9th February 2015, 23:31 | #136 |
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Not on the Indian online stores mind you, doubt autoqueen would have it. Do they have custom parts normally? At first I tried gettin the parts through ebay us, well I never recieved those parts. So I'll be gettin it though my friends from europe/us. Simplying your rear would have been the easiest thing had we just had the parts available here. Smaller round taillamp and small blinkers attached to the rear shocks should do the trick. But they aren't available as far as I know. If you do find quality parts in blore please let me know. The paintjob will be minimalistic (Simple thin stripes). We have really good paintjob guys in Trivandrum so I'm not all that worried about it. Still lots to go before I reach that stage. Regards BOV Last edited by B O V : 9th February 2015 at 23:32. |
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12th February 2015, 12:11 | #137 | ||
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Quote:
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I will stop by my mechanic's place next week and talk to him regarding what is available here. The thing is in Bangalore you have options if you go to JC Road but I wouldnt bank on the quality. I'll keep you posted. If they arent available in India, I will try ordering from Ebay, there's a seller in Hong Kong that is highly rated. I need to take measurements first but I was thinking of this 32 LED set http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tail-Brake-S...813698&vxp=mtr and if if doesnt fit, the 24 LED set http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motorcycle-T...87047576&rt=nc. | ||
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24th February 2015, 17:50 | #138 |
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| 3000 Kms update Royal Enfield Market Research - I got a call from a RE representative last week who wanted to ask me a few questions on my background including the industry I work in, how often I use the Continental GT and what car I drive. It seemed to me that the company was really trying to get a handle on who they are selling the bike to, something which their market researchers should have told them before launching the bike. Mileage - With a constantly twisting right wrist that would've rivaled Azhar in his prime, mileage for the last tank full dropped from its sky high, record setting, jaw dropping, chest thumping, pride inducing figure of 44.94 kmpl back to what everyone was expecting. Total distance covered - 166.8 kms. Total petrol consumed - 8.13 litres. Total mileage - 20.52 kmpl. Total mileage since day one - 25.84 kmpl. What I found fascinating is that the variance in mileage is quite something else. The lowest I ever achieved was 19.89 kmpl and the highest was 44.94 kmpl. Do the math. Now my next experiment should be to push the in city mileage into the 30s. Musings with 3000 kms completed
Here's a picture of my old R15 from November 2012. Aaah memories, what a sweet friend you can be! And here is one to celebrate 3000 happy kms. |
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24th February 2015, 18:06 | #139 | |||
Senior - BHPian | Re: 3000 Kms update Quote:
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Last edited by man_of_steel : 24th February 2015 at 18:09. | |||
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24th February 2015, 19:01 | #140 |
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Loose plasticy bits, panels maybe? man_of_steel is right, its good to have them chassis bolts re torqued. Could I trouble you for a few measurements?
Pictures of the top triple clamp. Thanks, BOV |
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25th February 2015, 21:08 | #141 | ||||
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Quote:
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Here are a couple of pictures of the top triple clamp. The scruff marks are from the rest of the keys on my key chain. And since this thread deserves many more pictures, here are the rest that I clicked. Cause real bikers don't need fully digital clocks! Called to action around once a month. Always up to the job. At the heart of it all To reverse - use this or sign up at the nearby gym Quality. From Italy. Peek a boo The tank has the new RE logo ... ... while my keychain doesnt Hail CGT! In the shadows | ||||
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26th February 2015, 16:35 | #142 | |
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| More pictures Here are a few more pictures that I have clicked over the last 6 months or so on my phone. Notice the mirror settings, like a dog with perked up ears On one of my early visits to the SVC The Future and the past Curves? I'll gobble them up for breakfast! Highways? I'll gobble them up for lunch! Quote:
Last edited by neil.jericho : 26th February 2015 at 16:40. Reason: *Adding picture* | |
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26th February 2015, 17:31 | #143 |
Senior - BHPian | Re: More pictures |
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26th February 2015, 21:25 | #145 |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Cochin
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Thanks for the pics and measurements, Neil. Those rvms on the fz1 look downright lethal ( in a good way ) @ Man_of_steel I think its more of an aesthetic mod, these kinda rvms. Might not be that practical during real riding conditions. |
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26th February 2015, 22:36 | #146 | |||
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| re: Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 : Ownership Review (32,000 km and 9 years) Quote:
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2nd March 2015, 22:06 | #147 |
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| Longest ride to date : 590 kms to Kolli Hills With the Continental GT doing a splendid job of helping me rediscover my inner biking spirit, I was quite kicked when man_of_steel mentioned that a ride to Kolli Hills (a place that is occasionally mentioned as a riding spot around Bangalore) would consist of 70 hair pin bends. I was joining man_of_steel and his friends for the ride and our group consisted of 3 Duke 390's, 1 Duke 200 and the Continental GT. We were supposed to leave by 05:30 from Silk Board but by the time everyone arrived, we had lost over half an hour. We stopped for breakfast at the McD pump in Shoolagiri and we were surprised to find the parking lot virtually deserted at around 7:15. It is usually crowded and noisy and the riding gear means you often get long stares from other tourists who wonder what is wrong with you. On this day though the tables were ours for the choosing. There were heavy clouds between Bangalore and Shoolagiri and we were hoping for a shower free ride as none of us had the liners for our riding jackets. They say be careful what you wish for. After a good breakfast we rode on with a steady pace of 115 - 120 kmph since traffic was really sparse and the roads were great till we reached the outskirts of Thoppur as one of the thirsty Duke 390s had to fill petrol. It was at this stop when we found that the part with the RE logo on the right side of the engine had unscrewed itself and that the screw had flown off. Blame the steady vibes that are part of the bike if you ride at 120 kmph which is around 4K on the tachometer. "Royal Enfield build quality ....." I hear readers rightly mutter! We tanked the bikes at Salem which is 200 kms from Bangalore and all started looking to the skies while hoping that the day wouldnt be too warm. After a slight delay due to a wrong turn, we hit the highways towards Namakkal and turned left at the signboard pointing to Rasipuram into a two lane road that took us past several small towns. By now we were far from big city life and rolling past lovely fields which exemplified the rural countryside but the growing heat coupled with the weariness from the constant 4K vibrations on the highways (~ 230 odd kms) started wearing me down both physically and mentally. To top it off there was no sign of the 70 bends. I honestly started asking myself whether it was worth the ride and I was dreading riding all the way back to Bangalore. We finally stopped at a large arch and refreshed ourselves with copious amounts of water as man_of_steel's friends explained that the fun was about to start. I certainly had my doubts but once we started climbing all my pessimism was but a fleeting memory as I couldnt help but shake my head at the magnificent biking strip we were on. We stopped at the 16th hair pin bend and every single one of stated unequivocally that the ride was worth it. And we still had 54 hair pin bends to go! Since we had time on our hands, the 390s were used to capture some lovely cornering shots and we eventully strapped up and continued our upward climb. Tight hair pin bends, one after the other after the other meant that we were as close to biking nirvana as we could be. Did the Man Up Above make these 70 turns only for those of us who love our machines and then in a cruel twist decide to hide it away out here far far away from prying eyes. Exit out the corner. Build speed. Shift up. Brake. Exit out the corner. Sparks were flying as we pushed ourselves and our bikes and explored our limits. People talk about rides to remember, this certainly had everything to make it one. Words cannot do it justice. What a test for both bike and biker. What an epic stretch of road. The Continental GT did scrape the centre stand while leaning to the left and the bolt at the bottom of the silencer on the right and while one or two scrapes unsettled my rhythm I was loving it. When we stopped for lunch at Hotel Nallathambi (translated from Tamil it means Good Boy), I could barely remember the fatigue that had set in before we started our dance through the mountains. Great grip from the tyres and flick-ability that had no business being associated with a Royal Enfield made for a magnificent platform to test my skills. On the way down we all took it easy and there were a couple of small incidents as my foot slipped off the brake pedal while exiting a corner (I was testing for the slight brake fade that had set in) and I slowly rolled across the other lane that was bereft of traffic. man_of_steel also had a slow slip but the only damage done was to the bike that didnt stand a chance against him. The broken RVM is testament to that :-) Once again drank plenty of water at the arch before setting off through a shorter route that involved some offroading (which was the only thing we hadnt done all day) before we hit the highway. We bid farewell to one of the 390s and having learnt my lesson with the vibrations to rpm to fatigue curve, I maintained a steady 100 to 110 on the traffic free highways. We didnt have a summer sun but it was still taking its toll on us and the miles just kept rolling as our bottoms started to get sore from all the riding. We decided to stop at the first CCD or A2B that we spotted and after what seemed like forever, finally stopped for a break at a bakery 10 kms before Thoppur for more, you guessed it, water. The A2B was a good 15 minutes away and we were glad to tank up and get off our back sides and onto nicely cushioned seats. Dusk fell while we were on our way to Krishnagiri and we stopped one last time to clean our visors (insects had made it impossible to see) and massage some life back into our sore bottoms. Our last pit stop was after crossing over into Karnataka and all of our were in agony as our backsides were on fire. After realizing how well padded my seat was, the KTM owners sat on the double seat of the Continental GT and said that I should be the last person to complain about seats as it was heaven compared to the bench seats of the KTMs. Slightly buzzy engine + rock solid seat = KTM Duke. Vibey engine + comfy seat = Continental GT. Take your pick and do 600 kms in a day and you will still have the same sore bottom. I finally reached home by 21:10 which is 16 hours and 590 kms after I departed in the morning. I couldnt sit for the rest of the night and the sleep I got was the deepest I have had in a while but what a day. What a day. What a ride. And what a bike. Kolli Hills translates to Mountains (Hills) of death. Truth be told, all of us never felt more alive than at the end of the ride. |
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2nd March 2015, 23:06 | #148 |
BHPian | Nice pictures and write-up bro! Sad to have missed this. We'll do it again, now that the ceeber is run in, serviced and battle ready! |
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3rd March 2015, 00:12 | #149 | |||
Senior - BHPian | Re: Longest ride to date : 590 kms to Kolli Hills Awesomely narrated man! Loved reading it. It was like going all over the ride once again! It indeed was one kickass ride.. Well.. Literally! For those who are planning a one day ride to Kolli hills, try to make it a Saturday ride so that you will get amble rest on Sunday. Those 70 odd hairpins are physically demanding and will sap the energy off you. This combined with merciless sun and Tamil Nadu heat left all of us thoroughly exhausted! But at the end of the day, that feeling of completely drained off is what will make the ride worth remembering! Quote:
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There was yet another incident worth mentioning. Somewhere after Salem when we were holding a descent cruising speed with Neil heading the pack, a couple of senior citizens thought that it would be a good idea to just cross the road without checking the traffic. I still don't know if there was a wager between those two on who will make it to the other end. So they directly walked on to the road right on to the path of our pack. We all spotted them, honked and flashed. While one person saw us, gave up and stood in the middle of the road the other was determined to get the wager money and continued to walk and was in the Path of the 180 KG freight train a.k.a the CGT. While the Dukes, which are naturally good brakers, slowed down with absolutely no drama at all, what surprised me and made my heart jump with joy was the sight of the Continental GT slowing down in an equally quick and elegant fashion as the Dukes with absolutely no dramas whatsoever! I can vouch that, if it was any other Royal Enfield in the CGT's place, the scene could have been a disastrous one! Last edited by man_of_steel : 3rd March 2015 at 00:16. | |||
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3rd March 2015, 11:57 | #150 | ||||||
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| Thoughts from the Kolli Hills ride Penning down some of my experiences from the 590 km trip to Kolli Hills and back. Performance : On long distance highway rides (different from the usual short and quick Sunday morning rides), the differences between the similarly priced KTM Duke 390 and the Continental GT become a lot more apparent. The sweet spot while riding on the highways is 90 - 110 kmph where there arent too many vibes and the rider is fairly comfortable. Try and maintain 120 kmph at 4K rpm and the vibrations noticeably start to increase. It isnt too bad but you wish it wasnt that noticeable. Keep pushing and the vibes keep rising. For short Sunday morning rides, going to 4K and beyond is thoroughly enjoyable. When you have to cover longer distances the head will win over the heart and a more reasonable pace is called for to ensure you dont tire yourself. For the record, I felt the vibes more through the handlebars than the footpegs or seat. It is important to note there that in my experience of riding Royal Enfields (limited to a 13 day trip around the Himalayas, a few test rides and nearly 4000 kms on the Continental GT), the vibes on the GT are nothing compared to the other offerings from the same stable. Long time RE riders will think I'm a wuss for complaining about the vibes at 120kmph when they have put up with much much more at lower speeds for years. Maybe Im a big softie! The KTM 390's engine can easily keep a higher speed without too many vibes being passed on to the rider. For a long ride, the 390's can cruise at a speed that is at least 15 - 20 kmph higher if not more (given the right conditions) than what I would be comfortable with on the Continental GT. The seats arent the greatest though. The Inazuma or the CBR would've been great bikes for this kind of a trip. Braking : We hustled our bikes up those 70 hair pin bends and the brakes were called up for action before every turn. I did get the feeling that there was some brake fade by the time we were towards the top of the hills and while coming down I was testing for it when my leg slipped off the rear brake completely and I had to cut across the road. man_of_steel posted about the one big involuntary braking test while we were on the highway and the brakes behaved impeccably well when I needed it the most. Life saving indeed. Lights : We covered a 120+ kms in the night and the headlights were fantastic. I was able to maintain a good speed only on account of the top notch illumination. Two big thumbs up on this front. Handling : The Continental GT certainly didnt struggle on the twisties and with each passing corner my confidence grew. As man_of_steel pointed out, it's no foot peg scraper but it is a very capable corner carver. I sure can live with that. The KTMs made such easy work of the corners that it looked completely effortless. Mileage : After last weekend's Sunday ride of around 110 kms, I used the bike within the city for the rest of the week and tanked up before the Kolli hills ride. With a nearly 50 % - 50 % split of city and highway riding, I covered 231.9 kms and filled up with 7.22 litres for a mileage of 32.12 kmpl. For the Kolli hills ride, the relatively high speed highway ride (sparse traffic, smooth roads) from Bangalore to Salem covered a distance of 199.9 kms. Total petrol consumed - 6.62 litres. Total mileage - 30.2 kmpl. From Salem to Kolli hills and back past Salem to Thoppur was a total distance of 230 kms and consisted of highways, narrow two lane village roads and 60 odd kms of hairpin bends. Tanking up at the A2B, the bike took in 7.88 litres which gave a total mileage of 29.19 kmpl. Total mileage since day 1 stands at a rather respectable 26.55 kmpl. Overall thoughts : The trip put the bike under the microscope and did it pass every test with flying colours or what? Royal Enfield's best engineered bike to date is rather under rated and deserves to sell a lot more than what it currently does. After spending the day riding with the KTMs I believe that both are excellent bikes with their individual strengths that appeal to you very differently. Different strokes for different folks. Pick the one that calls out to your head and heart the loudest and you will be a very happy man indeed. I know I am. Flanked by the Dukes Quote:
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