[neil.jericho]

I did a near 800 km trip to Yercaud this past weekend for the tenth annual tri state motorcyclists meet that was organized for over 70 plus bikers from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The assortment of motorcycles on hand was mindboggling to say the least. It was truly wonderful to not only meet so many of my old biker friends, many of whom I had last met around 6 years ago, but it was great to go around and make new friends across different age groups. While we were diverse in our motorcycle ownerships and experiences, we were united in our passion for all things two wheels.

Day one saw the Kerala team start from Cochin and ride to Yercaud. We probably did around 380 odd kilometers that day. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Some of the pictures in this and subsequent posts related to the ride were not taken by me, so all credits to the photographers who actually clicked them.

So while the photos are lovely, the real question is how did the Continental GT 535 perform?

Highway riding : Our overall highway speeds topped out in the range of 90 - 100 kmph so the GT 535 was well in its element. Performance wise there was absolutely no complaint from me whatsoever. Slowing down, especially for the speed cameras in Kerala, through engine braking was very effective. I've come to realize that for highway rides, I need to take a break, even if it just for 5 minutes, every hour or hour and fifteen minutes, to stretch my legs and keep the tiredness from the moderate vibrations away. I was seriously considering adding gel padding to the double seat (which I dont often use) but now I am going to upgrade the stock seat as well.

In the twisties : Absolutely brilliantly! And that is probably an understatement from my side. The GT 535 was engineered to go around corners quickly. The power is more than adequate for tricky Indian twisty roads, the engine braking is on point and with the right combination of throttling and engine braking you can probably do the entire Yercaud climb at a good pace without using your brakes. Now I dont advocate trying this on your motorcycle if you arent a seasoned and competent rider, it can be quite dangerous. While riding up to Yercaud, I only had to use the brakes for a couple of corners that I entered in a little hot (there is one that always catches me off guard every time I ride to Yercaud and I never learn!) as well as to manage the afternoon traffic. I certainly do not have anywhere close to the skill or the fortitude to attempt to do this on my other motorcycle which is a lot more powerful. Who says smaller bikes cant be fun?

Mileage : I topped up from the large IOCL petrol pump at Chengapally which is between Coimbatore and Erode. Considering that most of the riding was on the highways, a mid 30's kmpl figure would have been about right but the actual mileage was a little lower than my expectation. Distance covered : 274.7 kms. Petrol consumed : 8.61 litres. Mileage: 31.89 kmpl.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

CGT535 (in May'19)

What profiles are you running on the rear? Is that Raclo Speed Blasters?

@Neil - How is the Timsun? I see that you mentioned about them having tyres in the same size as the GT. I need to replace both the sets soon. I'm planning to get it replaced before the winter sets in where I expect a few rides happening.

[wrongturn]

Originally Posted by gigatech2006

One Great pics. Nicely maintained. Did you get the wheels painted? Or bought the new ones that go with the 650? What tires are you currently on?

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Your bike looks lovely with the blackened out side panels and aggressive rear tire. Is that a Ralco? I too was never a fan of any of the Royal Enfield bikes until the GT535 was launched and I loved it ever since I first test rode it. 5 years later, I am glad that I went the Royal Enfield way.

Originally Posted by R-Six

What profiles are you running on the rear? Is that Raclo Speed Blasters?

Yes the rear tyre is indeed Ralco Speedblaster. It was the only one available with in right size and had good reviews as well, though I had no choice. I am still looking for a front tyre and I thought with the success of twins650 the market will be flooded with options but it isn't so.



Side panels are wrapped in carbon fiber vinyl, blacked out rims and exhaust were all a simple DIY job.




FI fuel system was replaced by a carb one by the previous owner, the instrument cluster doesn't work and bike has a custom exhaust. I bought this from Credr, which wasn't a very assuring experience and I would not recommend them to anyone, but since I was in love I decided to ignore the flaws. Though they promised to rectify the issues but I don't think they will as it has already been close to 5 months. I will get them resolved whenever time permits. Current running is below 200kms per month and I don't see myself going to any long rides in near future.




That's how it looked originally.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Ralco Speedblaster.

Did you get that in the same profile as 130/70 R18? I was scouting online and could only see Raclo Speed Blasters in R17. Two of my friends put these on their rides (Dominar and Mojo) and are pretty much happy with the setup. They have Ralcos on both front and rear.

I'd be glad if I can get 130/17 R18 in Ralcos.

Ride safe,
R-Six

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by R-Six

@Neil - How is the Timsun? I see that you mentioned about them having tyres in the same size as the GT. I need to replace both the sets soon. I'm planning to get it replaced before the winter sets in where I expect a few rides happening.

R-Six, I have heard only good stuff about the Timsun tires so far and even I am leaning towards giving it a shot the next time that I have to change my tires.

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Yes the rear tyre is indeed Ralco Speedblaster. It was the only one available with in right size and had good reviews as well, though I had no choice. I am still looking for a front tyre and I thought with the success of twins650 the market will be flooded with options but it isn't so.

That's a nice set of modifications on your bike. Why dont you use the carbon fibre wrap on the mudguards? It will significantly add to the visual appeal.

Originally Posted by R-Six

Did you get that in the same profile as 130/70 R18? I was scouting online and could only see Raclo Speed Blasters in R17. Two of my friends put these on their rides (Dominar and Mojo) and are pretty much happy with the setup. They have Ralcos on both front and rear.

I'd be glad if I can get 130/17 R18 in Ralcos.

Ride safe,
R-Six

I believe the only available option from Ralco for the rear is 120 / 80 - 18 which is a slight step down in terms of tire width. The same would be case if you go in for the Ceats or MRFs as well.

It is available here - amazon.in/RALCO-SPEED-BLASTER-Tubeless-Delivery/dp/B075F237BS

Somebody on the GT 535 group mentioned that the Pirelli Phantom SportsComp tires (OEM for the 650 twins) are now available in the Royal Enfield service centres for a combined price of Rs 15,000. I need to revalidate the pricing. I dont know anyone who has directly compared the Sports Demons to the Phantom SportsComp back to back for feedback so I am not fully convinced on whether the SportsComp tires are worth the premium. There have been reports of some SportsComps on the 650s replaced under warranty as well so maybe its better to go wait and watch with that option.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

heard only good stuff about the Timsun tires

only available option from Ralco for the rear is 120 / 80 - 18 which is a slight step down in terms of tire width. It is available here - amazon.in/RALCO-SPEED-BLASTER-Tubeless-Delivery/dp/B075F237BS

I will give it a try.

Pirelli Phantom SportsComp tires for a combined price of Rs 15,000

I don't think I'm planning to pay that much premium to get a set right now. Anyway, that was some good info.

Ride safe,
R-Six

[wrongturn]

Originally Posted by R-Six

I'd be glad if I can get 130/17 R18 in Ralcos.

Ride safe,
R-Six

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

That's a nice set of modifications on your bike. Why dont you use the carbon fibre wrap on the mudguards? It will significantly add to the visual appeal.



I believe the only available option from Ralco for the rear is 120 / 80 - 18 which is a slight step down in terms of tire width. The same would be case if you go in for the Ceats or MRFs as well.

Yes, this is the original spec 130/70 R18 tyre and I bought it for ₹2900. I searched for the right spec tyre for days and even this was available with just one tyre dealer in the whole city. Most of the modded CGT bikes in India sport this tyre and the Ralco100/90 R18 on the front, though I'm not going to use a rear tyre as a front tyre on my bike. Or could I?

Here is the amazon link for the tyre:
RALCO SPEED BLASTER 130/70-18 TUBE LESS BIKE TYRE https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07QKYF2K7/..._enLLDbRH5W8VT




I don't want to go for Pirelli tyres, here you can see the infamous cut on my CGT's front tyre as well.




I don't want to black it out too much, right now it has a very subtle balance of red, silver and black which makes it looks elegant yet beastly. Maybe 1 year later when I'm bored of this look I might powder coat the whole thing matt black including the engine except the red tank and seat cowl, that would make it look like a complete beast

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Yes, this is the original spec 130/70 R18 tyre and I bought it for ₹2900

Good to know that we have it in the same spec. And for 2900, I think it is a steal. I'll reach out to the seller and pick this up soon.

Thanks
R-Six

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Yes, this is the original spec 130/70 R18 tyre and I bought it for ₹2900. I searched for the right spec tyre for days and even this was available with just one tyre dealer in the whole city. Most of the modded CGT bikes in India sport this tyre and the Ralco100/90 R18 on the front, though I'm not going to use a rear tyre as a front tyre on my bike. Or could I?

That is good to learn, I was under the impression that the rear tire from Ralco was the 120 / 80 specification. With regards to running a rear tire on the front, technically it is not advisable since front tires are usually designed to have different patterns for grip, water dispersion etc. That said, I have ridden the blocky patterned Ceat Vertigo Sport which is actually a rear tire in the 100/90 - 18 specification on the front of the GT for over 5,000 kilometers without any issues. If you cant get any other good front tires in the 100 / 90 - 18 specifications, you should be fine with the Ralcos at the front as well.

Originally Posted by wrongturn

I don't want to go for Pirelli tyres, here you can see the infamous cut on my CGT's front tyre as well.

That is sad. Do you know how many kilometers were covered before this happened?

[wrongturn]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

That is good to learn, I was under the impression that the rear tire from Ralco was the 120 / 80 specification. With regards to running a rear tire on the front, technically it is not advisable since front tires are usually designed to have different patterns for grip, water dispersion etc. That said, I have ridden the blocky patterned Ceat Vertigo Sport which is actually a rear tire in the 100/90 - 18 specification on the front of the GT for over 5,000 kilometers without any issues. If you cant get any other good front tires in the 100 / 90 - 18 specifications, you should be fine with the Ralcos at the front as well.

Me and CGT haven't spent much miles together and I wouldn't want to have that thought at the back of my head that it's not on right set of tires while I'm riding it. You on the other hand have a very close bond with your ride and given your experience you would be able to ride it in any given condition and spec.
I am very skeptical about mine honestly, so I would wait and get a proper front tyre earliest possible.

That is sad. Do you know how many kilometers were covered before this happened?

Less than 10k KMs for sure. ODO is stuck at 4.5K KMs and this is from the stock set, so that's an educated guess.

[neil.jericho]

Day 2 saw us ride to the Manjakuttai view point and get a few photos clicked before we then headed off the beaten path onto a semi broken road that was surrounded by some of nature's most beautiful offerings.

While we were there, a fellow rider from our larger group suggested that we explore the option of a tricky off road trail that lay ahead. He did warn us that it could be really tough and that not all the bikes could make it but it was worth checking out. At first glance, the trail seemed to be somewhat imposing and I certainly had not attempted anything as difficult as it on the GT 535 to date. But I felt that it was doable and there were a good handful of us riders attempting it, so help would be at hand. Besides how would I know the limits of the GT 535's offroading capabilities, if I didnt try to explore them myself.

So, the real question is how did the Continental GT 535 perform on this trail section?

In grassy, slightly rocky trail conditions - Initially, the GT did well, as it was able to climb up the easier parts of the trail fairly easily. Once the momentum slowed down due to the trail's conditions, riding up became a little more tricky. I felt that the bike was switching off a couple of times (a possible sign of things to come, more in the next update) but it could have also been down to not enough throttle being given by me. To be on the safer side, I switched off the bike and checked everything including the clutch cable (which probably needed some greasing) but everything other than the clutch cable was fine mechanically. I needed the help of a few fellow riders to get the bike moving as the rear tire (the Pirelli Sport Demon) was not able to get sufficient grip on an extremely grassy surface. Also there were a few areas where the rocks were jutting out a fair bit and the not too high ground clearance meant that GT's underbelly did get beached when I tried to overcome them unscientifically. Despite all this, I thought the GT did really well in these trail conditions considering that it is a cafe racer that is engineered to corner well and not go up such trails.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsrIp42Us0E

Overall, the weight (mine included!), tires and relatively lower ground clearance worked against the GT 535 in the trails. I was amazed at how easily the much lighter Suzuki Gixxer 155's scampered up the slopes with the agility of antelopes! This trail riding experience really made me reconsider my project plans of a GT 535 based scrambler and instead think about a light weight, made to purpose off roader based bike instead.

[neil.jericho]

Day 3 began early as we had decided to leave from Yercaud at 7 AM so that we had more than enough time to ride back to Cochin before it was sunset. As I started the bike, it looked like the cold weather had caused condensation inside the dials once again but fortunately, it was only on the outside and was wiped off easily. Phew! Somewhere after Salem, while riding on top of a large flyover, I felt something momentarily but I couldnt place what had happened. As I quickly did a systems check while riding the bike, the rider who was behind me pulled up to my side and said that the spring of the side stand had gone flying off the bike. It must have been quite the sight for the riders behind me, sigh! All part of the Royal Enfield ownership experience. The spring failing is a well known issue with the Continental GT 535 and this is the second time that is has happened on my bike. Fortunately, experience has taught me well and I went back to my trusted solution. I pulled out an old pair of 3M earplugs and tied the side stand in place. Talk about a quick 2 minute fix.

Minor scare before realizing it could be wiped off!


Fixed in less time that it takes you to make a packet of Maggi noodles


Only one bike needs to be on the center stand, sigh!

Now, onto the most interesting part of the whole (mis?)adventure. Before we move further, I should mention here that on day 1, the fellow riders had noticed that the tail light was not working when my bike was switched on. The brake light worked perfectly fine but the tail light didn't come on. So that was something that I needed to get checked after returning. When we were less than 40 kilometers from Cochin, I was at the tail of the group thanks to the ever increasing traffic when all of a sudden, the bike suddenly went dead. I had enough momentum and there was no traffic behind me so I could easily pull over to the side safely. The dials were stuck and when turning the bike on nothing was happening which meant that it was probably some wiring issue.

Not the speed that I was doing when the bike went D.E.A.D

Since everything else was fine, we checked the fuse box and found that the main fuse (the second one from the left) had blown. We replaced the fuse with the spare and the bike started off without a hitch and ran for 200 metres before it went dead again. Fortunately we were right by a petrol pump and I pushed it in so we could check the bike safely. I suspected that the connection for the mobile holder that I installed a week back may have been responsible for the blown fuse, so I disconnected it. We tried a spare fuse from another bike and this time, the fuse blew without the bike even starting.

I must mention that it is very difficult to pull the fuses out, and I have big fingers, which really didn't help matters much. I later learnt that the way to pull it out correctly is with pliers, so that is one lesson learnt the very hard way. Since all this diagnostics and experimentation was holding up the rest of the group, we called for a pickup van and loaded the bike onto it so that the others could continue home before the heavy thunderstorms hit.

Nice and sunny at the loading time ....


... and heavy thundershowers at the unloading time

I took the bike to the Royal Enfield company service centre at Edapally, which is where Ive been servicing the bike for some time now and fortunately we reached 10 minutes before the closing time. Hence, we were able to easily unload the bike and roll it in safely. The service advisor and security team were very helpful and accommodating despite it almost being time for them to close for the day. In fact, the lone service advisor present kept insisting that I drink enough water (they have small bottles for customers) and even suggested that I take a few bottles with me to re-hydrate in the cab, since I had been riding since 7 AM and it was past 6 PM by then. Small, thoughtful gestures like this go a long way in making an unfortunate situation quite pleasant.

Below are the things that I had written to be done for the bike and I requested for my usual service advisor Sanju to look into it as I have a good rapport with him and he is a genuinely good guy.
- Fix the wiring issue that was causing the blown fuse
- Replace the side stand spring that had gone flying off like Superman
- Replace the tail light bulb
- Replace the right side footpeg

A few days before the ride, I was putting the bike on the center stand on what turned out to be less than firm soil (thanks to the rains) and the bike gently toppled over to the right side and fell rather ingloriously. The only damage that I noticed was that the end of the right footpeg had broken off. So that explains the last item on the checklist.

In 17 years of riding, this is the first time that my motorcycle has given up on me, even if it was down to a small wiring related issue. In hindsight, I should not have postponed getting the Road Side Assist (RSA) from Royal Enfield earlier in the year. But on the plus side, I managed to get my hands dirty (those boringly reliable Japanese bikes dont give you the chance to learn such things, hmmph!) and had to isolate which fuse had conked out and replace it. Since I covered the last 40 kilometers to Cochin in the mini van, I escaped the terrible thundershowers that hammered down on Cochin at that time, which in turn made it a proper wet chaddi ride for the rest of the group! For almost 3 whole days and nearly 800 kilometers, we had escaped the rains but thanks to the delay caused by the Continental GT 535's wiring issue, most of the group got soaked to the bone. What is life without a little drama, eh?

At the end of all this, the home minister said that it is time to sell the GT 535 and buy one of the 650 twins. Is it food for thought or sacrilege instead?

[Tgo]

I had this issue with my TBTS. Rear brake light harness which goes under the mudguard was found to be faulty. I diagnosed this since the bike would die while pressing the rear brake pedal. Must be a minor issue which can be sorted out. No need to buy a new bike unless you’ve run out of excuses.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

At the end of all this, the home minister said that it is time to sell the GT 535 and buy one of the 650 twins. Is it food for thought or sacrilege instead?

Something to act up on immediately

[wrongturn]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

At the end of all this, the home minister said that it is time to sell the GT 535 and buy one of the 650 twins. Is it food for thought or sacrilege instead?

Your love for motorcycles and riding beats your material obsession over CGT535
If you feel like it's time to upgrade but still love the old school cafe racer charm, you must get yourself the much improved CGT650 that's no brainer. And with the success of CGT650 the 535 is now back in demand as well in the used market. If there ever was a right time to sell the CGT535, this is it. But, if you are selling it only because it betrayed you once in all these years that too an electrical fault, you should reconsider because it's RE in the end and that there would never be a no hassle free, no niggles owning experience.