[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats, Atul and Nandita.

Glad to have such a 'blessed' (Have to totally agree with above post) couple with the Versys family. It's a perfect choice too, I feel, because of the sheer comfort it offers for both the rider and pillion at cruising speeds.

Started with the essential upgrades? Radiator guard incident was quite unlucky, but was needed anyways. Light and horn upgrades can't be avoided as well (though I'm yet to do it myself).

I would also suggest Barkbusters hand guards, as many Versys riders (including myself) had a fall at parking speeds just because the weight went a little off balance. It might sound silly (to me, it did) but once the weight catches you off guard, there is simply no way out but to gently drop the bike and hope you don't break anything.

Originally Posted by atul.ktm

Special thanks to www.bikenbiker.com for the prompt delivery.

They are Bangalore based and you would already know him as a fellow Versys rider.

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congrats, Atul and Nandita.

Glad to have such a 'blessed' (Have to totally agree with above post) couple with the Versys family. It's a perfect choice too, I feel, because of the sheer comfort it offers for both the rider and pillion at cruising speeds.

Thank you

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Started with the essential upgrades? Radiator guard incident was quite unlucky, but was needed anyways. Light and horn upgrades can't be avoided as well (though I'm yet to do it myself).

I would also suggest Barkbusters hand guards, as many Versys riders (including myself) had a fall at parking speeds just because the weight went a little off balance. It might sound silly (to me, it did) but once the weight catches you off guard, there is simply no way out but to gently drop the bike and hope you don't break anything.

Yes, that radiator incident was sheer bad luck. Hope the new radiator guard doesn't let us down in the long run.

I did have Barkbusters VPS in the list, forgot to add them here. Since I got so used to riding with handguards on my 390, it really feels weird without them on the Versys. Will be plonking them on, real soon!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

They are Bangalore based and you would already know him as a fellow Versys rider.

Of Course I do

[nandita_bayan21]

Thanks everyone for all your lovely wishes.

HULK is special to both Atul and I (well, even Skiddy and Bumble - my Yellow Dio, are close to our hearts). Can't wait for Hulk to get well soon, come home and take us for some soulful rides.

[mh09ad5578]

Beautifully written. I'd love that my wife joins me on my rides but she absolutely hates the ride quality on my harley Superlow, maybe I should try a versys.Just kidding .Versys is a great bike. Quite a few in our group. Wish you great rides on it. Keep updating the thread and thanks for sharing.

[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by atul.ktm

Of Course I do

Originally Posted by nandita_bayan21

Thanks everyone for all your lovely wishes.

HULK is special to both Atul and I (well, even Skiddy and Bumble - my Yellow Dio, are close to our hearts). Can't wait for Hulk to get well soon, come home and take us for some soulful rides.

Congratulations Atul & Nandita for your new ride.

I also own a bike from same stable albeit, 800cc. Recently read your Maharashtra sojourn & really enjoyed it. Expecting more, such wonderful travelogues from your side.

[Surajit333]

Congratulations Atul and Nandita. So true, that, there is no other option than a Versys for comfortable and fast two-up touring. Versys expands the holiday concept, one might be looking at going twice the distance now. Going to Rajasthan rather than Coorg and North East rather than Goa should not seem improbable now.

Like many of us, I am so glad that you two have travelled so many miles together. Wish you all the best for your future rides. The radiator problem should be fixed soon, plan your trips.

Regards
Surajit

[lionell]

Originally Posted by atul.ktm

So finally these arrived today:

These are awesome Atul. Your TBHP handle needs a change now I have heard sweet stories of how good the Versys is, that is till its on the road. Once it needs some spares and detailed work, it sits with Kawasaki for a long long time.

With the split, please be extra careful on your rides and with everything so you avoid being harassed by the pathetic ASS that Kawasaki has.

I just sold my Ninja 650 out of sheer frustration and am never going to touch a Kawasaki in India again. I hope that is not the case in your city and you have happy miles ahead.

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Beautifully written. I'd love that my wife joins me on my rides but she absolutely hates the ride quality on my harley Superlow, maybe I should try a versys.Just kidding .Versys is a great bike. Quite a few in our group. Wish you great rides on it. Keep updating the thread and thanks for sharing.

Thank you. I am sure you and your wife will find Versys to be a very comfortable bike!

Originally Posted by Vasuki

Congratulations Atul & Nandita for your new ride.

I also own a bike from same stable albeit, 800cc. Recently read your Maharashtra sojourn & really enjoyed it. Expecting more, such wonderful travelogues from your side.

Thanks Vasuki

Originally Posted by Surajit333

Congratulations Atul and Nandita. So true, that, there is no other option than a Versys for comfortable and fast two-up touring. Versys expands the holiday concept, one might be looking at going twice the distance now. Going to Rajasthan rather than Coorg and North East rather than Goa should not seem improbable now.

Like many of us, I am so glad that you two have travelled so many miles together. Wish you all the best for your future rides. The radiator problem should be fixed soon, plan your trips.

Regards
Surajit

Thanks Surajit. Totally agreed on the holiday concept part, can't wait to put Versys through it's paces in terms on 'actual' long distance touring!

Originally Posted by lionell

These are awesome Atul. Your TBHP handle needs a change now I have heard sweet stories of how good the Versys is, that is till its on the road. Once it needs some spares and detailed work, it sits with Kawasaki for a long long time.

With the split, please be extra careful on your rides and with everything so you avoid being harassed by the pathetic ASS that Kawasaki has.

I just sold my Ninja 650 out of sheer frustration and am never going to touch a Kawasaki in India again. I hope that is not the case in your city and you have happy miles ahead.

Thanks mate, need to PM Mods for the handle change

The Bangalore SVC is no different, the same pathetic behaviour here also. Planning to accumulate some spares and keep them in stock for future. Can't depend on these people to get the spares in time.

[Coplay]

Congrats Atul & Nandita,
Your ride looks smashing, the pictures are brilliant and the rides are just going to be more epic.
Good luck and have fun. Rated ur thread 5Stars.

PS: I heard about ur Radiator & Coolant issue through another V650 owner here in Bangalore last week. Hope the Big Green Hulk comes back soon, fit as a fiddle.

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by Coplay

Congrats Atul & Nandita,
Your ride looks smashing, the pictures are brilliant and the rides are just going to be more epic.
Good luck and have fun. Rated ur thread 5Stars.

PS: I heard about ur Radiator & Coolant issue through another V650 owner here in Bangalore last week. Hope the Big Green Hulk comes back soon, fit as a fiddle.

Thanks a lot!

Radiator is currently stuck in Pune due to GST complication. Should take 10 more days for the issue to be resolved.

Waiting to get back on the road soon

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Got to see Atul's bike, but unfortunately in the service station. What struck me was the colour. It seems to be the same lime green as the Ninja 300 (650 had a different shade), but with a superb metallic paint finish and shine, that we have seen on the 650 earlier.



But I'm still partially biased towards the earlier matte black version.

[atul.ktm]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Got to see Atul's bike, but unfortunately in the service station. What struck me was the colour. It seems to be the same lime green as the Ninja 300 (650 had a different shade), but with a superb metallic paint finish and shine, that we have seen on the 650 earlier.

The green shade on V650 is actually darker than the N300 and lighter than the old N650, and on top of that, the metallic finish does make it stand out!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

But I'm still partially biased towards the earlier matte black version.

Agreed, it's a bit in your face kind of color. On the contrary, Nandita wasn't giving the approval for V because of the matte black color as her notion is Kawasaki = Green

[atul.ktm]

So finally after a month long wait, the radiator arrived from Pune. Meanwhile as mentioned earlier, I had got the radiator guard and the fender extender as well. So it was D day to get Hulk back home.

As requested by Mr. Bhanu I reached the SVC at 10 am sharp but due to the mad rush and the frequent power cuts, my work started at 3 pm

The entire process took nearly 2 hours.

Hulk standing in the corner, waiting for it's turn



Some exotic beauties all the way from TN





The labour charge for H2 is 4k per hour



Anyways, coming back to Hulk and it's radiator



Green Hulk bleeds green



Good to see them keeping the plastics safely :P



Filling up the coolant



The brand new radiator, I had been waiting for you from the past 1 month



Radiator guard being fitted

ODO was 801 kms so decided to finish the remaining 200 kms and then give for 1st service. Parts availability is not an issue currently as lot of spares arrived from Pune just few days back

Now came a huge shocker, the new radiator cost is Rs. 48960/-

Enquired and rechecked if they were billing with the Versys 650 radiator or some other bike, turns out this is the new price. Thank God for insurance. They didn't give the bill as they need to add GST in their billing system. I should get it max by Tuesday. Settled everything and left the SVC by 6 pm.

For the fender extender, we need to make 4 holes in the front fender. The drilling machine wasn't present in the SVC so went to my trusted mech and got that fixed. Reached home by 9 pm and kept admiring Hulk for sometime.

Finally the wait is over and now, IT'S TIME TO RIDE!

As they say, 1 bike on the road is better than 2 parked in your garage!

[Surajit333]

Originally Posted by
[B

Finally the wait is over and now, IT'S TIME TO RIDE![/b]

As they say, 1 bike on the road is better than 2 parked in your garage!

I can feel the happiness in your post! All the best brother, wish you thousands of trouble free kms. Ride safe.

[Thumping Soul]

Originally Posted by atul.ktm

Now came a huge shocker, the new radiator cost is Rs. 48960/-

That's more than the cost for the radiator for similarly priced cars. Seems very high. Did you try exploring it further?