[wolfy]

Originally Posted by v12

Will try it on a warm / hot pipe on the weekend.

Hot pipes!! 4 of them. V12, keep the burnol, a running tap of water handy. you will need it. Pretty unlucky to have that gunk in there, but please be careful working your way out of that. I think it is time for a HP Corse full system!!

[gthang]

Originally Posted by wolfy

Hot pipes!! 4 of them. V12, keep the burnol, a running tap of water handy. you will need it.

Completely off topic, and I do pray you would not put yourself in that position, v12, but a container of wheat flour (atta) to dip your hands in would be your best bet in case of a burn.

Cheers

[Ricci]

Try acetone, V12, or nail polish remover. Soak a rag in acetone taking care not to inhale the fumes, and rub away on the cold pipes. Any small spots remaining, try to keep them soaked longer and remove with a scalpel.

[v12]

Godzilla is soon going to complete 1 year in a month and I need to renew the insurance. Can anyone suggest a good insurance policy. Things that I am looking for are : Zero depreciation, Road Side Assistance and Cashless facility. What other options or offers should I be looking for? Any help will be much appreciated. I have not claimed insurance yet - how do I claim the NCB while renewing my policy?

[mobike008]

Allen. Congratulations on completing 1 year with Godzilla. I'm sure you must have had awesome fun with it till now

Insurance from companies like HDFC, ICICI or any other private banking will be expensive and from public sector organizations like United Assurance etc. will be relatively cheaper

There is no separate way to claim NCB. you will just have to tell the new insurer that you decide to go with that you haven't claimed any insurance and they will give you a discount (typically it's 20%) on the best price for NCB

Touchwood, I have never claimed insurance ever in my life so I go with cheapest option and lack practical experience on who provides the best service etc

[VW2010]

@V12,

Any luck with the exhaust. We all are waiting to hear what happened . Like Mobike008 said, just shop and put out a competition.

Go for zero Dep. And considering this bike is a thieves eye sweetener, make sure you read fine prints on what is covered when it comes to theft etc.

Also shop shop shop and you will def be able to convince the insurer agent for a deal.

[v12]

Thanks Avi, VW

I guess I will need to check the policies online and compare to get the best option. I got a reminder from Bajaj Allianz and they have quoted 12.5k for an IDV of 6.7. No other details mentioned - will call theknup and check what other offers are listed.

Regarding the exhaust, managed to get a lot of the plastic residue removed. However the hard residue still remains and not sure if it will come out. Will post a pic of the pipes. And of course the sound of the HP Corse as well on the weekend.

[Sojogator]

@v12

Call up the service center and ask which provider would they prefer for easy processing and get that.

Also, make sure zero dep is bought during the purchase. I noticed, it had to be selected manually for HDFC renewal and couldn't be done online for ICICI.

I bought mine yesterday and shifted from HDFC Ergo to ICICI for the next year.

[v12]

To cut a long story short, we rode 200 kms to eat :


Sunday @ 6AM


Come on Godzilla!! Stop Zzzing. It's time to wake up and go for a ride.
The RX100 seems to be saying "Being 100cc, I don't have to worry about early mornings"


The Street also was fast asleep too.
My friend who purchased the Street Twin has not completed his running period and wanted to take the bike for a long ride and chew up his miles. So we decided last evening to take the most favorite destination - Lonavala.


Finally after waking up, both the bikes had to warm up.
The worst part about starting a superbike (especially ones fitted with an aftermarket exhaust) early morning is waking up your neighbours. Thankfully the HP Corse is not very loud and at idle it's as much loud as the stock exhaust ... Well a bit louder than the stock exhaust.


The Street Twin was wearing stock exhausts so no worries starting her up too.


And then before our breakfast, it was already breakfast time for the bikes. They were all charged up and ready to hit the roads.
My bike was already tanked up last week but since my friend was talking up - I too decided to do the same. A full tank gives you a better reading on the mileage too. Trip was resetted to 0.


Google Talk - Please tell me which way to Lonavala. Even though we have been to Lonavala a zillion times, we keep forgetting the way.


God please keep us safe! The very famous Shingroba Mandir on Khandala ghat. As kids we were told by our parents that everyone who passed Khandala Ghat would throw money into the temple and pray for a safe ride. Those who did not met with bad fate. Anyways we just stopped there for a small photo shoot and left off.


Finally we reached "our" destination - Kamats.


Well it was not only ours, it was every weekenders destination. There were more than a dozen superbikes and equal number of KTM's. Most ofnthe riders were in full riding gear.

Met an old friend to whom I was introduced at the ACI Performance show way back in 2006 or 2007 through a Team BHPian. Was good to meet up with him and felt equally happy to see that he too had purchased the Z800.

Met a friend from Motorbeam.com as well.


Also met 2 of our popular Team Bhpians - Karan and Akshay. Thanks to your videos Karan - I wouldn't have recognised you. Was good to meet up with you guys. Here is their German lineup.


Had a light breakfast and rode back home. It was a good 200 kms ride and Godzilla gave a good mileage of 22kmpl.

Ok so did the bike fare?

This was my first long ride after fitting the HP exhaust. The sound was perfect - not too loud. This time though I mustered up some courage and confidence and kept riding between 4-6k rpm and the exhaust not was not very much audible to me. Maybe someone riding behind me would be able to hear it very clearly. But definitely the exhaust sound wasn't buzzing in my ears. That's the best part about the HP Corse - its not ear piercing loud. I won't be able to say much about the performance since my riding is very sedate. There was some popping sound during deceleration but it was barely audible and only happened around 3-4 times.

As I mentioned , I did try to muster up courage and this time I was averaging around 80-100 kmph. I did manage to touch 100+ on an empty stretch and it felt so good. And the very next moment - the feeling went away as soon as it came. A Ducati Diavel just cruised past me

I don't find the Z to be comfortable on long rides. The seat is a bit hard and I had to take a break every 50kms. Maybe it's something to do with the Z's seat....or maybe it's just that I have grown old....or maybe its just the weather. For short city rides, the Z is so much fun. But on long rides, i find it quite uncomfortable. I think I maybe the only person who probably enjoys riding the Z in the city than outside it. Having said that, I am so much tempted to sell the Z and go for a used Tiger or the Versys 650 - but it's too early to do that. I might probably wait for a year to see what bikes will be launched and accordingly decide. Or maybe I will just keep it ...only time will tell


What would you chose?
It's a difficult question. The Street Twin and the Z800 are priced very close to each other. The only comparison that can be done between the 2 bikes is price and price alone. Both bikes are meant to cater to 2 different riders, 2 different riding style etc. They both are good in their own ways. The Z has the super smooth and torquey 4 cylinder motor where's the Street Twin is a feature packed 900cc Street motorcycle. It's just like choosing between the Classic 500 and the KTM Duke 390. To each his own


In some cases, the Z is ahead of the Speed Twin


In some cases, the Street is ahead of the Z


But they are as different as a restaurant and bar.

[rohan_cherian]

That's a really engaging read, V12. Spent all morning drooling over your Z. Would love to see what that HP Corse sounds like.

Originally Posted by manson

The Yoshimura Alpha in Carbon Fiber looks fantastic. Racefit, SC Project, similar GP shaped pipes are mostly the loudest sounding exhaust systems but lose out heavily on back pressure.

Hi Manson,
Can you explain the highlighted part? I thought the general idea was to eliminate back pressure or keep it to a bare minimum.

Cheers,
Rohan

[mobike008]

Allen, That was a fantastic read. I thoroughly enjoyed the way you explained about your ride with you friend on the Street Twin and accompanying pictures also gelled so well with your story telling

This is what makes an ownership thread so engaging and keeps viewers on tenterhooks. Glad to see you take so much interest to keep your thread updated

Unfortunately, only a handful of members are like you who share their experiences regularly via. an ownership thread. Infact, a few are infamous for just asking queries and sucking information out and not share anything back

[manson]

Originally Posted by rohan_cherian

Hi Manson,
Can you explain the highlighted part? I thought the general idea was to eliminate back pressure or keep it to a bare minimum.

Cheers,
Rohan

Out of personal instinct I felt my 954 had a noticeable drop in low end power after emptying the glass wool from the Yoshimura TRS exhaust system.
Keeping all other parameters constant I'm given to understand that motorcycles with short exhaust cans have a stronger top end which is why I also feel exhaust companies such as Arata and Two Brothers started to offer short cans as an option for slip on / full exhaust systems.
Shorter exhaust cans reduce back pressure and are more suited to out and out riding style compared to a city / Sunday morning stroller like me who prefers relatively better torque in the low end.

[karan561]

Originally Posted by v12

Attachment 1488242
Also met 2 of our popular Team Bhpians - Karan and Akshay. Thanks to your videos Karan - I wouldn't have recognised you. Was good to meet up with you guys. Here is their German lineup.

Hey v12,

It was indeed a pleasure meeting you at Kamats, hope you had a good ride

[jkdas]

v12, thanks for the updates. Do add a video of the exhaust when time permits.
Have you tried a Z1000? Does it too have a similar seat? I saw a video of Z1000 taking off and its wow.

[v12]

Thanks JK, Will try and put up a video on the weekend. I realized that an exhaust upgrade should be accompanied with a video more than a photo

I haven't ridden the Z1000 yet - but know that its as refined and torque as the Z800 - but more powerful and lighter. I am not sure, but the Z1000 has a lower seat height compared to the Z800 and is also a bench type seat (single# (against the bucket seats #split) of the Z800).