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-   -   2012 Ninja 650 Launched at Rs 4.99 Lacs (Ex-Showroom Delhi) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/124743-2012-ninja-650-launched-rs-4-99-lacs-ex-showroom-delhi-7.html)

you r right sajan even i feel the bike in bangalore pbk had two separate grab rails apart from the saree guard. Need to reconfirm though .

I can guarantee you - @rk_sans is right. The left grab rail is removed. I have spent enough time looking at how the saree guard was mounted in the Bangalore PBK at Indiranagar.

There is a biker in all of us - in varying levels of passion. My passion finally caught up with me after all these years. After splendors and Kinetics to start with, i never stopped dreaming about moving up the rungs. The first rung was the FZ 16. the intrigue of owning one the the coolest looking 150cc bikes then was rather short lived... its been 3 years since and finally mustered the courage and finances to jump a couple of rungs.

Yup, i booked the ninja 650. In fact i wanted the bike so badly that since its media launch on the 9th of Aug, i have been practically at the Bund Garden Probiking showroom practically every day, only to be met with the recorded conversation time and time again - " Sir, when we open the bookings we will send you a mail". This was after the salesperson told me that there are only 4 bikes allocated for pune. So i became part of their showroom exhibit for the 2 weeks, albeit for a small duration on a daily basis. Finally on the 21st Aug, the salesperson tells me that all the bikes for pune were going to be allocated to bajaj references, and then he puts a rider that in case any bike is available from the lot he will let me have it. To say i was disappointed would have been an understatement.

Finally on the 23rd noon i got a call from Probiking, saying that one of the prospective Bajaj references had not turned up and if he remained incognito until 3 pm i could book the bike. At 3PM i disapparated aka Harry Potter style and magically appeared at the showroom. And as luck would have it i booked the bike and then the usual "awaiting delivery" blues hit me.

It took all my will power not to be a part of the Probiking exhibit for another next 2 weeks.

Fastforwarding through the agonizing wait, 4th Sept - got a call from them saying that the registration is done. I was in Goa at the time, supposedly partying until the 6th. 5th morning i checked out and was the Probiking showroom by 1630. Ofcourse, the one day delay in me collecting the bike gave me the opportunity to get rid of the Soree guard / Barbeque grill / Jail gate or whatever you may want to call the most pathetic saree guard ever to be fitted on a bike.
So when i went for delivery i had a suave and sexy looking derriere for the bike. Finished the formalities in a hurry and grabbed the keys. Got a quick demo from the guys at Probiking and she was all mine.
Fired her up and stuck it in first and trundled along in the rain for the most anticipated ride of my life. all i can add to describe the ride is " Veni, vidi, Vici"
More on the riding experience and photographs in my next post
PS - The grab rail cost INR 806/-

A big congrats for the green monster clap: .

150cc to 650cc , few people have courage and appetite to write the check .Detailed ownership report and lots of pics in a new thread please . How is it jumping from 150cc to 650 cc, do you take it to daily to office ..etc :D .Do you still have the FZ ?

Thanks black12rr! Jumping from the 150 to This particular 650 was a breeze. She is as comfortable doing the daily duties as she is on the highway. The big difference has been the way she moves from standstill to 85kph(running in restricted to 4000rpm). That always brings a smile to my face.
The FZ is still with me and i intend to keep it. it would kinda remind me from where i really started looking upwards.
Oh yeah, ownership report and pics to follow.

Ture , its a tractor on wheels , the way it picks up speed without any drama is to be experienced . I have ridden one and it a great city hunter and highway punter :D . BTW , the previous model had pathetic / spongy brakes , how are the brakes on this this ?

Congratulations Zimbly on your new ride:thumbs up. I shall be taking delivery of the bike from the Bund garden showroom on the 12th:D as I am presently out of station. How was the dealership experience? Anything you suggest I need to be particular about?
Unfortunately I shall have to ride out with the "saree guard" in place as I shall be registering the bike in Mumbai. Have half a mind to just take the guard with me to the RTO and show it to the inspector if he insists during the registration. I am seriously thinking that kawasaki designed the guard in this fashion so as to ensure that nobody in their right frame of mind will keep the guard on after the registration process.

safe rides.

Hey black12rr - well said, city hunter, highway punter. Brakes are fairly nippy. Did a 150km ride to lonavala n back this morning and had a couple of instances of snappy braking. She was confidence inspiring. Though i have to add that most of the ride was in the rains and the rear tended to slip out when negotiating tight turns. Not very confidence inspiring on that front, but then the manual says that the tires are prone to be slippery for the first 160 kms. so need to run them in as well.

Hey frank, Thanks. Your bike is already at the showroom. So a welcome to the club in advance. i was told that the particular piece was for someone from bombay. and now since u mention that u are coming from bombay to pick it up, i guess that one is for you. Yeah man, u are going to have to drive with the sorree guard. suggest u wear a disguise and ride the bike until you remove the guard.
by the way pick up the grab rail from pune probiking, so that as soon as u finish with the formalities of registering it u can replace the guard. It costs INR 806 with taxes. Also i was recommended by probiking to use Speed 93 fuel given that the manual requires 91 octane and above. Normally we do get 91 octane in the cities but then with adulteration, one is never sure.
Probiking told me that running in is 4500rpm until 1000kms. The manual says 4000rpm for the first 800 and upto 6000rpm until 1600kms. First service is at 1000kms and no free services all paid.
Go through the pdi checklist available elsewhere on this site with regard to documentation. and the basics such as oil, coolant etc. Oh yeah the bike had run 28kms when i took delivery, they attributed it to the pdi checks from their end. It seems genuine as some snaps of the bike in chennai show the same reading in the bike kept in the showroom.
Rest wish u all the best for the delivery. I am sure that u are going to enjoy the ride. PM me incase u have any queries.

Hoping there will be no rain that day when I pick up my bike. I have already told them that I shall hand carry the left grab handle .
Where did you collect the bike from? Bund garden or the other place near Bal Gandharva ? Where would I get 93 Octane closest to the showroom?

Thanks for all your help.
Safe Rides.

Bike is at the bund garden showroom. Once u collect the bike, the nearest petrol pump having Speed 93 is at the beginning of North Main road. The bike comes with 5 litres of petrol from the showroom.
You will manage 85-90kmph with the 4000rpm running in restriction. I got an average of 27.2 on the highway run earlier this morning. Should be enough to get you to bombay on a full tank very comfortably.
All the best.

27KMPL during run in is a very good mileage. Can you tell us - do you feel its a very heavy bike to ride in city? as it weighs over 210kg.
Also how is the exhaust note? Does it sound some where near ducati's monster or 848 evo?

Hey djay99, 27.2kmpl was pure highway driving at steady speed of 85-90 most of the way.
Actually i was initially intimidated with the weight of the bike. but it is very easy to maneuver in the traffic. Not as easy as a R15, but she is very maneuverable. Its not an effort to ride slowly and as soon as an opening is available a slight twist of the throttle and u start using the rear view mirror more often than not. The wide handlebars do help in aiding in changing direction comfortably. To put it all in perspective, its not the best handling bike available, but its there at the top.
Coming to the exhaust note - for those looking to wake the neighbours on noise alone, look elsewhere. Very muted when on the move. Nowhere near a Monster.

zimbly congrats!

Checked the bike out last day. Costs 5.5L OT here at Trivandrum. 1 lac for booking and upto 3 months waiting! But since more booking are by NRI, we can expect cancellation or people asking postponing delivery and hence one might get a bike early.

Some pix.