[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by fiorano88

I am using the RAM handlebar rail mount which comes with the universal x-grip and works pretty well.its in stock also with happyearth. You can have a look at that also

Hey thanks for looking that up for me. I just saw this on their site now. I must have been looking at the wrong X mount I guess. What I was looking at was this part number: RAM-HOL-UN7BU.
Anyway, since this is in stock I guess I can go ahead and order this now. Will come in handy on my ride to Cochin for the SHR.

[Snehal Sekhar]

After much dilly dallying I picked up the Ram Mount and X-grip today. I got this from a company called happyearth.in. Purchased it through a friend who was able to get me a Rs.500 discount off their online price of Rs.3,749.00. The product came neatly packed and is simple to install. The package contains 2 U Bolts for different size handle bars, bolt nuts, rubber bolt end tips, a rubber bush to place between the handle bar and U-bolt and the X-grip.

U-Bolt


X-Grip mount


X-Grip




The rubber holders on the X-Grip does a stellar job in holding my phone in place. I went on a small test ride after attaching my phone (Nokia Lumia 720) to the mount and the phone didn't move a bit. These don't come with a water proof cover though and I will need to purchase one to protect my phone from the elements during my rides.

The X-Grip can be detached as well from the mount when needed and so there is no chance of anyone stealing the mount when the Baron is parked. All in all a good product and worth the money spent.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Got myself an MT Blade helmet today. The purchase was made on an impulse. I actually went to X-Torque (HSR Layout) to buy a can of Muc-Off bike cleaner. While there, chanced upon a few helmets and just tried them on for size. The Axxor branded helmets were too small for size, the LS2's looked shady and not sure if they were original, the other helmets they had were MT and HJC. The HJC was way beyond my budget and were retailing for around 10K. The MT ones were pretty good, fit me perfectly and were well within my price range.

I got a size large and the helmet weighs only 1.5 kilos. It comes with 2 visors, the outer visor is a transparent and the inner visor is tinted. The inner liners are detachable and has space at the ears to install a Blue Tooth earpiece if ever required. The helmet has a Double D chin strap, the fit is snug and never felt uncomfortable or heavy. I paid Rs.5,650.00 and this was a purchase that I should have done quite sometime ago.

A few pictures of the Blade.
Profile view:


Front view:


Rear view:


Inner tinted visor:


Helmet bag:


The only concern I had with X-torque is that they don't give a printed bill for any purchase and they said that they would email the receipt to me which I still haven't received.

[Shreeniwas]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

This was a purchase that I should have done quite sometime ago.

The only concern I had with X-torque is that they don't give a printed bill for any purchase and they said that they would email the receipt to me which I still haven't received.

Congratulations on your new lid & RAM mount.

As the saying goes, better late than never.

Regarding bill, probably you can follow up with them through their FB page. When I picked my HJC from "Isle of Man" store, they sent bill by email right in front of me.

Any idea if LGU had stock of HJC Visors ?

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by Shreeniwas

Congratulations on your new lid & RAM mount.

As the saying goes, better late than never.

Regarding bill, probably you can follow up with them through their FB page. When I picked my HJC from "Isle of Man" store, they sent bill by email right in front of me.

Any idea if LGU had stock of HJC Visors ?

Thanks Shreeniwas! Not sure if LGU has stock of the visors, but X-torque (HSR Layout) doesn't have stock of visors for any HJC helmets. They should be getting them soon. Why don't you leave them your number and they will call you once the stock arrives?

[Snehal Sekhar]

My Ride to Cochin to attend the 4th Southern H.O.G Rally

My decision to ride to Cochin to attend the SHR was made only a week prior. When I originally planned to ride to Cochin, the plan was not approved by the boss of the house and the plan died an early death. As the dates to the rally grew closer, I was getting more desperate and gave a one last attempt in convincing my wife to let me participate in the SHR. Surprisingly, the last ditch attempt worked and I was given the go ahead.

Now that the decision to ride had been made, I now had to now make up my mind whether to ride alone or with one of the HD Groups. Riding with the group seemed to make sense, since they would have a support vehicle and mechanics in tow. Now I wouldn’t have to worry about being stranded in the event of a puncture or mechanical failures on the Baron. Since everything was ready, I was just counting days and hours for my ride to start. On Wednesday, I got a message from Bhpian Barcalad asking if I was all set for the SHR. As we were discussing the ride plans, he gave me enough reasons to make this a solo ride instead of going with the group. Deep down I too wanted to make this a solo ride but lacked the confidence. For me a solo ride is what makes the ride more fun and adventurous. It gives me the freedom to ride as slow or fast as I please and stop when and where I want. In case of any eventualities, I could always count on help from the general public and that was a chance I was willing to take and was the best part of doing a solo. Half the fun of a ride is lost when you know everything has been taken care of and all you had to do was ride. The fun is in the uncertainties of the ride.

Now that I was riding alone, I decided to leave as early as possible since I could avoid a major portion of traffic on the Highway and reach Cochin before sunset. My plan was to leave by 3 – 3:30 am on the 11th morning. The previous night I was too excited to sleep and after a lot of turning and tossing on the bed, woke up at 2 AM. After a quick freshening up, was all set to leave by 2:50 am. My first stop was at Krishnagiri for my morning cuppa. After my first cup of coffee, I started again and rode on till Salem by 6 am. Breakfast was just past Salem at Vaikundam. Breakfast and smoke done with, rode on till Coimbatore and stopped for a quick coffee break just before Valayar.

The roads until Coimbatore is a 6 lane highway and are well maintained with no speed breakers or potholes. Triple digit speeds are ideal on this stretch. I reached Coimbatore by 8:30 am and from Coimbatore I took close to 4 hours to reach Cochin. Past Coimbatore until Valayar, the road turns into a single lane and there is a lot of road work going on. From Valayar until Cochin the roads are a mix of 4 lanes and single lane with a lot of truck traffic. Thanks to Bhpian Neil Jericho who informed me about the speed limits from Trichur to Cochin. The speed should be within 70 kmph and the Kerala police are very strict about this. They have speed monitors and cameras at regular intervals on this stretch to keep a check and to monitor that all vehicles comply to their prescribed speed guidelines.

The H.O.G event was being held at Le Meridian in Cochin and it took me close to 1 hour to find my way to the hotel. I kept taking the wrong turns and had to back track several times. What with the road work going on in the city, the travel within the city was nothing short of a nightmare if you’re not aware of the roads. Reached the hotel and the place was teaming with Harleys and leather clad men all around. Once there, I was advised to go to the counter that they had set up to collect my pass for the night’s event and to collect my SHR Patch. I rode from Cochin just for this reason, The Patch. Filled up my details on a form, gave them my HOG Membership card and then I was asked if I was going to attend the event on both Friday and Saturday or if I was attending the event only for one day (Friday). I was too stupid to not realise what all this enquiring was leading to.

The staff at the counter then informed me that I had to pay Rs.3,000.00 as a HOG member to attend Friday’s event and for the patch and if I was attending the event on 2 days, the cost was Rs.7,000.00. If you’re not a HOG member, the price was Rs.3,500.00 for one day and Rs.7,500.00 to attend the event on both days. There was no way that the patch would come for free and since I rode all this way just for the patch, I had no choice but to pay for it. I was upset that I was not informed about this by Tusker when I called them to enquire about the SHR . It would have made sense if this was informed before hand, so at least I could have made an informed decision on whether to attend the rally or not and if it was worth to pay this kind of money all for a “patch”. Travelling all the way there and being informed at the last minute is not what I was expecting. I’m not a Harley owner with a deep pocket and these kind of experiences leaves a bad taste in the mouth. I understand that HD has to make money to arrange these events, but informing the same much before hand would suit budget owners like myself.

Well, the one day pass for Rs.3,000.00 would entitle me to the patch and for the evening’s events, dinner and an upgrade voucher that would enable me to get Rs.20,000.00 worth merchandise if I upgraded my Harley before the Eastern Hog Ride in 2015.. Well worth it for someone who had come with that intention, but my intention for this ride was only the patch and I was not too keen on attending any of their events. Anyway lesson learnt and with a lighter pocket and the patch in my hand, I made a hasty retreat to the hotel where I had made reservations for the night.

Next morning I left Cochin at 5am and after losing my way again in the city, I found my way to the Cochin-Coimbatore highway after enquiring with helpful passer-by’s. The return journey was uneventful except for a terrible butt ache. I had to make constant stops to ease my sore butt. At the fuel stop at Dharmapuri, my Baron refused to start. I switched on the key and pressed the starter switch, but nothing ever happened. It was blank. I tried doing this a couple of times but to no luck. For a minute there, I skipped a heartbeat. Not sure what was wrong, but after 3-4 attempts, the Baron did start and this problem did not occur again. Reached Bangalore and home by 2:45 pm.

Major lesson learnt on this ride is, I am not going to ride for patches or fame or glory or awards or bragging rights. Not because I don’t like to, but because all of these thing cost money and instead of spending money on these things, I’d rather use that just to ride. Ride for passion.

Total distance travelled: 1,075 kms
Total fuel filled: 36.72 litres (Rs.2,301.75)
Average kms per litre: 23 – 25 (full tank to full tank method)

The "Patch": The reason I rode


Coffee break at Krishnagiri


Dawn at Salem


Breakfast at Vaikundam


Upgrade voucher


Some folks would be terribly upset that I didn't take photos at the event and I'd like to apologise for that. I was in no mood to stick around there after my unfortunate event.

[barcalad]

It's disheartening to see so much effort and patience not yielding the desired results, chief. It was highly irresponsible of Tusker to keep customers in the dark about this nonsense and not giving a clear picture before hand.

What I am more surprised about is that they were offering incentives to 'upgrade your Harley'. This is probably nothing short of bribing customers and seducing them to get themselves a fatter set of tyres to ride on! Why play such cheap tactics when you are such a well acclaimed brand? Why play your game in such a way that a tired and weary person who has ridden such a long distance has no choice but to succumb to your irresponsible and unreasonable demands? I'm actually shocked that Harley India is sucker punching unsuspecting owners like this.

Anyway, now that you've seen the light, I'm sure you'd probably think twice before attending any Harley backed event. Nevermind, though. You had a good ride. You rode solo and you enjoyed the countryside without eagles screaming into your ears non-stop for 550 kilometres. By riding solo, you surely learnt a lot of new things and gained new experiences. Having a support vehicle and co-riders create a cushion, because you know that if you mess up, you have someone to watch your six. Riding solo makes you fearless, bold and independent. You, at the outset, became a more mature and wise biker, because you were dependent on just yourself for the entire duration.

And that's all that matters.

Proud of you, brother.

[Sting]

Patch or no patch, that sounds like a great solo ride Snehal.

Harley is known to tax its customers. It's a little like Apple. Once you get into their ecosystem there is money to be shelled. Some become die hard fans while for some it just does not make sense. I for one prefer the independence of remaining a free rider away from the clutches of Multinationals squeezing the last bit of money out of my pockets with overpriced and overrated events, accessories and bragging rights. I have never travelled in a group! Though I am sure, mine is a highly (and unreasonable!) one sided view- there will be some great people in those groups worth knowing and riding with.

Before my Ladakh solo ride I was in a similar predicament- to ride as a couple or with a group (Triumph organised a group ride to Ladakh in July 2015). I chose the former and did not regret it one bit. My wife and I had so much flexibility and independence in planning and executing that trip.

Strangely, when we go on solo car trips the thought of breakdowns do not haunt us (at least not me!) but come solo motorcycle trips and the first thought is what if there's a breakdown! I think this is a legacy of travelling a lot on Royal Enfields.

Cheers,
Sting

[djpeesh]

Snehal,
You should know that the Street 750 is but a means for Harley to get you to upgrade to a bigger, more expensive bike. It's sort of like the trailer to the Harley life

Get ready to drop a couple of lakhs in a few months time as you upgrade to the latest potato potato machine.

Kidding aside, you had a good ride and that's what counts. If you do company sponsored events, they tend to have tons of spin and not much substance. This reminds me of the Triumph rally at IBW. Triumph made everyone parade their motorcycles for hours while we were chilling at the hotel. I still remember watching the group go one way as we rode the other to Brittos for lunch. Fun times.

[Shubz]

Snehal -- First of all congrats on the ride! Job well done!

But I do not agree one bit with your whine about paying for the patch/event etc.

Its a known fact that nothing comes for free! Every HOG rallies, the patch had to be paid for in some form or fashion! Either they used to charge for Stay+Event+Patch at one go or charge only for Stay - Pay individually at the venue for the event!

It is very easy to bad mouth HD! Not that I am a fanboy of HD. I am also disappointed with the structure of the event which is getting monotonous! But the bliss lies in the RIDE!

To pay for the event was posted everywhere! even Jose EP of Cochin Chapter had posted in a few places.

I am surprised that you are saying Tusker did not have or give you information on the charges. I shall check with them and update this thread again.

It is totally ok not to be in agreement with the charges etc but not ok to mislead with half information!

For some the patch is for bragging! but for most its for the sense of achievement! (you may define that as bragging as well)

I am sure you would've had great things to say if the patch came free!

Anyway -- Glad you didn't run into trouble with the bike and got home safe. Keep riding!

Barcalad -- It is interesting that you find that "Upgrade" offer as a bribe? Care to explain more? What wrong do you see if there is an incentive (however big or small) to encourage an upgrade?

Cheers!

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by Shubz

But I do not agree one bit with your whine about paying for the patch/event etc.

+1 to what you wrote there Shubz. But I do feel that HD does organize these HOG from a commercial aspect with no sense of bikerhood in it.
All the bonhomie is only between riders of small groups for which HD provides a base for. Agree to your comment on Baraclad, there is nothing wrong if HD wants to throw up offers to seduce customers for upgrading.

HD makes a fine case study for people aspiring to do their MBAs in marketing.

Snehal,
My heart is with you for the patch but that's the way HD works !!!
You pay for everything that you want to lay your hands on. No freebies eh!!!

But you did a commendable job and I must admit you are brave enough to take the HD on a solo that long and that fast

[dustom_99]

I agree with shubz here , price and rates are circulated several times before the event , through mails + SMS+ personal calls by organisers .
But anyway I do not think snehal is badmouthing anyone , he just seems disappointed a bit that at least the Patch cab be given free of cost. And I agree with him on this.
Its like ,if you do not stay at the hotel the chapter guys booked for you ,arrange for your own dinner and entertainment, you did not participate in the event for them. So No patch.

Barcalad- if this is bribing , dominos BoGo , exchange offer on mobile phones , Maruti true values etc is all a bribe. And so is subsidised gas cylinders and mid day meal.

[Shubz]

Originally Posted by dustom_99

Patch cab be given free of cost.
Its like ,if you do not stay at the hotel the chapter guys booked for you ,arrange for your own dinner and entertainment, you did not participate in the event for them. So No patch.

Barcalad- if this is bribing , dominos BoGo , exchange offer on mobile phones , Maruti true values etc is all a bribe. And so is subsidised gas cylinders and mid day meal.

HD & Free? Whattan Oxymoron! Given a chance they'd even charge for breathing air when on HD bikes! Even I wish everything was free, I bought the Harley - so give me fuel, give me shelter, give me food, give me patches -- for FREE! LoL!

And its practical n fair right -- don't pay & participate -- Not entitled for the patch? :-)

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by barcalad

Nevermind, though. You had a good ride. You rode solo and you enjoyed the countryside without eagles screaming into your ears non-stop for 550 kilometres. By riding solo, you surely learnt a lot of new things and gained new experiences. Having a support vehicle and co-riders create a cushion, because you know that if you mess up, you have someone to watch your six. Riding solo makes you fearless, bold and independent. You, at the outset, became a more mature and wise biker, because you were dependent on just yourself for the entire duration.

And that's all that matters.

Proud of you, brother.

Barclad have summed up perfectly, Snehal. Happy that you did a good solo ride, and happy that you are now more wiser.

Originally Posted by Shubz

But I do not agree one bit with your whine about paying for the patch/event etc.


It is very easy to bad mouth HD! Not that I am a fanboy of HD.

Barcalad -- It is interesting that you find that "Upgrade" offer as a bribe? Care to explain more? Is it just sour grapes? What wrong do you see if there is an incentive (however big or small) to encourage an upgrade? Grow up sir!

Cheers!

Shubz - Snehal was disappointed, and he outlined the fact in his thread - it is not whining or badmouthing. If at all there is any badmouthing, it is you with your condescending tones towards both Snehal and Barcalad.

I get that you ride a Harley and you are happy paying the tax, but any opinion opposite to that do not warrant a 'sour grapes' mentality. From the post, sir, it is you who need to grow up - not Snehal or Barcalad.

It is not machines which make a rider, but the rides. I am happy that Snehal did enjoy his ride he posted the takeaways for us. Ride safe and Ride long, Bro.

--Anoop

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by Shubz

Snehal -- First of all congrats on the ride! Job well done!

But I do not agree one bit with your whine about paying for the patch/event etc.Cheers!

Thanks Shubz! About the SHR, I'll repeat what I said earlier. Tusker or no one from the HD world called and informed me of the price tag attached to the event and if they had, I'm sure I wouldn't have updated the same on this forum.

I called Tusker a week prior to the event and asked them about the event and all I was informed was that it was being held at Le Meridian and if I needed to ride with the Tusker group, there was a charge of Rs.1,500.00. The person I spoke to said that a mail would be sent with the details but I never received any.

Again, I have no issues with shelling out that kind of money for a patch or the event but all I ask is let me know before hand and don't give me surprises at the last minute. I definitely would like to make an informed decision. I don't expect anything to come for free, not from HD or anyone else, but neither do I expect them to be a surprise. If this is whining, so be it but I wanted to get my point of view across and I guess I did that.