[NTO]

Introduction

This is the story of yet another Baker's express interceptor on Team BHP. I would like to take you all through the buying process, honest opinion after riding 5000 Kms and the brotherhood that no brand other than Royal Enfield enjoys in India. I would like to cover my thread in this order.

1. History of Motorcycles I owned before interceptor

2. The buying process of Interceptor (a crazy story included)

3. Likes, Dislikes and the mods to negate the dislikes

4. Overall ownership experience in 5000 Kms (with a near death experience due to a minor niggle)

5. The brotherhood experience - Numerous breakfast rides and two long rides


Before we jump any further, here is a picture of my Interceptor.

I would like to thank aravind.anand who convinced me for the color and pushed me to take delivery of the Baker's express. He also owns one and here is his ownership review (click to read).
I would also like to thank KarthikK for his beautiful thread which actually motivated me in penning my own down.

[NTO]

History of Motorcycles I owned before Interceptor

Balaj Pulsar 200 DTS-i 2008
Being a 90s kid, the Pulsar Mania and the original ad of Pulsar 200 did their fair share of selling for this motorcycle. I had to travel across the town to get my first own motorcycle, The Bajaj Pulsar 200 DTSi. It was available only in the Pro-Biking showroom in Adyar, Chennai. I was insanely in love with the motorcycle and maintained it spotless for 40,000+ kms. I got this in 2008 when I was in the second year of my engineering and this was a gift from my parents. I later handed it down to my younger brother in 2013 when I got the first motorcycle with my own money. The Pulsar 200 was a solid motorcycle. At that time, the safety gear meant only the helmet and shoes to me and I never rode the motorcycle without either. Despite meticulous maintenance, the engine of the bike gave up at around 25K kms and I had to replace the cylinder and piston. This was the trigger point towards my next motorcycle. However, the first motorcycle is always special and it will always be remembered. In 2018, after 10 years of having the motorcycle, I sold it to a college kid who was in love with the motorcycle as well.

My Pulsar

Royal Enfield Classic 500 Twin Spark 2013
Before I got the Pulsar, my dad and I were toying around the idea of buying a used Machismo 350. We also contemplated buying a Thunderbird 350 back then. However, The Pulsar 200 itself was a stretch financially for my parents and I did not want to burden them further. When I was earning sufficiently well in 2012, I jumped at the first opportunity to buy a motorcycle with my own money. I went to test ride the hot selling Royal Enfields of that time, the Classic Twins, 350 and 500. Moving up from the Pulsar 200, the 350 did not feel that much powerful. In fact, the bike was underwhelming. The showroom folks had modified the exhaust and it was loud. I loved the sound of the motorcycle but the performance was sub-par. I completed the 350s test ride and took the 500's keys. With a similar expectation in performance, I started off with the bike and I was simply, literally and actually blown off by the torque of this machine. At that point I decided that this should be my next motorcycle. I booked the motorcycle by paying Rs. 5000 in September of 2012.

Classic was in much demand and the official waiting period of the motorcycle was 6 months. I tried to pull every string possible to get the bike delivered earlier. I had booked a Classic 500 in Chrome and after waiting for 5 months and my persistent visit to the showroom every weekend, I got a Classic 500 in black color against cancellation by another customer.

I attended a couple of showroom organized rides by the then Southern Motors (now Rudraa motors), Chennai. My major running with the classic was the work commute of 110 km every day. Anna Nagar - Siruseri and Back. The motorcycle was extremely comfortable throughout and was sufficiently powerful for the highway commutes as well. I bought the motorcycle in March'2013 and in August'2013, I got my B - School Admit and had to leave. For the next 5 years I was in Gurgaon and the bike was used and maintained by my dad and my younger brother. I bought the second motorcycle with my own money in 2016.

The classic was a dream machine for many youngsters at that time. I used to have at least one interaction with other commuters asking about the price, fuel efficiency, top speed etc. It made me feel like a celebrity but, my duration with the motorcycle was very short lived. It was nothing but a badly timed purchase.

My Classic 500

Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500 Twin Spark 2016
This is the first motorcycle that brought out the true biker in me. While was in Gurgaon, I tried to take the classic there. But, the original RC of the bike was misplaced by my parents and we were unable to find it. When it was concluded that I would not be able to get the classic in Gurgaon, I immediately headed to the Royal Enfield Showroom in Gurgaon and booked a Thunderbird 500 in Marine Blue color. The waiting period was 1 month and i got the motorcycle delivered on 26th of July 2016.

The motorcycle was phenomenal and an exceptional tourer. The 20 liters fuel tank translated to 700 km of usable range and I used to re-fuel the Thunderbird only in the second or third fuel stop of other motorcycles that accompanied me on the rides. The engines of the classic and the Thunderbird were tuned slightly differently. The classic used to have an insane torque in the beginning while the Thunderbird had a better mid and top end. Thunderbird cruised effortlessly on the highway at triple digit speeds and the discs at both ends only added to the confidence levels. The low seat height, the large seats themselves, the tall and wide handle bar everything contributed to a comfortable touring.

I have travelled the length and breadth of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttharakhand, Rajasthan and so on, on this motorcycle and the motorcycle was rock solid with its reliability. The motorcycle paved its way on the mountains, broken roads, no roads and fine tarmac with sheer grace. This is the reason I brought the motorcycle back with me to Chennai, when I relocated in 2018.

My Thunderbird

Honda CBR 250 R - Repsol Edition 2017
My Mom's colleague's son had purchased a 2017 CBR 250 R repsol edition at good discounts at the BS3 clearance sale, right before the conversion to BS4. The motorcycle was in fabulous condition and had only ~3000 kms on its odometer. He had to move to the USA in 2019 and I was asked to sell the motorcycle on their behalf. Here are a turn of events due to which I ended up buying the CBR for myself.

Event 1
My dad had developed an acute shoulder injury and was advised against riding the classic by the doctor.

Event 2
On one of the rides, when I was cruising at close to 100 kmph on the classic, a car suddenly decided to switch lanes and I had to brake in panic. The rear brake was completely useless and I some how managed to stop the motorcycle, thanks to my lucky stars and riding skills.

Event 3
The CBR was brought to my house to be sold and I casually checked the basics like engine oil, brake, coolant level and took it out for a spin. One thing that was always associated with my motorcycling experience was "vibration" and this one had none. It also climbed up to the triple digit speeds so effortlessly. The motorcycle was nothing but butter smooth.

Event 4
Event 1 and Event 2 lead to the selling decision of Classic. A friend of my Brother was also scouting for a classic 500 at the same time and was in close watch to how well we maintained our motorcycles. He was very interested in buying the motorcycle from us and we finally ended up selling the classic to him.

Event 5
Bought the CBR. Whatever money I realized from the sale of the classic was transferred to my mom's colleague and we bought the CBR for ourselves.

The CBR was a great machine but as I started riding long, I got to realize that the sitting position is slightly committed, the seat is not spacious (little/ no room to move while riding) and the performance started to feel inadequate. I still held on to the motorcycle for one year and ended up selling the motorcycle in 2020 amidst the pandemic when there was little/ no use to the motorcycle.

My CBR

These are the motorcycles that I owned and used significantly. There were other motorcycles in the house including a FZ16'2010 and my Brother's RC 390 (soon to be replaced with a Triumph Trident)

[NTO]

The buying process of Interceptor (a crazy story included)

Prelude
In 2020, we effectively had five two-wheelers. CBR, Thunderbird, My father's Ntorq 125, My Wife's Aprilia SR 150 and my brother's RC 390. We also had three cars, Vento, Punto and the Civic. All the vehicles had absolutely zero running and we decided to start with selling of one vehicle. The first pick of the lot was CBR. IT was the only two wheeler bought used and it would fetch the highest resale value among others. Listed in the morning and the motorcycle got sold in the evening. It wasn't very difficult to bid goodbye to the CBR as it did not have any emotional connect with any of us in the Family.

As soon as I sold CBR around July'2020, the Covid situation started to ease up a bit and thee bug to buy a better motorcycle started to trouble me day in and day out. At this point in time, I set a target for myself. If I ride at least 500 kms every month, for the next six months, I would go ahead and purchase a motorcycle for myself. If not, I will stay put with the plan. I started to ride solo, as I still did not get the confidence to meet people and slowly started to ride in groups.

Breakfast ride to Kanchanagiri, a small hill station near Chennai



Breakfast ride to Mudalaiyar kuppam, a regular weekend hangout spot for Superbikes of Chennai

During these rides, I got the opportunity to test other motorcycles like the Interceptor 650, Yamaha R3, The Duke 390 BS4 and so on. As I rode these bikes, my Thunderbird started to feel dated and all the other machines were significantly faster. Also the difference between the single cylinder and twin (R3 and Interceptor) was evident and I was totally convinced to get a better motorcycle for myself towards the end of 2020. Among R3 and Interceptor, I simply loved the engine note of the R3 beyond 7K RPM and the pull it had. But, the interceptor won the heart with its mad torque low down and almost zero vibrations. There was also an instant connect with the motorcycle and I started to ride it like I have been riding it for years. Not to mention, I also passed my self-challenge and had completed 4500 km in 6 months on two wheels. In addition to all this, riding after months of being locked inside the four walls of the house was refreshing both, physically and mentally.

The actual buying process

When I started with the buying research, I had a open budget initially. This started to cause a lot of confusion. Most nights were sleepless, watching ownership reviews of big bikes in the middle weight category. One thing that struck me was the huge initial investment and approximately Rs. 16 - Rs. 20 per km of upkeep of these big machines. I was not so sure of spending that kind of money as the pandemic had already traumatized the job market and everything in this world was uncertain. This brought me back to my senses and I narrowed down to two choices. My only intention was to buy a fairly capable motorcycle and tour on it, at least 10K km a year. The Adventure 390 from KTM and The Interceptor 650 from Royal Enfield were shortlisted. I first went to the KTM showroom and I was told that there was no test ride for the 390 and if I wish, I could ride the 250. This is where the run of KTM ended and I was left with only the Interceptor as my choice.

The booking process (also the crazy story)
Interceptor 650 and the GT 650 were selling like hot cakes and the only place where a dealership could make a difference is with the delivery time. With that in mind, I chose the showroom closest to my house, Rudraa motors (formerly known as Southern motors, and I bought my classic 500 earlier from here). I pushed my purchase process till early April and one fine day, I woke up with the thought of just going ahead and booking the motorcycle. Before the showroom could open, I went to my HDFC account to check if I have any loan offers for two wheelers. To my surprise, I had one with 15 lacs pre-approved limit and since I needed only 25% of the pre-approved amount, my interest rate was something unheard of in the two wheeler loan category. I quickly filled up my details and in the final stage, I accidentally clicked disburse button. Rs. 3,22,210 was disbursed to the dealer bank account and I had no choice other than buying the motorcycle now from this dealer itself. Please note that I haven't even visited the dealership until I transferred the amount nor did I speak to anyone there. The showroom opened at 11 and I was waiting outside. Royal Enfield had just updated the colors in the 650 twin line up and I was blown away by the sunset strip color. The showroom opened, I explained the crazy stuff I did and the showroom person assisted me with the entire process of booking and I was promised a delivery in two weeks.

Two weeks were about to end and I did not get any call from the showroom. I followed up and I was told that it would take another week. This happened for one more week and I lost my patience. I went straight to the showroom to give a earful. That is when I was told that two interceptor 650s were billed for the showroom and they were not sure of the colors and they needed till end of the day to confirm the colors being shipped. I went to the dealer yard in the night when the bikes were being unloaded. The two colors were Baker's express and Orange Crush. I had a choice to wait for two more weeks or pick one of the two motorcycles available. Again, given the dealer's reputation, I did not want to take chance and wait for two more weeks. I gave in, gave up on my favorite color and picked the Baker's express.

The Motorcycle was manufactured on 28th April and I did the PDI on 29th April in the yard. All checks passed and I was promised delivery in two working days. The dealership did not get a slot to register the motorcycle on 30th of April. 1st and 2nd of May was the weekend and the registration happened on 4th of May. When I called during the day to check about the registration, I was asked to come in the evening to take delivery.

The Delivery

The Interceptor was there with a cute little baby-pink ribbon ready to be delivered. The delivery process was fairly simple and I was explained about the Features (like there were many ) and the service intervals, warranty etc. These are the things I purchased in addition to the motorcycle.
1. 4th and 5th year extended warranty (transferrable to the second owner, if I sell the motorcycle)
2. 3rd Year RSA
3. Sump Guard
4. Crash bar - The smaller one
5. Vehicle cover.

I had also ordered Fork Gaiters and later I realized that this comes standard with the motorcycle. I initially paid for the Gaiters and later received the refund post asking about it.

The dealership experience was nothing to write home about and it was a constant fight to get the motorcycle. The overall dealership experience was as though they were doing me a favor by selling the motorcycle. I had to call and follow up stage by stage, I had to ask for the refund for the Gaiters, I had to call and check the HSRP status, I had to call and check the RC smart card status and the woes continue into service as well. I also had a few heated arguments when the dealership passed a sarcastic comment on me making a mistake and transferring the loan amount to their account and they didn't ask me to book the motorcycle. This happened when I questioned them about the clueless and infinite delay from their end in delivering the motorcycle. I was told that, quoting the sales manager, "We didn't ask you to book, you transferred the amount and now you are troubling us." I am also sure to some extent that I was the first person to book the Sunset Strip Interceptor in Anna Nagar and I saw one or two with TN-02 registration running around before I got mine delivered. That one also had the dealership sticker. Similar to how I was allotted with someone else's Baker's express, someone else would gotten the Sunset Strip that was allocated for me. As much as an Evangelist I was for Southern Motors, Rudraa is direct contrast. I am not sure if this is the culture that Royal Enfield as a company is imparting to their dealerships as they are dealing from a position of power in the market. This is not just with one dealership, I hear the same from other dealerships as well except for the company owned showroom and service present in OMR, Chennai.

All is well that ends well and I have had nothing but pleasant experiences with the motorcycle since then. As many BHPians believe, a bad dealership experience should not chase us away from buying the vehicle that we like.

[NTO]

Likes, Dislikes and the mods to negate the dislikes

Likes

1. Engine: All the money you pay for the motorcycle is justified just for the engine. It is unlike any Royal Enfield engine produced earlier and it is hard to believe that you get such performance at this price. From 1100 rpm to 5500 rpm (I have done only till that), the bike pulls relentlessly. It climbs hills like it is no one's business. It blasts through highway like it is released from a catapult. The video shown below also indicates how precisely built Royal Enfield's 650 Twin Engines are. 100 kmph at 6th gear comes is at 4000 rpm and the bike is absolutely smooth at this speed. You can cruise all day long at 120 kmph. The engine heat is also very manageable both in city and highway speeds.

https://youtu.be/9GAUo8eUXeU

2. Ride and Handling: The ride quality of the motorcycle was supple from day one. Once the running in was complete and I was tempted to take high speed corners, I figured that the rear suspension was a little bouncy. I got the pre-load of the rear springs bumped up by one point and this issue vanished. Safe to say, for my skills, the handling is more than sufficient.

3. Brakes: The beast of an engine requires sufficient anchor power and the brake setup is simply the right match. The braking setup consist of 3 brakes, the front disc, the rear disc and the engine . If we plan and ride the motorcycle, we might hardly need to use the actual brakes. The engine braking will do the slowing down needed. However, when the situation demands the usage of the front and rear disc, they stop without any fuss much before your anticipated stopping point.

4. Refinement: As I mentioned earlier, as a previous Royal Enfield customer, one thing always associated with my riding experience was vibration. Parts of my body would continue to vibrate long after a ride. All that changed with the interceptor. There is no question of vibration. The Interceptor runs like a hot knife through butter at all rev ranges.

5. The exhaust note: The rumbly and throaty exhaust note of the motorcycle is something that I love. I do not plan to change the exhaust.

6. Fuel efficiency: I have been getting consistently between 28 - 31 kmpl in the last 5000 kms.

7. Electronics or the lack of it: Lack of electronics with just the ABS watching your back, the motorcycle gives the purest form of riding pleasure.

Dislikes and the mods to negate them

1. The headlight: It is simply unacceptable to have such weak headlamps on a motorcycle that can do serious triple digit speeds. THe headlamp is very weak and best suited for just very well - lit highways.

The mod to fix it: I purchased the "made in India" Maddog alpha auxiliary lamps (link to buy). There are interceptor specific mounting clamps (link to buy), wiring harness set for plug and play installation (link to buy), water-proof switch (link to buy) and the filters (Transparent, yellow and black) (link to buy). All this inclusive of installation set me back by Rs. 15000. But, this is worth the money. You can ride with confidence at night and among the most important additions to enhance safety.

2. The riding position: The riding position for my height was a little committed. I realized that my shoulders were getting unnecessarily strained over long rides.

The mod to fix it:: I installed handle bar risers and this solved the problem. The riding position has become extremely comfortable after this install. There are a lot of brands like Carbon racing, U2, Legendary. You can install anything depending upon the name you like and your budget. Do not install more than 2 inch risers and in which case, you might have to re-lay the cables. 2 inch risers do not require any alteration.

3. Seats: The seats were a tad too soft for my liking. This was comfortable for short city rides but equally uncomfortable on long rides. I faced the brunt in the ride to Kanyakumari.

The mod to fix it:: I installed the GT touring seats. This has a alcantara finish in the sitting area and a slightly elevated pillion seat position. I did Chennai - Kolli hills and this seat was good. Here is the link to buy these seats.

4. Wind blast: This was a given considering the motorcycle is a naked one. But the wind blast was too unnerving on my ride to Kanyakumari.

The mod to fix it: Got the tall windscreen mount from MK Designs (link to buy) and Himalayan windscreens. This has arrested the wind blast to a great extent.

5. Hazard light: My Thunderbird had a hazard light and it is beyond me on why Royal Enfield did not provide this with the interceptor.

The mod to fix it: I installed the flash X hazard module along with Simtac straight pin 360 degree LEDs. This has solved the problem. It is a simple plug and play installation and works with the existing indicator switch. No additional accessory required.

6. No gear position indicator: This is a problem just while cruising on the highway. The difference between 5th and 6th gear is very marginal, may be around 200 rpm at highway speeds. Many a times, I am cruising in the 5th gear for a long time just to realize that there is one more gear left. A gear position indicator would've definitely helped.

7. Tyres: The tyres offer a very good dry grip and fair wet grip. My gripe on this is about the type of the tyres. Earlier, interceptors came with the Pirelli tubeless tyres, installed with tubes due to the spoke configuration of the wheels. However, Royal Enfield decided to change the type to tubed type along with a brand change to CEAT. The earlier owners of interceptor converted their interceptors to tubeless format by installing outex/ way2speed tubeless sealant to their wheels. I, do not have the option now. My tubeless conversion will be a very expensive affair including the tyre change.

8. Fuel Tank Capacity: My Thunderbird had a 20 litres fuel tank with an effective range of 700+ kms. Interceptor is weak on this front. The effective tank range is only 280 - 300 kms.

[NTO]

Overall ownership experience in 5000 Kms (with a near death experience due to a minor niggle)

The overall ownership experience of the interceptor has been pleasant. I bought the motorcycle on 4th of May and Tamil Nadu went into a lockdown on 6th of May. I did some 200 odd kms on 5th of May and the Bike was on rest since then.

The first service
Once the lockdown started to release, I started riding the bike every morning and gave the bike for the first service in the first week of July. The cost of the first service was Rs. 2600. This included oil and oil filter change and all the check up. Rudraa service is simply pathetic. I asked them for just one thing to be done in addition to the service and that was to bump - up the pre-load for the rear suspension. Guess what, they delivered the bike after service without it being done. Also, there were water marks all over the crank case and engine head and the bike returned dirtier than it went into the service center.

The near death experience due to a minor niggle
The BS6 interceptors manufactured after January 2021 were plagued with a fuel pump relay problem. One fine morning, I was returning home from a ride on a two laned road. I was overtaking a car at around 80 Kmph and a truck was approaching in the opposite direction. I was fairly confident to make a safe overtake. There comes the twist. The bike lost its power mid-overtake. I could neither slow down nor accelerate. Thanks to my lucky stars, I, involuntarily steered the motorcycle into the side of the road and escaped unhurt. I checked all the electrical circuits and everything and there seemed to be no problem. Later when interacting with other owners of BS6 interceptors, I came to know that a batch of the fuel pump relays were faulty and this caused the issue. I got the relay replaced and now the bike is running without any trouble.

Regular maintenance routine
Cleaning with shampoo water spray and wiping with micro-fibre cloth to clean all the intricate details of the bike is what I have been following. I also give the motorcycle for a pressure wash when the bike gets extremely dirty. Post pressure wash, I ensure to spray clean all the electrical touch points with compressed air to avoid any trouble.

Chain clean and lube every 1000 kms with Motul C1 clean and C2 lube is what I have been following. People do it at 500 kms but, I am okay with 1000 kms and chain has been looking like it is new.

I buff the engine and crank case with Autosol metal polish and steel wire wool to maintain the shine and remove oxidation.

Other than this, there is no additional maintenance required.

Second Service
I completed second service in the first week of September post clocking 5000 kms. The service bill was Rs. 248. This is just a check up and I denied everything from the service centre including Chain clean and lube, water wash, wax polish etc.

Later I changed the engine oil with Liquimoly 10W50 Street Race Fully synthetic and added engine oil additive from liquimoly. I got these done outside of service centre. The bike requires 3.1 litres of engine oil and the best practice is to change the engine oil early in the morning after an all-night centre stand parking.

Post the engine oil change, the bike has become even smoother, it does speeds much more effortlessly and also the fuel efficiency has increased apparently.

Few additional accessories that I use which makes the ownership experience even better:

1. Wireless Charger from Bobo Gears: This has been an absolute bliss to use. It has varied adjustability in direction and very effective in charging. link to buy

2. Grip puppies add-on grip: The stock grip was very good and feels very premium. But, for long rides, I started to get a ringing sensation in my hand with the stock grip. THis is when I bought and installed Grip-Puppies add-on grip. They are extremely soft, drains off quickly after a rain/ wash, offers superior grip and cuts out the few rare stray vibrations as well. Link to buy

3. Parani M10 motorcycle intercom by Sena: The cheaper alternative to all the expensive intercoms out there. Upto 4 members can be paired and can stream music, calls through bluetooth and has intercom functionality. The intercom functionality works well upto a distance of 1 km between two devices and the audio clarity is very good. Also, the microphone filters out all the outside noise and you can attend office meetings while riding. It is an extremely value for money purchase just like my interceptor. link to buy

Luggage Duties

I use the following to take care of the luggage duties:
1. Viaterra Tank Bag - link to buy
2. Givi Tail Bag - link to buy

Viaterra is one of the biggest tank bags available and can hold a lot of items. I used both the tank bag and tail bag for 3 days trip to Kanyakumari and just the Tank bag for 2 days trip to Kolli Hills. The tank bag has an additional rain cover and the tail bag is water proof.

With the luggage tied, this is how the bike looks like

Riding Gear

1. Mototech Scrambler Air Jacket - I bought this on Amazon and later upgraded the protective pads to level 2.
2. Aspida riding pants - I bought this on Spartan Pro Gear Website.
3. Venom Riding Gloves (long) - I have been using these gloves for over 3 years now and they are of very good quality and offer very good protection
4. Trex Riding Boots (long) - These got a little time to get used too. But, they offer good protection.
6. MT Thunder 3 helmet - These were among the best in the budget category when I bought them in 2019. No problem till date.

I am not giving any review or buying link to the riding gears as, riding gears are solely dependent on one's comfort levels and budget. The riding gears I use fit me well and were well within my budget.

[NTO]

The brotherhood experience - Numerous breakfast rides and two long rides

One brand in India that enjoys unparalleled brotherhood is Royal Enfield. Pick any city and you will get at least 25 riding groups that ride exclusively with Royal Enfield motorcycles. I too joined a riding club, "The Royal Twin Riders Club". This club is exclusive to Royal Enfield 650 twins. The founder of this group, Bhuvan, is very experienced in planning rides. The start point, deciding the best route, the accommodation, the cash management etc., he ensures everything is done with extreme care and not to mention, every rider returns with utmost satisfaction after the ride. He does it out of passion and among the best I have seen.

I was a part of multiple breakfast rides and two long rides along with this group. The members of this group are extremely disciplined. Everyone ensures to follow all the rules of the road, respecting other road users etc. and abiding by the law. The experience here has been phenomenal. All the group rides were affordable, comfortable, inclusive (we made sure no one was left out), total trip expense for Kanyakumari ride, inclusive of fuel was around Rs. 6500 and Kolli was around Rs. 4000. It is not just about rides. When a fellow rider has a problem, the others are there to help. Advices on accessories, bike maintenance and also non - bike related items etc. are discussed in the group. The entire group is there to support one another. Also, the kind of attention the group gets when 10 - 15 650 twins ride together is nothing short of the attention a Lamborghini gets, blasting through the roads.

We also have a pre-ride ritual. The riders participating in a ride meet at Sabari Bike Point, Porur, Chennai to get our motorcycles checked.

A picture from Sabari Bike Point

Enough said and I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking in this post.

A picture from a ride with my brother


A picture from a solo ride to ECR, Chennai


ECR Backwaters

Breakfast rides with the group

Breakfast ride to Tindivanam - 99 km coffee restaurant


Breakfast Ride to ECR

Kanyakumari Ride

Starting point - near Crescent Engineering College, Vandalur, Chennai


At the breakfast stop - Hotel Aswins. This place had great food and plenty of parking space. This is near Perambalur


Stop at a famous shooting spot enroute Kanyakumari


Sunrise near Tiruvalluvar Statue



Pre-Sunrise Valluvar Statue


Yours Truly at Tiruvalluvar Status


Full Group at the Tiruvalluvar Statue


At Netta - Enroute to Chittar Dam. One of the best roads to ride through. So many twisties with smooth tarmac.


Chittar Dam



Entire Group Selfie. We also have two localites who guides us through Netta to Chittar Dam


We stopped at VB automobiles, Madurai to lube and clean the bike chain before we left to Chennai

Ride to Kolli Hills
This is the biggest ride yet for the group with 15 motorcycle riding to Kolli Hills. Everything was eventful. Something as simple as helmets stacked up in the restaurant to all the motorcycles parked in the resort. The 72 hairpin bends is a must visit for all the bikers in this group. Again, a few pictures for visual treat.

All helmets stacked up at a restaurant


All the motorcycles parked at resort


NPS Lake view resort - We stayed at this place for a night. It was a comfortable stay and food was simply awesome.



Wading through slush at Kolli Hills


Random shot at Kolli


Water falls at Kolli


Kolli Viewpoint


Full group at Viewpoint


Group Selfie at Viewpoint

Thank you all for reading. Hope you all got an information or two and enjoyed reading this thread. Looking forward to many more rides with this motorcycle. I am planning to average at 10K kms per year on this motorcycle. I will keep this thread alive with exciting updates.

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Jhinchak]

Thank you for sharing your story, and I wish you many more happy rides.
I too have purchased a new bike around the same time and not been able to find the time for long journeys, and even if I find the time, the weather is not favoring us in the south

Just curious how did you know the dealers bank account details if you had not visited the showroom while disbursing the loan amount?

[NTO]

Originally Posted by Jhinchak

Thank you for sharing your story, and I wish you many more happy rides.
I too have purchased a new bike around the same time and not been able to find the time for long journeys, and even if I find the time, the weather is not favoring us in the south

Just curious how did you know the dealers bank account details if you had not visited the showroom while disbursing the loan amount?

Thank you very much for your kind words. Even for us here in chennai, it has been very difficult. After the kolli ride in the start of October, we haven’t been able to ride as well. December would be awesome and waiting eagerly to go out again.

For your question on dealer’s bank details, once you choose the dealer from HDFC zip ride options, they already have all the information to transfer the loan amount. You just have to click disburse and the amount will be deposited in the dealer account. All the signatures, documents etc will be taken from you at the dealership by the bank representative.

[silentstorm]

Congratulations on your Inty and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trips! Very thoughtful of you to post links of your mods too.

[Jhinchak]

Originally Posted by NTO

For your question on dealer’s bank details, once you choose the dealer from HDFC zip ride options, they already have all the information to transfer the loan amount. You just have to click disburse and the amount will be deposited in the dealer account. All the signatures, documents etc will be taken from you at the dealership by the bank representative.

Interesting, was the dealer's bank also HDFC?.
They should implement a 2- step verification process, like an OTP etc to prevent such mistakes from happening again.

[GrandTourer]

Amazing story NTO! Welcome to the club.

This is the first time I'm hearing of the fuel pump issue. I got my Baker Express in Nov'20, so thankfully I don't have to worry about it. I loved the mods you made on the bike. Very tastefully executed. QQ: The pilot lights seem to be mounted near the forks. How did you mount those? I'm looking for a good set as well.

One interesting thing I noted in my riding group as well as a lot of other 650 riders is that we all buy the MT Thunder 3 for some reason. Coincidence or maybe it just sits in the right price bracket like the 650s.

Many more happy miles to you.

[TheHelix0202]

Well written thread! Loved the pics.

The close call due to the niggle you mentioned - I’ve faced the niggle too, only, on my Gixxer. I haven’t gotten it diagnosed properly yet, but I suspect the power loss and jerky fuelling issue is due to a faulty relay. Gotta get it checked soon…

[amods]

Great log and the story behind it. I had a TB350 before my current ride and I loved it. Now, only thing that has kept me from owning the 650 twins is the bench seats. I just can’t stand them, specifically on long rides. The seats on TB were the best. Eagerly waiting for any tourer version from RE maybe next year or so.

I too have experienced RE brotherhood and even though my current group is excellent, have fond memories of earlier one. Thanks for sharing the story and wish you many more rides on this one.

[mohitchalla]

Congratulations on the new ride!

Looking forward to reading your travelogues in the future.