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-   -   MotoNerdz: Big Bike Shop at Trivandrum, Kerala (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/other-cities/212214-motonerdz-big-bike-shop-trivandrum-kerala.html)

Hey guys, got the opportunity to visit an enthusiast run establishment called MotoNerdz which is situated at Kanamoola, Trivandrum.

They sell accessories of both kind, be it in-house developed LED's(Ocelot) or Bashplates or even ones from the big boys like of SW-Motech, Barkbusters etc.

They have their own website and sales portal;

motonerdz.in

They also conduct training sessions by bringing in trainers from prestigious riding academies and also work on motorcycles both big and small, old and new.







The reason I thought it best to let you guys know about this institution is because Trivandrum being the capital city there is no shortage when it comes to bike shops but a common trend you see is an undeniably long backlog, though I'm unaware of the specifics I would generally shy away from a place that has the same disassembled motorcycle parked outside for eons.

What's different with these guys is that they are seasoned motorcyclists and I mean the real kind that haul ass and being so know what a motorcycle means to an enthusiast with the same intentions.

Same reason why I promote companies such at BikeMoksha etc. as being a critical part of the Indian motorcycling communities the feedback loop is instantaneous and everyone gets to know everything first hand be it good or bad and these guys are aware of the same hence tighter quality control prevails be it when it comes to product integrity or logistics.

Now you might also think its cause they ride suberbikes as that is the usual case when it comes to qualifying as an enthusiast these days, and coincidentally as can be seen below is one of the proprietors rides;



But that is not merely the case, they have also clocked some serious miles under their belts and I know so as I've ridden with one of the guys a long while before they set up this establishment and then he was on a KTM Duke 200 that had over 100k on the odo!

Then again, just because they haul ass doesn't mean they fix motorcycles just as well right?

True, hence why they have hired experienced mechanics who have worked for big names in the motorcycling industry.

Plus I got to witness what happens when manufacturer trained mechanics and seasoned enthusiasts work hand in hand, this CB400 Super Four was undergoing some testing and one of the management personnel offered his fuel tank from his very own P220 that he rode into work on so that the testing process doesn't get hindered.



So now you guys know a good portion of what I do and have experienced, I could not take extensive pictures of their water service station or their test track due to not having a smartphone at hand and having to depend upon my prehistoric point and shoot camera.

Plus I was returning from an out of state weekend ride(read, exhausted!) on my P220 and only dropped in to purchase an accessory(that I got for a seasonal discount! Again, coincidentally as these guys have no clue I'd be posting a review here until the moment I click Post!), so I believe it goes without saying that this was not pre-planned nor do I have any vested interests when it comes to MotoNerdz.

Here's a wild snap from my weekend ride!



Cheers,
A.P. :)

Always nice to see motorcycle enthusiasts run motorcycle shops, as opposed to pot bellied people who can't tell a sparkplug from a injector. I'll probably pay them a visit when I'm down there, which, given my laziness, will be never.

Equally nice to see your garage queen on the road. She's one rare sight.

Amen to that!

Do update the Travancore thread when you'd be visiting, would love to catch up. To date I've not had the opportunity to meet a fellow teambhpian in the flesh! :D

Thank you for the kind words, after the CT100B I seldom use the P220 but it just got to me that the P220 would be crossing 5 years this December and I had over 5k km's to clear before hitting the 50k milestone, hence decided to ride her a bit, though I've now returned to the CT100B, riding conditions here are such that the 100 is the only ride I can ride at WOT in good conscience. :)

When motorcyclists opens up a motorcycle shop the experience of a visit is entirely different as compared to visiting a person who is in it to just flees super bikers with half baked knowledge and simply because they own big expensive bikes.
I hope they stay true to the passion of riding and the art of customer service in the long run.

Back in December 2020, I had taken my Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 to Motonerdz in Trivandrum, for its long pending fork oil change. It was an excellent service experience and I was very happy that I had taken my bike to the experts, to get the work done to my satisfaction. Here is the link to that experience.

Meanwhile, I had prepared a list of things to be done on my Triumph Street Triple 675, and it was a no-brainer to take the bike to Motonerdz for this pending work. Since getting all of this done would take a few days, I had left the motorcycle with them and picked it up at a later date.

Below is the summary of work that I had listed
1. Paint alloys and side panels
2. Install Barkbusters Aero GP Lever guards
3. Install Pyramid Plastics fender extender
4. Paint triple clamp
5. Replace Osram Night Breaker headlights
6. Replace coolant
7. Tighten foundation bolts
8. Reduce preload
9. Install new seat cover layer
10. Paint swingarm spools
11. Install Domino grips

In case you are wondering why these were required, here is a short explanation on each of them.

1. Paint alloys and side panels
When I bought the Triumph Street Triple 675 in black, I loved it for being super stealthy and its ability to blend in anywhere, just like a regular motorcycle would. But after 2 and a half years of owning the bike, I started feeling the need for subtle visual modifications that were classy and yet, understated.

Back in black

My first thought was to go with gold alloys, but that has become too common these days. After a lot of research and discussions with the Motonerdz team, I finalized on the metallic blue that is found on the alloys of the current Suzuki GSXR1000. This would not be easy to pull off. But if anyone could do it, it had to be Motonerdz.

2. Install Barkbusters Aero GP Lever guards
After seeing some of the crazy motorcyclists here in Cochin, getting lever guards was slowly becoming a necessity. Motonerdz procured this for me. It is currently available on the Bike N Biker website.

3. Install Pyramid Plastics fender extender
After changing the tires to Pirellis in September 2020, I found that the radiator was getting a lot of slush thrown on it from the front tire. I was starting to get tired of cleaning the dirt that was caked on the radiator guard every week and this slush could also disrupt the flow of air. Thanks to the inputs from fellow Triumph Street Triple owners, I ordered the fender extender from Custom Elements and got it delivered to Motonerdz. Link to the Custom Elements site.

4. Paint triple clamp
Since the alloys were getting painted to that dark mettallic blue, the OEM grey triple clamp would look terribly out of place. Painting this black to match the handlebars would achieve visual symmetry.

5. Replace Osram Night Breaker headlights
The stock headlights on the Triumph Street Triple 675 are nothing to write home about. I had changed them to Osram Night Breakers soon after purchasing the motorcycle and they were a big improvement over the stock headlights. Many riders here have shifted completely to Nighteye LEDs and I purchased the same product from Amazon. This particular pair is well suited to the reflectors of the Street Triple and the cutoff is good. But the white light can get washed out in certain conditions. The only real solution was to get proper aux lights installed but with the current MVD checking, it was not a sensible option. So the next best option was to use the LEDs or a combination of the Osram Night Breaker and LED, to get the best of both worlds. I asked Motonerdz to install the LED bulb on the right side and then check the performance in the real world. The next step was to install the LED on the left side and have the Osram Night Breaker on the right. The third option was to have both as the LEDs.

6. Replace coolant
Frequent readers of the Motorbikes section of this forum, will know of my technical difficulties with the local Triumph dealership. They introduced a heating issue in my motorcycle and were unable to identify it, despite me pointing it out to them repeatedly. Trusted biker friends of mine had suggested that I go with Engine Ice instead of Motul Motocool but at that time, only Motul's coolant was available. Link to the final update of my long saga. The Motul Motocool fixed the heating issues with my bike but I wanted to switch to Engine Ice to see if the heat management could be bettered, considering our sweltering Kerala summers.

7. Tighten foundation bolts
The bike had redeveloped some annoying vibes from 4,000 RPM onwards. I had pointed out the prominent vibrations to the Triumph service team at the time of service in September, it had been rectified but it had slowly returned within the span of a few hundred kilometers.

8. Reduce preload
This was a simple job. I had got the rear stiffened up after the service, to learn how the bike behaved with this change. But with the stiffer rear, I couldnt achieve a very comfortable setting, even with the fully adjustable Ohlins suspension. So, it was basically undoing the simple change which I had made earlier.

9. Install new seat cover layer
There was a small tear on the rear seat. Im not sure how it happened. Leaving it unchecked was not the best solution, so I asked Motornerdz to get a nice seat cover installed.

10. Paint swingarm spools
These were orange in colour and since the alloys were being painted in blue, I wanted them to match that. Motonerdz did inform me that it would be difficult to achieve a long lasting paint finish on this, which I was fine with.

11. Install Domino grips
I was looking for high quality aftermarket grips to help improve the riding experience and I got good feedback on Domino grips from fellow Triumph owners. Motornerdz and I tried sourcing the right set but we were unable to get it in India.

Now, for the end results. Motonerdz absolutely nailed the colour and the paint finish on the wheels and the side panels. The painted triple clamp has really changed the view from the saddle as well. I know that it wasnt easy to get the right paint colour and the depth of the paint, it definitely took the Motornerdz team quite some effort to achieve the perfect results. Overall, it looks like an OEM paintjob and the difference that it has made on the looks of the bike is just amazing! Call me biased, but I absolutely love the final results.


Coming to the headlights, the team found that having the Osram Night Breaker on the right (when seated on the bike) and the LED on the left (away from incoming traffic) offered the right lighting conditions for our roads. I am riding with this setup and am quite happy with it. The bike is also a lot smoother now with the tightening of the foundation bolts and that has made long distance riding a lot easier. The seat cover is quite grippy and definitely is of a better quality than I expected.

The Engine Ice lived up to its reputation and it keeps the bike cooler for longer. The Motul Motocool is a undoubtedly a very good product but the Engine Ice is a half step above it.

To summarize, let me just update the points that I had listed in my last experience with Motonerdz
- Well trained and meticulous team of technicians. They have hands on experience with different motorcycles (premium to litre class) and know their technical ins and outs and helped address any doubts that I had. The experience with other big bikes helps them identify issues that owners may not be aware of / have gotten accustomed to.
- Good supervision by the management.
- Required tools are all available, I have found that some of the local FNGs in Cochin do not have the necessary tools when needed, which can get a bit disconcerting and might result in some work being left undone.
- Right processes being followed. No shortcuts or jugaads anywhere. What was done was done correctly and by the book.
- Spacious premises with enough ramps for multiple bikes.
- They go the extra mile to achieve the results that the customer expects.
- Clear timelines and excellent communication before, during and after the work.
- It is a garage for enthusiasts that is run by enthusiasts.

That's a cool looking bike you got there now! Wishing you many more happy miles on it. Keep us updated! :Cheering:

That is an extremely good looking bike and some very decent mods. Let me know when the urge to sell kicks in :)

Nice work.

All the folks come to Cochin and you went to Trivandrum :D Is it due to the lack of competent centers in Cochin or due to any specific reason?

What's the price for Osram Night Breaker, Barkbusters Aero GP Lever guards, and the painting?

Mithun, thanks for your kind words of appreciation. When it comes to Trivandrum and Cochin, the grass is always greener on the other side :D

There are a few places in Cochin that are known for painting but I didnt want to take a risk with an unknown (to me) entity. My friend recently got his big bike repainted here in Cochin but the clear coat finish on the panels was not very good. They have said that they will fix it but such incidents shake my confidence.

Coming to garages, I do know that there are a couple of big garages that supposedly cater to big bikes. But their track record is still not great, and there are some complaints here and there. The one that is really good and which I would recommend is F Motors. But it is not a full time setup. I have been encouraging them to take this up as a full time profession. They have the skillset and competency to succeed in the long run.

I will dig up the costs of the products and share it here for reference. I had recently taken some pictures and will post them as well.

I forgot to mention that one of the good things about dealing with Motonerdz is that all the bills are sent via email with the full breakup of GST and taxes. There is none of the 'Estimate Only' flimsy paper bill nonsense that you often find with other garages.

Below is the breakup of the cost of the different products that have been installed on my bike.

1. Paint alloys and side panels
I was very clear on the type of outcome and the level of finishing that I wanted. I did not want any cheap and low quality paint that would make me regret my penny pinching later on. You get what you pay for. Motonerdz used expensive Dupont paint for the alloys and the side panels. The cost came to Rs 8,000.

2. Install Barkbusters Aero GP Lever guards
As I mentioned earlier, this is currently available with the Bike N Biker store. Motonerdz procured it for me. The cost was Rs 10,000.

3. Install Pyramid Plastics fender extender
I had ordered this myself from the custom elements site and got it delivered to Motonerdz. The cost was Rs 2,700.

4. Paint triple clamp
The cost of this was included in the Rs 8,000 from the first point.

5. Replace Osram Night Breaker headlights
I had picked up the Osram Laser Night Breaker Duo (H4) in 2018 from Amazon. This is the Amazon link to the product. At that time, it cost me Rs 1,424. I had got them installed in 2018 or 2019 during a service at the local Triumph dealership.

Last year I picked up the Andride NIGHTEYE LED (H4) headlights from Amazon. This is the Amazon link to the product. It cost me Rs 2,447.

6. Replace coolant
Motonerdz used some Liqui Moly radiator cleaner, distilled water and Engine Ice coolant. For the radiator cleaner, I was charged on actuals. This was Rs 150.08. The distilled water costs came to Rs 150. I was also charged on actuals for the Engine Ice. This came to 2.6 litres and cost me Rs 2,086.

9. Install new seat cover layer
This came to Rs 450.

Meanwhile, I have ordered SW-Motech 20mm handlebar risers from Custom Elements and got it delivered to Motonerdz. They will paint it in black to match the triple clamp paint job.

Here is a parting picture of the bike. With the current triple lockdown, all I can do is start it up every few days and let it run for ten to fifteen minutes.