[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Thanks for sharing your feedback Arulpeem, Im sure that you are one of few bikers in the country who owns both the Continental GT as well as the Himalayan.

I am most interested in hearing your experience with vibrations experienced on longer highway rides. For 400 - 500 km a day rides, I find that I need to keep my average indicated speed on long empty stretches below 100 kmph to ensure the vibes dont leave my posterior with aches and pains.

Last week I went upto Pondy for a breakfast ride with my friend. Since the odometer was approaching almost 2000 Km I was little more enthusiastic and was keeping a steady 90 and occasionally touched 95 KMPH. The vibrations are far, far less than GT. The rear view mirror does not vibrate even a little. I can feel the vibrations in the tank through my knees, but not uncomfortable at all. In terms of comfort, I am yet to come to a conclusion. Since I keep myself relatively fitter, I have never felt uncomfortable in GT. A 1000 Km trip will give me a better idea I think. May be the month end would be the right time for a ride to the Kolli hills and find out how the Himalayan is on my back and also how does it feel beyond 100 KMPH.

What a way to go to Yercaud. What started as a breakfast ride ended up a as a lunch ride too. I envy you guys in Blore. It is so easy for you to go to Yercaud nor Yelagiri for a day trip. And countless other locations within Karnataka. Lovely photos too. I go there very often to visit my sister, of course it always a four wheeler since I go with my family, but never have I stopped to take such photographs. Thanks for posting them.

[neil.jericho]

Mileage : Here are mileage figures from the last few top ups - 26.02, 26.84, 33.96 (Bangalore - Salem - Yercaud - Salem - Thoppur) and 27.95 kmpl. Mileage since day 1 stands at 27.39 kmpl.


Ever since I have shared the details about the handle bar modification, a lot of people had written to me asking for more details. Fellow Continental GT owner Kaushik Iyer from over at xbhp had asked for more pictures, here you go buddy.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Nice Stuff Neil, feels really good to read such short writeups on the rides.
Looks like the KTM handlebars are really good for you.

Regarding the vibes, Himalayan seems to be an exception and am unable to feel vibes (as i felt in my TB) at three digit speeds. Yes the engine is lazy and the gear box is sluggish but other features more than make up for the lack of speed.
Having said that, I would be very keen to see if we can have a brisker mid range on the Himalayan. Since my bike is just 2800 kms old, I will hold on for some more time before I start to fiddle with it.

Thanks ku69rd, any modifications planned? Im sure Race Dynamics will be working on a PowerTronics box for the Himalayan.

Originally Posted by bblost

The tame animals sit inside cages. The wild ones ride on two wheels free as any man can ever be.

Loved reading the ride report and thanks for the beautiful pictures.

Thank you bblost, I honestly couldnt have put it any better myself.

Originally Posted by ku69rd

What surprises me even more is....people with huge SUV also refuse to get into the water logged area and then they tow the line when they see a puny two wheeler can get across without any issue.

Youth is wasted on the young and SUVs are wasted on such owners!

Originally Posted by arulpeem

Last week I went upto Pondy for a breakfast ride with my friend. Since the odometer was approaching almost 2000 Km I was little more enthusiastic and was keeping a steady 90 and occasionally touched 95 KMPH. The vibrations are far, far less than GT. The rear view mirror does not vibrate even a little. I can feel the vibrations in the tank through my knees, but not uncomfortable at all. In terms of comfort, I am yet to come to a conclusion. Since I keep myself relatively fitter, I have never felt uncomfortable in GT. A 1000 Km trip will give me a better idea I think. May be the month end would be the right time for a ride to the Kolli hills and find out how the Himalayan is on my back and also how does it feel beyond 100 KMPH.

What a way to go to Yercaud. What started as a breakfast ride ended up a as a lunch ride too. I envy you guys in Blore. It is so easy for you to go to Yercaud nor Yelagiri for a day trip. And countless other locations within Karnataka. Lovely photos too. I go there very often to visit my sister, of course it always a four wheeler since I go with my family, but never have I stopped to take such photographs. Thanks for posting them.

Thanks Arul, your feedback on the Himalayan is much appreciated and I am glued to your thread. Cant wait to read your updates after the upcoming trip in the Himalayas. Though I have visited Yercaud 6-7 times by now, I too had never really stopped to take pictures till this ride. You're right, Bangalore riders have a lot of different options to us though we are seldom grateful. the next time you are here you must try out the Anchetty loop.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

What surprises me even more is....people with huge SUV also refuse to get into the water logged area and then they tow the line when they see a puny two wheeler can get across without any issue.

All hairy chested emotions aside, it is prudent to avoid water logged areas; especially on 2 wheels IMO. You just never know what god awfulness lurks below, ready to swallow ride + rider whole

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by VW2010

I still think the RE's above say 85-95KMPH will start transmitting the vibrations irrespective of the model. Most comfortable cruising speed with minimal vibrations has been around 80-85. Another thing i have noticed is your body weight. The higher the better meaning loading the bike up actually feels far more comfortable than riding it alone.

Both the bikes come slightly stiff and may be a tweak of the suspension can help. The GT IMHO with its bigger engine will probably "feel" more stable at those speeds compared to the smaller H. But the riding position is such that the GT vibrations are going to be spread directly into your shoulders, knees and back while because of much relaxed position of the H the vibrations will be muted at the shoulder.

Again my opinion is both can be rode at speed higher than 100 but i believe any RE bike is super comfortable between 75 to 85 or max 90 KMPH. Anything above is just not comfortable net-net.

I was talking to fellow bhpian Julyone_modi the other day on the topic of the speeds that can be comfortably maintained on a Continental GT during highway rides. He did an amazing 1000+ km Bangalore to Bombay ride in a day recently on his Continental GT and he was very comfortable with sustained 100+ kmph speeds on our empty wide highways. Hats off to him, I'm not sure I can do a 1000+ km ride in a day, much less sustained triple digit speeds on this bike. It will be interesting to hear feedback from Continental GT and as well other RE owners on this.

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

All hairy chested emotions aside, it is prudent to avoid water logged areas; especially on 2 wheels IMO. You just never know what god awfulness lurks below, ready to swallow ride + rider whole

Fully agree with you on this front, unfortunately I cant seem to escape cities that suffer from water logging during the monsoons. I've lived over half my life in Cochin where the ever bountiful rains ensure flooded roads every year and spent the last 8 years in Bangalore where the inefficiency of the local officials does the same !

[julyone_modi]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I was talking to fellow bhpian Julyone_modi the other day on the topic of the speeds that can be comfortably maintained on a Continental GT during highway rides. He did an amazing 1000+ km Bangalore to Bombay ride in a day recently on his Continental GT and he was very comfortable with sustained 100+ kmph speeds on our empty wide highways. Hats off to him, I'm not sure I can do a 1000+ km ride in a day, much less sustained triple digit speeds on this bike. It will be interesting to hear feedback from Continental GT and as well other RE owners on this.

My Short review on 'Vibes' on the famed Fastest Royal Enfield

So my bike is around 6,000 Kms old in exactly One year. That's very low mileage from general PoV, however my usage is purely, A 100% leisure ride. To put in a context, I did a coastal trip in Dec-Jan 2016.
Details here http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...nental-gt.html
Then attended TWO track school in March, and most lately did a 1069 Km Banglore-Bombay ride in 15.5 Hrs in May. So apart from this my rides only involves highway runs on breakfast rides.

So coming to Vibes on the GT, what I have observed is that there are certain sweet spots in the rev-range where the machine is tolerable. To give an example, If I am at ~100 KMPH @ 5th Gear (~3500 rpm) there are horrible vibes on the handlebar and my hands go numb in matter of minutes. Hence I always prefer to do over 120 KMPH @ 5th (~4000-4500 rpm) or drop the gear and settle on 100KMPH but (~4000-4500 rpm) to cruise relatively vibe-free. I know Honda guys be like
So to find where your bike is smoothest, However, I would recommend to drive the machine long enough to identify those spots. The reason being that each GT will behave differently based on age and how tight the nut-bolts on the bike are. Neil had considerable improvements when he got the Engine mount bolts fixed. Even tightening few nuts on the number plate had noticeable difference on his bike.

@neil.jericho, Thanks for the appreciation. I am sure its not that difficult. GT is indeed versatile and did not face any problem sitting on a saddle doing 130 KMPH speeds for longer hours on our GQ. In-fact I feel clip-ons are indeed good and don't find any reason for raised handle bars. However, Bangalore traffic is completely different ballgame and you know what best suits you.
On other note, I do contemplate on lowering the bars to mimick a more sporty stance, I may opt of it if I plan to add a race cowl.

[neil.jericho]

IndiMotard had conducted another Level 1 plus open session track weekend earlier this month and eager to put into practice all that I had learnt during my Level 1 classes, I signed up for the open session without any hesitation. Since I was sure that I would do more track days, I had bought an AGV Sport Willow leather suit from Orion Motors and the Sidi ST Air well in advance. Performance Racing Store calls the one piece leather suit the Phantom (refer image below) but it is actually the Willow which is a different model altogether (here’s a review - http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/agv-s...t-willow-suit/). I was lucky to find the last available one in my size and the buying experience with Orion Motors was once again top notch. The Sidi ST Air was picked up from Motoin.de.

Since there were a good number of riders for the open session this time around, we were split into two groups based on the engine capacity of the bikes. This meant that we had the Daytona 675s, Street Triples, Z800s and other litre class bikes in a separate group as compared to the smaller displacement ones that included RC390s, R3s, one N300 and others. So slightly less track time for the open session riders but definitely much higher quality track time as well since we weren’t getting in each other’s way or slowing down the faster machines. Well one might argue that the Continental GT was slowing down the riders on the R3s and RC390s but that’s a story for another day!

Since track day riding is still a relatively unknown for a vast majority of Indians, people often confuse it with racing. And that couldn’t be further from the truth. For newbies like me (relative to the track that is and not necessarily biking), open sessions on the track are about throttle control, perfecting lines, maintaining high levels of concentration throughout and slowly but surely exploring the limits of your skill and the bike. So my approach was quite simple – focus on all of the above everywhere on the track except the long straight where I would just ease off the throttle and coast along the right side instead. Reach C1 and start all over again.


Some of the more experienced riders were clocking themselves around the track but never did I get the sense that they were racing against each other or putting anyone else at risk.

The old adage practice makes perfect holds good for track day riding as well. The first session out on the track was a mixed bag but I was far better in the second session as my lines slowly started coming together. From there it took a lot of concentration to steadily improve through the rest of the day. We had an extremely overcast sky and strong winds as well to contend with so my top speed was down to just 120 kmph (done in controlled conditions down the long straight in Kari with not a bike in sight).

Since it had rained overnight and the track was wet, I was wondering whether we would be let out for our open session on Sunday morning. Despite being the slowest session for me over the weekend in terms of speed, it was ironically my best session overall as my utmost concentration was only on throttle control and my lines and except for one stand scrape (need to remove the pesky central stand before the next track day), it was just perfect. With the sun playing hide and seek, the track dried up soon enough and there was more fun to be had over the next few sessions. The rain clouds however made an ominous return and by lunch time it was pouring cats, dogs, mice, gerbils and hamsters which made it logical to wind up for the day rather than go out and risk my safety. All in all, I did a shade over 200 kms at the track and it was well worth it.

Safety is paramount at the racetrack and I would say that almost all the riders that I have encountered are responsible riders and look out for others. There was one instance where a young gentleman on an RC390 overtook me a little too closely at one of the turns and luckily enough I had heard his bike behind me before holding onto my line and waiting for him to pass. He was good enough to come and apologize to me the moment I pulled into the pits which I really appreciated. Incidentally the only feedback I received all weekend on not being too careful was by the same young gentleman who told me that when I looked over my shoulder while coming down the straight before pulling over to the left side (back onto the correct line to enter C1), I had missed seeing him but he had enough time to brake. If you’re reading this, my apologies once again buddy. Lesson learnt, I made sure to take a good long hard look over my shoulder after that to ensure that I wasn’t getting in front of anybody while moving back to the correct line.


There was only one instance for which the medical staff was called into action and they managed the situation well and the riders were taken for further checks to medical facilities. I enjoyed meeting other enthusiasts in the pits and it was great fun watching the KTMs and R3s dance around the track. Big thumbs up to all the organizers from IndiMotard for organizing another great track weekend. There’s a Level 2 coming up in October that I am quite looking forward to.


Unfortunately I could only find a couple of my pictures this time.

That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight ....


Overtaken by the very talented rider on the yellow R3

Here are a couple of videos as well that I shot on my phone.

https://youtu.be/G5IBJyp3GiQ

https://youtu.be/HOG47R-dBV8

[rakesh_r]

Had a query, apart from the engine capacity, how different is the 500 and 535 engine. Is it possible to swap out, maybe the half engine of the 500 with that of the C GT (Head,valves,block,piston etc)? Is the crank shaft different?

[julyone_modi]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Had a query, apart from the engine capacity, how different is the 500 and 535 engine. Is it possible to swap out, maybe the half engine of the 500 with that of the C GT (Head,valves,block,piston etc)? Is the crank shaft different?

Everything remains the same, only the change is the bigger bore. I guess this is maximum the good ol' ICE cylinder can be bored. AFAIK the only difference between 350-500-535 is the bore dia, everything within the engine remains the same. The fueling definitely varies. Head,valves,block,piston- Remains the same. crank shaft- to best of my knowledge, it has been beefed to handle higher power.

The only different engine RE uses is 410cc block employed by Himalayan. Rest of line-up is "unees-bees" same.

@Neil, Fantastic write-up of TWO. Really missing the track. Hope to make it again sometime in the future.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by julyone_modi

@Neil, Fantastic write-up of TWO. Really missing the track. Hope to make it again sometime in the future.

Thanks man, in fact Dodo was asking about you at the track this last weekend. Maybe for one of the upcoming open sessions?

Originally Posted by julyone_modi

On other note, I do contemplate on lowering the bars to mimick a more sporty stance, I may opt of it if I plan to add a race cowl.

Well, the race cowl will be perfect if you can get one fabricated properly. I think the bike has the right proportions to pull it off extremely well. As for lowering the bars, some of the very enthusiastic bikers over at Chandigarh Café Racers seem to have already gone down (no pun intended) that route. Here are some pictures from their Facebook group.

[neil.jericho]

It hasnt been all picture perfect with the Continental GT and Ive had to get certain issues fixed over the last one week or so. In no particular order, they are


1. The raised handlebars
Yes, Ive said they are wonderful and just make life easy for Continental GT owners. I remember mentioning back in April that my left hand was taking time to readjust itself and I had put it down to being used to 7 years of riding in a crouched sporty position and trying to unlearn that over occasional weekend rides. However while dropping off the bike at IndiMotard before the track day, I shared my niggling doubt with them and after we pulled out the measuring tape we realized that it wasnt just a trick of the mind but that the alignment was actually off by a few millimeters. Since I had gotten used to the alignment and height though, I didnt want to change it just before the track day and then have to spend time at Kari getting used to the new settings, so we let it be.

While picking it up, we got it corrected and rechecked. Once again, I'm getting used to the height and corrected reach but this time it seems better and I need to do some riding to get the left hand used to this. Incidentally there was a gentleman who was leaving IndiMotard just as I was and he mentioned that he had got the same modification done to his bike and that it was a great change.


2. Chain Slack
After the track weekend and some riding in the city, I realized that the chain had gotten unusually dirty and required a good old fashioned cleaning. So it was Motul Chain Clean to the rescue, followed by some proper scrubbing and contorting at my end to ensure that the chain was in a much better condition. I had also been keeping my eye on the chain slack at Kari and after a short ride last weekend I found that it was well in need of fixing and got it tightened at the FNG just down the road. With the bike having done less than 12,000 kms, I wonder how long the sprocket and chain will last at this rate of wear.


3. Wheel truing and bleeding the brakes
I guess all my rough riding and refusal to slow down to a crawl on bad roads finally caught up with me. While on a short breakfast ride with my wife last weekend, I could feel the bike feel slightly 'wafty' and unsettled. I asked the mechanic at the FNG about this and he confirmed that the rear wheel needed truing as some spokes were loose. Since I have been putting off the bleeding of the brakes since May (when I first felt that the braking had lost some of its bite), I decided to get both done in one go and dropped my bike off at Raymond’s place this week. The bike feels properly settled now and I will some more riding over the weekend to ensure that it’s all good.


A fellow biker noticed that the number of visible threads on the rear suspension don’t match while comparing the right side and the left. He said that this setting probably came about when the RE mechanics adjusted the rear suspension during one of the services but forgot to ensure that both were equally calibrated. Raymond suggested that RE might have themselves provided the bike with this setting to offset the extra weight of the silencer (and it is really heavy) on the right side, which does make sense. Any thoughts on this from the experts?


Mileage
I tanked up at a BP pump in Mahadevpura before handing over the bike to IndiMotard as I was keen on checking the mileage from a track weekend. Distance covered – 95.6 kms. Petrol consumed – 4.04 litres. Mileage – 23.66 kmpl in city riding conditions.

I did 200 odd kms at the track and then tanked up at Shell after doing around 10+ kms of city riding. Distance covered – 233.8 kms. Petrol consumed – 10.29 litres. Mileage – 22.72 kmpl in track conditions. Bear in mind that this with less than half a dozen hot laps (more likely lukewarm compared to the standards of the other bikes but I digress) and I was coasting down the long straight at Kari more often than not.


Here’s a picture from the track day cause dammit, this thread deserves more pictures!

[neil.jericho]

I've done a shade over 5000 kms since I last got the engine oil changed and filled up with the popular semi synthetic Motul 5100. I had planned to replace it sometime before crossing the 5500 km mark. Since I am hardly using the bike nowadays (my usage has come down to just once a week - only on Saturdays) I thought it was best to stick to the same wallet friendly Motul 5100 oil which costs Rs 575 for a 1 litre pack rather than pay double for a fully synthetic oil. After confirming with a few fellow riders that it was time for the oil change, I check Motul prices on Amazon and was surprised to find that the highly rated fully synthetic Motul 300V (which I used earlier on the R15 and loved) was on sale for Rs 624 for a 1 litre pack as compared to its MRP of Rs 1,150. At just 50 rupees a pack over the 5100, buying the fully synthetic 300V was a no brainer. I will share updates on how the engine feels after switching over to the 300V and clocking some miles.


Ive received quite a few detailed questions on the handlebar installation and my experiences with the set up for day to day commutes and longer rides as well as any potential challenges with the installation. For the benefit of those who are not in Bangalore and don’t have access to IndiMotard (or similarly skilled setups) and are attempting to do this installation at your FNG, there are two basic tests to keep in mind
1. Height test (the centre of each handlebar end should be at an equal height off the ground)
2. Circumference test (the centre of each handlebar end should be at an equal distance from a midpoint, example a fixed point below the fuel cap)

As I had written in my last post, while dropping off the bike at IndiMotard before the track day, I asked the team to recheck the alignment to put the nagging doubt in my mind to rest and we found that the heights on both sides were off. The IndiMotard team pointed out that that position of the handlebar with respect to the forks was not correct (see the picture below) and though it was right under our noses all along, none of us realized it. We left it as is and decided to rectify it after the track weekend. So check 1 – height test failed.

After the track weekend, the IndiMotard team adjusted the bar and we measured the heights once again and ensured that they matched. However while test riding the bike, I felt that the reach was slightly different on both sides. I took it back to them immediately but they confirmed that it was fine and it was probably more to do with me unlearning the wrong position from earlier and getting used to the corrected position which seemed fair. So check 2 – height test passed.


I rode back home and while it certainly didnt feel perfect, it was better than before. I couldn’t use the bike all week and the following Saturday I rode it back to them convinced that it wasn’t 100%. That’s when we tried the circumference test which is where we marked a cross at the bottom of the fuel cap and used a length of string to measure the distance to each end of the handlebars. We found that the distances didn’t match which meant that one was closer to the point of reference than the other though they were both at the same height. So check 3 – height test passed, circumference test failed.


This meant more readjusting to get the right position before I took another test ride. I came back convinced it wasn’t right again so it was back to the measuring tape and string after which we found that we somehow managed to switch our problems. So check 4 - height test failed, circumference test passed.


More adjustments were done and now we are close to the promised land but I think somewhere in all the adjusting (using a large pipe to adjust the angle of the end of the bar after removing the rubber grips) the tilt of the left side became a little too pronounced when compared to the right side which wasn’t touched. If that gets sorted, we should be all set. Phew! Hopefully others don’t have to go through so much trial and error while trying the installation themselves but in all fairness like I mentioned I did meet another rider who got the same installation done from IndiMotard and it was perfect from day 1. I guess it’s just my bad luck that we have had to go through such a long UAT phase! No wonder so many people like to stick to stock setups and prefer to not fiddle around.


Once this gets fixed though, I want to do a real world test of the day long riding capabilities of the Continental GT and see how much I can clock. Ive done several 550 kms in day rides on my R15 and the maximum Ive done on the Continental GT was 590 kms but that involved 140 hair pin bends as well on the stock handlebars. Im aiming for 750 kms in a day which is far below the 1000+ clocked by julyone_modi but a respectable target for me as a first step nonetheless.

Empty parking lot at the Shoolagiri pump is a rarity

Mileage – After riding to Shoolagiri and back for a breakfast ride with my better half and some city riding, I tanked up Shell. Total distance : 199.4 kms. Total petrol consumed : 7.35 litres. Mileage : 27.13 kmpl. Mileage since day 1 : 27.24 kmpl.

[neil.jericho]

My recent ride to the Royal Enfield SVC ended up being a lot more expensive than I initially thought it would be. With some time on my hands on account of the extended weekend, I had planned to get the engine oil changed to Motul 300V at the FNG. On my way to the SVC to get the oil filter, I took a right turn at a T junction but didnt spot a quick car that was coming in from the left until he was nearly side by side with me. Luckily I didnt jam the brakes and swerved away at the last second, as did the car driver, but the left side rider foot peg hit the driver's door and broke off. On another day, it could have been a matter of inches and I would've landed myself in the hospital with a fracture or two. I pulled over a few feet away and checked for damage both to the bike and myself. Fortunately I was wearing my A* SMX2 boots which saved my left foot and I didnt even have a bruise. Good karma? Extra vigilant guardian angels? Either ways, Im thanking my stars that I escaped without a scratch.

The RE company SVC near Madiwala lake had both the footrest assembly and the oil filter in stock. I was in and out within 5 minutes. The cost breakup is as follows.

Part Number Description Rate VAT (14.5%) Amount
859063 Rider Footrest Assembly LHS 331 48 379
888414 Oil Filter with O Ring Kit 81.22 11.78 93
Total 472

I did a quick 180 km highway ride after changing the engine oil and getting the foot peg fixed at the FNG. My initial impressions are below
1. Overall, the bike is so much smoother now especially when the revs are below 3.5 K.
2. Its easier to ride for longer distances and maintain triple digit speeds (when conditions permit) with the all round reduced vibrations.
3. Worth the 50 rupee premium over the 5100? Very easily indeed.
4. The bike's top end has improved considerably. Progress beyond 100 kmph was laboured earlier in comparison. For those who are using the Motul 5100 on the Continental GT, dont wait till it hits 5000 kms before changing the engine oil.

Quite a few fellow bikers mentioned to me that the 300V isnt always the best fit for engines that are not built to extremely tight tolerance levels and has a reputation for causing leaks in Pulsars. Im keeping an eye out for that but so far, from a rider's perspective, Im very happy with the 300V.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

My recent ride to the Royal Enfield SVC ended up being a lot more expensive than I initially thought it would be.

Quite a few fellow bikers mentioned to me that the 300V isnt always the best fit for engines that are not built to extremely tight tolerance levels and has a reputation for causing leaks in Pulsars. Im keeping an eye out for that but so far, from a rider's perspective, Im very happy with the 300V.

Good that your guardian angels didn't take a vacation for the extended weekend It is always better to pay for broken spares, than for broken bones.

Do keep an eye out for oil leaks, as the 300V easily finds gaps to leak out of, maybe because it is less viscous or something (happened even with my trustworthy Apache)

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Quite a few fellow bikers mentioned to me that the 300V isnt always the best fit for engines that are not built to extremely tight tolerance levels and has a reputation for causing leaks in Pulsars. Im keeping an eye out for that but so far, from a rider's perspective, Im very happy with the 300V.

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Do keep an eye out for oil leaks, as the 300V easily finds gaps to leak out of, maybe because it is less viscous or something (happened even with my trustworthy Apache)

The real culprit is the ester. The 5100 is single whereas the 300v is double.Ester is basically responsible to keep the engine clean. For some reasons the gaskets get eaten away because of this. Keeping an eye on this thread as I am myself in a dilemma whether to use the 300v or not.

[gigatech2006]

This is by far the best and longest CGT ownership thread I've come across. Loved it. Took time to read all your posts, Neil!

Btw, I'm undecided between the Himalayan and the CGT. I liked both, for various reasons and that's why I'm undecided.
1. CGT is outright fun - loved the torque and handling. Himalayan was smooth, and handling was good too. Can't say anything about power or fun. They are there in adequate levels
2. CGT is looks stunning. Himalayan, well, subjective. I liked it too, but CGT is a looker from any angle!
3. Price difference is 50k. But you get what you pay for. No complaints here (this is not a deciding factor, but thought I'd mention it)
4. Himalayan was better on potholes. CGT, not by much. Of course, Himalayan was designed for that. Also, I believe Himalayan was designed to take on small streams. This is one big factor because I saw how the streams were running on the road during the Dec 2015 Chennai floods
5. Engine sounds lot better on CGT. Himalayan is ok. May be will get better with aftermarket exhausts
6. Himalayan looks like an all rounder - excels in some aspects, but CGT has superior components (brembo, pirelli, etc)
7. Vibrations - not a concern, as I had an Electra for a few years. I know their limitations now.
8. Service intervals - CGT (5k kms, correct me if I'm wrong) and Himalayan (10k kms). Himalayan wins here. I look at it this way. The less number of visits to the RE service, the better the bike will be - I still don't trust the service quality. So, once in 10k kms is really good for the bike I think.

So, the more I compare, the more I get confused. My daily commute is around 60kms (up & down). Can you or the members here give me some definitive points that will guide me here - planning to book one by end of September. Need to choose wisely.

Thanks in advance!