[arulpeem]

I have had the bike with me now for just about over a year and have clocked about 6500 during that time. During the last six months I haven't taken it on any long distance rides but for one trip to Pond along with my friend who had bought a Bonnie. Total mileage on the odometer is 8900Km. So I decided to take it for the annual service and I was also forced to do it a few days earlier when my son's friend took it for a ride and skidded and fell. Fortunately nothing happened to the boy but for some minor bruises. Both the left foot pegs and the gear shift lever assembly were broken. Left mirror and rear grab handle were also scratched badly but decided to leave them as they were. The next day I rode it to the service station in the second gear in which it was stuck. I didn't change the oil since I wanted to try Shell lube. Will try their Ultra or the AX7.

The total cost of servicing including the spares came Rs.2700/-. After the service I found the rear brakes to have lost their bite and was very wooden. I was a bit worried since it had a good bite even when I took it for service. Decided to ride it for a few days and slowly it regained its bite and now it is back to normal after about 100Kms of riding and I am relieved.
Will update after I change the oil.

[arulpeem]

During the 14 months of ownership I have never taken my wife more than a few Kms that too near my home. In fact she has never ever sat for more than 15Kms on a bike. Yesterday I asked if she is game to come up to Mahabalipuram and she was game. So today morning we left home about 7 am and reached Mahabs ATB around 8 am. Had a leisurely breakfast there and left by about 8.45. We were back home about 9.40. It was about 90Km ride.
She had no issues of back pain during most of the ride. Towards the end she was a little uncomfortable. The ride was not bumpy, there was enough space for both of us. We are more than average size at 5' 10"/80Kg and 5'7"/70Kg.
Next time we will try and ride upto Mudaliakuppam. Depending on how well she copes up we will keep increasing the distance and one day plan a long road trip.

[arulpeem]

I have never ridden the GT on a ghat road till date and a few days back decided to do a day trip to Yelagiri. Google maps showed it to be around 240Km from my home. In fact I have never been there till date. The previous day it rained for a couple of hours and we were in two minds whether to go or not. But the forecast for Saturday was cloudy sky but no rains and we decided to trust the Meteorological department and started just before 5.30 in the morning. My friend who lives in Valsaravakkam joined me at Porur and we decided to try the Porur Kundrathoor Sriperumpudur route. But that was not a good choice since the number speed breakers during the first 10 Kms are too high and was big pain. My friend was on his Bonnie.
We had decided to stop at the HP owned petrol pump that comes up before the Pallikonda toll so that we can fuel up and as well have breakfast at the Aryaas there. But that was closed unfortunately and the next one was Sai Sangeeth.

The ride up to the hills was very comfortable and very effortless. I was maintaining a minimum of 2000 on tachometer and bike was able pull easily at that engine speed when I wanted to overtake. I still to need to do more of hill rides to improve my hairpin bend capabilities,especially the left turns where the radius is much shorter.

The entire trip distance was 493 Km and fuel consumed was 14.3L, resulting in 34.5 KMPL. The speeds were maintained between 80 to 90 KMPH. At the HP pump I had topped up with 6.5 Litres of Power and I had covered 187Km resulting in 28.8KMPL. When I filled up at Shell Moulivakkam it took iin 7.8Litres and distance covered was 306KM giving a phenomenal 39KMPL. I fill up upto a hole that is just below the top of the tank. Only difference was in HP I was sitting on the bike where as in Shell the bike was on the centre stand. That could have made a difference. But overall I am happy with the 34.5KMPL which is consistent with the past figures.

The riding time including two breaks each way was almost 9.5 hours. End of the day I had no back or arm pain. The ride was very comfortable. So my aim to prepare for a ride to the Himalayas is progressing in the right direction.

It so happened yesterday RTMC was celebrating their 14th anniversary in Yelagiri and there were quiet a riders whom we saw on in Yelagiri and chatted with a couple of them who asked us to join them, but I had to return home by the evening. I would have loved to meet more of them in the meet. I am sure that by evening the hills would have rumbling because of the meet. Somehow I have never been a member of any club till date, not that I don't want to, but because of sheer laziness.

On Friday I had exchanged my Aspida Icarus riding jacket to Hyperion and that was much more snug and the materials used are far better. I will update the riding gear thread soon on my experience with Spartan Progear.

I had changed the engine oil to Shell Ultra the day before and also tried their V Power petrol. The engine noise seems to be smoother and quieter. Not sure if it is because of the newness of the oil or because of Ultra. Since the engine sound is quieter the tappet noise is little more pronounced than before. The Service station guys tell me that it is normal.

I am attaching four photos of which the first two are from my trip to Pondy, near Mudaliarkuppar lake two months back

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by arulpeem

I have never ridden the GT on a ghat road till date and a few days back decided to do a day trip to Yelagiri.

Good to hear that you are taking your Continental GT to the hills where it really gets a chance to shine. On our latest weekend ride, I was telling a fellow BHPian who owns a new GT that its a bike that loves to be hustled through the corners. Sure, you can ride it comfortably through the bends but an eager and experienced rider can really push the bike to the limits (in this case the centre stand that will scrape at the mere sight of a road )


Do let us Bangalore riders know if you are planning a ride to Yelagiri in future. Im sure there will be more than a few who will be willing to ride down from here.


And yes, last but not the least, more pictures please!

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Sure, you can ride it comfortably through the bends but an eager and experienced rider can really push the bike to the limits (in this case the centre stand that will scrape at the mere sight of a road )
Do let us Bangalore riders know if you are planning a ride to Yelagiri in future. Im sure there will be more than a few who will be willing to ride down from here.

Neil, yes it is really eager in the corners and what prevents me is my reduced reflexes and the apprehension in my mind, apprehension that comes with aging. In the plains I am more confident, but in the hills I am yet to regain the fluidity of the past. I will get it only with more rides I suppose and I am planning more of them. Next trip we are planning is to Yercaud. But not sure about when; probably soon after the monsoons in late December or mid Jan. I will definitely let you know when I plan... I am in Blore next for a few days, an office trip and will be driving down with my colleagues. I normally stay in Hotel Magrath that is just behind the Garuda Mall. My office is in Bannarghatta Road near the Dairy Circle. May be we could meet one of the evenings if it is convenient to you... I will intimate you my plans in a day or two. We could exchange notes.

[mkovuri]

I own a yellow CGT, bought an year back. I also happen to be of similar age as you, Arul. So I was able to relate to some of your feelings and apprehensions. Thankfully, at least I am probably a tide l less concerned of my age factor. It's a nice post and informative.

I had always been a die hard fan of the Royal Enfeld. Have a 1962 still that my son now rides in Delhi. I absolutely love the way CGT rides although would've definitely preferred to have a little more power. But one thing that I am not liking at all, is the CONSTANT maintenance these vehicles demand and relatively low performance compared to the new gen or the Japanese bikes. I am observing that brands such as Yamaha with excellent performance have hardly any maintenance issues at all. Aside from the Bullet sound which unfortunately the CGT does not provide anyway, I hate it that I cannot focus my attention on travel alone. I am constantly on the look out for what else need to be fixed. The CGT seems even worse on that factor when compared to what my old Bullet was when I was riding it actively some twenty years back! For example my CGT right now is excellent except for engine stalling issue during a ride when I slow down for a bump and want to move up again. Enough of nuisance!!

The question is do we have to live with these for an excellent drive feel that we get out of Royal Enfeld? Or are we better off with a hassle free decent Japanese sport bikes? I have never ridden a 'good' Yamaha or an equivalent. So no first hand experience.

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by mkovuri

I own a yellow CGT, bought an year back. I also happen to be of similar age as you, Arul. S

Hi I am glad to have a fellow rider with a similar profile. My main issue has been the little noise from the front that keeps coming when I go over small depressions. During my last service I was informed by the Manager that it is because of the floating disc in the front brakes and nothing to be worried about. Other than this fortunately I haven't had any issues. The more frequent visits were to replace the broken left side foot pegs and gear shift levers resulting from falls. All falls were when trying push the bike off the stand in very narrow spaces but for one which happened when son's friedn took it for a ride and locked the brakes. For me I have the advantage of Enfield service station being close to my office. Just a few hundred meters
So it has been a relatively hassle free ownership till date. During my ownership of RD350 almost a decade I never had any issue other than wear and tear. I used to clean/adjust the points and carburettors my self regularly. Today even that need not be done so a Jap bike would definitely be far easier to run. But right now I am happy with the GT after having done almost 7000 KMs. The only temptation is the Versys 650 that is being talked about. More power and two up riding should better than GT. But much more expensive.

Why don't you start updating your experiences?

[mkovuri]

My issue currently is engine shutting off and instantly starting again, or me having to push the button. This happens several times when I have slowed down and taking off again. I seriously suspect it has to do with the EFI. If it was something else, probably I would've felt the cause based on my experience in the Old Bullet. Taken to Service Center a few times. Unfortunately I don't ride it on daily basis, so I could immediately take it back to service.

Otherwise, I have been thoroughly enjoying the bike. My interest in motorcycling had been kindled immensely. I have done a little under 7k I guess. Some office rides and free long distance ones. Took it through some ghat sections of Srisailam. It was simply amazing.

I have written some blogs on my travels at http://mkovuri.wordpress.com. Please feel free to review when you get a chance and let me know what you think. I also have a Photo blog at http://mallikkovuri.wordpress.com after I might have posted pictures of the bike.

Yearning to do some real long distance adventures. But current work and home front tasks are keeping me away.

[julyone_modi]

Originally Posted by mkovuri

My issue currently is engine shutting off and instantly starting again, or me having to push the button. This happens several times when I have slowed down and taking off again. I seriously suspect it has to do with the EFI.

Hi MK,
One comment: have you checked the clutch settings for the Bike? I had the same issue with my CGT. The service centre sets the clutch way off. Yesterday, showed to FNG and he did a good job with it. I had a small ride yesterday and the stalling, especially at low rpm has considerably improved.
However, I feel that the clutch will be eaten-up too soon on this setup.

[mkovuri]

Yes, the team had checked the clutch settings. A few times. In fact they seemed like suspecting that before anything. It has not helped. Need to take it again. Due to slight repositioning of the assembly on the left, the clutch did become tight and releases only at far end. I will show them again.

[arulpeem]

I have been itching for an occasion to take my bike on a long ride including mountainous routes from the day I bought it. I have been doing a few trips but mostly on highways except the last one to Yelagiri. When my friend got his Bonnie a few months back the prospects of a trip like that were becoming brighter and after the last trip to Yelagiri with him the urge was even stronger.
With the disruption of the college schedules due to the heavy rains my children our usual visit to the grandparents during the Christmas new year time was postponed to Pongal and that left the window wide open for me to come up with a plan.
My Bonnie friend had bought a property near Anaikatti on the Kerala side during the beginning of the year. This property is adjacent to a reserve forest and is supposedly wonderful for birding and they have frequent elephant and gaur visits. A visit to that place has been long overdue. All it took was a call to Suresh and he was game to go there on bikes during a weekend. Another call to a bulleter friend who lives closeby and he was on also on. When I talking about this plan with another friend with whom I had done a few long distance bike trips 25 years back to Thekkady and Valley of Flowers his interest in riding got kindled back and he was also game, even though he didn’t have a bike. He decided to borrow his friend’s one year old RE classic. Now that the plans were firmed up I needed saddlebags and bought the Via terra Rapide.
On 20th we assembled at Tidel park signal about 6 and started by 6.15. The route was via Thiruporur, Chengalpattu, Ulundurpet, Salem, Avinashi, Annur, Karamadai and Anaikatty.We reached my parent’s home at Salem at about 1pm after lunch. Had a longish break to rest the butts and left just about 2.45. The traffic all along was relatively thin. We were maintaining about 80 to 90 Kmph. The Bonnie was keeping the rearguard. We have the habit of letting the most powerful bike be the last and this is for two reasons. If ithe powerful bike is at the front then the tendency will be to open up and run away which will be a problem for the rest. If he stays at the back it is easy for the powerful bike to catch up on traffic. Another rule was to keep tab of the bike behind you in the rearview mirror all the time.
Chennai-Anaikatti.pdf
We reached Anaikatty which is the border town between TN and Kerala, around 6 pm and when taking a u turn on a steep and narrow road the Classic had a typical zero speed fall. He took the turn at a slow speed and on the steep right side bank; when trying to place his right foot he found his feet going down down for a while and there it was on the road in slow motion. The result was a stuck accelerator cable at midpoint and funnily the throttle started twisting only in the forward direction. Being a Sunday the nearby the mechanic was closed. With no other option we just decided open the handlebar unit and voila it worked normally. Don’t know what was wrong. We rode on to our location which was another 7 Kms without any problem. When we reached the house the trip meter was showing 565 Kms… Not bad for a day’s ride.
The elephant and gaur visit the stream below the banyan tree often. But we weren't lucky, but saw a beautiful full grown Barking deer.





We spent two nights there and returned on 22nd from there to Yercaud in the morning around 7. We had a break in Coimbatore for a few hours to have breakfast and meet friends. It was pretty warm in Coimbatore and we were sort of getting uncomfortable in the slow peak hour traffic from Vadavalli to Peelamedu.
Reached Salem by 3.30 PM. The climb to Yercaud was fabulous. As Neil Jericho mentioned in one of his posts Continental GT is really in its elements in the ghat sections. It was so easy to flick it around. I am sure there are bikes that are even better. But for an Enfield this was really good.
We stayed in my sister's place in Yercaud doing nothing. And I made a wonderful discovery in her place. An old Royal Enfield Firefly bicycle was one of the hand me downs when she had bought some property some years back. Somehow in so my of previous visits i had missed seeing that.I plan to bring it to Chennai and get it restored. I have posted the photo below.

Will post in the bicycle thread more images.

[ATTACH][ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]
After staying there overnight we left for Chennai around 11 am on 23rd. We took the Kuppanur route knowing that from Kuppanur to Ayothiapattinam the roads are terrible and oh boy they were really bad. This time we took more breaks and of longer duration since the butts were tired and almost sore.
At Chengalpattu we split. Two of us via Thiruporur and others headed straight via Vandalur and Chennai byepass. It was almost 6.30 when we reached Thiruvanmiyur. It was a truly enjoyable ride of almost 1300 Kms. in 4 days. May be not as good as my Himalayan trip, but now that we have done this we are sure that we can make do it easily and will start planning for it a couple of months. We will look for one of the private operators to arrange the trip. Of course I will depend on the forum members to guide me too.

[mkovuri]

Very nice read! Looks like you all had great fun. It does seem age is only a number. Happy to learn I am not the only guy developing these interests a little late in life. Me and couple of friends did a long ride to a neighboring sight seeing place, covering 450 kms in a day, and I thought that was something!!

Mallik Kovuri

[neil.jericho]

Hats off to you gentlemen, I hope I have the same passion for biking as age slowly catches up with me! I had driven from Bangalore to Cochin and back at around the same time and it was pretty warm for this time of the year.

With those cruising speeds, what mileage did the Continental GT give you? I will PM you details of a group in Manali that we had gone with for our Himalayan trip a few years ago.

[mkovuri]

I got a mileage of an unbelievable 40 kmpl. I had a similar one in an earlier long ride. I do not want to believe myself but I think I got similar that time also. I want to note it down strictly the next time and want to make sure I am actually getting this so. In city I get consistently 30 kmpl.

Mallik Kovuri

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by mkovuri

Very nice read! Looks like you all had great fun. It does seem age is only a number. Happy to learn I am not the only guy developing these interests a little late in life. Me and couple of friends did a long ride to a neighboring sight seeing place, covering 450 kms in a day, and I thought that was something!!
Mallik Kovuri

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Hats off to you gentlemen, I hope I have the same passion for biking as age slowly catches up with me! I had driven from Bangalore to Cochin and back at around the same time and it was pretty warm for this time of the year.

With those cruising speeds, what mileage did the Continental GT give you? I will PM you details of a group in Manali that we had gone with for our Himalayan trip a few years ago.

Neil and Mallik, thanks for your kind words. What made it possible was probably the fact that we as a group were out there just to enjoy the ride and the company. We had no fixed timetable other than the start and the end date. In between it was completely flexible. Raghu the fourth member hadn't ridden a bike in more than 20 years other than the short shopping rides in scooter. He had been thinking that most probably he would return soon after reaching Tindivanam because of discomfort. So the discomfort is more in the mind than in the body. Of course we got a sore bottoms but nothing that a day's rest could not heal. I think the state of the highways is another very big factor. The smoothness of the roads and the good visibility made the journey relaxed.

I was getting a between 36 and 38 at various fills which I have been getting in my earlier rides too. All of us filled up at the same time and GT was the envy of everyone else including the 350 classic since GT was the most fuel efficient. But in the city traffic I have been getting between 22 and 25 till date.

Neil, I was in UK last week and thanks to one of your earlier posts I had ordered the Givi screen with Hitchcock motors a month back and got it back with me and fixed it yesterday. I will post the photos by the end of next week. It took me less than 20 mins from beginning to end.

I also had ordered the 7" LED headlight from A2Z Motorcycle super store in Mumbai for a total of Rs 7400/- which was delivered last week. I fixed that too yesterday. I could connect only the low and high beams since it was just plug and play but not the DRL. I need to make small changes to the wiring for that and I am not very familiar with that. Will get it done by an electrician once I get the wiring diagram from the store. I took it for a short ride in the evening and I was happy with the lighting. But will know better once I ride it longer in the night time. One immediate benefit I could note. Earlier in idle speed with the halogen bulb on the battery discharge light used to come on and will go away only on crossing 1500 RPM. Now even at idle speed the discharge light does not come on. This should be good for the battery. I will post the pictures this weekend.

Cheers