[lionell]

Hey Narula, I got the Ninja delivered 'finally' after a year long wait.

Here are some shots courtesy of Ray Ankon and my wife.

Like fellow Bhpian's suggested am going to run her in with regular short bursts and let her cool down then.

Looking forward to a long ride post the run-in period.

Thanks to the Pro-biking guys (Jatin, Hitesh & Samir) for making sure it reaches Ahmedabad during the Diwali week. This is the 3rd Ninja650 in Gujarat and the 2nd in Ahmedabad. Need to find out who's got the first one to hook up on rides if that guy's interested.

[Surajit333]

Originally Posted by lionell

Hey Narula, I got the Ninja delivered 'finally' after a year long wait.

Hi Lionell,

Congratulations on your purchase, I remember you following up for the 2012 Ninja 650 launch in the forum, good to see you owning one. Enjoy your ride.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by lionell

Hey Narula, I got the Ninja delivered 'finally' after a year long wait.

Congrats buddy. So finally you are on this side of the line. Ride Safe.

[VLOCT]

Congrats. The Kawi Green has always been one of my favorite color. Please get some real riding gear including boots.

Congrats again.

[Magnaspectre]

Congratulations Lionell on getting yourself the Ninja 650. Enjoy the ride...

[lionell]

Originally Posted by Magnaspectre

Congratulations Lionell on getting yourself the Ninja 650. Enjoy the ride...

Thanks Magnaspectre. Done around 680kms on it till date.

Looking at the first service. Running it in as per the norms :-)

[narula123]

Been a while since I updated the thread and thats mainly been because I have been busy piling on numbers on the odo with my fellow Ninja 650 riders here in Bangalore.

We have an amazing Ninja 650 owners' club and the Bangalore chapter guys are just awesome. We ride almost every Sunday and its a pleasure riding with these fellows.

Anyways, the Assassin has been at it without a whimper. Ferrying my backside all over the outskirts of Bangalore. Regularly do crazy speeds on her and boy is she stable. Doesn't twitch out of line no matter what the speed.

Although an upgrade to steel lines and EBC pads is on the cards, the stock setup has noticeably improved with time. She still corners like a dream but Im starting to think that a bit more pre-load will do me good when on a corner-mission-day.

Coming to problems. The HID bulb back-housing came loose on its own and I noticed it one fine day when I could see light under the handlebars. Took it promptly to Auto Service and got it fixed with some double-sided tape. The fellow there told me that the HID lamp is smaller than the stock halogen. Hence, the cover tends to slip off. Thankfully, the bulb is still held secure in place even when the cover slips, so no chance of the bulb shaking and falling off.

Came home only to realise two days later that the ballast (stuck by double-tape between the two headlight mountings, under the instrument panel) has started slipping down gradually with regular riding jerks and shocks. Consequently, it bumps into a screw on the tri-cone when the bars are rotated left to lock. Not cool. Plan to get the Ballast moved and mounted with screws in a more reliable spot in this week itself.

And while I am in the grumpy momentum, I wish she sounded better. I feel like crying everytime an inline-4 passes me. But then after a 500 km ride, while the i4 guy is cribbing about body parts hurting and falling apart, I am fresh as a daisy.
You can fill her up almost anywhere without worrying about octane boosters etc. Put her in 6th gear and you can almost put your left limbs to rest and cruise the entire day on the highway without shifting.

Honestly, she is the most sensible bike to buy in India in my opinion. You can run her around town, take her touring or put her on the track. She just doesn't fail you.

[sag_kv]

Hi guys i am from bangalore, yet to take delivery of my bike, i wanted to know where to get the frame sliders fitted, i have searched the perfomance store online, the frame sliders shown are for the 2009 model will they do, please help me out on this issue. Do the bajaj showroom guys fit them.And guys one more thing is there any store in bangalore which sells biking accessories so that you we can try out before buying(eg. Helmets, shoes & jackets & stuff), address if available please.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by sag_kv

Hi guys i am from bangalore, yet to take delivery of my bike, i wanted to know where to get the frame sliders fitted, i have searched the perfomance store online, the frame sliders shown are for the 2009 model will they do, please help me out on this issue. Do the bajaj showroom guys fit them.And guys one more thing is there any store in bangalore which sells biking accessories so that you we can try out before buying(eg. Helmets, shoes & jackets & stuff), address if available please.

I'm not sure where you can get the frame sliders for the new 650 in Blore. I recollect quite a few owners fitting the R&G brand of sliders. You can contact Auto Service who can install the sliders for you.

You can also visit X-Torque in Kasturinagar which is a HUGE store (just like they have abroad) dealing in an array of helmets, riding gear and accessories. They have an excellent collection and you can try and buy.

Check out the riding gear thread too for more pointers.

[sriku]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

I'm not sure where you can get the frame sliders for the new 650 in Blore. I recollect quite a few owners fitting the R&G brand of sliders. You can contact Auto Service who can install the sliders for you.

You can also visit X-Torque in Kasturinagar which is a HUGE store (just like they have abroad) dealing in an array of helmets, riding gear and accessories. They have an excellent collection and you can try and buy.

Check out the riding gear thread too for more pointers.

As far as I know, there are two brands of sliders currently sourceable in india, R&G (9500/-) and Puig(7650/-). R&G area available from the performance racing store in mumbai, they ship anywhere in india. Call Aditya Bedre(+918148015577)), he will send you a set of sliders from Chennai, he stocks everything for PRS in the South zone.

Puig, on the other hand is available from the planetdsg website. I do not know anybody who has fitted these on their bike.

I have fitted the R&G no-cut frame sliders on my 2012. Hope I never need to see them in action.

Regards,
Sriku

[dinyaar]

Originally Posted by sag_kv

Hi guys i am from bangalore, yet to take delivery of my bike, i wanted to know where to get the frame sliders fitted, i have searched the perfomance store online, the frame sliders shown are for the 2009 model will they do, please help me out on this issue. Do the bajaj showroom guys fit them.And guys one more thing is there any store in bangalore which sells biking accessories so that you we can try out before buying(eg. Helmets, shoes & jackets & stuff), address if available please.

Hi
Congratulations !
Get the R&G. Better than the Puig in my opinion.
Yes Performance Racing has the one for the 2012/ 2013 in stock and they will ship to you. Please get the Probiking outlet in your city to install them. Its not that the fairing is difficult to open or re install its just better when a guy who is familiar with the machine does it.
PRC also has some good helmets and other riding gear at the moment. KBC, HJC, Arai, JR are all in stock at various price points. Sizing is not difficult if you measure as you are instructed.
The 650 is a good machine and should last you for years.

Have had this machine for about 4 months and I found that setting the clutch from the lower adjuster (not the one on the lever)and setting the chain has given me less clunkier shifts than the other 650s I have ridden. This was an issue with me as I am more used to riding the Hondas which are a tad different. The poor quality clutch lever too has been replaced and that also helps the clutch feel. Replaced the brake lever too for the sake of uniformity but that NISSIN lever was anyway good & the pazzo in my opinion has not improved on it in any way.
Another issue I faced was a fairing buzz at exactly 4000 RPM which would lessen greatly once you cross about 5000/5500 RPM. Seems to come from the front under the windscreen and not from any other part of the fairing. Removed the screen & the V shaped bracket and the speedo and have used what I was told is medium density industrial foam at a few places where there is plastic to plastic contact and the buzz is greatly reduced. I believe this is a problem with most 650s and each machine has it, maybe just to a different degree.

Changing the oil to a suitable synthetic definately helped as she runs smoother.

Do any of you who own the 650 have an issue with clunky shifts or buzzing??

Rgds

[sriku]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Hi
Do any of you who own the 650 have an issue with clunky shifts or buzzing??
Rgds

Hey dinyaar,
As far as clunky shifts go, I have noticed these, but specifically only when shifting to first gear. The other shifts are pretty clean and quiet for me.

I have heard the fairing/visor buzz reported by a couple of guys now, however, I ride with earplugs, and usually wind noise is all I can hear. One of my main grouses is with the super quiet stock exhaust. Coming from a background of loud bikes, it took me a while to figure out when I had to shift up, as earlier I used to rely on the exhaust note for this. I've gotten used to this now though, and think I will stick with the stock exhaust. The full systems available currently are either too loud or not good enough for the money.

As an experiment I did raise the visor to the top setting to see what impact it would have on the wind deflection. Unfortunately, for me, I could notice no difference, unless I am fully tucked in, in which case, the middle position would work just as well. Perhaps a touring screen (Puig) will be an option sometime later.

The front brakes are my biggest problem, though I am upgrading the pads and lines soon. The stock brakes are fine, but I would like a bit more predictable stopping power. Stock brakes lack that predictability that I have observed in the upgraded pads.

Everyone seems to want morimoto projector headlights, and though I agree the stock bulbs are next to useless, I would want to try the H7 xtreme vision bulbs first before upgrading to a projector setup. Getting the bulbs this weekend.

Could you post a pic of your handlebar with the pazzo's, I have ridden a 2011 with pazzo shorty's and quite liked it. Somehow I find the stock levers completely satisfactory, but the pazzo shorty's do feel a lot slicker.

[dinyaar]

Hi Sriku

Hmmmm well I am a very finnicky parsi guy and I expect that there should be no sound / buzz from a fairing / wind screen etc etc. All I should hear is is the exhaust note and the twin engine throb. Like you say you are coming from loud bikes I guess I am coming from quite the opposite and hence the 'sound' issues.
Anyway with a bit of DIY its actually solvable about 80/90 %. A bit of buzz does come when I am really maxxing the machine but then thats rare.

Regarding the exhausts I will wait for now. Like the Yoshimura though. Do these exhausts for parallel twins justify the cost which is upwards of half a lac is a personal call really. Heard & ridden a few 650s with akra / tbr but none are the 2012.

Your clutch cable is adjustable at 2 places. One at the lever and at the other end which is hidden in the right fairing. I opened that adjustment a bit to get better clutch operation while closing in the adjustment at my lever. In any case I could not have been able to live with the clutch setting that was done at the dealer or the factory as I believe it was incorrect. You have to open both a bit to get smooth operation while my clutch adjuster was almost opened to the max !!!!

Well I have the zero gravity DB visor and I dont like it. Just looks cool thats it. Stock visor is better quality in my opinion. Even the DB offers more wind protection & is taller than stock so maybe you should check the DB or the touring on as the SR is just the stock replacement but in a smoke tint. When I bought the bike PUIG had not launched their visor at least thats what I was told.

I had a problem too with the less than average feel on the brakes but things have gotten better with use and kms ridden. Have done nothing except replace the lever with a green pazzo regular. Shorty is great while touring but a pain in city traffic. Problem I have is a couple of times I have braked hard & the front forks buckle and hence I said earlier that the suspension of this machine is average at best. Will replace pads to better aftermarket options once mine wear out. Switching to better brake lines, maybe but not at the moment. If u do go in for galfer or equivalent lines / pads I will probably see your machine if possible and take a call

I found the stock clutch lever (local thailand make) to be useless. Has the reach adjustments but has too much play. With the same clutch setting the Pazzo is much better. The Stock brake lever is NISSIN and is good.

Will put pics as I am eligible to on tbhp for sure.

Rgds

[sriku]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Hi Sriku
I had a problem too with the less than average feel on the brakes but things have gotten better with use and kms ridden. Have done nothing except replace the lever with a green pazzo regular. Shorty is great while touring but a pain in city traffic. Problem I have is a couple of times I have braked hard & the front forks buckle and hence I said earlier that the suspension of this machine is average at best. Will replace pads to better aftermarket options once mine wear out. Switching to better brake lines, maybe but not at the moment. If u do go in for galfer or equivalent lines / pads I will probably see your machine if possible and take a call

As soon as I install the lines/pads I will post about it, we can meet anytime and switch bikes. When I rode a 2011 with the EBC HH pads and galfer lines, I was stunned by the difference. It isn't as much as instant bite and hard stops, just predictable and sure bite levels at just about most speeds. Hard to explain, but I just felt much more confident about the brakes, and later on when I found out the pads had been upgraded, I knew I had to have them too.

As regarding the front diving/wallowing etc, I know about this, and agree the stock setup is a budget front suspension setup at best, and this has been the same across even the previous year versions. The stock rear suspension in my opinion is superb, and does the job well, if your usage is touring oriented. For the track it is too soft. There are some available options to improve the front suspension though, RICOR makes a product called the intiminators, which a couple of guys (@gsferrari) in Bangalore are installing soon. Apparently these things improve the front suspension radically. I will check those bikes out when they are ready, and report back if it is a worthwhile upgrade. The installation would require opening the front forks, draining the oil, introducing the intiminators, replacing the old oil with 5wt oil. Simple enough procedure involving no exterior modification. As long as our forks and the 2009-11 650 forks are the same specs, we should also have this as an option.

Sriku

[sag_kv]

Hi guys thank you for your replies &info. Guess what today turned out to be a surprise got a call from probiking that the bike has arrived:-) and my finance ready. Immediately took a break from work, rwached the showroom finished the paperwork... and the final moment when i got to see my bike standing in the basement, a all new model ninja 650 with many changes in the body work, naming, i would not say more i will just post the pictures i took asap for you to pick the differences.

Thank u for the replies & info @ aditya, dinyaar & sriku. Would check them out. The big surprise happened i got a call from probiking that my bike arrived and all paper work done & ready, had to go and just sign the docs and make the payment. Immediately went there to finish the paperwork & i had to see my bike before i paid the money and went to the basement where the green /black hornet was parked... Youll understand why i said that once you see the pics- its completely remodified styling maybe for 2013, i am not sure, you see the pics i took and spot the differences, did'nt appeal to me in the first look but after seeing it for sometime fell in love once again:-)

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