[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by Otto

Viaterra products somehow are below par
Their warranties however are a different thing altogether.

While Rynox is mostly a no questions asked return policy,

Viaterra comes off as rude and arrogant when it comes to handling claims.
They have unreasonably selfish demands which I have a big problem with especially if you're trying to make a name in the circuit.
Their "By riders, for riders" motto is bunk.

Their products I found to be just about OK. Not the best, definitely not world standard. You're just barely getting VFM.

Sir, I had to disagree on everything you have said. I had drafted this reply as soon as I saw your post but couldn't post it since I was still in my office.

In my opinion, I am sure a lot of TBhp members also agree that ViaTerra makes one of the best quality products.
I agree not everything they make are of world class, but most of their products are of high quality.

On top of it, the customer support they provide is very satisfactory. They reply almost immediately to the emails and instantly to the queries on social media.

As we speak, my one year old tank bag is with them getting it repaired. I have been tying it to my Dominar using the straps they provide with the bag with a bit too much pressure. These straps were meant to be used for anchoring the bag when we want to use it as a tail bag. I had this bag because I had a Himalayan previously. Even on my Himmie I used these straps for tying when the bag was already secured with the magnets. So with too much pressure the strap where it was attached to the bag got a bit loose and the stitching got separated. I wrote an email to them with pictures and they happily agreed to repair it for free of cost. They even arranged for the pickup since the bag was within the one year warranty period(one month to spare.).

I agree we cannot say all of their products are real VFM. For example their hydration bag. But still the hydration bladder they provide with the bag is of high quality.

The Grid full gauntlet gloves are definitely of high quality.

I have a 6 year old Rynox Air GT v2 Jacket which had a slight tear on the inside in the initial year of usage. Rynox agreed to repair it for me but it required a little more haggling to get the repairing approved on warranty.

I am really thankful to companies like ViaTerra and Rynox for their contribution to the Indian motorcycling community. Had companies like these are not formed in our country, only a few lucky ones would be able to have access to these safety and luggage accessories.

[Otto]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

Sir, I had to disagree on everything you have said. I had drafted this reply as soon as I saw your post but couldn't post it since I was still in my office.

In my opinion, I am sure a lot of TBhp members also agree that ViaTerra makes one of the best quality products.
I agree not everything they make are of world class, but most of their products are of high quality.

On top of it, the customer support they provide is very satisfactory. They reply almost immediately to the emails and instantly to the queries on social media.

As we speak, my one year old tank bag is with them getting it repaired. I have been tying it to my Dominar using the straps they provide with the bag with a bit too much pressure. These straps were meant to be used for anchoring the bag when we want to use it as a tail bag. I had this bag because I had a Himalayan previously. Even on my Himmie I used these straps for tying when the bag was already secured with the magnets. So with too much pressure the strap where it was attached to the bag got a bit loose and the stitching got separated. I wrote an email to them with pictures and they happily agreed to repair it for free of cost. They even arranged for the pickup since the bag was within the one year warranty period(one month to spare.).

I agree we cannot say all of their products are real VFM. For example their hydration bag. But still the hydration bladder they provide with the bag is of high quality.

The Grid full gauntlet gloves are definitely of high quality.

I have a 6 year old Rynox Air GT v2 Jacket which had a slight tear on the inside in the initial year of usage. Rynox agreed to repair it for me but it required a little more haggling to get the repairing approved on warranty.

I am really thankful to companies like ViaTerra and Rynox for their contribution to the Indian motorcycling community. Had companies like these are not formed in our country, only a few lucky ones would be able to have access to these safety and luggage accessories.

I am overjoyed to hear that your experience has been different from most of us.
God forbid you had to go through what we did. Not pleasant by any standard.

Quality of products I have known to understand varies from individual to individual and from years of going through different makes of riding gear.

I belong to the era where we imported all our gear, right down to compression wear.
Not that any of the local brands were not available, they were just unknown and no one wanted to take the risks.
From what I saw of DSG and a few other makes at that time, the jackets were heavy, came with these very silly inner rain liners that made no sense and tried to be a one jacket for all seasons kind of brand.

I also belong to the era where Alpinestars made the best gear.

(If someone has to challenge me on A* making crap now, we can do this in another thread).

All that has changed now.

I have seen our indian companies grow in this field and by far, my experience has been just about ok, not too disappointing, but not too great either.

I understand that it will take some time for us to be world class and unbeatable but it takes time to get there.

For starters, there is the doubt that the CE certification that the gear come with is genuine.
Now, there may be only parts of the riding gear (e.g the protectors) that may be certified but it is definitely not the whole jacket that would be.

Some makers have been known to say that they are CE certified and have not sent a single piece of hardware for testing.

No indian maker has yet to get a CE certification for any of the gear they make.

Heck, there are some European brands that are guilty of the same thing (REV'IT is one of them), but they have been in the industry long enough to build trust.

The point I'm trying to make is this - when we know we have a long way to go and there are many seasoned riders who take efforts to give feedback. Our own people should learn to listen.

It is valuable feedback we give - whether it is ventilation, comfort or weatherproofing, there is always some learning.

Viaterra don't believe they belong to this category.

Here's my experience with other brands related to this topic and where see Viaterra falling short -

1. Defective rain gear - was issued replacement with offer of refund immediately, no questions asked. I even got to keep the old gear.

2. Replacement when equipment was being fixed.
The follow up on this was exemplary. They kept me informed and asked me questions because they were so keen on making things right.

3. Massive discounts on equipment out of warranty because they didn't want me to go through a bad experience for repairing the product.

On the other hand - Viaterra made me send back my gear without giving me any replacement, inspite of me offering to pay the courier charges for them.
They said they fixed my product and showed me a sad excuse of a video testing the product. This was the worst way to test a product.
By the way, the product was still defective when I got it back.
But they still insisted that I send it back and only then would they give me refund.

There is more, but this is enough to explain my point - where in all this do you see any one taking responsibility for a failure in their product.
Instead they chose the worst way to handle this - defending themselves, vehemently and arrogantly to the extent that left me disgusted.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Otto

Here's my experience with other brands related to this topic and where see Viaterra falling short -

1. Defective rain gear - was issued replacement with offer of refund immediately, no questions asked. I even got to keep the old gear.

2. Replacement when equipment was being fixed.
The follow up on this was exemplary. They kept me informed and asked me questions because they were so keen on making things right.

3. Massive discounts on equipment out of warranty because they didn't want me to go through a bad experience for repairing the product.

Otto bro, could you share the name of this near magical manufacturer please!

On Alpinestars, while you could start a new topic and I'd be happy to give you a counterview, you could also read my (and another rider's) comments (replete with photos) on Alpinestars boots in my boots second life thread in the Ride Safe section.

Its an overpriced brand that's greatly abused with good reason by most serious riders. Across the globe. Far better brands with real quality and life for what you pay, at the same price and even less, like Klim, Dainese, Revit, Gaerne, TCX, RST, and even little known Aussie DriRider.

Cheers, Doc

[Otto]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Otto bro, could you share the name of this near magical manufacturer please!

On Alpinestars, while you could start a new topic and I'd be happy to give you a counterview, you could also read my (and another rider's) comments (replete with photos) on Alpinestars boots in my boots second life thread in the Ride Safe section.

Its an overpriced brand that's greatly abused with good reason by most serious riders. Across the globe. Far better brands with real quality and life for what you pay, at the same price and even less, like Klim, Dainese, Revit, Gaerne, TCX, RST, and even little known Aussie DriRider.

Cheers, Doc

I don't appreciate your sarcarsm.

If you think I'm making this up - that's on you.
You either believe me or you don't, I still have nothing to prove except to make a point that manufacturers such as these exist.
There are more than one manufacturers involved in my story - I made sure to mention that.

Alpinestars quality went down the pooper ever since they shifted manufacturing to some other country.
Their Air XCR Gore Tex boots were such a disaster, i think they pulled them off shelves.
I was the unfortunate sucker that didn't get a replacement because I lost my receipt.

I don't need counterviews of someone who is so convinced they know better, they won't accept the views of anyone else.

Have a good day, sir.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Otto

I don't appreciate your sarcarsm.

Have a good day, sir.

I was not being sarcastic. I genuinely want to know the name of this company that is so helpful as to give me replacements while repairing my defective gear, and/or giving me new gear to replace my defective gear and even allowing me to keep the older defective piece as well. That is a solid bonus, because I'm a thrifty DIY sort of guy, and I will then get that defective piece repaired as well and have two pieces of gear in the price of one!

So yes, I am genuinely asking (requesting actually in a totally sincere manner) the name of this gear manufacturer. And contacts within, who could be tapped for the same, should the need ever arise.

I genuinely do not understand why people on the forum off late, especially newbies, are getting so prickly. To the point where a sincere question is met with a long thesis on etiquette and perceived mental trauma.

Will you please, once again, share the name of this gear manufacturer sir? I genuinely would like to give him some of my future business.

And yes sir, Alpinestars never ever made the best gear. In any era relevant to a rider still riding. Don't know about the biplane goggles leather helmet days.

Have a really good day yourself. But do please share the name. It will help me and other BHPians here on the look out for a rider centric manufacturer.

Cheers, Doc

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Update: 4th Service

Had the 4th Service (15,000 Km or 18 Months) due so I decided to take it to the Company Service Centre near BTM Lake. It was a minor service as there wasn't an Oil change scheduled (RE's logic). I will be doing an oil change myself in about 1000kms anyway. Made a prior booking on the App and headed there at 9:00 a.m.

Unfortunately, it being a State Holiday today, the SVC was very crowded, despite it being opening time. The experience was very average this time. The only issue I had was a slight squeaking noise from the rear brake. presumably due to dirt getting accumulated, which I mentioned to the Service Rep when he finally decided to dedicate his precious time towards acknowledging my presence. They honestly don't have an organised system of inboarding. It's an absolute crapshow of different service advisors and security guards picking and choosing people for the register entry and subsequent inboarding.

The Service Rep was a chap named Abhishek who himself seemed lost. Either way, I told him I'd wait and take the bike as I didn't leave anywhere near the SVC, and went to the lounge upstairs at around 9:30. I was promised that I would get the bike by 11:30 maximum, which is honestly ridiculous for just chain cleaning, stem greasing etc. The SVC was not doing any form of cleaning for 15 days because the premises were under renovation If I had known earlier, I would have gone to a different SVC.

I took the time to check out the beautiful Kaza Brown Himalayan 450 they had upstairs on display. Absolutely loved it. Getting back to the topic, the bike wasn't ready even at 11:30, and after following up with Mr. Abhishek twice, the bike still wasn't ready. I asked him to call me when the bike arrived while I waited upstairs, which didn't happen. I received a message on my phone about 20 minutes later stating that the bike was ready, and came down to see that it was parked inside, and the man of the hour nicely sipping on a beverage, completely unaware. I wasn't in the mood to make a big deal out of it today, so I finished the billing and left. It cost just 425 Rs for the service.

They had also put way too much grease on the Cone Sets, which overflowed from the joints and made the handlebar feel very light. Cleaned it off myself later when I washed the bike.



Have attached the bill below for your reference.


I probably will be taking it to an FNG after this as this was the last "free" service. Until next time, Cheers!

[srkriz26]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Nice updates ***, though would suggest a normal RAM mount or Portronics type simple phone holder, but very rugged and a Rs.50 rain cover for the phone. Has always worked for me over 16000 km. These Zana or any other attachments are an anathema in my riding circle and many complain of the mount loosening over a period of time or vibrations in the windshield or blocking the view ahead and a general feeling of uncertainty due to both.

Coming to Ghata, nothing much to report. She crossed the 16000 km mark a couple of weeks ago . Due to upcoming plans and financial constraints have not been on a proper tour since last 5 months (a couple of weekenders to Agumbe and Mantralaya and some short 100 km round trip breakfast rides). In 3 months she has run only some 1000 km in the city. So much for my resolution to tour more but life happens :(.
I had ranted earlier about my experience with RE service, and upto now their repairs have held on.

One thing I have observed is the bike leans a lot on the side stand and me being on the heavier side am scared of the bike falling when I try to get on by mounting the pegs like others. A necessity when I have the Element tailbag on the rear seat and in riding pants, all sort of gymnastics wont help. Does the Viaterra side stand extender help for situations like these?

Covered around 2200 km on the rear tubeless-tube TVS Eurogrip Pancer PolyX 120/80 setup, and has been a great experience, except for a 10% increase in bumpiness due to the 80 profile instead of the 90 earlier. Wet grip/off-roading is extremely poor. Highways/trails/dry grip is excellent though, it won’t be sufficient for core off-road though. Punctures haven’t occurred even inspite of some very rough terrain off-road.

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Riding Gear Update: Ventilated Gloves

As I had blabbered about somewhere on this thread earlier, I had picked up the Viaterra Tundra a little over a year ago and was using it for my daily commute and for touring as well. I'll drop an update about the gloves on the Riding Gear Thread separately. When I visited @shyamg28 sometime in April, the man was shocked seeing me use Winter/Non-Breathable WP Gloves every day in Bangalore, irrespective of the weather To be honest, I had completely forgotten what ventilation while riding in the palm area felt like at that point and had grown completely accustomed to riding with the Tundra. He gave me a pair of basic ventilated gloves (Royal Enfield Strident) until I could pick up a proper pair of ventilated gloves. I wore them on the ride back to my place from his, which was some 30km away, and my god, it was bliss in comparison.

Attachment 2528414
Attachment 2528413

I used them whenever it wasn't cold or rainy outside for the past few months, but they were starting to show signs of wear and tear. Plus, they weren't protective enough for even my daily commute (I commute on Hosur Road from E City at around 7:30 a.m., where there isn't too much traffic), where I do hit 80kmph regularly. Hence I decided to pick up a pair of full gauntlet riding gloves that I can use both in the City and on the Highway.

Himalayan costs 2.8 L on road. Looking at ur accessories, it seems the equipment cost will be equivalent to OTR price of the bike

[srkriz26]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Covered around 2200 km on the rear tubeless-tube TVS Eurogrip Pancer PolyX 120/80 setup, and has been a great experience, except for a 10% increase in bumpiness due to the 80 profile instead of the 90 earlier. Wet grip/off-roading is extremely poor. Highways/trails/dry grip is excellent though, it won’t be sufficient for core off-road though. Punctures haven’t occurred even inspite of some very rough terrain off-road.

Just to know, the tyres simply fit in the RE native spoke rims that came along with the bike? Or were there any other mods required?

PS: I am not Himalayan owner, but contemplating buying a Scram pulled down only due to Tubed wheels. I even thought of changing Suzuki Vstrom's Alloy Wheel and tyres with Scram but doing more R&D on that.

[100Kmphormore]

Originally Posted by srkriz26

Just to know, the tyres simply fit in the RE native spoke rims that came along with the bike? Or were there any other mods required?

Yes, this was just a normal tube and tyre change nothing more. The Excel/Dismotech rims will be an expensive job.

I would suggest not to go for the Scram as its too slow, buy the Yezdi Scrambler instead. My friend has got one and is very happy with it as its decently fast and a little lighter.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by srkriz26

Himalayan costs 2.8 L on road. Looking at ur accessories, it seems the equipment cost will be equivalent to OTR price of the bike

Hahahaha, motorcycling is an expensive hobby definitely, but worth it IMO
For Context, since you did mention the cost, the accessories on the bike, when its fully loaded for touring, costs just under 50,000 Rs as of now. I am blessed enough to have some of these accessories gifted to me by friends and to have picked up some of them at discounted prices. So take the price with a 10% variation in mind. The riding Gear I'm using also costs around the same. Hope it helps you when you're planning to kit out your bike and pick out gear

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Update: Installing Auxiliary Lights

After doing a few day rides where I returned pretty late in the night, I found that the Nighteye Headlamp, while being significantly better than stock, wasn't enough for even the occasional highway touring in the dark; decided to play it safe and go ahead and get auxiliary lights installed. I didn't want anything overly powerful for two reasons.

1. Too much load on the battery
2. Wasn't going to tour at very high speeds or very often in the dark

In this regard, I'm going to speak about each aspect of this endeavour separately and in detail.

A. Legality

The legality of mounting auxiliary lights on motorcycles in India is a bit of a grey area. While there are statutes (CMVR and MV Act) that do prohibit modifications without the approval of the RTO, there are many news articles floating around providing guidelines issued by the RTO (Which I couldn't find. If anyone has access to these, please share), listed as follows:

1. Lights must be mounted well below the Headlamp
2. Lights must be covered when not in use
3. The Power Draw of the Lights shouldn't exceed the Power Draw of the Stock Headlamp.

The validity of these conditions, I'm not too sure about but it's better to be safe than sorry.

B. Lights

I just needed the upcoming 60-70 metres or so ahead of the bike to be well-illuminated so that I could see potholes or obstacles, if any. Initially, I did consider the Maddog Scout / Scout X Lights, but friends said that in terms of price to performance, it didn't meet their expectations. I also didn't want to break the bank with these, so started scouring the web and finally landed on the HJG L9X Lights. It's the same lights that Ben from the "Ontwowheelseben" YouTube channel uses, and he seemed pretty happy with it. The power draw was pretty low as well (20W Per Light Module) and is well below the Draw of the stock headlamp (55W), so decided to go ahead with these. The Key Features of the Lights are as follows:

- IP68 Certified
- 9 CREE LED Emitters with an output of 3600 Lumens (Each Light)
- Colour Temperature at 6000 Kelvin

Link to the Lights: https://bikesterglobal.com/shop/prod...ee-led-lights/


Light Module


LEDs

I Ordered the Lights from the Bikester Global Website, along with a pair of Filters, Was quite a rollercoaster of an experience ordering from them. I ordered 1 Pair of Lights and 1 Pair of Yellow Filters from them. The Order was manifested the very next day on Delhivery, which was a pleasant surprise, but the order was not picked up (Due to the package not being ready) for the next 5 Days. The Whatsapp Support takes ages to respond as well. They finally delivered the lights and ONE Filter in the initial parcel. The Customer support team initially insisted that I had placed an order only for one filter, and on being shown proof, the other filter was sent across. I understand mess-ups sometimes, but the way it is handled shows that they are pretty disorganized. The Lights cost Rs 2249 and the Filters Rs 269, with an additional shipping charge of Rs 179. There aren't any Blackout Filters available, though, so I have placed an order for another pair of the same filters, and I will use a Vinyl Wrap to make my own Blackout Filters to be used in the City.


Yellow Filters

C. Electrical Fittings

This is one aspect where Quality was important to me. A bad pair of lights may just conk out, but a bad harness can fry your bike's electrical system, which is not a chance I wanted to take. Decided to go with a harness and switch from Maddog for this. They have universal compatibility and give you all the necessary adapters required. Now Maddog has two variants of the Harness, i.e the Base and the Pro Version. I've differentiated between them using the table below.



The Switch as well as a pro variant, with the two differences being that the Switch is IP66 Rated as opposed to IP 68, and the Pro version comes with a better design and dual mounting options, i.e handlebar or mirror. The Base Switch can only be mirror-mounted. Since the Lights I'm using aren't super powerful and well within the Wattage Capacity, I chose the Regular Wire harness and Switch.


The white wire connects to the Ignition to prevent accidental battery drain if the switch is on when the bike is off



The switch is of good quality and feels robust


Mounted at the bottom of the mirror stem


Switch backlight

D. Mounting Position

I didn't want to blind people coming from the opposite direction, unlike some bufoons who think that their vehicle must compete with the sun. I wanted them to be mounted low down and pointed toward the road. Headlight Mounting was not even an option considering that it is illegal and will definitely inconvenience others. I also didn't want to mount it on the forks, for now, at least due to the constant movement these lights and its wiring will be subject to. Further, when I consulted with Ben, he strongly advised against it. I decided to mount it in a similar fashion as he did, which is using a screw hole below the Jerry Can Holder/Tank Crash Guards. I picked up the Universal Headlight Clamp from Maddog and used it to mount the same. The setup seems solid, but I did zip-tie it in a couple of areas just in case.

E. Getting the Lights Installed

Unfortunately, this is where my experience went downhill. I do not have the expertise to fit these myself as it concerns electronics, and I don't want to touch it with a 10-foot pole. Mechanical stuff I can grasp, but not this. Hence I decided to visit Art of Motorcycles in Bangalore. I used to have a lot of faith in them before this experience. Being a repeat customer, having visited them a couple of times before for various things, I have always had a level of trust in them. In the same spirit, I messaged Zoheb, booked an appointment and went to get the lights installed. They made me wait a little bit before getting to it, which is fine, and the mechanic got to work on my bike. It took about an hour to install everything, and all was well when I left. I paid 450Rs for the job, which is a reasonable price. Now I made a mistake by not paying too much attention to the way the mechanic was routing the wiring. He has done a shoddy job at best, causing a complete lack of clearance for the Relay to comfortably sit. However, I didn't know this at the time. I took the bike out in the night to a few back roads to see how they performed, and the light flickered on its own despite the switch being off. The horn could be heard faintly as well without me hitting the switch and it sounded different too when engaged. This left me extremely paranoid, and I returned home immediately and messaged Zoheb about the same, only to get no response even the following day. In the morning, I headed over to AOM and requested the Service Advisor Saif, whom I'd spoken to the previous day as well, to check the wiring and see if there was an issue somewhere. He said that they were a little packed at the moment (It was a weekday, and they did have bikes for regular service, but not so many that a mechanic couldn't take out 20 minutes to check the wiring) and asked me to come at 2 pm I was disheartened as I live a good 15km away from the workshop. I killed time until 2 pm and went there, to which he said that they still couldn't check it and asked me to come again tomorrow and leave the bike for a day. Zoheb was also there and paid no heed to me as well. This was an extremely disappointing experience, and I don't think I'll be going back again. It looks like pride really did get to their heads to the extent that they undermined the value of a customer's time and business. Pathetic.

I figured out the relay issue a little later after talking to Ben and managed to make some space for it where it isn't fouling too much with the seat. Took it to Big Bear Customs in JP Nagar and had the wiring rerouted again just for peace of mind, where they did a cleaner Job. I didn't get to meet Bosky Anna this time, though.


At Big Bear

F. The Results

Well, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.


I chose an isolated road near my house which was pitch dark


Headlamp (Nighteye) Only. All testing was done with this on the Low Beam


Nighteye + Aux Lamps w/o Filters


Side Profile


Nighteye + Aux Lamps w/ Filters


Side Profile

The Lights aren't overly bright and have a decent throw. They suit my current needs when combined with the Nighteye. Since it is a plug-and-play system, I can always upgrade lights later should I need to. The Current Draw on the electrical system from Lighting is 36W from the Nighteye LED and 40W from the Aux Lights, so I'm not expecting any issues there. Overall, satisfied for now. That's all for now folks, cheers!

[100Kmphormore]

Totally agree with your experience with Zoheb. He truly along with other youtubers has become a social media star and isnt as hands on at AOM now. I had been there for my 15000 km service through the reference of my brother in law but since he told me in advance that it would take some time, probably 3-4 days as he was loaded. The difference in quality of service vs the charge for the work done is too high, almost Rs.16000 for something that was worth Rs.10000. I could feel some difference in suspension and brakes, but wheel balancing etc etc was never really felt. To point out a misgiving, the grime in the front chain sprocket area was never cleaned out and I was told it was. The amount of sludge that came out at Big Bear was scary and the difference in gear shifts afterwards was phenomenal! I could atleast see what work was going on my bike to my full satisfaction, whereas at AOM they weren't even ready to do a oil change in my presence (I insist on this one task in my presence.)

I had been to Big Bear this week for my 20000 km service and the mechanic there who worked on my bike works really well (the one in the picture). Arun alias Bosky is a great guy to talk to, had a hearty conversation about his acquiring the Himalayan 450 and a possible upgrade to a twin cylinder ADV (he owns a 33000 km done VStrom 650 as well). 2.8k including labour for oil, oil change and rear brake pads change. I felt adding a Rs.200 labour charge for adjusting the big T stem bolt with a spanner was too cheesy on their part, but meeting Bosky was worth it :P (no dismantling or anything, thats on top of regular 1200 labour. RE would have charged 900 for the 20000 km service labour as my free services are done and the service center near my house would have done shoddy work)

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Trip to the Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement

Went on a Day Ride to the Dhondenling Tibetan Settlement a little past Kollegal with @shyamg28 and a couple of friends this weekend. Finally got to ride with the man himself The group consisted of two Vstroms and a Himmy. We began from the meetup point at around 7:30 a.m. and stopped for breakfast exactly 15 minutes later There was a Triumph Speed 400 there as well and Shyam managed to take a picture that made it look like a kid's bicycle Jokes aside though, the bike does look stunning in person.



We continued the journey after some lovely Dosa and Coffee, and an hour in, Shyam's rear tyre unfortunately got punctured, so we made it to a nearby "Puncher" Shop and got that fixed.



The Himmy's engine light came on for a while (Probably due to the ignition being on for a good 20mins when we were stopped for a break) and turned off on its own later on Was still stress-inducing though

We reached the Settlement at 12:30 p.m. and headed to the Monastery to check it out. The area is absolutely beautiful. You could feel that sense of peace and serenity prevailing in the area.








After the mandatory group picture, we took the everso important pictures of our steeds.




I can't decide what's more beautiful to look at, the bikes or the background

We then headed over to the Green Tara Cafe and Restaurant for Lunch. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of any of the "fancy food" (As per Shyam) that we ate, but I think it's safe to say that the food was lovely, and was the view from the table. Post lunch, Shyam was kind enough to let me ride the Vstrom for a while, and this being the first time I was riding a properly large and powerful ADV, I was pretty nervous. For context, the Wee produces almost 3 times as much power as my Himalayan and double the torque, all whilst being just slightly heavier than my bike, with the accessories and all.



However, the bike felt really friendly to ride. The power was there for sure, but it didn't alarm you; it was super linear through the rev range, and I'm sure could cruise easily and 130-140kmph. Since we were on back roads, I wasn't planning to try that out, though The bike did not feel heavy due to the exceptional weight balance and sublime ride, and I got very comfortable riding it in just 5-6kms. I can see why Shyam chose this bike; it feels like an extension of yourself while riding and a natural upgrade from the Himalayan 411. Would love to get this myself one day XD. Post this, we headed home to end a wonderful journey. Quick Details of the ride are below:

Total Distance: 380 Kms
Total Saddle Time:10 Hours Approx
Mileage (Himalayan): 33.2 Kmpl


That's all for today folks, cheers

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

We continued the journey after some lovely Dosa and Coffee, and an hour in, Shyam's rear tyre unfortunately got punctured, so we made it to a nearby "Puncher" Shop and got that fixed.
...
Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of any of the "fancy food" (As per Shyam) that we ate...

With this, essentially all the 3 rear tyres on the Wee have had a "puncher"

If a place doesn't serve "thayir sadam", I deem it fancy food lol.

Meanwhile, the BS6 Himalayan is all aces! Either that or you've maintained yours really well. Or both.
The smooth throttle pull, lighter clutch, smooth shifting all along and the way it pulls to a 100kph... thoroughly enjoyed it. The suspension again, spot on! I went through that rough patch actually thankful that we switched motorcycles

This motorcycle deserves so much more applause and credit for what it did in the Indian "Adv" segment.

Good ride! Here's to more!

[Senotrius]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Riding Gear Update: Boots, Pants and a Base Layer

The major difference was in terms of Certification (Ryo is CE 2222 IPS IPA Certified, whereas the Tarmac is CE 2122 IPS IPA Certified up to EN 13634:2017 Standards)

Were you able to verify that the ryo conquer boots are labelled CE level 2222 while at the store? The website mentions it but I have not seen pictures of the actual boot with the labels inside.