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Old 30th November 2023, 21:26   #841
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Back to breakfast rides

Due to multiple reasons that were out of my control, I had to take a temporary break from weekend rides. What nicer way to get back to the reinvigorating rhythm of early morning rides than by enjoying a peaceful breakfast ride to Shoolagiri with Dr CD and shaikhmimran? Since Dr CD was rather prompt in updating his thread with the details, I dont really have all that much to add to it, than to tell myself "Welcome back!".

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-.jpg

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The 2 beauties side by side

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When parked next to Tiger Sport 660, you really notice how slim the Continental GT 660 is!

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-e.jpg
Hey, for group pics why do these Adv bike owners always make the street bike owners park in the middle?!
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Old 15th December 2023, 23:07   #842
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Fork Oil Change at Big Bear Customs

Regular readers of the forums motorcycling threads would have already seen Dr CD's excellent 6 post ride report on our recent trip to Kolli Hills. Before I could join the party, the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 needed a bit of TLC.

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Ruh roh!


I had recently noticed that the right front fork seal was on its last legs. Back in December 2020, I had changed (Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)) the fork oil at Motonerdz in Trivandrum. Since I was quite happy with the Liqui Moly 5W Light fork oil, I decided to stick to the same product. Oddly enough, I couldnt find it anywhere. I called up several stores and almost all of them only stocked fork oil which was manufactured by new Indian entrants into the market. Only one store had Motul 20W fork oil, which would not have been appropriate for my intended riding style.

Meanwhile, I went to the large Royal Enfield company SVC in BTM layout, to pick up the fork seals over the counter (OTC). Royal Enfield is very strict about not using non OEM products / liquids on motorcycles which are serviced by them. Fair enough. The OEM fork oil is 2.5W which is too light for me. Hence, I decided to buy the fork seals from the company SVC and get the work done at Big Bear Customs, which I was trying out for the first time after hearing positive reviews on their workmanship.

Strangely, the gentlemen behind the counter at the Royal Enfield SVC politely refused to sell me the required parts. They directed me to the spares manager. He gave me some comical story about customers returning OEM spare parts which were defective and hence they had decided that no spares will be sold to customers. Seeing as he was not willing to listen to reason, I had to politely remind the gentleman that he could sell it to me at the point of time, without any fuss, and we could proceed to have good days or I could go home, write a strongly worded email to Royal Enfield about the outright illegal practices in their company SVC, and they would force him to sell it to me. Either way, I was going to make them sell me the fork seals! That woke the gentleman up and after some loud grumbling, he made the staff members sell me the required parts. They even asked for my bike's registration number to bill the product. Strangely, they didnt provide me with the bill at that time. A few days later, they sent me someone else's parts bill. God knows what is happening in the company SVC!

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-15.jpg
So much drama for a pair of fork seals!


The good news is that the parts sharing with the 650 twins has resulted in lower parts costs for items like fork seals. I was sold the ones which are meant for the Interceptor 650. Since the 650 twins and the Continental GT 535 have 41mm forks, the parts are interchangeable. The combined cost for the 2 fork seals came to Rs 620.

Anyways, back to the topic of sourcing the required fork oil. I dropped into a KTM service center, as the Duke 390 comes with 5W fork oil. What a welcome departure this was from my experience with Royal Enfield. The gentleman at the service counter provided with me 2 options, both of which are for the Duke 390. The IOCL manufactured fork oil is for the older Duke 390s and costs Rs 261 per bottle. The Fuchs manufactured fork oil is for the brand new Duke 390 and costs Rs 328 per bottle. I opted for the latter. The total cost came to Rs 656. No fuss whatsoever. They didnt even ask if I owned a KTM motorcycle!

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KTM kept things simple

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-3.jpg
Fuchs manufactured fork oil with part number and MRP

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-4.jpg
IOCL manufactured fork oil with part number and MRP


The team at Big Bear Customs did a good job with the fork oil change. Dr CD had noticed that the rear light had conked out (again! This seems to be a recurring problem, as the brake light always works but the rear light doesnt) and while dropping off the bike, I had asked the mechanic to check it. When I collected the bike, I had them swap out the fused bulb for a new OEM one. In total, I paid Rs 700 for all the work done, including the bulb.

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-5.jpg
Ready to rock and roll


Next up, the long pending ride report of the trip to Kolli Hills!
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Old 17th December 2023, 20:17   #843
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Re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)

Hi,
When I rebuild forks I half fill the space under the outer dust seal with a water resistant grease. Similar to the type used for boat trailer wheel bearings. The space between the outer dust seal and inner fork seal can be a water trap.
I have found that this helps to prolong the life of the outer dust seal, stops the inner seal retaining spring clip from going rusty, stops corrosion of the aluminium inner surfaces of the fork leg. It also helps to prevent rusting of the stanchion.
The grease will trap harmful dust and dirt, which can be cleaned out and replaced as needed.
You will need to occasionally wipe off any excess grease from the stanchion. This work can be carried out in situ. No need to remove the fork legs. Clean everything first. Then just pry the dust seal out with a wooden or plastic tool to avoid damaging the leg or stanchion. Press the seal back in after filling with grease, tap in with the wooden or plastic tool if needed.
I have been doing this for over 50 years and have only had to replace a few seals that were damaged by stone chips to the chrome surface of the stanchions. Never had to replace seals due to premature wear. The fork seals on my previous bike lasted nearly 24 years.
You can also use this "trick" on axles, shafts, suspension pivots, etc etc. Google marine wheel bearing grease.

Regards Neil
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Old 19th December 2023, 13:14   #844
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Re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)

HI neil.jericho,

Thank you for the post. Are IOCL manufactured 5W fork oil suitable for Cont/Int 650 as well?

Regards,
NitNac
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Old 19th December 2023, 21:46   #845
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Re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)

Quote:
Originally Posted by NitNac View Post
HI neil.jericho,

Thank you for the post. Are IOCL manufactured 5W fork oil suitable for Cont/Int 650 as well?

Regards,
NitNac
Hi,
Your owners manual should specify the grade of fork oil you need. Don't be fooled into buying an expensive motor cycle branded product i.e. Royal Enfield or Triumph fork oil. Buy a well known established International brand like Castrol, Motul or Liquid Moly of the correct grade. Avoid a general purpose product often described as a lubricating oil of the same grade. Fork oil needs qualities like anti foaming similar to ATF and power steering fluid.
Regards Neil
Avoid mixing brands.
It is ok to mix different grades of the same manufacturers fork oil i.e 5w and 10w, just put the same mix in each leg. Obviously don't mix different types like mineral and synthetic. Also note different quantities may be specified for each leg.
Regards Neil
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Old 3rd February 2024, 16:26   #846
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Kolli Hills Ride

Back in early December, a few of us had ridden to Kolli Hills for an overnighter. This wasnt my first tryst with this beguiling destination. Way back in 2015, I had ridden to Kolli Hills with a bunch of great riders. That felt like it was an adventure and a half (Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)). Roughly a year ago, I returned to the Kolli Hills (Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Ownership Review), this time alone and on my Suzuki Gixxer SF 250.

The third time, with fellow TBHPians, certainly was the charm!

Since Dr CD has done his usual brilliant job of writing about the trip on his thread (One bike to tame them all! | Part - II | My Triumph Tiger Sport 660. Edit: 15,000 kms up!) and KarthikK has also covered it in hs inimitable manner (Living an evolved dream: My 2019 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ownership review. Edit: 5 years up!), it doesnt feel like there is a lot for me to write about!

In terms of actual motorcycling, the distance covered and the time spent on our motorcycles were less than our usual overnighters. That didnt make this trip any less fun, though. The ride up to the top did include some serious lean angles and peg scraping (as Dr CD mentioned). On the return, the rain clouds played hide and seek with us, until the heavens finally opened, albeit temporarily. All in all, this was a weekend well spent with good friends, and a big thanks to KarthikK for covering the planning and logistics aspect of this trip.

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Old 5th February 2024, 21:52   #847
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Quick Visit To The Royal Enfield Company SVC

Sometime in January, a friend of mine asked me if I was up to riding to Dhanushkodi and I willingly agreed. The last time that I had been there was in late September 2022, when I did a solo trip around Tamil Nadu on my Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 (Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 Ownership Review). To say that it is one of the more beautiful parts of our country, would be quite the understatement.

While prepping the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, I realized that one of the rubber hoses had started to crack and it was best to get it replaced at the earliest. The next day, I headed to the Royal Enfield company SVC in BTM Layout to get this sorted out. I reached before 9 AM and insisted on getting the tube replaced, while I waited. The Service Advisor did give me a heads up that the total bill would include a seemingly high labour charge, but that was because they had to remove the tank and what not.

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-12.jpg

I opted to wait in the Customer Lounge while the work was done. An hour and 15 minutes later, I had paid up the grand total of Rs 256 and left the Company SVC. Overall, it was a good service experience with the Royal Enfield dealership. As for the ride, well that plan fizzled out, as most well-intentioned plans tend to do. And then another motorcycle found its way into my garage space. Who knows if this is a temporary fling or if the bike will find a way to make itself a permanent resident. And no, Im not talking about the TVS Apache RTR 310 BTO (TVS Apache RTR 310 BTO Review – A Closer Look), which had me reeled in, hook, line and sinker. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Old 11th February 2024, 11:11   #848
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Breakfast Ride

This past weekend, I joined Dr CD and ebmrajesh for a breakfast ride towards Kolar. While this is a really nice highway to ride on, we usually dont head towards this stretch because it is frequented by bikers and / or squids who tend to ride well above the speed limits, as well as their motorcycling capabilities. Sometimes, getting back into the city can also be a headache.

Almost as soon as I left Bangalore, I could feel the temperature begin to drop by a couple of degrees. We met up at the Hoskote toll booth and then slowly rode towards Kolar. A light fog surrounded us, while the slowly rising sun gave us views that were priceless. Who says you need to do 150 kmph on a Sunday morning ride to feel alive? Sometimes, I find it hard to drag myself out of bed for these early morning rides but cruising along at a steady 90 kmph, without a worry on my mind and some good friends for company, made me realize why it was all worth it.

On the way, we stopped by a small lake for a round of photographs.

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-5.jpg
The super capable KTM Adv 390

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-1.jpg
Sigh! So much for my grand plans of a picture perfect photograph. These Adventure bike riders, I tell you .....

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I guess I'll just move to the side and click another picture

Our planned breakfast stop was the Aaragdhya Grand restaurant, which is famous for its mulbagal dosa. As we arrived, a big bunch of off road riding enthusiasts were heading out to the Big Rock Dirt Park for day 1 of the Trail Attack. It was an interesting assortment of motorcycles, to say the least. Our guess was that they stayed at the hotel overnight. The first round of food arrived pretty quickly but getting the next set of orders took a fair bit of time, as the tables around us had filled up by then.

Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years)-3.jpg
Yummy!


After a filling meal, we geared up and rode back towards Bangalore with the speed limit never venturing into triple digit territory. We said our farewells at the Hoskote toll booth and then, went on our separate ways. Thankfully, the traffic while entering Bangalore was nowhere close to being as bad as what we had expected.



Overall, I must have covered around 170 kilometers on this short but extremely sweet Sunday morning ride. Both Dr CD and ebmrajesh were wondering why I opted for the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 and hadnt brought the other motorcycle for this unhurried breakfast ride. Truth be told, for a relaxed ride like this one, the Continental GT 535 was the perfect choice. Besides, I had already had my share of high speed hijinx with the other motorcycle on the previous day. More on that, in another thread.

You can read Dr CD's update on this ride over here (One bike to tame them all! | Part - II | My Triumph Tiger Sport 660. Edit: 15,000 kms up!).
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