[mobike008]

Well, there has been one link constantly posted on our Versys India Rider (VIR) group of 200+ Versys owners over the last couple of days

I got tired of the same video being posted as I never bothered to open the link and view it. But, when I viewed it and saw that it was from a popular and respected publisher, I thought I should share it here with you

He says " For my money, you can keep your Panigales V4's, R1200GS's but, I will keep my Versys 650"

All the 200+ Versys owners are totally in love with it and not a single person in the group has expressed a regrets of buying one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ggEBAKjQ7s

[mobike008]

Last week have done a couple of short city rides early in the morning which is around 100kms each

Idea is to basically target a direction and keep riding till 50kms are up and ride back

[mobike008]

Like always, our decision to do a long ride happens just a day before. We love doing impromptu things as planning a ride has personally never worked for me due to my erratic work/travel calendar

So the "3 Musketeers" got into a call last week on a Friday morning contemplating where to go. Intention was to just ride and a big one at that and as all three have a busy work lifestyle we cannot spare more than 2 days as usual

We decided to ride to Bangalore (to enjoy a briskly paced ride on that 4-lane highway which is end-to-end. Boring and unsatisfying from Hyderabad to Kurnool which 225kms due to heavy traffic but, it gets better after that until Bangalore with less traffic).

I had called up a few friends to join for dinner at Big Brewsky at Sarjapur (my office is also situated there and hoped dont bump into someone from work)

We wanted to start at 7:30am from Airport but, eventually started around 8:30am as IDPsharma and Haseeb being the quintessential nawabs of Hyderabad turned up in liesure

We rode till Food Pyramid (140kms) and stopped for breakfast and it was a long 1.5 hour long breakfast as we bumped into an elderly gentleman who was from Orlando, Florida travelling in an Innova.

He approached us at our breakfast table and said " Gosh! you guys were flying past us" and confessed he rides a Harley 1200 and Softail back in the states. It was an enjoyable conversation

Our next stop was to take a few mandatory pictures just before anantpur town, there is this beautiful chariot temple right on the highway. We then proceed to start from there when I was stopped by IDPsharma who mentioned there is a lovely restaurant little outside of Anantpur where they serve amazing sandwiches and cold coffee.

Well, we had our breakfast a couple of hours ago literally. Sigh, being a hardcore foodie-I got tempted and we stopped for lunch and it was another 1.5 hours of leisurely lunch in the green environs.

We reached Bangalore city by 6:00pm (Koramangla) as the traffic in Bangalore is just another league and despite me travelling there almost twice a month it is hard to fathom the amount of traffic they have there

Freshened up and took a cab and reached BB around 9:00pm and it was a crazy night of laughter, good food and enjoying the nice ambiance of this massive place

We stepped out around 1:00am and went to popular eatery "Empire" at Koramangla. At 1:30am, it was like peak lunch hour (no kidding)

Enjoyed the traditional ghee rice and chicken and hit the bed at 3:00am

Next day got up leisurely and started from Koramangla at 11:30am to reach airport around 1:00pm (Heavy traffic even on a sunday morning..Shudder)

I had an evening engagement that I could not miss so we decided to ride summoning our endurance skills. We just stopped for getting fuel and one stop for lunch (a lovely thali) in Kurnool that was unforgettable...served scalding hot & totally yummy

Reached home by 7:30pm

A hectic but, enjoyable weekend ride to Bangalore and back in 36-hours covering 1250kms. Yet another crazy ride accomplished..LOL !!!

Some pictures from this ride in no particular order....

[mobike008]

Missed sharing this picture..

While riding to Bangalore during a quick halt at Kurnool at the toll gate for a bottle of water, we met this old couple (Look at them they are really old, man must be in his 70's) who were riding a Honda Activa from Hyderabad to Tirupathi which is 600+kms supporting their son who was riding a bicycle

Honda Activa was their son's support vehicle

A big salute to them. Truly incredible INDIA

[rakesh_r]

Avi, how are the aux lights performing. Recently got a Himalayan and need to install a pair.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Avi, how are the aux lights performing. Recently got a Himalayan and need to install a pair.

Unfortunately Rakesh, the lights seem to have lost it's sheen. They ain't as bright as it used to be. It's time to upgrade them

However, it was the best 1300 bucks spent in my life which lasted 1.5 years

I'm sure now their are newer models which might be better. Will explore soon

[ACM]

What would be the water wading depth of the Versys 650 and for that matter any bike?

Would bikes with raised end pipes have better water wading capability?

Would power be a function of this capacity.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by ACM

What would be the water wading depth of the Versys 650 and for that matter any bike?

Would bikes with raised end pipes have better water wading capability?

Would power be a function of this capacity.

I haven't seen anyone really use the Versys to wade through deep water. Below is just pure assumption and applies to any motorcycle.

Versys 650 has a 170mm ground clearance and in my opinion can wade in water up to 2-3 feet at the maximum with it's throttle open (If silencer is below the water, it may still be able to make it out of the water pool if its a short length)

Ofcourse with higher end pipes the better water wading capability

However, it is risky to wade through a pool if you are unsure of the depth unless you have a tow as your support vehicle

Curious why this query came to your mind?

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by ACM

What would be the water wading depth of the Versys 650 and for that matter any bike?
.

Have waded through knee deep water many times on Bangalore roads , just need to keep throttling, haven't faced any issue.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Ofcourse with higher end pipes the better water wading capability

However, it is risky to wade through a pool if you are unsure of the depth unless you have a tow as your support vehicle

Curious why this query came to your mind?

I bought the EcoSport for its 500mm water wading capability. X3 for the same reason. Considered Endeavour for it's 700mm, actually drove the Safari TCIC twice at 700mm plus levels though the official level is just 350mm.

Have to go through flooded areas frequently. Last year used both BMW X3 and EcoSport near or above their max official capability.

Earlier used the RX100 at about 300mm or more and Kinetic Honda at 200mm.

Versis not having upswept exhausts feels like a disadvantage of the stock setup considering it is an adventure touring bike though not setup for off roaring. To me it is like an SUV of Bikes with Road tyres.

That said I agree that balancing a bike in water is a lot different from a car.

PS: I had my heart in my mouth when driving the BMW through flooded waters.

[mobike008]

Today morning I got up early and when I stepped out in the balcony the weather looked glorious (Cloudy, Chilly and windy). Perfect weather to ride the Versys in and around the city

So, I went for a spin. I'm totally a coffee lover and dont touch tea but, only tea that can go down my throat is the famous "Irani Chai" of Hyderabad which i love to the core especially if it's consumed early in the morning

And, in no time a beautiful 100-kms ride came to an end and during the course of this ride. Look what happened?

Completed 28,000 glorious kms on this beautiful versatile machine which keeps egging you to ride more and more

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Completed 28,000 glorious kms on this beautiful versatile machine which keeps egging you to ride more and more

You are making full use of the bike, I am itching to get one as well and had a test ride but after a longish ride on GSA could not convince after a wonderful experience with GSA, Plan to ride once again.

Can you send me a link to RAM mobile carrier, will you recommend? or something like this

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...ONHNOD64&psc=1

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

You are making full use of the bike, I am itching to get one as well and had a test ride but after a longish ride on GSA could not convince after a wonderful experience with GSA, Plan to ride once again.

Well, How can the poor little Versys be compared with the mighty GSA

Both are leagues apart.

Besides, you can get to create your own riding group by gifting 2 other Versys to your friends in Canada and make a team of 3-riders as you can buy 3 versys in same price of a GSA

Jokes apart, Versys for it's price is simply incomparable with anything in its price range and a little above of it as well

This is by far the best machine that I owned till date (Yup, including my ex-flame-Bonnie). Smooth, Reasonably fast, Comfortable and just perfect for long distance riding which is what motorcycling is all about

Keep us posted of your purchase would be exciting to know of your adventures on new bike. Good-luck !!!

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Can you send me a link to RAM mobile carrier, will you recommend? or something like this

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01...ONHNOD64&psc=1

I would recommend a sturdy phone mount from the company RAM MOUNT as they are one of the best in the industry and are secure at high speeds as well

Below is a link :

https://www.amazon.in/Mount-Universa.../dp/B0055PH0XA

This reminds me to share a funny incident of IDPSharma (Z800) rider with whom I ride most of times. He had ordered a cheaper version from AliExpress (~2K) and during one of our overnight rides, his phone (An expensive OnePlus5 T costing 35K) flew of the handlebar and he realized it literally after 200kms...LOL!

Therefore, my suggestion is to go for the best in the industry

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Unfortunately Rakesh, the lights seem to have lost it's sheen. They ain't as bright as it used to be. It's time to upgrade them

However, it was the best 1300 bucks spent in my life which lasted 1.5 years

I'm sure now their are newer models which might be better. Will explore soon

Ohk, by any chance how did you do the wiring? How did you tap the power without touching the stock wiring? Did you install a relay?

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Ohk, by any chance how did you do the wiring? How did you tap the power without touching the stock wiring? Did you install a relay?

Sorry for late reply as I was travelling incessantly

As far as I can remember, I installed the relay and stock wiring was not touched at all. If you search this thread, it might give you more information

By any chance, are you buying a Versys?