[neil.jericho]

It's been an expensive week of Continental GT ownership, though the expenses were no fault of the bike's which had not moved from its centre stand since my last post.

Battery Replacement
When the news of the return of two once Bangalore based TBHP riding mates came out, we were all excited to plan a Sunday morning ride to meet up with them and catch up on old times. The planned turnout for the ride was around 12 or 13 riders and early on Sunday morning, I was all geared up and ready to ride when I found that the bike flat out refused to start. They symptoms were exactly the same as what I faced before returning the battery for a warranty replacement claim .

Good riddance to bad rubbish

That's right, less than one week after SF Sonic gave me a replacement battery since I had 2 months left on the 18 month warranty, the bike was down and out again with a weak battery. I was livid and didn't want to deal with them again with the bike once being grounded for a week while they 'tested' this pile of junk before approving my second warranty claim. I checked online but was again not very happy to find that only Exide manufactures batteries for Royal Enfields, sold under the Exide and SF Sonic brands. That isn't very heartening especially when I have had to change the battery twice in a 3 year ownership period. In the car market, Exide has been losing ground due to its poor quality and Amaron has become a safe choice of replacement.

Hopefully third time lucky with Exide

When I had first gone back to the same mom & pop store from which I had bought the SF Sonic battery, the owner was not very thrilled and didnt offer to send one of his guys over since it was a warranty claim. However this was in contrast to his earlier behaviour from April of last year when I had gone to buy the battery. The newly opened Exide showroom that is equally near my place didnt seem all that interested in making a sale and had a take it or leave it attitude. So I checked online and decided to go with Batterybhai.com which was cheaper than both local dealers and would send a guy over to do the installation. The exact model number is EXIDE FBI0-12BI14L-A2 and I paid Rs 2599 with the exchange of the older battery against the MRP of Rs 3267.


I ordered the battery on Monday afternoon after it came in stock and they called on Tuesday morning while I was on my way to work. We fixed up for installation on Wednesday morning and the guy was there at 7 AM as promised (he actually wanted to come at 6 AM!). The installation was done in 15 minutes or so and the bike is back to starting at the first crank. Interestingly, Exide has now moved away from dealer stamped warranty card system and I was told you now have to call a toll free number and provide a unique battery ID that will get registered on their system. I ended up registering on this link instead - https://www.exidecare.com/register-your-battery . It's good to see Exide moving to a digital registration scheme so that you can raise a battery warranty claim if you are not carrying your bill and get stuck in another city. Hopefully this new battery lasts longer than the last two which quite frankly did nothing to enhance the reputation of the once mighty Exide.


Insurance Renewal
Since it's almost 3 years since I bought the Continental GT, it was time to renew the insurance and surprisingly I did not receive any messages, emails or phone calls from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance. I tried renewing it online on the Bajaj Allianz website and got a message saying that it cant be renewed online and that I had to visit a local branch. Astounding! I hopped onto policy bazaar and selected a zero depreciation policy from Oriental Insurance that cost me Rs 2,622 for an IDV of Rs 1,40,000. Im just waiting for them to email the policy details.


Upcoming Oil Change
Since the Royal Enfield service centre's have been strictly instructed not to do an oil change if customers bring any other engine oil, I have to get it done at a local mechanic and I picked up an oil filter from the service centre located in Koramangala. While the MRP on the box is Rs 93, I will billed at Rs 80 only. Benefits of GST? So far I've done 6000 kms on the fully synthetic Motul oil and Im thinking of doing another 1000 kms before replacing it with Motul's fully synthetic oil again. Any recommendations from Royal Enfield owners on whether I should replace it sooner ?

[Asish_VK]

Hi Neil, Fantastic ownership review, Thanks for updating the thread regularly.
I am a fan of the Continental GT from its launch and I am contemplating on buying one, albeit a pre-worshipped (Getting approval from Home ministry and Parents to spent close to 2.5L on a bike is impossible due to the current circumstances).
I have some questions to you. Since you have enough experience with the GT, please give some clarifications if you don't mind

1. How is the bike to use as a daily ride? In terms of comfort, maneuverability, Heating etc. (I am a big fan of the Clip-on's of the GT and don’t want to change it)
I am currently riding a Pulsar 150 and my daily ride is approximately 25KM, which consists of around 20KM of less traffic and 5KM of stop-go traffic. Also, I am fairly well built and in good shape.
2. How is the maintenance? does it need special attention than that is needed for a regular RE (Classics / Electra)?
3. The maintenance cost - Is it substantially higher than the other RE’s?
4. Part Availability - Are there any issue in availability in spares? Since GT uses more premium parts compared to other RE's, are they rally expensive?
5. What all need to be checked before buying a used one? (Other than regular stuff we look out in a used bike purchase), What can go wrong?

Your help will be much appreciated

[neil.jericho]

Ashish_VK, thanks for your kind words. I would suggest you also check out the thread by my buddy deville_56 titled "The Mammoth GT - Royal Enfield Continental GT - November 2014" on another popular forum. That would help answer some of your questions better. Here are my thoughts on the questions that you have shared.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

1. How is the bike to use as a daily ride? In terms of comfort, maneuverability, Heating etc. (I am a big fan of the Clip-on's of the GT and don’t want to change it)
I am currently riding a Pulsar 150 and my daily ride is approximately 25KM, which consists of around 20KM of less traffic and 5KM of stop-go traffic. Also, I am fairly well built and in good shape.

If you can get past the ergonomics of the clip-ons and are comfortable with using them, honestly, the bike isnt too bad as a daily ride. Power is good enough for the daily grind. My daily commute is around 35 kms and through some of the worst traffic that Bangalore can throw up so with a laptop bag strapped on my back, the office commuting used to get tiring.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

2. How is the maintenance? does it need special attention than that is needed for a regular RE (Classics / Electra)?

Not to my knowledge but then again I dont know much about servicing for other Royal Enfield products. All I do is follow the detailed instructions in the service booklet and insist that the service advisor gets them done, even if they say its not required. I also like to change the clutch and accelerator cables every 10,000 kms just to be on the safer side.


The service experience in Bangalore has been very good so far.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

3. The maintenance cost - Is it substantially higher than the other RE’s?

Not to my knowledge but deville_56's thread will be a good source of information.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

4. Part Availability - Are there any issue in availability in spares? Since GT uses more premium parts compared to other RE's, are they rally expensive?

I havent really heard of this problem in Bangalore except for bikes which have been in accidents (that too a couple of years ago). For regular service, I dont recall having any issues with spares and Ive picked up some of them over the counter without any issues. Try the same thing with Kawasaki for example and they will refuse to do so.

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

5. What all need to be checked before buying a used one? (Other than regular stuff we look out in a used bike purchase), What can go wrong?

The two big things to look out for with the Continental GT are
1. Cracks developing on the Pirelli Sport Demon tires
2. Poor battery life

I've seen too many cases of the PSD's developing cracks (happened on both tires of my bike) to dismiss it as bad luck. So if the bike is still on the OEM tires, keep a close eye out for that as it will require an immediate change. Fellow GT owners suggest that if the battery has lasted more than 12 months, its served its purpose and will require a replacement. So check if the electric start is working fine or not as that's the easiest way to figure it out. The chain and sprocket set has last me 18,000 kms and should hold for another few thousand kms before they need replacing. All the very best in your hunt for a good pre owned Continental GT!

[neil.jericho]

The Good

Around a week and a half ago, the city of Bangalore was rather empty with the 3 day weekend on account of a religious festival and with no particular plan in mind, I set out on the bike to enjoy the nice deserted streets. With everyone slowly preparing for the celebrations later in the day , traffic was minimal and I initially decided to head out towards Kolar as I havent been on that highway in years and wanted to explore how scenic the route was. However on spotting a signboard that directed me towards Yehlanka, I decided to head off the highway and explore the inner roads that would get me towards the northern side of Bangalore.

Spectacularly Green

The turned out to be a good move as I was greeted by a refreshing change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the big city life even though I wasnt all that far off from the mean streets of Bangalore. With no particular plans in mind, I was happy to take the long, winding and scenic back roads to my destination and once there I figured I might as well see how the traffic to Nandi Hills was, given that the climate was just amazing.

On the Nandi Hill stretch

Overcast skies that threatened to continue to rain at any given moment were a welcome companion. Fortunately, the usual crazy crowd that believes in hooting, hollering and making a public nuisance of themselves was nowhere to be seen. With the amazing weather, the ride to and from Nandi Hills was just perfect except for the sections where they were working on strengthening the barricades to ensure nobody rode or drove off the hill climb.

Glorious Monsoon weather!

The only spot of bother were the youngsters who were sitting on the middle of the road in a hairpin bend so that photos could be taken by their friends. Kids these days! My lunch stop at the once famous IPC was a disaster with the restaurant forgetting about my order until I had to go there and demand for it. Abysmal service though they tried to make up for it later by offering a complimentary lassi but with the standards of their food dipping consistently, it was too little too late. With other recommended options in the vicinity, I would suggest that you avoid spending your hard earned money at IPC. A very relaxed ride back home with some occasional light drizzles made for a slow but wonderful solo Friday ride.


The Bad

Since then, the inclement weather every evening has meant that Ive not taken the bike out and I found that the rear tire was steadily losing pressure. On Saturday morning, I took the bike to a few nearby stores including the Continental one from where I had procured the tires 2 years ago but most of them were closed on account of the religious festival. I filled up air at the IOCL petrol pump near Sony World (known to be a crooked operation) and then checked it a couple of minutes later to find that it had lost 4 PSI.

There was a Puncture Man store (apparently associated with the changemytire.com website) located in the pump and had no option but to go there and get it fixed. The guy at the store kept saying that being a rear disc brake bike, he wouldnt be able to remove the tire alone and get it fixed properly and insisted that I leave it there and come back after an hour. I decided to hang around and finally after removing the tube, we found that it had broken below the nozzle and had to be replaced.

Apparently the damage is due to the weight of the bike!

The price of a replacement tube was quoted to be Rs 480 and with labour included, I paid up about Rs 560 to get the bike back up and running. I doubt the quality of the replacement tube and will, in all probability, replace it soon to avoid taking any risks. While I was there, a biker on an Avenger rolled his bike in and they found a 4 inch metal rod had gone in!


The Ugly

My insurance renewal purchase from Policybazaar has been a very disappointing experience so far. I have been chasing them over the phone and emails to find that they keep trying to get an annoyed customer off their backs by making time commitments to customers based on no credible information or facts. They have confirmed that they have no influence over insurance providers and are virtually helpless when it comes to expediting delays and sorting out issues. I will share more details once the entire issue works itself out.


Mileage : I had tanked up at the Essar pump in Koramangala while returning from the ride in the first part of this update. Distance covered : 187.9 kms. Petrol consumed : 4.26 litres. Mileage : 44.11 kmpl which is pretty close to my all time high. The overall mileage since day 1 stands at 27.41 kmpl.

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Ashish_VK, thanks for your kind words. I would suggest you also check out the thread by my buddy deville_56 titled "The Mammoth GT - Royal Enfield Continental GT - November 2014" on another popular forum. That would help answer some of your questions better. Here are my thoughts on the questions that you have shared.

Hey Neil,

Thanks for your inputs . Great help there

I wi be referring to your suggestions when I will be on look out for a GT

Enjoy your ride !

[lohithrao]

Hi Neil

I am contemplating on getting RD Powertronic's installed on my Continental GT, my bike has GreaseHouse Meghaphone silencer. so far pretty happy with the performance just that at times i feel the bike is not opening up well/ run's bit lean i suppose. so was hoping that Powertronics may add that missing grunt.

However, with 18k at stake it wont be a easy decision for me
How has been your experience with the Powertronic so-far?

Also, the silencer has started to rust and is looking bit bad. so thinking of getting a Red Rooster silencer, your thoughts?

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Over the years, Race Dynamics has built a strong reputation for themselves and their happy customers speak volumes for their work. I read up on the feedback from owners, especially those that owned KTMs with the piggyback ECU and they are all very pleased with the benefits. Those who know of Race Dynamics’ ECU ...

[neil.jericho]

Having missed the opportunity to ride for breakfast with 3 fellow BHPians who were on their way to North Kerala for an overnighter, I decided to do a short solo ride for a late lunch on Saturday. Having explored almost all the destinations that were close enough for a quick ride, I eventually settled on the Kolar CCD route. Believe it or not, this is one road that I dont think I have even ridden on at all despite it being the road that's most (in)famous for biking in Bangalore.

Lunch was at the food court opposite the CCD that is also known for being a popular destination for most big bike owners in Bangalore. All in all, a rather uneventful and slow paced solo ride that was coupled with nice weather.

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Hi Neil

I am contemplating on getting RD Powertronic's installed on my Continental GT, my bike has GreaseHouse Meghaphone silencer. so far pretty happy with the performance just that at times i feel the bike is not opening up well/ run's bit lean i suppose. so was hoping that Powertronics may add that missing grunt.

However, with 18k at stake it wont be a easy decision for me
How has been your experience with the Powertronic so-far?

Also, the silencer has started to rust and is looking bit bad. so thinking of getting a Red Rooster silencer, your thoughts?

lohithrao, I havent gone in for the Powertronic unit yet though I was pretty close to taking the plunge back then. Im not aware of any other GT owners who have spent Rs 18K on one either though the feedback from KTM owners, both in India and other countries, has been very good. As for the GreaseHouse silencer, I would suggest you get in touch with the IndiMotard guys and check with them on what can be done about the product issue. I have done a couple of track days with them and they are a very helpful bunch.

That said, the usually suggested combination for the GT appears to be an after market filter (I believe BMC is preferred though I dont have specifics) plus a Powertronic ECU plus an after market exhaust. I am a strong believer in getting the best tires added to the equation, however the sizing of GT's wheels means that there arent really a lot of great options in the market.

[neil.jericho]

In this day and age of motorcycling experts (possessing limited riding experience and even less common sense) crawling out of the corners of Youtube armed with a GoPro and a few months of keyboard warrior-ing on motorcycle forums, the MissendenFlyer's videos are a breath of fresh air. His Youtube videos appear to be fairly well balanced, thought through and logical. I was quite surprised to stumble upon a review of the new Euro 4 version of the Continental GT with ABS as factory fitment. I wonder when this will be available in India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkL9cdFaO78

While trying to check on the updated specifications of the Continental GT, I was rather amused to find that the yellow colour is now no longer available! There appears to be no mention of ABS on the website either.

[Chevy]

I had similar issue noticed on tyre crack as others .

My warranty is over its been over 2 years since i bought GT, it has run only 6K KM, very surprised to see this issue. Looks like there is some issue with Tyre with respect to Indian condition from Pirelli brand.

Called up local service center, had got a quote for Pirelli sport 130/80 for Rs 13000 which is very high.

Tried reaching out to local dealers and update i had is it is not possible to get 130/80

Need suggestion, what will be the comfirt and ride quality if we move to Ceat which has 120/80 R 18 under Ceat Vertigo Sport.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

While trying to check on the updated specifications of the Continental GT, I was rather amused to find that the yellow color is now no longer available!

IIRC, they officially discontinued the yellow color in December 2016. In fact, the new shade "GT Green" was introduced as a replacement for yellow.

Cheers
R-Six

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Chevy

I had similar issue noticed on tyre crack as others .

My warranty is over its been over 2 years since i bought GT, it has run only 6K KM, very surprised to see this issue. Looks like there is some issue with Tyre with respect to Indian condition from Pirelli brand.

Called up local service center, had got a quote for Pirelli sport 130/80 for Rs 13000 which is very high.

Tried reaching out to local dealers and update i had is it is not possible to get 130/80

Need suggestion, what will be the comfirt and ride quality if we move to Ceat which has 120/80 R 18 under Ceat Vertigo Sport.

Chevy, it appears as though quite a few batches of the Pirelli Sport Demon tires that were supplied to Royal Enfield were of poor quality. The replacement front tire that I have received from Royal Enfield under warranty has been holding up pretty well and has run 10,000+ kms so far. I am keeping a close eye on it for cracks but so far so good. Ceat dealers did have stock in Bangalore when I last checked though I am not sure of the current availability. There were some old stock (2015 vintage) tires available with a seller on Amazon but that looks to be sold out now.


In the absence of the grippy PSD, the Ceats appear to be a safe bet. The consensus feedback that I got from experienced riders was that you know what you are getting with Ceat - long lasting life with consistent feedback. With MRFs, experiences varied from very positive to really negative and previous buyers warned me about expecting the unexpected.


I have gone with the Ceat Vertigo Zoom at the rear and it has been serving me very well (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3830352 ). Its marginally less grippy than the PSD and in the right environments, you can have some fun by trying to get the rear end to slide with some rear braking. I briefly had the Ceat Vertigo Sport as the front tire and it is a hard compound tire for sure. I dont have scientific data to back it up but based on my experience, I would go with the Ceat Vertigo Zoom instead of the Sport.

If you do want to do a lot of off roading or have to ride through bad roads frequently and are not a high speed rider (haha Royal Enfields and high speeds make an odd couple!) then the hard compound not too sporty Vertigo Sport might be the better option.

Originally Posted by R-Six

IIRC, they officially discontinued the yellow color in December 2016. In fact, the new shade "GT Green" was introduced as a replacement for yellow.

Cheers
R-Six

Now I do recall Endofdayz mentioning earlier that yellow was getting discontinued. Somehow it had slipped my mind. Maybe Royal Enfield should try out some new colours for a limited edition run of the GT. The appraoch appears to be working well for them with the Classic series and with the abysmal sales of their flagship bike, what can they lose?

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Maybe Royal Enfield should try out some new colors for a limited edition run of the GT. The approach appears to be working well for them with the Classic series and with the abysmal sales of their flagship bike, what can they lose?

Agreed. I would love to see them coming out with some "less chrome" version. A dark version with a black engine block and powder coated wheels and the exhaust pipe may be.

On another note, I guess you have the RE performance exhaust on your bike. Ever thought of changing it to a red rooster or megaphone exhaust?

I have the RE performance exhaust on my bike but I've been contemplating putting a megaphone one since I feel that it has a more heavy and clear thumb. Any thoughts?

Cheers,
R-Six

[Chevy]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Chevy, it appears as though quite a few batches of the Pirelli Sport Demon tires that were supplied to Royal Enfield were of poor quality. The replacement front tire that I have received from Royal Enfield under warranty has been holding up pretty well and has run 10,000+ kms so far. I am keeping a close eye on it for cracks but so far so good. Ceat dealers did have stock in Bangalore when I last checked though I am not sure of the current availability. There were some old stock (2015 vintage) tires available with a seller on Amazon but that looks to be sold out now.


In the absence of the grippy PSD, the Ceats appear to be a safe bet. The consensus feedback that I got from experienced riders was that you know what you are getting with Ceat - long lasting life with consistent feedback. With MRFs, experiences varied from very positive to really negative and previous buyers warned me about expecting the unexpected.


I have gone with the Ceat Vertigo Zoom at the rear and it has been serving me very well (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post3830352 ). Its marginally less grippy than the PSD and in the right environments, you can have some fun by trying to get the rear end to slide with some rear braking. I briefly had the Ceat Vertigo Sport as the front tire and it is a hard compound tire for sure. I dont have scientific data to back it up but based on my experience, I would go with the Ceat Vertigo Zoom instead of the Sport.

If you do want to do a lot of off roading or have to ride through bad roads frequently and are not a high speed rider (haha Royal Enfields and high speeds make an odd couple!) then the hard compound not too sporty Vertigo Sport might be the better option.



Now I do recall Endofdayz mentioning earlier that yellow was getting discontinued. Somehow it had slipped my mind. Maybe Royal Enfield should try out some new colours for a limited edition run of the GT. The appraoch appears to be working well for them with the Classic series and with the abysmal sales of their flagship bike, what can they lose?

Thanks Neil for your inputs.

I had also reached out to Pirelli India to get more details on their dealers and in the process I have raised the issue on this Tyre defect. They wanted me to share the details like name, bike manufacturing year, engine, chassis number along with pictures of the defect.

I had a follow up today and got a chance to talk to one of their technical person. By seeing the picture he said it a defect caused while manufacturing when two ends of Tyre are joined .

If the join is not perfect we would be getting these kind of cracks and he said that there is nothing to worry and I can ride the bike and replacement Tyre is in the process.

Hoping to get the replacement , fingers crossed. If not approved planning to go for Vertigo Zoom.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Agreed. I would love to see them coming out with some "less chrome" version. A dark version

with a black engine block and powder coated wheels and the exhaust pipe may be.

On another note, I guess you have the RE performance exhaust on your bike. Ever thought of changing it to a red

rooster or megaphone exhaust?

I have the RE performance exhaust on my bike but I've been contemplating putting a megaphone one since I feel

that it has a more heavy and clear thumb. Any thoughts?

Cheers,
R-Six

R-Six, funnily enough I have been looking out for Continental GT owners who has gone for the company's performance exhaust. My bike is still on its stock exhaust which is quite heavy and Ive been thinking about getting a new one but I find most of the after market options to be too loud. In a city like Bangalore, that's a recipe for disaster as the cops are on the lookout for potential law breakers of all sorts these days. Do you recall how much you had paid for the RE company exhaust? Has it improved performance over the stock exhaust? I just might go for it if I decide to head down the modifications route. My friend had a Himalayan with the company fitted exhaust and he was quite happy with it.

Originally Posted by Chevy

Thanks Neil for your inputs.

I had also reached out to Pirelli India to get more details on their dealers and in the process I have raised the

issue on this Tyre defect. They wanted me to share the details like name, bike manufacturing year, engine,

chassis number along with pictures of the defect.

I had a follow up today and got a chance to talk to one of their technical person. By seeing the picture he said

it a defect caused while manufacturing when two ends of Tyre are joined .

If the join is not perfect we would be getting these kind of cracks and he said that there is nothing to worry

and I can ride the bike and replacement Tyre is in the process.

Hoping to get the replacement , fingers crossed. If not approved planning to go for Vertigo Zoom.

Chevy, thanks for sharing. This is the first time that I am hearing of Pirelliit admitting to it being a manufacturing defect. Most tire shops that I had spoken to kept insisting that this was due to our Indian road conditions and the fact that the PSDs were soft compound and hence not suited for the bike. Hopefully Royal Enfield has taken it up with Pirelli and got them to sort out their manufacturing woes.


You have to feel for Continental GT owners though. I would assume that many of them would have faced this issue after the warranty ran out for what is now clearly known as an issue with a renowned supplier like Pirelli.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Do you recall how much you had paid for the RE company exhaust? Has it improved performance over the stock exhaust?

Hey Neil,

I picked up a pre-worshipped beauty in May 2017. It's a May 2016 model and the previous owner had installed the RE performance exhaust. I can check with him to see what was the cost at that time.

The only time when I rode a GT without the performance exhaust was when I went to test ride the bike in the showroom. But that was an abused one with almost 30K on the odo. So I don't think it would be fair to put a comparison based on that.

Ride safe!
R-Six