The Mean Green Big Kwacker Rides Home : My Kawasaki Ninja 650R Hello Bhpians,
A little less than 2 months ago i was driving down to Mahabaleshwar, was almost reaching Panchgani when i saw a big green color bike parked on the opposite side on the ghats, i immediately stopped my car and got off. walked towards this large green mean Kwacker the Ninja 650r. I was instantly sold out to this babe in green, the proportions of the bike were just perfect, the bike was on road test with Autocar, i started a conversation with the rider (forgot his name - my bad memory) he was friendly and kind enough to respond to almost all my queries and even allowed me to mount the bike to get a feel. This is when he told me that the vehicle is going to be launched very soon.
All this while my wifey and kiddo was seated in the car, when i returned back in the car i was dumbstruck. I then called a close source in Bajaj and enquired about the bike, he told me the date of launch as 8th June, it was 28th May that day and it was 10 days for booking, the source at Bajaj had clearly mentioned that they have a few bikes ready and if i book it early then he can assure me a delivery in the 1st lot.
Past 1.5yrs have been spent riding the Ninja 250r and had ridden a little above 5.5k kms, my wifey condition was that i can only get the 650 if i get rid of the 250r which i wasn’t keen on, but as we all know "who is the boss " i posted my first classified ads on T-bhp and then on X-bhp, responses started pouring in, the offers were nowhere close to my expectation as i was handing over accessories worth 40k with the bike which was absolutely scratch less and in immaculate shape with service record. Soon spoke to another prospect that sounded very much interested and was keen on picking this babe, after some negotiation which lasted a few days we made a deal, he picked up the bike in a next couple of days and i was ready for my next babe the Ninja 650r.
8th Jun early morning I reached the Probiking Vashi outlet, I was blown by the pricing announcement @ 5 lacs on road this babe is a steal, out came the cheque book and an initial booking payment of Rs. 50,000/- was made. The came out with a T&C’s agreement which all Ninja 650r customers are made to sign and it clearly mentions 90days delivery time. I was not very happy to sign it but was assured by the Probiking guys that it will be much sooner than that. Then came the endless waiting period, 3 weeks past with regular follow-ups with Probiking. Then about 10days back I received a call from them requesting me to make the balance payment as the vehicle is already allotted to me. The payment was made sameday evening and the wait started.
14th Jul I get a call from Probiking that the RTO formalities are complete and the bike will be delivered tomorrow at 11am. With the rain gods playing havoc for the past week, I was praying that I get some sunshine. That night I just couldn’t sleep, finaly managed to sleep only to wake up at 6am, all morning routine done was ready to head for the showroom at 8am. Then wifey tells me she wants to accompany me to the showroom. We reached the showroom at 10.00am a full 1hr before time. Was welcomed by Mr. Kiran Diwekar from Bajaj Service, he has been very helpful and instrumental in maintaining my 250 and now the 650, he was here to ensure that the PDI’s are done as per standard. The usual documentation was done, I was explained the controls, features and the warranty terms. The key was handed over to me following a photo session, The First NINJA 650r in the country has been delivered, and this was a proud moment. This was immediately followed by Bikefreaks bike.
I mounted the bike only to feel the world of a difference between the riding posture and weight of the bike, I pushed the start button and the babe roared to life, the bike felt easy to maneuver in traffic, the bike was taken to the filling station and then for the pooja to the mandir, I managed to clock a little above 50kms during that day as the rain played hide N seek all the time.
Saturday morning I woke up to find the sun shining outside my window, I immediately jumped from the bed and decided to clock some kms. I wore my riding gear consisting of a HJC helmet, A-Star Jacket and Gloves and Puma footwear. The roads was empty and dry, a small blip on the throttle and the bike used to breeze past the 150kmph mark, I was amazed at the way this babe responds. The traffic on panvel bypass was surprisingly scarce. I decided to give this babe a pull, I was on 60 in the 3rd gear, I dropped a gear and a twist on the throttle, I could feel my front wheel was above the ground, Power wheelie 1st time in my life, what a feeling. Going past the 150 kmph mark was very easy. I reached home after clocking in total 140kms on the odo.
A ride to Pune and back was planned for Sunday morning alongwith a Ducati Monster 796, a RE LB 500 and a Honda Ceeber 250, but was eventually shelved due to the weather playing the spoil sport. The plans have been postponed to next weekend and shall keep you guys updated then.
To sum up, my experience with the big green kwacker so far has been very satisfying and following are the points I want to share with you.
What I like :
1. Size.
2. Built Quality.
3. Upright seating position.
4. Road grip.
5. Torquey Engine.
Things could be better :
1. Exhaust Note
2. Weight
3. Horn
4. Mirrors
Some pictures i managed to click, pardon the quality i've used a phonecam.
Last edited by manson : 18th July 2011 at 19:54.
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