[sudhirbhan]

On the insurance front, I got a quote of INR 12,041 for an IDV of INR 6,17,458 from ICICI Lombard. With their quote, I approached my trusted insurance agent and got the insurance done for INR 7,800 from National Insurance. Hope this helps!

[v12]

Thanks Sudhir, what was the IDV through National Insurance?

[sudhirbhan]

IDV is the same sir!

[v12]

Does anyone remember "North by Northwest" by Alfred Hitchcock? One of the greatest spy pics of all times. Well we kind of did a title ride (just like a title song). Travelled North by Northwest.


It was an impromptu ride to Bordi this Sunday. The initial plan was to ride with a group of Triumph riders who were planning to ride to Charoti and then 5 of us would head on to Bordi. Unfortunately the Charoti ride for cancelled and our group of 5 got slice down to 3. It was supposed to be 1 Speed Triple, 1 Mojo, 2 Street Triples and 1 Z800. 1 Street and Mojo riders backed out at the last moment. And then there were 3.



The plan was to ride to Bordi at 5:30 am - have breakfast - and then head back home. Followed my rituals the previous night and sprinkled holy water onto it (in unholy words, I washed it). Went off to sleep and woke up at 430 am. Packed my bags, checked all the papers, filled the hydration bag with cold water and a few cubes of ice and set off to meet the Speed.


The first thing we did is rode to Juhu to have the bikes tanked up. We each had almost 3/4th of our tanks full, but still decided to fill them up to avoid filling at the pumps on the way fearing bad quality fuel.




Having tanked up, headed onto the highway to catch up with the Street opposite the Triumph showroom. After a small chit chat, we headed on our way.


Our first pitstop was at the Ghodbunder junction for chai coffee. The Western Express Highway was a mixed patch of good and bad roads. But once we crossed Vasai bridge, you won't believe but the roads were just amazing. No potholes, no bad patches, no half work, no paver blocks at junctions - just pure tar roads. And how did I forget - no damn signals. The only time we encountered a bad patch was at places there were building flyovers (but not as bad as Mumbai).


The next stop was at the Khaniwade toll for... Nothing. The Triples were just waiting for me to catch-up.

After this it was just a nice winding smooth road to Bordi. Bordi reminded me a lot of Goa / Mangalore - the houses, the living style, the beaches lined with coconut and Palm trees and the coastal road.


Finally after a good 3.5 hours later, we reached out destination and started searching for a good hotel. Since this is not a tourist place it was a bit difficult but not impossible. We found a place which had just opened up and sat there for breakfast.

Breakfast done, it was now time to head home. This is the part I hate the most- the return trip. First of all the weather - it was hot. Then it was the bike - not the most comfortable bike. And then my back - painful. Throughout the ride I kept thinking just one thing to myself - I wish I had a Tiger or even the Versys 650 - things would have been very different. Having said all of that, I still love the Z800 and even more with the HP Corse exhaust. When I ride within the city, words like Versys, Tiger etc are totally anonymous.

Anyways to cut a long story short, we rode 300kms to eat :

[mobike008]

Allen : I'm getting addicted to your story-telling now

Yet again fantastic narration coupled with beautiful pictures. Make this a habit and keep sharing similar stuff for all your rides albeit with more pictures

Those food pictures made me literally drool. Love these unique dishes that MH has to offer and miss my Pune days. Vada Pav and Missal Pav is one of my favorite snacks...LOL!

Cheers!

[v12]

OCD Detail Studio performed Black Magic ony Z's pipes.

Frankly speaking, I had given up all hope of getting the plastic residue off my pipes. Tries almost all the options you guys had suggested - but that thing just wouldn't go. That was the only black stigma on an otherwise clean and scratchless bike.

Yesterday I happened to go with a friend to OCD Design Studio where he wanted his Street Triple to be detailed. I have been to OCD once before too when Rahul had to detail his Speed and I must say was totally impressed with the guys work and the passion with which he does it. So work on the Street Triple had begun and I happened to reach a bit late in the process. While he was detailing the bike, I just thought of asking him if it is possible to remove the plastic residue from the exhaust. I was expecting a "No, not possible", " very difficult since the residue has hardened", "let it be, it's not visible" kind of an answer. Instead I got a reply "Give me 5 mins, I will take it off". After 5 mins, he started his magic on the pipes - sprinkles some holy water, wiped it off with a microfibre clocloth, said Abracadabra, then used something to scrape the residue, used some chemicals, again said abracadabra ... The process continued for almost an hour and the end result...It's impossible to tell there was anything stuck onto the pipes. The stains have completely gone and there is no residue left on the pipes.

Thank you very much OCD

The end result :

[v12]

Insurance update

So I got my insurance policy renewed today. The original insurance policy was through Bajaj Allianz and I wanted to renew the policy through them. No specific reason as such - just did not want to change the insurer. But the renewal experience wasn't that smooth - and I couldn't risk my insurance lapsing so I went with HDFC Ergo.

What I was actually looking for in my insurance policy was the Zero Dep and Road Side Assistance facility. But I believe Kawasaki does not offer RSA - so that option was out. Bajaj Allianz offers Zero Dep policy but :
1. This option is not available online
2. You have to visit their local branch to avail this facility.

I gave them a call last week explaining that I needed to renew my 2-wheeler insurance. I was told that I cannot opt for the Zero Dep online and need to visit the local branch. I requested a call back to explain hlme the policy and provide me the premium details. Waited for a few days for a call back and then called them again yesterday. I requested if an executive could be sent to my residence to explain me the policy and to collect the cheque for the renewal. I was told that they provide this service only for 4-wheeler insurance renewal and not for 2-wheelers. I politely told the person that my insurance is expiring today and I wont have time to go to the branch and if its not possible to send someone i can get it insured online through another insurer. That's when I was asked about the bike details - after which I was told that an executive will get in touch with me and will come to my residence or office - whichever feasible for me.

Come today, I woke up late and expected lot of missed calls from the executive - but there was none. So I called them again and was told an executive would get in touch with me and was given a token number. Nothing for an hour - so I went online and got my policy renewed through HDFC Ergo. It was a 10 min job compared to a week that Bajaj Allianz took and never did anything.

Facility Availed
Zero Depreciation

Premium Paid : Rs 14,642
IDV : Rs 700,639

I have dropped them an email asking if they have a cashless facility with Kawasaki - waiting to hear back.

[Red Liner]

Apparently kawasaki has tied up with none of the insurers for a cash less claim process. So stupid. I don't understand why the customer focus is so decrepit in kawasaki. Granted they are launching great bikes at good prices. Anyway, at least the bikes are here.

[v12]

Thanks for the update Redliner. I just got a response from HDFC Ergo confirming that they do not have a tie-up with Kawasaki Palm Beach. Not sure what is the reason for not offering such an important feature (and RSA as well). Triumph India on the other hand offers Cashless facilities and Road Side Assistance too.

[v12]

So I got a small accessory fitted that's louder than the HP Corse. It's less than even half the size of the HP exhaust but twice as much audible. And it costs just a fraction of the HP. Presenting the much needed twin horn. The original horn was very meek and useless on our roads. Got a pair of Denso horns and have fitted both at the original place. I was thinking of fitting one on either side - but that would mean making a bracket on the LHS and a wire going across. Something that I wanted to avoid. So got both the horns fitted on the original bracket and got the wiring from the OE horn. So no fidgeting with the wiring, no touching the battery as well. Plus the battery is powerful enough to take the load of the twin horn so I did not have to put a cut-out/relay. Let's see if the horn starts sounding a bit weak or something , will connect the cut out. Here's a pic of the Denso.

[james]

Originally Posted by v12

so I did not have to put a cut-out/relay.

This is incorrect! Its not the battery you need to worry about, its the additional load on the wiring! The whole reason for putting in a relay is to spare the stock wire. Drawing power directly from the battery via a relay would result in optimum current going to the twin hornsl!

Cheers!

[v12]

Thanks James, I always thought the relay was to prevent additional load on the battery. Currently the stock wire is connected to one horn and the other horn is connected in parallel to the main horn ( I think). you suggesting I still use a relay then?

[james]

yes, sir! I strongly recommend putting in a relay. You could do this yourself as well. Once done, you'll notice the difference in the tone of the horns.
Its not like the stock wire is going to melt due to the second horn, its just that the current flowing through it will not be able give the horns enough juice to sound their best! It would sound loud now due to the separate Hi-Low tones but with a relay in place, it would sound even better.

Cheers!

[Jaggu]

Relay will take the load out of your OE circuit mainly the switch, which can burn off with the additional load of the twin horns. Hence a relay wiring is strongly advised.

[v12]

Thank you for your feedback James and Jaggu. I will get the relay installed this week.





Anyways Godzilla completed a year this week. I can't believe that one year has passed so quickly. It just feels like a month or 2. Probably due to the fact that I haven't ridden the bike as much as it should have been. One year and just under 4,500 kms. I can confidently say I have enjoyed every bit of the 3,500 kms. And they have really been fun rides - office rides, rides with friends, breakfast rides, dinner rides, time pass rides - enjoyed each and every km of the 3,500 kms.

I know you must be wondering what happened to the remaining 1000 kms. Well, those are the total of all the return rides from a long trip - Lonavala, Malsej, Bordi... Those are the times when I really wish the Z800 would just transform itself into a Tiger or a Versys. All of our long rides would start early morning when the weather is cool and by the time we are riding back it's too hot. Also, I have a back problem which probably worsens on the return ride. Maybe I am wrong in blaming the Z and the problem is just my back and the weather. But these are the 1000 kms that I really really wish I had a Tiger or a Versys.

The thought comes to me a couple of times -should I sell the Z and go for the V650 or a used Tiger. I keep telling myself that I would be happier with a Tiger or a Versys. But those thoughts disappear as easily as they come. And I know that's just a phase and it would pass away soon (probably till the next return ride). But until then and probably longer, the Z is here to say and the only bike that will now replace it would be the RX100 (as a daily ride at least).