[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Went for a short ride to Hassan this weekend. Was supposed to be a Mangalore ride, but had to cut it short at the last minute as wife well sick.

Company - ebmrajesh on his Ninja 1000 & ethanhunt123 on his Multistrada 1260S.

Also went for a short ride today morning to catch some fresh air -

Originally Posted by Hells_Fury

A little typo on the date of your last entry there

I am struggling to find that one. Help me out, please.

Originally Posted by Hells_Fury

How are gear gear motorcycles in terms of servicing the "big bikes" as compared to Rideventur?

Much much better! Cost-wise similar, but the work they do and the attention paid is very different as compared to Rideventur. I wouldn't be going back to Kawasaki unless there is an emergency or urgency of spares.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I am struggling to find that one.

Last row for odo reading 20,450 kms should have date as '14/06/2019', it shows 2018.

Originally Posted by Hells_Fury

A little typo on the date of your last entry there

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Nothing much to report. However, here is a very nice shot taken by Bhp'ian rbp during the last weekend ride to Salem -

And the full lineup -

[bigron]

That picture looks great with the solo bike in the view finder and the wet roads.
Many years ago I clicked a similar one.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Finally after almost three years of trying to digest the price tag, and waiting for any cheaper options to crop up - I finally went ahead with the purchase of a center stand from Hepco Becker.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Putting the new center stand to good use during last weekend breakfast ride -

And a couple more pictures from the destination - Mallaghata Kere

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Couple of pictures from the last weekend ride -

To beautiful Yercaud -

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Couple of pictures from

Only three bikes?
Nice pics though.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Only three bikes?

Yeah. Only three.

There was a Duke 390 till Salem and back though.
+ Multistrada 1260 and Street Triple till Thoppur.
+ Hayabusa and one more Ninja 1000 till Krishnagiri
+ a Ninja 650 till Shoolagiri.

= 9 BHPians who were filtered through various stages like in a reality show, leaving only three for the final stage. :control

On a serious note - I actually changed my mobile. So just posted the two images I had on my Instagram.

[deepfreak15]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Yeah. Only three.

There was a Duke 390 till Salem and back though.
+ Multistrada 1260 and Street Triple till Thoppur.
+ Hayabusa and one more Ninja 1000 till Krishnagiri
+ a Ninja 650 till Shoolagiri.

The only one I have.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

The only one I have.

Thank you. From L2R -

1. IronH4WK's - Ninja 650
2. lavish_n's - Ninja 1000
3. KarthikK's - Ninja 1000
4. ebmrajesh's - Ninja 1000
5. deepfreak15's - Duke 390
6. My Versys 650
7. slamnos's - Street Triple S
8. reeneshcr's - Hayabusa
9. Ethanhunt123's - Multistrada 1260

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Had to visit hometown last (extended) weekend. Took the opportunity to ride down!

Started from Bangalore at 9AM. Had to take NICE road to avoid the morning rush inside the city. The weather forecast had thunderstorms written for the entire stretch, and I was greeted with the first spell of rain by the time I reached Shoolagiri. Took the opportunity to fill up the tank, and also wear the raincoat.



Weather would turn out to be the biggest villain of the ride. Lost the number of times it oscillated between scorching hot sun and quick but intense spell off rain.



Had the second break for breakfast at Sai Sangeet, Thoppur, Dharmapuri. Next stop was at Madurai to fill up the tank again, and also to lubricate the chain. (Thankfully not a cumbersome process anymore!)



The whole afternoon kept oscillating between rain and sun. Just left the raincoat on, even though it meant I would get baked inside, whenever the rain stopped.



Could quite literally see rain on one side, with clear skies on the other!



One of the wet spells towards the evening -



Enjoying the clear skies and taking a small photo break near Tirunelveli







Was off the 4-lane highway at 6PM. ~600kms of 4-lane highway from Attibele to Kavalkinaru felt like pure Versys territory and was completed in approximately 7 hours, with three stops - one for fuel, one for breakfast, and one more for fuel and chain lube.



Took another 2 hours 15 minutes to reach home though, thanks to heavy rain and poor roads from Kavalkinaru to Balaramapuram. 786kms & 11 hours later, was home.



Ah! The feeling of being able to park your bike at home, finally! & For the first time in 3 years of ownership!

Fuel -

Reliance, Shoolagiri - Rs 1206/-
HP, Dindigul - Rs 300/-
BP COCO, Madurai - Rs 1044/-
BP, Marthandam - Rs 300/-

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Took Thenmala - Shengottai - Sri Villiputhur - Madurai route for the return leg.



A lot more scenic, and overall - the roads were much better than the Nagercoil stretch.



However, the road was under construction at places-



And had turned to pure slush after the rains -



When the weight of the beast starts playing on your mind. One fall, and I'd have to ride to Bangalore with brown riding gear!



Local wildlife crossing the road -



Soon I was in TN once again -



Which meant excellent roads, be it 2-lane -



Or 4-lane, post Madurai -



Made maximum use of the sunlight, and was back to Attibele border by nightfall.



Back to base after 1513 kms.



Carrying slush all the way from Kerala!





Took the bike to Torq92 for a quick wash on Sunday -

Fuel breaks -

Trivandrum before starting - Rs 982/-
Madurai COCO - Rs 878/-
BP COCO, Thoppur - Rs 933/-

Average FE, for the ride -

Several friends asked if the Versys was any more tiring than driving the car on the same route? The short answer is NO!

Needed only 3 small breaks for the return leg. 1. Madurai for fuel & lunch (Max - 30 minutes) . 2. Thoppur for fuel and chain lube (Max - 10 minutes) 3. Attibele for water and messaging family (Max - 5 minutes). For mile munching in comfort, on two- wheels - I absolutely can't find fault with the Versys! Except for the a/c - it was just as effortless (and much faster) than the car!

Updated index of all the major rides so far -


- Bangalore - Trivandrum - Bangalore. ~ 1600 kms
- Markonahalli Dam. ~ 200 kms.
- Dandiganahalli Dam. ~ 200 kms.

- Davangere ~ 550 kms.
- Chikmagalur. ~ 530 kms.
- VBR ride to Gauribidanur. ~ 200 kms.

- Krishnagiri Dam. . ~ 220 kms.
- Vani Vilas Sagar Dam. ~ 400kms.
- Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Bisle and back to Bangalore. ~550kms.
- Bangalore - Preeti Canteen, Birur (breakfast) - Bhadra Dam, Koppalli (Kavyasala) - Balehonnur - Chikmagalur - Bangalore. ~750 kms.

- Yelagiri. ~ 320 kms.
- Team Bhp Ride to Kodachadri.. ~ 920 kms.
- Anchetty loop bikers circuit. . ~ 250 kms.

- Shettihalli Church. ~ 420 kms.
- Shettihalli Church (VBR anniversary ride). ~ 420 kms.
- Rameshwaram & Dhanushkodi. ~ 1300 kms. Overnighter.

- Ooty. 620 kms.
- Kudremukh. 662 kms.
- Vani Vilas Sagar Dam ~ 400 kms.

- Kodaikanal. ~ 1015 kms.
- Gudibande Fort ~ 150kms.
- Iglur Dam. ~ 225kms.

- Sakleshpur - Subramanya - Madikeri ~ 650 kms.
- Yercaud. ~500 kms.
- Bangalore - Trivandrum - Bangalore. ~ 1510 kms. Extended weekend.

Time for 24k kms service now.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Had ordered saddle stays for the Versys from Zana International, and the order has been refunded. Looks like they are not making the stuff anymore.

Any saddlebags that can be considered without having saddle stays?

Not keen on tail bags like the Viattera Claw, as they make the whole process of climbing the horse rather cumbersome, especially with rain gear on.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Any saddlebags that can be considered without having saddle stays?

My suggestion is to get Givi saddle bag supports built for your bike. If you remember the saddle bag supports + rack on my bike, it'll be similar to that. Could find this with a Google search.

If you get it hand carried from Germany, it'll be much cheaper. But it's worth the cost as it's great quality and you can pick-up any saddle bag without a worry.

Edit: Check the same product along with the fitment kit on carpimoto.it