[timuseravan]

@Bblost, how were the vibrations (if any)? What was our average speed?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Bblost, how many hours did you take for this run? What was your start and end time?

I left home at around 8:30 AM, filled up fuel and topped up the air. The ride started a couple of minutes after 9:00 AM.

The Hyderabad ORR Service lane is nice but has speedbreakers every few kilometers. They have redesigned some of them and it was not safe even for the Himalayan to take them without slowing down.

First halt was at around 80 kms. A bungee cord had gotten loose and a car driver flagged me for it.
Next halt was at a Coffee Shop about 180kms from start point.
The average speed at this time was 54kmph.

The roads started to get better but while the surface is smooth the traffic is anything but polite. In fact a wrong side bike bumped into my crash guard and just rode away without even a sorry. I wanted to take his case and go back but realized it would be like wrestling with a pig in a mud bath.

At 360 kms, I topped up fuel at a CoCo bunk.
Milage was 30kmpl and Average Speed was 69 kmph.

I reached N5, a restaurant above the Toll Gates a few kilometers after Ongole.

I reset my second odometer here.

The road is beautiful and the traffic is much easier to manage.
My average speed for this section was almost 85 kmph. Maybe it was the time of the day or the fact that it was cloudy but there was hardly anyone of the road.

At 7:00 PM, I entered Red Hills. Stopped for a soft drink as I like to reset myself before entering the horrible and chaotic Chennai city traffic.

Originally Posted by timuseravan

@Bblost, how were the vibrations (if any)? What was our average speed?

Vibrations are there. The rear view mirrors are useless. The seat is where all the pain was coming from.
One interesting thing. In my old bike after a long ride the tips of my fingers will pain. Because of the constant jerking from the road undulations. On this one, nothing.
If I fix the damn seat, this bike is very good for the highways.

Does anyone have an idea on how to make the side stand let the bike lean a little. It currently stands very straight and it makes parking a very irritating thing especially when tired.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by bblost

Did my first multi hour run on the bike.



Hyderabad to Chennai : 680 kms.



The bike is quite nice to ride on the highway. But I HATE the seat.

My old Thunderbird's modified seat is like a lounge chair in comparison to The Himalayan's bathroom stool.



I will have to get this seat modified as soon as possible.

It hurts a lot.

Maybe I should diet and reduce my weight, but that is not going to happen.



Attachment 1778168

Am with you on the seat being a pain in the a**. Things are okay for short or city runs but for the longer rides, after about three hours in the saddle - even with the breaks - my bums feel quite sore.

Thought I would get used to it eventually but after the third month of ownership and around 1500km of long distance riding in toto, I just have to take a call on this aspect.

And am around 75kg weight, so pretty sure its not the weight factor - perhaps its just that the seat is not suitable for everyones body structure. Tried a cheap, foam and rexine covered jugaad of an additional seat but it hardly helped. Thinking of going in for the Fego Float seat for the long rides now.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by rideon74

And am around 75kg weight, so pretty sure its not the weight factor - perhaps its just that the seat is not suitable for everyones body structure. Tried a cheap, foam and rexine covered jugaad of an additional seat but it hardly helped. Thinking of going in for the Fego Float seat for the long rides now.

Thanks for reminding me about the Fego Float.
Amazon has a delivery promise for tomorrow by 9PM.
So I quickly placed an order.

Will be able to give a review once I get it and then ride back to Hyderabad on Sunday.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

@Bblost, how were the vibrations (if any)? What was our average speed?

If I may add my inputs on this point you'd enquired about:

I found that the 4000-4250rpm (85-90kmph) range is quite comfortable for long stretches. There is only very mild buzz in the foot pegs & the handlebar felt through my riding gloves & boots. I'm using the Conti GT mirrors and the vibes don't affect my rear view that much.

Whenever I've had the urge to go faster (rare, usually when impatience kicks in briefly), I've pushed her to around 100-110kmph and then the buzz gets very pronounced. But I'm only nearing the 5k or the second service mark. I'm eager to know what the effects will be after that - especially once I start using a better engine oil.

That being said, personally I'm happy maintaining 90kmph on the odo most of the times (I just feel in better control) and those mild vibes/buzz around that rpm are not even on my mind during the ride.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by bblost

Vibrations are there. The rear view mirrors are useless. The seat is where all the pain was coming from.

For the mirrors, I am planning to replace mine with either from the Avenger or from the CGT.
I picked up the Snow White last Saturday and did a Pune-Mumbai-Pune run. The seats definitely need to be reworked.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by bblost

So I quickly placed an order. Will be able to give a review once I get it and then ride back to Hyderabad on Sunday.

Good to hear that! Yes, your review would really help. I suppose the ride back to HYD will be just the thing for properly getting used to the slight increase in seat height. If you're using the stock mirrors, do note that a YouTuber has mentioned that the rear view visibility feels a little obstructed - because the stock mirrors don't angle upwards much. Enjoy the ride back!

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

For the mirrors, I am planning to replace mine with either from the Avenger or from the CGT.

BHPian 'surjaonwheelz' had used mirrors from Avenger on his RE classic without much success. Avenger mirror cracked at base due to handlebar vibrations.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

For the mirrors, I am planning to replace mine with either from the Avenger or from the CGT.
I picked up the Snow White last Saturday and did a Pune-Mumbai-Pune run. The seats definitely need to be reworked.

I would suggest you go for the Bajaj Pulsar(150/180) stock RVM's as they're reasonably priced and better than the rest, second runner up would be the TVS RTR mirrors though some bhpians swear by it and claim that they're so wide that if you look long enough you can see your past in it , I would suggest opting for the Bajaj ones cause RTR ones have a not so obvious bling spot due to its shape that hides vehicles that are on your immediate side.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

BHPian 'surjaonwheelz' had used mirrors from Avenger on his RE classic without much success. Avenger mirror cracked at base due to handlebar vibrations.

Wow, that's news to me since I used the Avenger RVMs on my Classic 500 without any issues.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by bblost

Does anyone have an idea on how to make the side stand let the bike lean a little. It currently stands very straight and it makes parking a very irritating thing especially when tired.

The easy way is to apply some force on the bike, in the same direction the bike is leaning, with the side stand down. I am not sure how the design on these new side stands are and if it will damage anything when doing this. But for a slight lean, I guess this should do.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Wow, that's news to me

Quite possible for you to have missed his(Surja's) post in group chat.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by tharian

The easy way is to apply some force on the bike, in the same direction the bike is leaning, with the side stand down. I am not sure how the design on these new side stands are and if it will damage anything when doing this. But for a slight lean, I guess this should do.

Did that. Engage side stand and push it down. With good force. Lot of force. Full body weight on it.

Nothing happens.

The bike stays upright at an almost right angle.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by bblost

Did that. Engage side stand and push it down. With good force. Lot of force. Full body weight on it.

Nothing happens.

The bike stays upright at an almost right angle.

I guess the design is different then on these stands. If possible, see the mounting point of the stand on the bike frame and see if it can be moved.

[bblost]

I cannot really give a clear review of the Fego Float.

I used it on my ride back but took a completely different route. The roads from Chennai to Kadapa via Tirupathi are two lane and have a lot of speed breakers.
I had inflated the float to approximately half full. It was neither very comfortable nor was it very bad.
At Kadapa after lunch I decided to fill it up fully. This was a terrible mistake and the next 100 odd kilometers became very uncomfortable.

I reduced the pressure to half way but the damage was done. The soreness persisted for the remainder of the trip.

I think the right way to use the float is to fill air in such a way that it flattens out when the weight it placed on it.

Over the next few days, when I use this in the city, I will have a better idea.
For now, I am not sure if spending the more than 2000 was worth it or not