[curiousbolt]

Originally Posted by lovlyfella

Thank you for the review. Could not have come at a better time for me. I am on the look out for a bike and did TD for a 400 metre ride and liked it. I would like to have the opinion of this esteemed group on my use case and whether Ronin is a good bike for me.

I think Ronin will work out perfectly for you. Due to the lower seating position, you can always sit and move the bike around easily, it'll only be a matter of time till you get used to it. I have a friend who's 5ft six and he seems to love the bike mainly because of the comfort it offers. All other bikes although are really good options, aren't as nimble as the Ronin. The engine as well is quite versatile, has enough low end and a smooth mid range to keep you engaged if in case you get bored and can be smooth and silent if you want to take it easy. For me personally, i felt the power transitions are really smooth in Ronin, some might say it's underpowered but I think it's an effort to make the riding experience more smooth you don't feel the bike jerking around when you're on and off the throttle in traffic. I personally have a gs310 and I'm 28, so seriously considering the Ronin as a commuter alternative which for once in the market looks attractive

Whatever you choice is, good luck and happy motorcycling!

[lovlyfella]

Originally Posted by curiousbolt

Whatever you choice is, good luck and happy motorcycling!

Thank you. I did end up buying Ronin and enjoying every bit of it. I did get used to its weight. Height is just about perfect. Ride is fun. Very nimble. Excellent pick-up. Only 2 things that are a bit of a problem..
1. U-turns:-. May be because the turning radius is large, I am still not able to do comfortable U turns. Its a big issue for me.
2. Because of the quick pick-up, shift from 1st to 2nd gear is a little scary for the pillion rider

But overall, perfect bike for me

[010101]

I took a test drive of this bike the other day and came out walking impressed with it.

The exhaust sounds like someone turned up the bass. It sounds awesome and dare I say, better than the thump of an RE. Engine seemed to be quite tractable and the suspension setup is very sorted. I intentionally did go on potholes and bad roads and the bike seemed to absorb it well without transferring the shock to me, unlike my NS200. At about 5'10" I didnt feel like this bike was small. It seemed just about right.

I am planning to take another test ride with my forever pillion rider and get her feedback.

[Gansan]

I checked out the bike for my son and was impressed. He was not so impressed and is put off by the offset speedometer. He is smitten more by the Apache RTR 200 / Yamaha FZ 250. The Ronin has impressed a former boss of mine so much he bought one last month and is riding regularly for some practice. He plans to ride the bike from Rajasthan to Chennai later this month to meet up with his former colleagus and spend a week with us! He plans a well spaced ride and will cover the distance in about a week to ten days.

By the way, he is almost 75 years old, a former mariner and has not ridden a bike for a long long time, hence the elaborate preparation.

[catkins]

Originally Posted by Gansan

put off by the offset speedometer

I didn't like the lack of symmetry when I first saw the bike but now I have one, I appreciate the extra forward visibility especially on unmade roads

[010101]

After a couple more test drives, I bought a Ronin base variant in Black. I would have appreciated dual channel ABS but the colors on the top variant seemed off or too busy and I definitely dont want bluetooth unless I can switch it off manually.

Coming from a NS200, the suspension seems way better at soaking up the hard bumps. My wife too liked the way the bike behaved. The bassy rumble of the bike reminds me of the Top Gear episode where Jeremy Clarkson compares the

rumble

of an Alfa Romeo Disco Volante, everytime I start it. I feel this is the bike Royal Enfield classic should have been - without all that extra weight and just a neat single cylinder.

The only other bikes in contention were the Hero Xpulse 2004v and the Royal Enfield Scram 411. Suzuki V-Strom was too high for 5'10" me. The xpulse is a pretty decent option but seemed more off-road oriented for a commuter that I needed. Test rides on the Scram and other RE bikes made me question my sanity as I was used to the NS200's performance, weight and gear shifts. The RE bikes were made keeping a relaxed commute in mind, I guess. It shifts gears only when it wants to. The suspension was also a bit springy for my liking. The Ronin was the only bike which seemed to tick most of the boxes. I would have loved a bigger engine and even lengthier seat. But it is good as it is.

One con though - not sure if it is because of the lower seating - mud splashes a lot on your feet. I probably need to look for some mud flaps for the rear wheel or a cover like NS200's.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by 010101

One con though - not sure if it is because of the lower seating - mud splashes a lot on your feet. I probably need to look for some mud flaps for the rear wheel or a cover like NS200's.

Congrats on your purchase. Ronin really is a well designed bike from ground up. Most likely mud is coming from front wheel as only it can splash up.

[CafeRacer16]

How is the fuel efficiency of Ronin in city commute?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Gansan

The Ronin has impressed a former boss of mine so much he bought one last month and is riding regularly for some practice. He plans to ride the bike from Rajasthan to Chennai later this month to meet up with his former colleagus and spend a week with us!

By the way, he is almost 75 years old, a former mariner and has not ridden a bike for a long long time, hence the elaborate preparation.

He started his trip on 12th Nov morning and arrived at the accommodation arranged in Chennai by lunch time on 21st. He came via Tonk,Jhalawar,Bhopal,Nagpur,Nirmal,Hyderabad and Ongole. With an overnight stay at each place, except Bhopal where he stayed an extra day probably to meet some friends. The Odo on arrival clocked 2400 km approx.

He had ridden the bike extensivesly around his hometown Alwar for a month and completed first service before starting out. Says the bike ran like a clock and was a joy to ride. Never faced any issues anywhere during the trip. I asked him about the bigger turn radius but he didn't mention anything about it. Probably forgot what the turn radius was in the bikes he last rode three decades ago! He did mention his bum becomes uncomfortable after about 200 km of riding, so he concludes his ride at the 300-350 km mark, before sunset in some town and calls it a day. He is unable to state any reason for this, says the seat is wide and well cushioned, feels very comfortable too. He is not tall, about 5.6 but his feet comfortably touch the ground. Says he didn't feel the weight of the bike much till once on a long incline where the traffic was crawling, the bike tilted a bit more and his leg couldn't support the weight. Fortunately two pillion riders of nearby bikes came running and saved the situation.

He did the second service in Chennai, I think at Phoenix mall. Some background. We call him Mr.DMP. He is 74 years old, nudging the 75 mark. Spends six months every year with his son in Canada, four months with daughter in the US and then four-five months in India. This is his routine. A former mariner, he was the ED of the shipping division of the manufacturing company I was working for. I worked with him for six years. Then the division was wound up in the year 2000, he left Chennai and I went back to the parent company. I met him again only now, after 22 years. He has been saying for a few years he was going to buy a bike and ride it to Chennai to meet all of us again but we didn't take it seriously till we got the message he bought the Ronin and was about to start the trip shortly! He stayed here for eight days and we all spent some quality time with him. It was quite a reunion. A big crowd of ex colleagues and other friends assembled, various get togethers on various evenings, lunch invites to friends' homes, the works.

He started the return leg at 6.15 a.m. today from T'Nagar and the night halt will be Krishnagiri. He plans to bypass Bangalore tomorrow and go to Chitradurga for the night halt. Then one more halt at Karnataka before he enters Maharashtra. He plans to go to Alwar eventually after visiting Mumbai. And is already planning a tour to Assam next year!

Edit: He bought the top variant with dual channel abs for the tour.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by Gansan

He started the return leg at 6.15 a.m. today from T'Nagar and the night halt will be Krishnagiri. He plans to bypass Bangalore tomorrow and go to Chitradurga for the night halt. Then one more halt at Karnataka before he enters Maharashtra. He plans to go to Alwar eventually after visiting Mumbai. And is already planning a tour to Assam next year!

It's great to see people rediscovering their love for biking and touring! I hope he has a safe trip back. My friend bought a Ronin and is absolutely loving it as well. Crazy mileage figures too! He managed to get 60kmpl on a highways stint where we maintained 80 kmph for the most part he gets 40kmpl in Bangalore traffic too! The butt pain is probably because of the cushioning, A slightly stiffer seat when worn in is probably the way to go for long distance comfort. RE's touring seats are like that and from what I've heard are amazing for this purpose.

[catkins]

Originally Posted by 010101

One con though - not sure if it is because of the lower seating - mud splashes a lot on your feet.

Same here. In wet weather on sandy roads I feel splashing from just below my knees downward and the front of the fork legs above the mudguard gets splashed.

Some of it comes from the front of the mudguard because there are mud streaks on the top front of the mudguard. I plan to put a flap on the front of the mudguard to reduce that. Unfortunately the standard mudflap at the bottom of the mudguard is not available as a separate part.

Another possibility is that the many long sprues on the sides of the front tyre on my bike are throwing mud. They stick out wider than the mudguard. I plan to cut them off.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by catkins

I didn't like the lack of symmetry when I first saw the bike but now I have one, I appreciate the extra forward visibility especially on unmade roads

I too find it cute, it has an aftermarket look. My former boss who did the Alwar-Chennai-Alwar ride agrees. He likes the position because it enables him to place his mobile phone at the centre of the handlebar, and it is convenient for him to read the speedo as well as the map at a glance.

[010101]

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Congrats on your purchase. Ronin really is a well designed bike from ground up. Most likely mud is coming from front wheel as only it can splash up.

Yes, you are right. My bad.

I meant that the mud splashes upwards from the front wheel and upwards towards the pillion seat and downwards towards the chain cover from the rear wheel. The chain cover gets totally soaked in mud coming from the rear wheel. So no going to formal meetings with this, in the rainy weather

I have raised an issue with customer support. Hopefully it leads to something.

[010101]

Originally Posted by CafeRacer16

How is the fuel efficiency of Ronin in city commute?

I am currently getting somewhere in the high 30s I think. My vehicle's first service is due this week. After that it should improve.

[Alfresco]

Originally Posted by Gansan

He started his trip on 12th Nov morning and arrived at the accommodation arranged in Chennai by lunch time on 21st. He came via Tonk,Jhalawar,Bhopal,Nagpur,Nirmal,Hyderabad and Ongole. With an overnight stay at each place, except Bhopal where he stayed an extra day probably to meet some friends. The Odo on arrival clocked 2400 km approx.

He started from Chennai on Nov 29 and went
Chennai-Krishnagiri-Chitradurga-Belagavi-Pune

Then spent a few nights in Pune then went to Mumbai and spent a few nights there.

He started from Mumbai on Dec 08 and then went
Mumbai-Surat-Himmat Nagar-Chittorgarh-Alwar

He’s now back in Alwar. He arrived Sunday evening and the last leg of his journey was Chittorgarh-Bhilwara-Jaipur-Alwar which was around 450kms.

He covered over 6000kms on his Ronin and it returned an average of over 45 kms/litre!

I have always been a fan of TVS bikes. I have one for my staff-members, and my 1994 Shogun is still in very good condition! I wanted an Adv bike and bought a BMW 310GS because it’s made by TVS and spare parts should not be a problem unlike that for imported bikes.

So we zeroed in on TVS Ronin for his motorcycling comeback.

(I’m Mr. DMPs nephew )