[Red Liner]

Hey Snehal, the girlfriend of yours in Hampi looks good!

Good to see you having a good time riding around man.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Had to continue the post since there was a limit on uploading pics on the previous one.

Here are some more pics from Hampi.






































Of all places, I found really good apple crumble and cinnamon chocolate rolls near the Hampi bazar. A place called German Bakery near the Virupaksha Temple.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Hey Snehal, the girlfriend of yours in Hampi looks good!

Good to see you having a good time riding around man.

Lol. thanks buddy!

[bevivek]

Hey Snehal, thanks for a continuing, wonderful long ownership thread of the HD Street 750. You seem to be having a blast going on numerous tours while also standing on the pegs (metaphorically) to tide over HD S750 related bumps such as the brakes.

I am also in the market for a low slung tourer bike and similarly proportioned to you in terms of height. The 2019 Street 750 is one of the bikes I am considering. I hope you won't mind my asking couple of questions:

a) Do you know if the post-ABS 2019 / 2018 HD S750 still have brake related problems or are they a thing of the past? Even these models only have single channel ABS for reasons that I cannot understand since the Street 750 being sold in the US and other countries seem to have dual channel ABS.

b) Apart from brakes, how would you sum up your ownership experience?

c) Lot of comment in various HD forums on the heat generated by the twins particularly the one under the seat. There seem to be heat deflectors available which will help a little in not getting tandoori legs. Did you consider using such deflectors and do you know anyone who has tried it?

Thanks

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by bevivek

a) Do you know if the post-ABS 2019 / 2018 HD S750 still have brake related problems or are they a thing of the past.

Hey Vivek, sorry for the delay in responding. The only time I log into the forum and check on my thread is when I have to post any new ride that I've been to. Since I haven't ridden much after my Hampi Ride, I haven't been very active on the forum.

I don't have first hand experience on the newer street models, but I've a friend who purchased a 2018 model and he was pretty happy with the brake performance. But again, apart from the brakes he faced other issues with the bike though. He rode the bike in the rains and water managed to seep into the speedometer. The electronics in there got damaged and he had to wait for 2 months to get a replacement.

b) Apart from brakes, how would you sum up your ownership experience?

In one word, Lovely. I've ridden solo across most of the south on the Baron and it's been a dependable companion. Never once has it let me down. No mechanical issues so far in these 4 years. All I do is get is serviced every 6 months. The engine is a gem. My only grouse against the Baron is its low ground clearance. On potholed filled roads, it's a pain riding it.

c)There seem to be heat deflectors available which will help a little in not getting tandoori legs. Did you consider using such deflectors and do you know anyone who has tried it?

On highway runs, there is negligible heat from the engine. The only time you'd have the heat issues is when you're in stop and go traffic. Since I only use the Baron for long rides or highway runs, I've never had to deal with tandoori legs. But yes, if you intend to use the bike in the city I'd suggest you get the heat deflectors. They do help. Though the ones from Harley are very expensive, there are other good cheaper options that you can buy.

In other news, I've been trying to get the Baron sold for a couple of months now. The market's so bad that I've had people messaging me if I was willing to sell the bike for 2 lakhs. I've also got an offer to exchange the Baron for a used Skoda Octavia The way things are going, it doesn't seem I'll be selling the bike any time soon. Anyway, the Baron is all set for its next ride. A couple of us Bhpians are riding of to Kotagiri in 2 weeks and I can't wait to take the Baron on new roads and to new destinations.

[Snehal Sekhar]

As a New Year gift to the Baron, I got a pair of leather handle bar end wraps from Trip Machine and wrapped them on the Baron. Cost me Rs. 949.00.



Friday, a couple of us Bhpians had ridden down to Kotagiri. We started off from the Nice Road exit on Kanakapura Road at 7 AM. While coming back, I decided to take the Mettupalayam – Avinashi-Salem-Hosur route while the others returned via Mysore.

Our onward route: 270 kms




The return route I took: 361 kms




A couple of pictures of the resort, The Den by Trees, where we stayed at. Beautiful place and reasonably priced. Breakfast is part of the tariff as well.

The cottages - tented accommodation


The huts


The Tea estate in which the resort is located



All in all, 3 days well spent with good friends and great riding.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Saturday, right after work, the Baron and I took off to see the Fort at Vellore. It’s good if a visit to the fort is planned along with some other sightseeing. Riding just to see the fort would be a disappointment since there is not much in terms of sightseeing to do in there.

The sight of the rising sun somewhere on the Highway


Inside the Fort







Breakfast at the fort


The moat surrounding the fort





Customary CCD Stop on my way back

[Snehal Sekhar]

The Red Baron finally finds a buyer and it was sold yesterday.

It was with a heavy heart that I had to see it go. More than me, it was my wife and child who felt terribly upset to see it change ownership.

The Baron was a trustworthy bike and in these 4 years and 27k kms it never once did let me down on any of my rides. The only grouse I had was the low ground clearance and non-existent brakes which I managed to live with for most of the time. Now I felt the need for a change after a couple of bad road rides and scary braking incidents. I was looking for a twin cylinder bike with decent ground clearance and good brakes (preferably with ABS but not a deal breaker), pocket friendly in terms of maintenance cost, spares and closeness to the SVC. I also didn’t want to spend a paisa more than I got for the Baron. I quoted my price for the Baron and played the waiting game for months. I finally lost hope when on Friday I got a message from the new owner saying he was interested in buying my bike. We finalised the price and he transferred the money and picked the bike up on Sunday.

So the Baron goes. making way for my next ride and hopefully that keeps up to the Baron’s standards in terms of reliability and putting a smile on my face every time I twist the throttle.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

So the Baron goes. making way for my next ride and hopefully that keeps up to the Baron’s standards in terms of reliability and putting a smile on my face every time I twist the throttle.

Happy to know your patience paid off and you got the price you were looking for.

What are you buying now? Just a suggestion - since you travel so much, buy a bike with dual channel ABS at least, you never know when, but it can make the difference between staying on the bike or kissing tarmac.

All the best with your new purchase.

Cheers

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

What are you buying now? All the best with your new purchase.

Thanks, man! Well, the bike I've booked comes with dual channel ABS and ticks all the right boxes for me. It's got adequate ground clearance, the brakes seem good, it's a twin, the SVC is close to where I stay and the spares and service cost doesn't seem expensive and I'm getting the bike at the same cost that I sold the Baron for. Now it's a long wait till the bike gets delivered though and that means no touring for a couple of months.

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

Thanks, man! Well, the bike I've booked comes with dual channel ABS and ticks all the right boxes for me. It's got adequate ground clearance, the brakes seem good, it's a twin, the SVC is close to where I stay and the spares and service cost doesn't seem expensive and I'm getting the bike at the same cost that I sold the Baron for. Now it's a long wait till the bike gets delivered though and that means no touring for a couple of months.

Lets start the guessing game. RE INT 650 ?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats on the sale, which happened finally as per your expectations, and also the new booking! Hope the new owner takes care of the bike just the way you did, and hope you have even more fun with the new bike.

This was one of the first threads in the Superbikes section that I started following.

[unk9ja]

Sorry to see your dream disappear into twilight, Snehal. But the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be brighter. Congratulation on the new found Love. Wishing you miles and smiles all the way.


Some pics of the Baron from the ride we did together.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by dinu2506

Lets start the guessing game. RE INT 650 ?

Absolutely! It's ticked all the right boxes and hopefully we'll do many niggle free miles together.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congrats on the sale, which happened finally as per your expectations, and also the new booking! This was one of the first threads in the Superbikes section that I started following.

Thanks man! The new owner has given me permission to drop by his place anytime I feel like seeing the bike. Hoping he does take good care of my Baron. Anyway, I bet you're kidding when you say that mine was one of the first threads in the Superbike section that you were following. Mine was the only ownership thread that had no mechanical/technical details of the bike and that would have put a lot of people off from reading it.

Originally Posted by unk9ja

Sorry to see your dream disappear into twilight, Snehal. But the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be brighter. Congratulation on the new found Love. Wishing you miles and smiles all the way.Some pics of the Baron from the ride we did together.

Thanks Uday! We've been on some wonderful rides together and I cherish each one of them man. These pictures bring back fond memories. We'll do more together, for sure. Just playing the waiting game now.

[sammyboy]

Will miss all those lovely rides with the Baron, bro. All the best for the new steed ��