[bblost]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

2) Im wondering 2.20 lacs is really worth the Himalayan + 30k for panniers. The price is getting dangerously close to KTM Duke 390 which is more fun to ride. Worried about heat in the city though. Need to test ride a 2018 version yet. Any inputs on it ?

I took a test ride of the Himalayan and then the Duke 390.
The Duke is definitely a lot more fun to ride. Strike that. It IS A LOT MORE FUN.

But even as I took the first turn on that bike, my almost 40 year old brain told me that this bike will kill me.
Its a lot less forgiving that the Himalayan.

I ride long distance. The first 200 kilometers, I am sure there will be no issues. But as the miles pile on and the inevitable fatigue starts to set in, I am very sure my body won't be able to handle the madness in the duke.

This is my personal opinion and based on my riding from the mid 1990's.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by bblost

But even as I took the first turn on that bike, my almost 40 year old brain told me that this bike will kill me.
Its a lot less forgiving that the Himalayan.

We both are in same age group and ive been riding from the 90s too. Yes I know how the power of 390 can spoil you and turn you into a lunatic. As per my experience, the more tired I feel, I tend to go faster.

I never ride above 100. Which makes REH more suitable.

One thing you missed answering about is the engine heat. Was it bearable during the test ride ?

[bblost]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

We both are in same age group and ive been riding from the 90s too. Yes I know how the power of 390 can spoil you and turn you into a lunatic. As per my experience, the more tired I feel, I tend to go faster.

I never ride above 100. Which makes REH more suitable.

One thing you missed answering about is the engine heat. Was it bearable during the test ride ?

I think that is a question best answer by the guys on the Duke 390 thread.
My limited experience on that bike is worthless.

All of us tend to go faster when we get tired. Statistically the chance of an accident increases the closer we are to the destination.

[sammyboy]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

One thing you missed answering about is the engine heat. Was it bearable during the test ride ?

Heat? On a Duke 390? Are you serious? Oh you mean the BBQ grill with hurricane fan which drowns the sound of the auto standing next to you. ��
Yes, it gets hot and if riding through traffic is what it will be doing 70% of the time(and if it's blr traffic) I would say you are definitely going to feel the heat. It will be negligible(well lets use manageable instead) if you wear jeans or riding pants and proper shoes though. That's what I always wear and have used the Duke for my short commute to work (about 10 km round trip) though all throughout last year, including peak ncr summers and a couple of long ones.
I heard 2018 has had some improvements to the fan and you can hear the exhaustless auto next to you, unlike my 2017.
But a little bit of an empty road and it makes you a hooligan, yup even post 40 and a bit more.
I loved the Himalayan test ride too though, but decided to have a single join my parallel twin ninja 250.

All the best with whatever you go in for.

P.s. You probably want to read this thread if you haven't

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...-390-duke.html (Ownership Review - 2017 KTM 390 Duke)

[timuseravan]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

We both are in same age group and ive been riding from the 90s too. Yes I know how the power of 390 can spoil you and turn you into a lunatic.

Guys don't bother about the age
But its true D390 will spoil you. Its not just the acceleration but also the brilliant chassis, wheels and low weight which makes it tremendously flickable!
I have been trying to upgrade/sidegrade my bike for past couple of years but honestly nothing come close. Once you get used to riding the D390, everything else feels slow and/or heavy and/or too expensive.


So my recommendation: if your majority riding is long distances, go for Himalayan else D390.

[bblost]

Dropped off my bike for its second free service.

1. Rear Brake Pads are worn at just 5000 kms. I had them remove it and compare to a new one. They are just 25% of the new pads. :(

2. Have asked for the heel guard from the Continental GT to be installed.

3. The petrol tank cap when opened makes a loud gasp. I am not sure if its mocking the fuel price or needs cleaning. This will be checked.

4. Couple of days back rode thru very heavy rain and waterlogged roads. Have asked for bearings to be checked.

5. Filters and Oil.

6. Complained that I can't really ride with my hands off the handlebar. The issue is minor but irritating. Need to lean to my right to maintain balance within 3-4 meters itself. My old bike would go without any corrections for a crazy distance. My dad's scooter goes without issues.

I don't know when delivery is scheduled.
The tech guy said that the lean thing will take time. I have given them complete freedom on the time part.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

We both are in same age group and ive been riding from the 90s too. Yes I know how the power of 390 can spoil you and turn you into a lunatic. As per my experience, the more tired I feel, I tend to go faster.

I never ride above 100. Which makes REH more suitable.

One thing you missed answering about is the engine heat. Was it bearable during the test ride ?

As far as engine heat goes, I've only ridden a 390 for under 50 km's so far and that is the distance covered on several motorcycles ranging from Gen 1 to the current one, and guess what I've not faced anything concerning, might be because I ride a lot and being from Kerala to reach anywhere I would have to first ride through TN during noon time and it might just be that I've gotten used to being roasted or it might also be because all my previous and current motorcycles are air cooled due to my distaste for liquid cooling in general.

Now coming to the point, from your posts I understand that you intend to rack some miles but predominantly would be using the motorcycle within city limits, so unless mid-life crisis is the reason you're considering a motorcycle I would suggest that you do a bit of math on gearing of the motorcycle you're intending to purchase, I say this as when I got the P220 I had to commute around 2000 km's on the weekends, of which 1600 km's was my commute to and fro Bangalore~Kollam and the P220 seemed like the best choice ever because 130 kmph true speed in final drive without even coming anywhere near the limiter was awesome, but after college when I had to settle in Kerala the gearing turned against me, I literally could not go above the 3rd gear on Kerala roads without straining the motor, so a short while later I got so bored with the motorcycle that I got a scooter.

So do take care of the research before investing, unless its an impulse buy, in which chase, WOOOHOOO!

Originally Posted by bblost

Dropped off my bike for its second free service.

1. Rear Brake Pads are worn at just 5000 kms. I had them remove it and compare to a new one. They are just 25% of the new pads. :(

Happens, though do consider engine braking more than using the brakes, its basically safer and consistent.

3. The petrol tank cap when opened makes a loud gasp. I am not sure if its mocking the fuel price or needs cleaning. This will be checked.

Most likely your fuel tank's pressure release valve/port is blocked, do get it cleaned if the sound you hear is not common to all Himalayan's. Because if it is in fact the pressure release then you'll face vacuum locks that would result in the motorcycle stalling mid ride.

Edit: It seems to be common, so fret not.

4. Couple of days back rode thru very heavy rain and waterlogged roads. Have asked for bearings to be checked.

I pro-actively change components and I ride as hard as I possibly could bashing the motorcycle left right and center and yet mine definitely lasts more than 25k km's the least, with the max being 50k km's on my ZMA. And I'm pretty heavy and carry luggage, so I guess it would be best to conclude that at 5k km's your bearings would be as good as new i.e unless the A.S.S decides to rip you off and have it prematurely replaced.

Complained that I can't really ride with my hands off the handlebar. The issue is minor but irritating. Need to lean to my right to maintain balance within 3-4 meters itself. My old bike would go without any corrections for a crazy distance. My dad's scooter goes without issues.

Quite the contrary, if your motorcycle was having issues it would've maintained a straight line on our highways.

Ideally when a customer complains of front end handling issues the SVC does the obvious and tightens the cone-set which frankly is not the right way of resolving any issues for that matter as other than preventing the handle to operate as intended, what it does is prematurely wear down the cone-set.

If your motorcycle runs fine with just a finger on the bar on both ends then you're good to go. The best test of alignment is counter steering, if the motorcycle is fine it will counter-steer as intended, if there is an alignment issue it will kick back, can be quite scary so test at low speeds on empty spots.

Cheers,
A.P.

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by bblost

Dropped off my bike for its second free service....

3. The petrol tank cap when opened makes a loud gasp. I am not sure if its mocking the fuel price or needs cleaning.

That gasp is the EVAP system at work for the sake of BS4 norms. Not the best in class arrangement by RE I figure. A little bit of googling about the system will give you the answers you need and find peace with our gasping petrol tanks. 😊

[bblost]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Happens, though do consider engine braking more than using the brakes, its basically safer and consistent.

I hardly use the brakes. My old thunderbird rear brakes hardly have any bite because I never use them. I think its the angle of the brake pedal, which is making me ride them.

Will work on this.

Edit: It seems to be common, so fret not.

This is what the service guy said.

Quite the contrary, if your motorcycle was having issues it would've maintained a straight line on our highways.

I am not sure about this. My old bike, my cycle, my dad's scooter, they all run in a straight line without me holding the handlebar.

This bike needs me to lean about 10 degrees or so to the right.
Feels kinda weird to have to force it to go in a straight line.

My old bike infact will even let me take turns without holding the handlebar.

The best test of alignment is counter steering, if the motorcycle is fine it will counter-steer as intended, if there is an alignment issue it will kick back, can be quite scary so test at low speeds on empty spots.

Cheers,
A.P.

No issues in counter steering.
I usually do this as my route is kinda empty and has a couple of roundabouts.

Originally Posted by rideon74

That gasp is the EVAP system at work for the sake of BS4 norms. Not the best in class arrangement by RE I figure. A little bit of googling about the system will give you the answers you need and find peace with our gasping petrol tanks. ��

This is what the mechanic told me as well.

[bblost]

I called the service center to check when bike will be ready.

The guy says tomorrow because the bike lean issue is yet to be fixed.
I asked about the cause.
He said loose spokes.

So of course I borrowed my friends bike and went.
The technician was missing.
So told the floor manager to ask his guys to stop giving bull to riders.

As expected the bike is in exactly the same condition as it was left yesterday.

I don't think I will be giving in my bike for anything except oil change during the warranty period.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by bblost

I called the service center to check when bike will be ready.

The guy says tomorrow because the bike lean issue is yet to be fixed.
I asked about the cause.
He said loose spokes.

So of course I borrowed my friends bike and went.
The technician was missing.
So told the floor manager to ask his guys to stop giving bull to riders.

As expected the bike is in exactly the same condition as it was left yesterday.

I don't think I will be giving in my bike for anything except oil change during the warranty period.

I'm not surprised, this is how A.S.S's usually work in India.

I find your issue a bit concerning now since the mechanic mentioned loose spokes because recently I'd come across a query on xBhp regarding the same issue on a 5k old Classic 500, not sure whether 5k km's is a RE benchmark but I've been belting my CT100B for close to 25k km's now and I don't slow down for potholes or speed breakers and I do considerable off-road'ing at speed still I'm yet to face an issue brought about by loose spokes, hence the concern. Do keep a close watch on what happens to your motorcycle.

Wheel wobble classic 500

If you're dissatisfied by the quality of service you could just make a deal with your service adviser by letting them tear out all your service coupons, in effect letting you keep the benefit of the warranty while being able to work on your own motorcycle, that is what I did in the case of my TVS Wego, as for the CT100B I didn't even bother with that as the motor is one of the most bullet proof designs in the country alongside the Honda Cub iterations seen on the Hero Splendor/HF series.

As for your rear brake, since you mentioned that you rarely use them I feel that you need to insist on further investigation because the below pads were changed after 10k km's on my P220 as I make it a point to change pads once a year, and as you can see they've got a lot of life left in them.



They've been left out for close to a year hence the rust and dust.

Ride Safe.

[bblost]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

I'm not surprised, this is how A.S.S's usually work in India.


Ride Safe.

I went immediately to the service center. Walked over the parking lot and found my bike. Checked the spokes. They were just as dirty as they were left. Checked them all.

They are fine.

The technician had done absolutely nothing on the bike.
He was not there as well. So I asked the service head what he thinks about the spokes being loose as the reason behind the lean.
He said that it was wrong on their part and he will warn the technician about it.

I am 100% sure the reason the brakes were worn out is because I have been riding them.
Once I get my bike back, I plan to have the brake pedal angle changed or work out a solution to it.
Since the new pads cost less than 300 rupees, I did not want to waste time with them. In hindsight, it was a good decision to not waste my time with it.
Will take bike over to my Sudhakar Anna Garage. He is a magician with bikes.

[ArizonaJim]

For those wondering about the front and rear wheel alignment on their motorcycles, all it takes is some string to find the answer.

Putting the motorcycle on the center stand, point the front wheel straight ahead.
Now, tie the string to one of the rear wheels spokes at the rear of the wheel and wrap it around the tyre.
Pull the string past the front sidewall of the rear tyre and wrap it around the front tyre at the most forward part of the tyre.
Wrap it once again around the front tyre so the string is now on the far side of the wheel.

Pull the string on the far side back to the rear wheel and wrap it once again around the tyre, tying it to one of the spokes to secure it.

When this is done, the string should be touching the rear tyre sidewall in two places on the near side of the rear wheel and two places on the far side of the rear wheel.

Now, check out the gap between the string and the aft area of the front tyre's sidewall.
The string should either be touching the sidewall or there should be a small gap in this area.

If there is a gap, it should be equal on both sides of the wheel.

If it isn't equal, move the handlebars to correct any error that may have been made when you first started. As I said, the front wheel must be pointed straight ahead.

Now, check to see if there is a gap between the string and the forward area of the rear wheels sidewall on both sides of the rear wheel.
If the string is touching this forward area of the rear wheels sidewall on both sides at the same time, the rear wheel is properly aligned.
If there is a gap on one side but there is no gap on the other side, the rear wheel is out of alignment.

If the rear wheel is out of alignment, it must be loosened and moved so that any gaps between the rear sidewalls and the string are equal (or touching).

Caution must be used when adjusting the alignment of the rear wheel because the drive chain must not be too tight or too loose.
Usually, the chain should move up and down about 25mm (total movement) with light finger pressure at the middle of the chain span for it to be properly adjusted.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by rideon74

That gasp is the EVAP system at work for the sake of BS4 norms. Not the best in class arrangement by RE I figure. A little bit of googling about the system will give you the answers you need and find peace with our gasping petrol tanks. 😊

The EVAP system is glitchy. My bike keeps stalling sometimes. Googling and youtube says the stalling is due to the return pipe of the EVAP getting crimped somewhere due to bad routing. Planning to visit the SVC this weekend.

[bblost]

Thanks a lot, Jim. I will check this once my bike is back.

Rakesh, I have not had the bike stall on me. At least not yet.

Today morning I went to the service center. My bike was being worked on. The technician said that a vendor comes over to check for alignment. I told him to let me know the report.

I have been using my old Thunderbird since yesterday. It feels very different from the Himalayan and I am very glad, I did not sell it.

The MD of the service center called up around 6 PM. He confirmed that the issue is NOT alignment but a tight fork.
I agree with this assessment. Riding my old bike, I realize that there indeed is a significant difference between the two. One of them is the much smoother turning on my old bike. So much so that I was actually riding slower because it was a little scary.

The airlock issue is still being worked on. Hope to get my bike tomorrow.