While many bikers consider falls or accidents to be a major black mark on their track record ( and would hence rather not tell anyone about them), I for one, feel that each incident is a learning experience and Im sure others can also learn from what happened to me.


I was able to get up immediately and some good Samaritans helped me pull the bike back up and be on my way. The damage to the bike though was a little more severe than what I sustained. The handlebar was bent and the left side auxiliary light had snapped off. Oh well, I had planned to get the KTM handlebar replaced anyways so no it was no real biggie. I later took the bike to Raymond and after checking the bike for any issues related to the fall, he fixed the stock handlebars back on the bike. After having done 10,000 kms with the raised KTM bars, I was dreading the move back to the crouched down seating position but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it felt quite comfortable. The bike does look a lot better with its return to the classic cafe racer stance as well.


The other day while riding my bike, a bunch of young lads returning from a tiring morning's cricket session spotted me in the distance and immediately, all of them requested for a lift to the main road. I pointed to the rear of the bike and shrugged but since none of them could see that I was on the stock single seat, the kids couldnt understand and were noticeably puzzled. As I slowly crossed them, they all realized what I was pointing at and burst out laughing. Now that made my day!


Stay tuned for my next update as I share details of a 550 + km solo ride on a familiar route.

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

The clutch grounding switch is also pretty reliable but if the wiring is poorly connected (as it seems to have been in your case) the starter may refuse to operate.

Happy riding and keep it shiny side up.

Thanks ArizonaJim, that is what the Service Advisor had explained to me as well, though he did so with less technical detail.

Originally Posted by R-Six

Hi Neil,

Good to see you back on the forum. Without any updates on your thread, I was wondering if you stopped riding the GT at all.

R-Six, I doubt that will ever happen! Despite the GT giving me it's fair share of troubles, it does have an endearing quality about it and it is a keeper that I plan to ride for a long time to come. That plus the abysmal resale value in the second hand market now that the bike is discontinued!

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

It's been over a month since my last update

Hi Niel,

Welcome back to the forum! This is one thread I keep a close eye on all the time since I refer to your thread for all the troubleshooting you do on the niggles.

Good to know that you and the bike are safe after that fall. Do you think having a Perrelli in the rear would have saved you in that instance?

550 + km solo ride

Wow! bring it on man! Where did you go?

it is a keeper

Couldn't agree more on this.

Ride safe,
R-six

[neil.jericho]

The unfortunate part about updating this thread several weeks after I should have is that I tend to forget some of the smaller details that are really important. Going back to my last post, the fall was actually my third strike of the day and hence I was extra cautious when it had started raining.


Now, during my morning commute, the jostling amongst the motorcycle riders as we all approached the perpetually blocked Yemalur junction, reminded me of the traditional Indian fish market more than anything else. I was on the left most lane and hounded by an extremely impatient gentleman on a 100 cc bike (to my right) who kept trying to squeeze me out so he could inch further ahead. Being on the left most lane with a high footpath on my left side, I had nowhere to really go and kept inching forward myself. Eventually he managed to get his handlebar ahead of mine by a few inches but he had to brake suddenly which meant that he inadvertently ended up slamming my front brake as well. Fortunately my cat like reflexes (cough cough) meant that I could grab in the clutch and control the bike thereby averting danger. In all my years of riding, I cannot remember this ever happening to me. In the evening though, the exact same thing happened to me again! This time, it was somebody else who wasn’t bothered about his own life’s safety, much less mine. So I was on two strikes and was riding in a cautious mode even before the sky turned overcast and my subsequent fall at slow speeds.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I brought the Continental GT to a very slow pace as the grip from the tires was noticeably less and despite all my carefulness, my bike lost traction between a small crest in the road and the subsequent round about.

Anyways, onto other updates and the 550 km ride now. As the old saying goes, all good things must eventually come to an end. After a decade of calling Bangalore home, it was time to switch things up and see what challenges life throws at me in a different city. Ive had the great fortune of having met so many biking enthusiasts over the last 9 years and have seen the riding community mature and grow by leaps and bounds. I will greatly miss the group from this forum that I have shared so many wonderful rides with and have greatly enjoyed the camaraderie and banter that doesn’t stop.


I had left my bike at my brother’s place for a couple of weeks, and finally planned to ride it down last Sunday. As usual, it took the requisite 7 to 8 attempts to get the bike started (you cant have a Royal Enfield that comes to life at the first attempt!) but once it did, there was nothing to worry about. I only had to adjust the positioning of the spot lights to ensure they were aligned and didn’t blind anybody from the opposite side of the road. I started from Bangalore only by 05:30 AM and met fellow TBHPian unk9ja who went out of his way to meet me as I departed on my solo ride.

All set at the start of the ride


Waiting to catch up with fellow TBHPian unk9ja

The initial leg of the ride was uneventful and I was grateful to miss some projectile puke, courtesy a sick person from one of those inter-city buses. My first stop was at the popular Shoolagiri place where I was looking forward to one final round of podi dosa and coffee but had to settle for a regular dosa instead. Since I was in no real rush, I planned to stop and take a stretch for a few minutes at every alternate toll booth which helped me a lot. The bike was kept in the 3000 to 3500 RPM range in top gear which meant speeds of close to or at the century mark but more importantly the vibrations were low. Higher speeds meant higher revving which would only result in tiring me out for no good reason. At these speeds I maintained, the bike performed very well and was in its element.


I happened to tail another one of those inter city buses that had a well painted Hugh Jackman from the movie series the Wolverine on the back. For those who haven’t been to this part of our country, several of the private buses that operate between large towns, have the traditionally had the back of the vehicle painted (rather nicely I must add) with Bollywood and south Indian movie actresses. This was the first time that I had spotted a superhero being painted which out to be something really different though I will admit, I have received whatsapp forwards showing buses with paintings of popular adult film actresses adorning the rear! Talk about differentiating yourself from your competition.

Taking a break before reaching Salem

My first stop for fuel was after Salem and I took a 20 minute break to refresh myself with a couple of fresh juices from A2B and to drink plenty of water as well. With a mostly cloudy sky that wasn’t threatening to rain for company, riding was very fatigue free for most of the day despite it being the middle of the dreaded Indian summer. From there my next break was only after another 80 odd kilometers and that was more for tightening the left rear view mirror which was getting a little droopy with the sustained highway riding.

Somewhere near Erode I guess

Lunch was at one of the many vegetarian restaurants near Coimbatore that have seemingly sprung up overnight off the highway and constituted of a dosa, some chocolates and more fluids. Meanwhile the left spot light which had broken off its clamp in the accident and then been stuck with adhesive, could no longer take the vibes and eventually worked itself loose again. I need to use a stronger adhesive, the same issue has been plaguing the right side one as well where Ive been using FeviKwik to solve the problem effectively for a few months at a time. Other than that, the bike had absolutely no issues and kept munching down the miles effectively and without a care in the world.


The only moment that the brakes were actually called into action was on the L&T Coimbatore bypass where the two lane highway seemingly brings out the worst of drivers on the opposite side of the road. This time, an elderly gentleman decided that driving on the wrong side of the road while barreling towards me was his best chance of jumping ahead of the traffic line but he safely came to a stop well ahead of me and was shaking his head and pointing at me as though I was crazy! Which brings me to the soggy front braking that is robbed of all feel and sharpness until I replace the front disc itself. From then on, it was more smooth sailing until I crossed over into Kerala where the roads have steadily been made wider over the last few years. The only thing to keep in mind is that the stop lights are frequent before you reach Palakkad so there is no high speed riding on the cards after you enter Kerala.

Between Coimbatore and Walayar

Traffic in Kerala was light on account of Vishu and it was only until I reached the Trichur toll booth that I found the first signs of rains and having learnt my lesson from the recent fall, I decided to take a break and see how heavy the rains would get.

First stop in Kerala after the rough stretch near Vadakkanchery, eagle eyed readers will notice that the left spot light is tucked away


Lesson learnt!

Fortunately for me, it remained a heavy drizzle only that went away after about 15 minutes and I could continue riding but I hit a far heavier stretch of rain before Angamaly that was coupled with a big increase in traffic as well. Once again I pulled over and waited it out for a while along with a few other families who were travelling on motorcycles and scooters.

Near Angamaly this time

I had been keeping my eye out for petrol pumps after I had crossed Trichur but was surprised to find that many of them were shut, probably because it was a holiday. I filled up just after Angamaly and continued the rest of the journey to Cochin with rains and some light Sunday traffic for company.


All in all, I did 558 kms for the day and I will admit that by keeping the speeds to the 90 – 100 kmph mark, fatigue was absolutely not an issue. Mileage was pretty good as well though the frequent stops for signals in Kerala probably brought down the figure for the second tank full. The stock seating position proved to be easy to adapt to as well for the long highway ride and didn’t stress my back or my wrists one bit. At a traffic light shortly before I reached Cochin airport, a couple of young guys were keen to find out about the GT and had clearly never seen this bike before so the air of exclusivity does still hold good even after all these years.


Mileage: This time, the mileage calculations were the opposite of what I had expected. I had done some city riding in Bangalore prior to parking it at my brother's place and then tanked up after Salem which is 200 kms from Bangalore. Distance covered : 245.2 kms. Petrol consumed : 6.6 litres. Mileage: 37.15 kmpl which was a good number for sure. And I was confident that I would be able to cross over into the 40 kmpl section with the next tank up in Angamaly. Distance covered : 311.5 kms. Petrol consumed : 9.76 litres. Mileage: 31.92 kmpl which is rather disappointing and could probably be down to the quality of petrol that I bought in Salem and / or the slightly higher traffic in Kerala. Mileage since day 1 stands at 27.32 kmpl.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Hi Niel,

Welcome back to the forum! This is one thread I keep a close eye on all the time since I refer to your thread for all the troubleshooting you do on the niggles.

Good to know that you and the bike are safe after that fall. Do you think having a Perrelli in the rear would have saved you in that instance?

Hi R-Six, I am glad that my thread is proving to be useful and we owners all know that the Continental GT keeps throwing up some curve ball or the other to spice up the ownership experience. No fill it, shut it, forget it business here for sure.


You pose a very good question on the relation between the tire and the fall. Ive thought a lot about it but I still havent come to a definite conclusion, I look forward to more experienced forum members chiming in with their thoughts as well. My bike currently has the following tires.

- For the front : Ceat Vertigo Sport in the stock specification of 100 / 90 - 18. This looks to be a discontinued model as I do not see any links to it on the Ceat website. The tread design is definitely meant for off road / rough road usage and I wouldnt take the bike with this tire to the track. That said, its never given me any complaints in regular day to day usage and in the ~ 3,500 kms that Ive used it, I doubt much of the tread has worn out.

Ceat Vertigo Sport

- For the rear : Ceat Zoom Plus in the slightly lower than stock specification of 120 / 80 - 18 with around 2500 kms of usage. This is fairly new launch from Ceat and promises higher fuel efficiency, lower rolling resistance as well as good grip and cornering. The tread design is quite different from the front tire and it has a more rounded profile than the earlier Ceat tire.

Ceat Zoom Plus

Ive been thinking about replacing the front tire with something from Ceat that is more in sync with the rear tire, I might look at the Ceat Zoom or Zoom XL if I face any issues with this present combination going forward. Given the low power output Im not too sure if the current setup will throw up any real world challenges but at the same time I am not really keen to take a risk for something that can be easily swapped out. I welcome thoughts on this from fellow forum members.


While we are on the topic of tires, recently I happened to notice an ad in the newspaper by JK tires for 2 wheelers and I was interested to spot a 100 / 90 - 18 option as well on their poorly designed website. The model corresponding to this is the BR32 and a reference image of the tire is below.

JK Tyre BR32

Rather confusingly, in another image they have listed the BR32 to be in the 110 (instead of 100) / 90 - 80 specification. In the same image which I have posted below, they also seem to have a rear tire in the 120 / 80 - 18 specification which called the Blaze Rydr with the model number of BR41. Even more confusingly, the link to the model has the specification listed out as 120 / 80 - 17 (instead of 18).

Royal Enfield Options from JK Tyre

These contradictions and the poorly designed website have given me enough of a headache to avoid thinking about the JK options for the months to come. If anyone has experience using these tires though, I would be glad to hear some real world feedback.


Back to the topic at hand, does the Pirelli Sport Demon (PSD) front and rear combination offer better grip than a Ceat combination - In my experience, definitely yes.
Would a PSD combination have avoided a fall in the exact same circumstances - I still cant say for certain.

[neil.jericho]

It's been quite a while since my wife and I did a short Sunday morning ride on the Continental GT and I was keen on going to Athirapally falls. The route seems to be a hot favourite for bikers in Cochin so that was a big bonus. We started off after 7 AM and followed the Google maps route which suggested we turn off the highway after Angamaly and ride past FISAT college. The roads were in fairly good condition for most of the route and after a while, we had to stop at a check post and give our details to be filled into a ledger. From there on, the roads became steadily worse and owners of the Himalayan would have been more at home in such conditions but it was manageable if speeds were kept low.

We encountered another check post after which we took the left that brought us to the Silver Storm water theme park, from there we turned right and enjoyed the lovely flowing roads leading to Athirapall that are just perfectly suited for biking! On the return, we took the Athirapally road that took us to Chalakudy and followed the NH47 back to Cochin. These roads were much nicer than that ones we took in the morning and though they werent really challenging, I can see why bikers like them. Overall distance covered on the ride - 142 kms and the fuel gauge is showing only 2 bars down after covering a total of 186 kms since the last tank up. Lets see what the next mileage update turns out to be.

Coming to the bike, for two up riding on such Sunday morning trips on Kerala roads, I feel the gearing is a little too tall. Now I mention the Kerala roads specifically because they are often winding in nature and restricted to two lanes so you tend to depend on the mid range a lot more as comnpared to similar Sunday rides around Bangalore. So the steady speeds that we were maintaining on our return trip (prior to reaching Chalakudy) meant some shifting between the third and fourth gear instead of just leaving it in a single gear. The vibrations from the bike eventually proved to be quite tiring for my better half who does not have too much biking experience and I might switch over to the Shell fully synthetic engine oil in May to see if it can improve things. So far Ive done around 3000 kms on the fully synthetic Motul 300V and will definitely not stretch it out till beyond 4500 kms.

For those who are heading to Athirapally falls, keep an eye out on some women staff who will try to flag you down as you reach there and go buy the entry ticket. It costs Rs 30 per adult and Rs 10 for entry with a motorcycle. It is easy to miss this building from which you are supposed to buy the tickets (it falls on your left) and if you do, you will have to walk back from the parking lot which is a good 500 metres away (it happened to us). Once you enter, you will have to deposit your helmets and bags at another small building (Rs 10) and there is quite a bit of walking to do to head down to the water. You can also take a right and walk all the way down to the base of the falls which I highly recommend but be warned that it can be very difficult with your riding boots on. Drink lots of water as it can be extremely tiring. But the beautiful falls more than make all the effort worthwhile.

[neil.jericho]

Has it really been another whole month since my last update on this thread? Here I had kept aside these two months for doing a whole lotta riding but after years of suffering from supremely sweltering summers in coastal Cochin, 2018 has seen a big curve ball been thrown at us in the form of frequent rains. These arent your garden variety summer showers though. What we have been experiencing is very heavy unseasonal rains which have thrown a spanner in my ride plans. I had actually plotted out a relaxed solo Golden Quadrilateral ride but the terrible weather across the country which has led to many unfortunate deaths has caused me to reconsider and postpone my plans for a better time. Time for the saddlebags to go back to storage then!

That however didnt mean that I havent been riding the bike at all. It has been called to duty for local errands and in a city like Cochin, it has nice and usable power on tap for those quick overtakes. I havent been venturing out in the rains though I did however do an unplanned solo ride that took me all the way up to Malakkapara which is around 28 kms ahead of Valparai. I followed the same route as what I did in my above post to reach Athirapally falls and from there proceeded onto Vazhachal falls (what a brilliant little stretch that is!) where I encountered another checkpost.

Somewhere between Athirapally falls and Vazhachal falls

Interestingly, they do a check of each vehicle that passes through to see if it has a modified exhaust or not and the meek sounding Continental GT was given the easy go through. On being questioned, I confirmed that I would return through the same route but was told that I had to be there before 4 PM as they wouldnt let motorcyclists pass through after that. Cars on the other hand, get an extension till 6 PM. However, as they filled in the entry form, they told me that there were some rules to be followed. The next checkpost was at Malakkapara which was 55 kms away and I had to reach there in 2 hours time. Also I couldnt go half way and return as it would incur a fine of Rs 2000. All these trivialities though were thrown out the window as I started riding through this absolutely amazing stretch of winding road that just kept snaking through endlessly. The GT was in its element in this brilliant biking conditions and it even managed to bump the fuel level from one bar down to indicating it had a full tank! The road was mostly in great condition through I only had to keep an eye out for the occasional (and fresh) elephant droppings that were a frequent sight on the road.

Thottapura view point

The first of my brief halts for the day was at Thottapura view point which was quite nice though the water levels were pretty low and I wished that I had carried my camera with me. From there, it was back on the saddle and I maintained a quick pace that proved just how wonderful a handler the Continental GT really is. The riding conditions just kept getting better and better as the turns kept coming, the sun stayed away, the roads remained damp, the thick foliage meant that the sunlight had a tough time filtering through and mother nature, blessed with a bountiful summer rainfall encouraged its wild plants to grown into the roads. So you actually had 2 - 3 feet tall plants growing sidewards and covering the corners of the roads to keep things interesting.


Around 10 kms before Malakkapara though, I head some unusual sounds and was wondering what could have happened so I pulled over the bike to the side to discover that the spring that holds the side stand up had broken and / or fallen off, which was causing the stand to scrape the roads. After a few minutes of head scratching, I hit upon the idea of using the spare ear plug that I carried in my jacket and it turns out that the durable 3M plugs did a great job after all.

Multi-functional 3M ear plus!

As you reach Malakkapara, you will notice a change in the weather and the foliage gives way to lovely tea plantations. I stopped for a couple of photos and was wondering what to do next as my late start to the day meant that I would have to rush to Vaplarai and grab a very quick lunch and rush back to reach Vazhachal in time for the 4 PM curfew. Instead of stressing it out, I decided to take it easy and do a relaxed return ride back to Chalakudy and Cochin. At the Malakkapara checkpost, I updated the forest officer about the same and he filled in the entry time there and gave me the same 2 hours time window to reach Vazhachal. While I was there, I met a group of enthusiastic young bikers who were denied entry into the forest area as one of the Royal Enfield's had an aftermarket exhaust.

The return ride was at a much more relaxed pace and I was kicking myself for not having started off my day earlier than what I actually did. After crossing the Vazhachal checkpost and Athirapally falls, there was some tourist bus traffic towards Chalakudy which kinda took away some of the sheen from riding through that stretch of the road but I really shouldnt complain.

Once it cleared though, it was smooth and easy all the way till Chalakudy town from where I took the NH47 back to Cochin. In all, I did around 260 kms of riding that day and most of it was pure, unadulterated bliss!

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

It's been quite a while since my wife and I did a short Sunday morning ride on the Continental GT and I was keen on going to Athirapally falls.

Lovely! Nice write up pics Neil. Bike looks nice with the greenery all around.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[neil.jericho]

The lure of Valparai proved to be too much to deny but multiple warnings about very heavy rains meant that I opted for the keys to my automatic Jazz instead of the Continental GT. The roads from Malakkapara to Valparai were in fabulous condition and the views were stunning to say the least. I just had to keep stopping and taking pictures every 15 minutes or so.

Except for say the 10 kms before Malakkapara which arent in great condition, the road from Chalakudy to Valparai was just fabulous and is tailor made for biking bliss. In terms of my all time favourite roads, this has now toppled Kolli hills, and easily stands at the top of the list.

In terms of distance and timing, Malakkapara is 55 kms from Vazhachala and you need around 1 hour 40 mins to 2 hours to get there. Valparai is another 27 kms from Malakkapara so thats another hour at least without many breaks. Now this poses a challenge of sorts in terms of timing for a comfortable day ride. In order to return to Vazhachala before the 4 PM deadline, one needs to be at Malakkapara by latest 2 PM. To reach there by that time, you have to have an early lunch at Valparai and then ride back with few stops for photos which takes away from some of the fun of the ride. Or you have to return via Pollachi and take the longer route back to Kerala.

While I was at Valparai, there were some heavy showers which would have left me drenched for sure if I was on two wheels. I was glad that I had taken the car to be honest. However on my return, the skies opened up and torrential rain like I havent seen in years was unleashed on Cochin. The rain was so heavy that I had to turn up the volume of my podcasts to be able to hear them clearly. Now for the initial monsoon fury to abate so I can ride to Valparai in peace!

Thank heavens for roads like this!

Mileage: At the start of the ride to Malakkapara, I tanked up at a HP pump that Ive been going to for several years in Cochin. Distance covered : 220.7 kms. Petrol consumed : 6.74 litres. Mileage: 32.74 kmpl which was a good number considering some of it has been city riding. I tanked up at the same HP pump, later that day on my return and I was quite surprised by what I found. Distance covered : 268.4 kms. Petrol consumed : 5.974 litres. Mileage: 44.93 kmpl which is astounding given my riding style and the fact that the roads werent arrow straight highways where I had to maintain a constant speed. This incidentally is the 3rd highest mileage I have ever recorded on my bike with the top two positions being held by figures of 45.03 kmpl and 44.94 kmpl. Well done, GT, well done indeed. In times like these, I am more than happy to see the bike stretch out every last km that it can!

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Lovely! Nice write up pics Neil. Bike looks nice with the greenery all around.

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

Thanks for your kind words Ram, I am sure it would look even better against the tea plantations around Valparai and Munnar. I hope to get to ride there soon.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Mileage: 44.93 kmpl

Dang!! I'm jealous, dude! That is insane mileage for a CGT!

BTW, how is your rear tyre holding up? How would you rate Ceat Zoom Plus against the OE PSDs?

While fixing a puncture on the rear tyre last week, the tyre guy showed me a horizontal cut on my rear set. It looks like the rubber is starting to split naturally. I don't want to keep riding on this and have asked my guy to check how much PSD is going to cost. But before I make the purchase, I wanted to get your suggestions as well.

Do you reckon any other brands you explored while scouting for the replacement?

Thanks
R-Six

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Dang!! I'm jealous, dude! That is insane mileage for a CGT!

BTW, how is your rear tyre holding up? How would you rate Ceat Zoom Plus against the OE PSDs?

While fixing a puncture on the rear tyre last week, the tyre guy showed me a horizontal cut on my rear set. It looks like the rubber is starting to split naturally. I don't want to keep riding on this and have asked my guy to check how much PSD is going to cost. But before I make the purchase, I wanted to get your suggestions as well.

Do you reckon any other brands you explored while scouting for the replacement?

Thanks
R-Six

Hi R-Six, how many kms have you done on the rear Pirelli Sport Demon? Can you share a picture of the cut in the tire. I hope your bike hasnt joined the long list of Indian Continental GTs that have suffered from short tire lives. I sincerely hope someone from Royal Enfield is reading this and that corrective action is taken with the new 650 twins.

I havent really done too much riding in the last couple of months so my feedback on the Ceat tires continues to be positive. In the real world conditions that I have experienced, the Ceat tires do a really good job considering the price and panic braking hasnt thrown up any real shortcomings. The difference between this and the grippier Pirelli Sport Demon is in that last fractional percentile of riding scenarios (which track days serve to highlight). If you can get your hands on a set of Pirelli Sport Demons, that remains your best option but if you cant get one, the Ceats remain a great VFM choice. MRF also has some decent options but Ive heard some mixed feedback about them on Royal Enfields.


I had picked up a pair of PSDs since I was planning on doing a relaxed golden quadrilateral ride and didnt want any unexpected tire replacement worries along the way with the current Ceats. Plus I wanted to go track day riding with the GT again later this year. Since my ride plans have been put on hold, I'll get them changed at the next service. Safe riding and all the best with your tire purchase!

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I havent really done too much riding in the last couple of months so my feedback on the Ceat tires continues to be positive. In the real world conditions that I have experienced, the Ceat tires do a really good job considering the price and panic braking hasnt thrown up any real shortcomings. The difference between this and the grippier Pirelli Sport Demon is in that last fractional percentile of riding scenarios (which track days serve to highlight). If you can get your hands on a set of Pirelli Sport Demons, that remains your best option but if you cant get one, the Ceats remain a great VFM choice. MRF also has some decent options but Ive heard some mixed feedback about them on Royal Enfields.

Running Ceats on 2 motorcycles and a Zen I can say that they're decent, almost what MRF used to be in the past before they started focussing on high mileage tires which surprisingly is something CEAT has started to mimic now with their Milaze range, though not as crappy as the ZVTS.

Coming back to motorcycles, where Pirelli's and Michellin's(Not the Indian makes) flourish is that last bit of braking just about when traction starts to break free, with the CEAT there is no reaction time, though there is some tire squeal compared to the Zapper's which doesn't offer any warning before a slip, with the better tires the front doesn't give up just like that you get enough feedback and time for recovery which I believe makes good for the premium paid.

There is also a significant improvement in wet grip, as the tires warm up to the rain you regain normal grip levels which actually helps you maintain decent average speeds compared to slowing down with the CEAT which cannot be pushed when wet.

I had picked up a pair of PSDs since I was planning on doing a relaxed golden quadrilateral ride and didnt want any unexpected tire replacement worries along the way with the current Ceats. Plus I wanted to go track day riding with the GT again later this year. Since my ride plans have been put on hold, I'll get them changed at the next service. Safe riding and all the best with your tire purchase!

Have done the circuit this February on my CT100B, just a few pointers. Presuming that you'd be doing early morning rides I'd suggest you start by the first of February as winter time is not kind on motorcyclists intending to start early, the unmarked barricades past WB is a bit unnerving.

Just because there are fogs doesn't mean you should go crazy with fog lights because they'd just end up blinding everyone, but if you really believe they'd be of help then DIY it because even the best of modder's in our state settle with splicing and sellotape, which isn't something you should settle for, so ensure that the fog lamp harness is independent of the main wiring harness taking direct supply from the battery with a hidden switch behind the battery cover and one on the handlebar. And do note that white/blue lights are practically useless given the conditions, so thumb rule is to keep the temp at 4700k or less.

If you have Bullet friends they might tell you to route spare cables, which is stupid as the open end of the cable remains exposed to the elements and wears down without ever being actually put to use, don't carry spare cables for that matter, go to Bajaj RE spares shop and get an OEM clutch inner cable and lock, that would serve as both replacement clutch and throttle cable for your motorcycle and costs around 60/- IIRC, don't remember the exact price, plus its easier to swap in the event of a snap, not to mention easy to store a pair in the motorcycles toolbox.

Carry a spare air filter, my co-rider was on a relatively new Bullet 500, and the new air filter(put in just before the ride) started crapping out at around the 5k mark. Also a regular I follow is to swap out all the air filter panel and cover bolts to Allen key bolts with different threads but same key size so that you can swap the air filter with just the help of one Allen key that can be added to your toolkit.

All consumables must be changed once before the ride and it might be time to reflect when you last replaced your brake lines if the motorcycle is more than a couple of years old.

Stay away from SVC's as much as you can, the entire ride is roughly 8k km's and considering the sump size you'd be replacing the oil 2 times mid-ride considering the recommended interval of 3k km's, but the Bullet 500 barely ran over 2k km's before the oil crapped out on it. Stick strictly to mineral oils, Synthetic is a strict no for endurance runs.

Chain spray is convenient but doesn't work well when you're covering anywhere from 600~900 km's a day in the said conditions. A bottle of high SAE grade gear oil would work better, don't bother cleaning just lubing is enough, the dirt helps keep the lube in place.

Thread lock is your best friend, the Bullet 500 had lots of parts coming loose and some even breaking off, so wouldn't hurt to be prepared.

There is no better GPS than HVK Sir do consider subscribing for a route map service on his website, saved us a lot of trouble more than a handful of times. It also helps to have a motorcycle charger installed, nothing fancy, just reliable would do, in my case I went for the Root Charger that can be set up independently and comes with an ON/OFF switch, costs under 200/- and can be hooked up to the battery and can be fixed inside the toolbox compartment.

Your stock mirrors do not seem highway worthy, give stock Bajaj Pulsar 150/180 mirrors a shot they're cheaper and slightly better than RTR RVM's. Also if going for a handlebar conversion would help you a lot be it in terms of ergonomics or reliability as handlebars are accident friendly and can be replaced with the least hassle, just saying, doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Attaching our Hotel Log, the file also contains Google Map links.

All the best!

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

how many kms have you done on the rear Pirelli Sport Demon?

- Around 9K on the odo as of now.

Can you share a picture of the cut in the tire.

I don't have a picture of the cut right now. But I will try to get a picture in the daylight tomorrow and will share it with you.

And good luck with your ride plans! How much did you end up paying for the set of PSDs?

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Running Ceats on 2 motorcycles and a Zen I can say that they're decent, almost what MRF used to be in the past before they started focussing on high mileage tires which surprisingly is something CEAT has started to mimic now with their Milaze range, though not as crappy as the ZVTS.

Coming back to motorcycles, where Pirelli's and Michellin's(Not the Indian makes) flourish is that last bit of braking just about when traction starts to break free, with the CEAT there is no reaction time, though there is some tire squeal compared to the Zapper's which doesn't offer any warning before a slip, with the better tires the front doesn't give up just like that you get enough feedback and time for recovery which I believe makes good for the premium paid.

If I simplify and sum up the feedback that I have heard on the Ceat vs MRF motorcycle tire options debate, it would be
- Ceat : What you expect is what you get. Consistent performance.
- MRF : Occasional tendency to catch you unawares (this mirrors what you have also mentioned).

For cars, if I had to pick one, I would pick MRF over Ceat, 8 days a week. They seem to have made great strides with the Perfinza range.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Have done the circuit this February on my CT100B, just a few pointers.

Wow, those are excellent pointers! Thanks for sharing them. That said, with all the unfortunate events that have plagued our state in the past few weeks, I had put the trip plans on hold and instead donated my travel budget for the emergency disaster relief operations. I guess I can always do a round the country trip at a later point point in my life.

Originally Posted by R-Six

- Around 9K on the odo as of now.


I don't have a picture of the cut right now. But I will try to get a picture in the daylight tomorrow and will share it with you.

And good luck with your ride plans! How much did you end up paying for the set of PSDs?

It's sad to see that your bike tires have also suffered from such a premature failure. 9000 odd kms is far too low to be acceptable wear and tear. This is a cut, and not wear and tear, like all the other cases we have seen in India. Once again, I hope, someone at Royal Enfield is listening and that they dont repeat the same PSD mistake with the new 650s.


Let me just check on the pricing of the tires and get back to you on that, mate.

[neil.jericho]

The mini flurry of activity on this thread has finally motivated me to provide a not too short update on this ownership thread. Its has unfortunately been several months since the last update and that is because not much riding has happened in the interim due to a combination of multiple circumstances and yet conversely there have been some significant developments as well. First things first, I had gone on a 17 day holiday in the month of June and prior to going on the trip I had made it a point to ride the bike around town to ensure that it was still running well and that there were no unpleasant surprises once I returned. For the 2 and a half weeks that I was in Europe, I feasted my eyes on a bunch of wonderful motorcycles and scooters. These Europeans sure do love their two wheelers.

Oh and I caught a MotoGP race as well! What a mind altering experience. For everyone who thinks they have heard loud aftermarket exhausts, I would suggest sitting in front of a MotoGP line up and hearing the start of a race without earplugs. Serious damage to ear drums guaranteed. Seeing the skills of the riders across Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP up close and personal just serves to reinforce their astonishing levels of riding skill and how meager one's actual skill is!

After returning to India though, I was unhappy to find that the bike was just refusing to start through both the electric start as well as kick start routes. So I removed the battery (never a pleasant task with the GT) and took it to a local mechanic and got it charged overnight. After putting the battery back in, the bike was playing difficult and still refused to come to life. I got in touch with a friend in Royal Enfield who in turn got 2 of their mechanics to visit my place a few days later as part of their road side assistance program. They too didnt have too much luck with the bike initially and proceeded to give such vigorous kick starts to the bike that I feared for both the mechanic and the bike. After multiple attempts though, they did manage to resurrect the GT and I hoped that it was the end of all the issues that had plagued the bike.


Meanwhile the seemingly incessant rains and the perpetual humidity of coastal Kerala had not been kind to the Royal Enfield and rust was a new found companion. So armed with WD40, I washed my motorcycle and gave it a good once over with WD40 to keep the rust at bay. This seems to have halted the progress of rust though I see that it’s a common affliction for other Royal Enfield’s in my city.

I had also stopped by the Royal Enfield company store in Edapally and St Mary’s Motors in the city to find out if the front disc was available. It comes in at over Rs 9000 (I forget the exact amount right now) but it wasn’t in stock when I had gone there. Rather than giving the bike for service while the disc was not available and then go in a second time only for the disc, I decided to wait it out and give it later when it was available and finish off the service that would include the shift to Shell’s fully synthetic engine oil as well. So the GT was getting wheeled out for the occasional city rides and visits to my family though each ride necessitated at least 20 kick starts with absolutely no chance of it starting with the electric start working for the first time. Once it is up and running for a few kilometers though, the battery gets charged enough for the electric start to work for the rest of the day.

Here’s the GT enjoying the rains while parked at my parent’s place

If all this wasn’t enough, heavy rains had battered the state of Kerala with a fury that hadn’t been seen in recent times and floods were prevalent across the state with water levels rising overnight with scant warning. I had just added another motorcycle to my garage but I could only park one bike at my current place which thankfully didn’t face any floods. With a hope and a prayer, I had to park the GT at my parents home after they had evacuated from there due to the rising water levels and wished that the bike came out unscathed.

Here’s the GT at the exact same spot as the above photo

And later

The water level went up by another few inches after I had taken this photo so you can imagine the levels to which water had actually risen. Mercifully though, when all was said and done, there was no damage to the Continental GT and its back to being at its best. Not everyone was as lucky as me. My brother’s Royal Enfield Thunderbird seemed to have escaped the worst as well but on his way to work, it suddenly gave up on him and took down a couple of fuses as well. He managed to get it to the Royal Enfield company service centre but they haven’t been able to replicate the issue after riding it for 10 kms and hence weren’t able to identify the root cause. They are understandably swamped with motorcycles that have come in for repairs and service after the floods and hence Im not taking my GT in for service right now. The other day, I happened to see a Honda Activa fully caked in slush (sadly all the way to the console) being taken to the service centre on a tempo so Im grateful that the GT as well as my new motorcycle escaped unscathed. Keep an eye out for more updates on the new addition to the garage!