[SamuraiJack]

Before

Wife- Really? that's the name?? No...
Bro- This group is not established yet, wait for them to do better
Friend- The whole world likes one thing, but Jack wants to buy the other- you must be nuts.
Random guy on the road- You could have got a car instead..

After

Wife- Wow..
Friend- Wow..
Bro- Wow..
Random guy- I thought it was a BMW

Me- smiling ear to ear after a 1000 KM journey.


Why spend so much on a bike?
Why not a KTM?
Did you even consider Benelli/Kawasaki/Yamaha?
Why not a car instead?


The answer- is simple, You don't follow the herd always- sometimes, you choose brilliance over practicality, and what we have here, is a sheer brilliant package at just the right price.

This bike impresses you the minute you throw your leg over it, and blows you away as soon as you hit the 'Start' button. After that, you are simply a movie star, just short of giving autographs.

First Impressions

Parked in the showroom, In its racing colors and saddle bags, it's a sight to behold. I had simply walked in to understand exactly what was on offer here, I had complete dislike for the way it looked online, but not sure what made me ride to the showroom that day- just to check the bike out and had zero expectations- until I saw it in Red and White. I couldn't stop smiling, its nowhere close to what you see in pictures.

First Test Ride

Got it without a fuss, heavy traffic on Inner Ring road Koramanagala.

• It sounded great when started in basement, I could hear it standing outside, and really liked the sound. It checked all the boxes of a good sounding bike. Infact a great sounding bike.

• Man, this bike is heavy, but the riding position and seat feels very comfortable.

• I like the way it pulls.

• The clutch is light, unlike the KTMs I test rode a few days back.

• The gears are smooth, unlike the KTMs

• The paint job looks really good, along with the badging.

• The tank is huge, but does not feels so when you sit on it.
• Awesome Horn.

• The handle seems bent to the right, possibly due to a fall (hope so)

I'm just not able to find anything wrong with the bike other than the weight, on the other hand, I'm slowly falling in love with it. By the end of the test ride, I had made my decision, it has to be a this- I love it. But my arms hurt by the end of the ride- lol.


Niggling thoughts

While the booking process was on, I was looking up all possible reviews. All of them have signed it off as a great touring bike, in my excitement, I had missed one key aspect of the reviews and noticed it late into the buying process. This bike is not a great bender, those beautiful exhaust/guard/ foot pegs come in contact with the ground much sooner than expected. This aspect was killing me, almost a deal breaker if I had known earlier.

24th December

I know, I know, I loose a year on MFD. So what, I don't get the time off to ride anytime soon. The bike is available, and handed over to me, but no Road tax receipt, I could only expect it by next Saturday. Ok, no issues, I decided to wait until I get the receipt and then take off. Rode it around for approx. 200 KM within Bangalore, felt comfortable with the bike, infact enjoying the experience. Its been years since I had ridden on the highway, all the memories of battered behinds and painful backaches were still fresh even though its been a while, I wasn't sure if I could survive roughly an 8 hour ride. The attention it was getting in Bangalore itself was overwhelming, I wasn't prepared for what was coming.

None of my friends are willing to ride along, you must be crazy they say.


Say goodbye to Bullets guys, here comes the new Highway King

[SamuraiJack]

Preparations for the Ride

None, lol, flimsy jacket/jeans and boots where my only preparation.

Bike Preparation

Clean- Check
Fuel- Check
Air- Check
Documents- Check
Number Plate- I don't have a number yet, will they let me through tolls?not sure, I may just be heading back home after reaching the first toll.

Looked up the service manual, it simply recommends to not ride hard, or in urgency for the first 1000 KM, there is no rev limit or a recommended speed listed in the manual.

I didn't intend to ride hard anyway, my main concern was the bottom and back aches I have experienced as a much younger rider. What lay ahead was not only a test for the bike but for me as well.

Took a long walk before starting the ride, this goes a long way in helping you cope with the long hours of sitting that was coming up.

Road taken- The ever pleasing and inviting NH4.

With a couple days of city riding, I had gotten used to the bike, its weight, the electronic fuel injection behavior, its breaking ability (or I thought so), in general, I was feeling very comfortable.

Being a Sunday, the traffic was merciful, I was out of Bangalore in no time.

Reached the first toll, and to my surprise, bikes don't pay toll!!! I was in and out in no time, VIP feeling.

Up until Tumkur, I kept the rev limit to 5K, doing approx. 90+KMph. The bike showed no jitters so far, the stretch between B'lore and Tumkur in my opinion is dangerous, its a glorified ring road considering the constant bike/pedestrian traffic, regular median crossing etc.

Stopped at Kamat for breakfast. I knew the journey till Tumkur will give me a clear idea on what to expect in terms of physical stress, there was none, I was as fresh, as when I woke up. This is great.

[SamuraiJack]

You are greeted by long sweeping curves the minute you move outside of Tumkur, very tempting, knowing the reviews, I looked to keep the bend marginal.

At 5K rpm, the ride was starting to feel slow considering the open roads that was available. I decided to up the anti to 6K rpm, nice...a cracker of an exhaust, and I literally mean fire crackers, you drop the throttle and vroom.. budu budu budu phat budu budu
The bike came into its own at these speeds, it takes bumps like a car and sometimes even better, in other words, it irons the highway out, you could be turning into bends and good speeds and hit those bad tarred small and continuous bumps- no issues, it simply eats them up.

Riding Pattern change

I had to make a couple of changes with the way I usually ride:

Fuel Injection- its my first and I like it, the constant idle feels nice when you start, also, no need to rev when you hit the starter.

Gripping the tank- with the foot pegs set to the front, you find it difficult to grip the tank, when you hit bumps- you will find yourself jumping off the seat just like you would on a scooter- lol, that was funny when it happened the first time. I figured its easier to push against the foot pegs instead of gripping the tank- which works well.

Shifting Gears- I noticed, initially the gear box didn't take engine braking very well, it would prefer to be slowed down and then down shift.

Balance- This bike is very well balanced, you don't need to ride the bike, just sit and throttle, but, I found myself dropping my right leg down instead of my left whenever there was a need to slow down to a stop. While the balance of the bike works really well when on the move, I found myself on my toes every time I had to drop my left leg down, with right leg on the brake. The reason seems to be a left side offset rear shock. I don't see it as too much of an issue, but did feel a cramp in constant bumper to bumper traffic, this was after a long journey. You could choose to use the front brake instead, something I'm not used to yet.

Braking- ABS is a must for this bike, emergency braking is not its forte. Keeping distance and allowing braking space is the approach you need to have, locked up rear discs results in an immediate back end sway even in the slowest of the speeds. I noticed this when I had to brake semi hard for those invisible humps.

Some more observations

I love to keep my motors shiny and new throughout my ownership, I'm actually obsessed with them looking brand new.I had washed the bike the day before and could not help notice how well put together the bike is, its pretty evident its made with a lot of thought and love.

Looks- believe me you, is not subjective in this matter, I haven't come across one person who said anything negative about the looks, and I haven't come across one person who said anything positive when they looked at the pictures, and that includes myself.



Tires- Pirelli, no complaints so far, I just hope they don't get punctured as often as the MRFs on my now sold FZ. I think they look beautiful.

Front stance- Although I would have loved a simple round doom, this set up is not bad either, the twin lamps and LEDs add character.The beefy front mudguard and the champagne/ gold forks look really nice.



Matt black Alloys- I like them, not too fancy, wide gaps to clean them easily.

Engine Guard- love it, looks well made/ premium, and adds a nice but subtle look.

Engine bay- Gloss black means I can wax it and keep it shining for a long time, aluminum/ steel nuts gives the engine a nice look, premium feeling if I may say.



Radiator shrouds- Ooze character, black shrouds with silver highlights look really cool.



Meter Console- Very nice, variety of information available, can record timings/ top speed etc. back lit in blue, analog rev, remains lit up in red at the point of your last highest rev. its simple and compact.



Fuel Tank- Although its a 21 ltr tank, you just don't feel it when you sit on the bike, you feel like you are on a Pulsar. And it seems to be intelligent design more than anything else. I like that its not plastic claddings that make up the tank and its all metal.



Handle- its probably the most perfect riding position for touring.

Mirrors- Very well positioned, they helped a lot on highways, I'm not a sucker for mirrors, but these I will keep. Simple and practical design, gave me a good view of the whole road behind me.

Seat- Wow, this is a star, I felt like Mahindra had my bottom in mind when they designed the seat

Tail Lamp- Beautiful, the way it integrates to the back flip/extension is neat.



Indicators- simple, nice and bright.

Number plates- Spot on positioning, integrates with the rest of the bike very well, specially the back plate.

Exhaust- I cant imagine the kind of attention Mahindra has given to the exhaust, it looks and sounds beautiful, it does not cry out loud visually, hell you may not even notice it until you hear the bike, being a twin, makes it one of a kind, the fit and finish is just great.




Side Profile- In white, the champagne/ gold chassis and fork add a lot of character to the bike, its an eye catcher.




Grab Rails- Again simple and integrate well with the bike, the white lining on the seat around the grab rails give it a nice look when viewed from behind.

Back extension- Ducati Scrambler kind of look, I love it, smart Mahindra logo. Glossy paint gets scratched very very soon. The twin exhaust gives a balanced look from the back, additional mudguard will make it look better, plan to get this later.

Clutch and Brake levers- Aluminum levers on the handles, looks and feel nice. A special mention on the clutch, its almost as soft as riding a 150 CC, and this goes a long way in the comfort factor.



Gear and Brake foot levers- They both look the same, its funny when you use them for the first time. They work well, did not notice any issues in using them.

Foot pegs- Aluminum and Rubber mix, they are big and look practical for muddy situations. Close and open with a nice click.

Performance- 5 stars, I'm so very impressed, it can be your sporty bike, it can be your cruiser, it can simply be your everyday ride.

Additional Likes

• You have to depress the clutch to start the bike- nice

• Roll over function- The bike is designed to cut off fuel if dropped

• Overheating function- The bike is designed to restrict your rev limit to 5K rpm in case of overheating, it goes back to normal once the engine cools down- apparently, its not offered on other bikes in India.

This bike has so many characters mixed into it, that it will simply please all kinds of riders.

Start it, and it sounds like you have started a Super Bike
Ride it slow, and it sound like you are riding a Harley.
Ride sporty, and it feels like you are riding a KTM.
Want to ride relaxed, sure, why not, and you feel like you are on a Bullet, absolutely doesn't rush you and allows you to ride as relaxed as you want.

[SamuraiJack]

The Golden Quadrilateral has changed the way we travel in India, speeds have gone up considerably since its inception, unlike before, there are no trees to barricade winds on the open stretches.

As I neared Chitradurga, the cross-wind factor became evident, and feels dangerous, specially when you look to overtake- say a truck, they tend to create a vacuum during high cross-winds, and the feeling of getting sucked into the truck is there when you are looking to overtake. Anything above 95KMph felt dangerous, a sudden jolt of cross winds can send you from one lane to another in no time. I could not relax, and had to be prepared to be pushed around all the time.

How does this impact the bike

At 95 Kmph, it was steady as a rock, I was moving around, but the bike- stable, Impressive. I did manage to maintain speeds between 95-105 Kmph during this journey, anything more than these speeds felt uncomfortable. I was yelling and screaming at the winds, asking it to STOP, but it was relentless.

I cleared the Tumkur/ Chitradurga stretch without much of a hassle, a couple of tea stops and I was already in Davangere. I could not believe it, I was absolutely in good shape considering I had done 250+ KM. No aches/ no stress, I felt like I could still ride all day long. My throttle hand was feeling numb a little bit, a few fist pumps during stops sorted it out.

The Attention

Richmond Circle: Stopped at the signal, heading out of Bangalore, guys in an auto next to me shook hands and congratulated on the bike. ok, that was a first.

Highway: People were rolling down windows, sticking their heads out, turning back, slowing down, at one point I realize an Innova is way to close to me, I look and the passenger is giving me a looks good sign. I wasn't sure if I should be annoyed- gave him a thumbs up. People of all ages enquired about the bike everywhere I stopped, some of the villagers sat down, bent low, peeped in every corner and simply liked it. I was photographed a few times too- like I said, just short of giving autographs.

I had reached my destination in about the same time I would take in a decent car, there was absolutely no fatigue or aches. minor numbness in my behind- that's it.


I would have possibly answered 200 people during my ride and back. That's the kind of attention the bike was getting.

The Mahindra Service Experience

I knew I would overshoot my first service interval of 1000Km, I checked with the sales rep here and it was confirmed there are multiple service points and it should not be a problem. I even called the Hubli service center to confirm, and they agreed they could get the bike serviced.

I reached Hubli, called the service center- I was in for a shock. We are not trained to service the Mojo here, the Area Manager said, its available only in Davangere. You will have to go there. I mentioned, I had called the center and enquired before I left Bangalore, and I'm worried now.

What happened next, gives me a lot of faith in the direction Mahindra is heading, the Hubli service center was trained in a day and everyone was prepared to take on the service the next day. The oil filter was not available, it was to be changed when I was back in Bangalore, service was considered complete. The Hubli team was excited to see their new bike in flesh, a couple of photographs and test rides, and more test rides the bike was serviced and I was out of there. The showroom owner took a test ride too, but he checked if I was ok before he did. In the end, all is well.

Mahindra Sales Experience

I got to know everyone in the showroom, they are friendly and look to get things done, it did take few push(s) sometimes, but overall a very good experience, the showroom itself is well set up and is Mojo centric.

Back to Bangalore

Rode back on 2nd Jan, this time the winds were even more unfriendly, I could top 110 max. 40% of the ride was with my head down to the tank level, at times doing anything above 75 was difficult when sitting up. If you are a heavy person (70 Kg +) this should not be as difficult as it was for me. The bike has not shown any sign of stress/heat or difficulty in taking this ride up, apart from the emergency braking aspect, I'm thoroughly impressed with the ride quality and performance. It gave me stress free ride, and the exhaust note is as good as a music system.

Minor Issues

The digital console was not letting me record top speeds and trip meters.

The bike would go off sometimes, I notice fuel didn't seem to flow freely in slow or constant speeds in the lower gears.

Both the issues above were rectified in 20 minutes time, when I visited the Alfa Motors service center for oil filter change yesterday.

Mileage- Seems to have been in the 30-35 kmpl range, based on the amount of fuel I filled.

I intend to do a much longer ride next time, hopefully to the Himalayas- Until then

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

[abirnale]

Congrats on getting the Mojo

Nice to see you are enjoying the bike. can you update more about OTR Price, Taxes, Insurance etc? Some more detailed info about headlight and it's utility would be nice too.

[DragonHawk]

Congrats on your new ride .

I haven`t driven Mojo yet but coming from Classic 500, I feel it has everything which makes itself a perfect touring machine albeit missing ABS is only thing which I feel as the drawback. It can be an alternate option for people in the market for touring bike but it can`t replace Enfields which will still rein as the touring king.

Wish you have a safe miles ahead.

[SamuraiJack]

Washed the bike today for a photo shoot

[Fullrevs]

SamuraiJack! Thanks for sharing that awesome review. Little did I know you would put up a thread so soon. Looking forward to coming over and taking my own TD soon. :-)

Ride safe my good friend!!

[SamuraiJack]

Originally Posted by abirnale

Congrats on getting the Mojo

Nice to see you are enjoying the bike. can you update more about OTR Price, Taxes, Insurance etc? Some more detailed info about headlight and it's utility would be nice too.

OTR 19,8,261
Tax- 22449
Insurance- 5812

Headlamps- push the switch and the LED's turn on, the headlamps glow at a lower brightness, the second push gives it a full glow.

[jaysmokesleaves]

Congrats Samurai Jack. Nice colour choice and a very well written review. Wish you many happy miles of riding pleasure. Mahindra does seem very involved and committed to the Mojo development and its customers.
I believe Mojo accessories should be available on sale by mid to end of Jan.
Cheers.

[Funny]

Congrats SamuraiJack and Welcome to the Mojo Tribe. Very well put up review indeed. You said that you liked the Volcano Red in person then why did you opt for the White?
What I felt is that cleaning the rims/chain is not that easy unless you have a paddock stand or you have enough space in your parking to move the bike around and clean the rim/chain as required.
Also, are you there in the Mojo Bangalore WhatsApp group yet?

[SamuraiJack]

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Congrats Samurai Jack. Nice colour choice and a very well written review. Wish you many happy miles of riding pleasure. Mahindra does seem very involved and committed to the Mojo development and its customers.
I believe Mojo accessories should be available on sale by mid to end of Jan.
Cheers.

Thanks J, saddle bags, jackets, gloves is available in Bangalore.

[SamuraiJack]

Red's not my color Funny, although, I always wanted a white bike, I agree with the cleaning rims issue, and I'm not on the WhatsApp group.

[Funny]

Originally Posted by SamuraiJack

Red's not my color Funny, although, I always wanted a white bike, I agree with the cleaning rims issue, and I'm not on the WhatsApp group.

You can PM me your number, I'll get you added. We have the SA and Mojo Manager etc on the group. So if you get any issues with the bike, you'll know where to discuss