[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by v12

Just wanted to check - the flange and the tank ring come together and both are bike specific , right?

Apparently the BF04 flange does not fit the Versys 650. The correct one for the V650 is the BF26.

Thanks for the detailed review.

You're back in the hunt for the Versys? Or did I totally miss that you picked up one?

Versys and the Ninja ones should be similar. Member "IronH4wk" is using the same bag on his Ninja 650 and could probably confirm the model number. Its a very impressive small bag indeed.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by v12

Just wanted to check - the flange and the tank ring come together and both are bike specific , right?

Apparently the BF04 flange does not fit the Versys 650. The correct one for the V650 is the BF26.

Thanks. The plastic flange comes inside the bag and is bag specific and not bike specific. The metal tank ring is bike specific and comes as a separate item. The same ST602 Tank Bag can be put up on a Ducati or a Yamaha. You only need a specific tank ring for that bike.

Now as per my research goes, it is only the BF04 that goes on our Kawasakis. However to clear your doubt, refer to BF04 dimensions given below and check with the holes on your bike.



If the distance between the lower 2 bolts is 55mm, then it is the BF04 that you need.



However kindly cross check dimensions with the drawing before ordering because I might be mistaken.


Hope that clarifies. Cheers...

[lionell]

You could also take a look at https://motoinkz.com/

I had their rim tapes on my N650. Not like the regular tapes and looks fab on the move. They are also reflective.

Cheers

Originally Posted by dkaile

Non taken mate. This is a stop gap arrangement till I get something from Tapeworks Graphics, US who specialise in exact shades as per our bike. Here's a video showing how it's installed on our bike from a roll of tape installed by a stripe-it-all tool -


Cheers...

[v12]

Thanks for the info CD and Dkaile! The Versys has always been on my mind from the time I sold the Z800 - it's just a matter of time though.

Dkaile Sir one more question - does the tank bag cause any hindrance on lock to lock or U-turns?

[dkaile]

Neemrana Fort (Rajasthan, India) Ride, 415kms, 03/04-03-2018

Had a short overnighter to Neemrana Fort with 2 other Ninja 1000 buddies. One I met at Delhi and the other joined in from Jaipur.



Started early by 6am from Meerut. At Akshardham Mandir at 7.10



The fab 3



Reached the Fort by 10 am



And a beautiful one at that...



Has some old world charm



While adding some modern luxuries



Old Neemrana City below



Had a nice buffet lunch



Overnight Stay at Ramada, Neemrana



Drying out our gear



The 3 riders on the highway



A small 5 minute video of the ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgjf0ltkL8g

Back home by lunch the next day. 415kms and 17.9kmpl



Cheers...

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Back home by lunch the next day. 415kms and 17.9kmpl

Dhiraj mate nice to see you clocking up miles on your new steed. I read about the ergonomics you mentioned in this thread, but could you elaborate more on comfort and seating position while riding for long hours. I had sat on the Ninja 1000 and at 5 feet 9 1/2 inches was able to plant my feet with the heel just about a few mm's away from the ground while stationary.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

could you elaborate more on comfort and seating position while riding for long hours. I had sat on the Ninja 1000 and at 5 feet 9 1/2 inches was able to plant my feet with the heel just about a few mm's away from the ground while stationary.

You are right in your observations. Shorter riders might have some issues planting their feet fully. I am 6' and am able to plant both my feet firmly. But we have many short riders in our Ninja 1000 Owners Group (now 54 members) who are able to ride the bike without issues. Rider comfort on my Heritage Softail is higher due to the rider backrest that I have installed on that bike and also because of the laid back/feet forward riding position of cruisers like Harley in general. You do need a break every 100 kms on this bike to keep your bum happy especially in my age nearing 50, but then a 100kms break is advisable for all long distance riders and I take that even when I am riding my Harley. I can easily see myself doing 500-600 kms in day on this bike with proper rest enroute.

Hope that clarifies. Cheers...

[ebmrajesh]

I am 5'7 and i can only tip-toe if i have balance with both the legs. However, i can comfortably put one of my feet flat down and still balance the bike properly without compromising on the seating position. During initial few kms it was tough but after getting used to height and weight of the bike now its more to do with anticipation and judgment of how you want to stop. Riding boots does help a bit. Once you are on the move then seat height does not bother at all.

[dkaile]

Had a nice 235 kms ride to Karnal last Sunday. Met up with 4 other Ninja 1000 buddies from Delhi and Chandigarh -



One of our buddies 2016 Ninja 1000 is one of the best modded Ninjas that I have seen in my life. He has invested more than 8 lacs moolah on some great understated mods like carbon fiber wheels, aluminum chain and sprockets, dual custom remaps, engine head plates, high performance tyres, dual full exhaust and headers upgrade and many more. This one can can give any ZX10R a run for it's money in India.



235kms, 18.2kmpl



-------------------------

Got some goodies from Amazon India -

A 36 set microfibre cloths from Amazon Basics for just 375/- bucks was on lightening deal (just 10 bucks for a great microfibre cleaning cloth), throwaway cost (MRP 1495/-) - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Got this newly launched Waxpol - Silky Touch Liquid Polish. 265/- bucks - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



It's based on some US based derivatives. The initial polishing of my Heritage gave some fantastic results - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post4372865



Also got a long pending tool for my garage - a TUV, Germany certified Torque Wrench of 1/2" drive with a torque range of 28 - 210 Nm. Great quality for the price and TUV certification is a added bonus. 3790/- bucks - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Some special tools I have garnered over the years which were missing this torque wrench



Lock and unlock system to adjust the torque



The build quality is great. Both way motion and locking head.



Torque readings in both Newton per meter and kgm



H8 and H12 hex for adjusting the chain on the Ninja 1000



---------------------------------

So today's Sunday was utilised in adjusting and cleaning the chain as I was finding it a bit loose. Having a torque wrench in the house gives great confidence that the work is carried out to factory specifications.



The chain was tightened to 1" of play (range 0.8-1.2") and the Chain adjuster clamp bolts were tightened to 65Nm factory specified torque.



Now Chain Lubing is a 'controversial' topic and each person has a different pov. I had been using the normal Motul Chain Cleaner and Chain Lube until now for every 600 kms i.e. around 3 times now. But I found these commercial lubes to be very sticky and they in fact catch more dust in our Indian conditions than I would like. More dust means more damage to the O rings. So after some intensive research, I finally decided against these commercial chain lubes and went in for cleaning with Kerosene damped cloth and lubing with WD40 so as to keep the chain squeaky clean as well as lubricated. Didn't go for washing the chain this time around so as to not remove any deep seated lubrication. Lubed both sides of the chain for completely soaking all O-rings. The results are here to see -



Close up of the sprocket and the chain



A closeup of the chain master link



A Sunday well spent. Cheers...

[bigron]

Nice write up. Always happy to see a biker enjoying his ride.
I think I did bump into one of your co-riders on my Sunday solo trip to Karnal. Its a great stretch of road for a nice Sunday ride.
I am aware of that Ninja 1000 you talking about. A close friend installed those CF wheels onto that bike. It looks good with all that he has but it is still no match for a zx10r.

Even I follow a roughly 500 km interval for chain maintenance and cleaning .For cleaning I rely on Kerosene though. Over the years I have used/tried a lot of products but keep coming back to this for cleaning the chain.Gives me a clean grime free result everytime .I sometimes use the grunge brush as well but have achieved mixed results with it. As for lubrication have used both the motul standard fare as well as WD-40. Both work well.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by dkaile

A 36 set microfibre cloths from Amazon Basics for just 375/- bucks was on lightening deal (just 10 bucks for a great microfibre cleaning cloth), throwaway cost (MRP 1495/-) -

Was reading and then was like , something must be wrong. Re-read. What a VFM deal!

How is the quality of the microfiber? Is it good to be used for regular washing and detailing purposes?

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

How is the quality of the microfiber? Is it good to be used for regular washing and detailing purposes?

It is a Amazon Basics product, so the quality is good. Quality of microfibre is light but it is good enough for washing and detailing purposes. And at 10 bucks a piece, you can almost use and throw, though it should last more than 20+ washes. The price seems to have increased but keep on the lookout as the deal keeps coming back.

Cheers...

[virajvroom]

Hi Dhiraj! Its so exciting to keep reading the posts in this thread. I have logged in here after 7 years. Was active in 2010-11 when I bought my first car! this is a fantastic community. Just got a quote Ex-Rs. 999000 + AFF 800 + RoadTax 171527 + Insurance 24473 = Rs 11,95,700/- in Pune! Not sure what AFF is. Any tips on reducing the cost by personally visiting RTO for registration? for Insurance i have contacts who would get me a good deal. Also 1 thing that is making me postpone my buying decision is the 130mm ground clearance. Had visited the BMW showroom. the F850GS is due for June or July it seems. I am a huge fan of sports tourers, but if 130mm is really a concern then BMW is the option for me because these bikes are once in a lifetime purchase for people like me! Dont want to end up cribbing later . Cruise Control: Rostra unit is available through imports, Cornering lights: I am already working on a separate 3 axis IMU connected to auxiliary lamps, Barometer, Altimeter, temperature gauge: will use the Pocketlab Weather Bluetooth device, TPMS: cheap Bluetooth ones from aliexpress that can pair with any android phone! No solutions for 130mm yet :(

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by virajvroom

Hi Dhiraj! Its so exciting to keep reading the posts in this thread. I have logged in here after 7 years. Was active in 2010-11 when I bought my first car! this is a fantastic community. Just got a quote Ex-Rs. 999000 + AFF 800 + RoadTax 171527 + Insurance 24473 = Rs 11,95,700/- in Pune! Not sure what AFF is. Any tips on reducing the cost by personally visiting RTO for registration? for Insurance i have contacts who would get me a good deal. Also 1 thing that is making me postpone my buying decision is the 130mm ground clearance. Had visited the BMW showroom. the F850GS is due for June or July it seems. I am a huge fan of sports tourers, but if 130mm is really a concern then BMW is the option for me because these bikes are once in a lifetime purchase for people like me! Dont want to end up cribbing later . Cruise Control: Rostra unit is available through imports, Cornering lights: I am already working on a separate 3 axis IMU connected to auxiliary lamps, Barometer, Altimeter, temperature gauge: will use the Pocketlab Weather Bluetooth device, TPMS: cheap Bluetooth ones from aliexpress that can pair with any android phone! No solutions for 130mm yet :(

First things first, Pune showroom people are behaving quite unprofessionally by asking such huge amount under the RTO head from gullible customers. Actual RTO charges in Pune are around 1.25L and they are charging 47k extra as handling charges, which was recently refunded back to one our members in Pune (whose video is also posted below btw) after we/he raised a hue and cry at their top management level. You can tell them that you belong to our Ninja 1000 Owners Group (which is 62 members now btw) and hopefully these extra charges won't be charged from you too.

Now coming to the main question about the choice of the bike. The two bikes you are comparing are totally different market segments. It's like saying whether I want a Thar or should I go for a Honda City. First of all you need to be clear in your mind what kind of biking you want to do. Are you into off-roading, then go for the adventure tourer category blindly. Or are you a highway mile muncher with occasional bursts of some real sports bike experience, then the Sports Tourer it is for you. There is a a huge difference in power of these two bikes too, 77bhp vs 140+ bhp and you need to decide if you can really control so much power under your wrist. Ninja 1000 is capable of 250+ speeds on the highways and comes with latest gadgetry in it's segment and that is a lot of bike for the money. The BMW will also cost you nearly 50% more than the Ninja on-road. So you need to be aware of your budget also. The 130mm ground clearance will trouble you only in the city occasionally, and that too only on some very big speed breakers. Out on the highway I have faced zero issues with the ground clearance. Some guys in our group even did some mild off-roading on that bike though I would not advise this bike for that kind of terrain. They also tested out it's stock LED headlights in the dark. See the video below -

http://youtu.be/tayOpH9UjWo

If your mind is made up for the Beemer, go for it blindly. It's a great bike on its own but with very different capabilities from the Ninja. If you want Japanese precision, reliability and sports bike capabilities at nearly half the price from the competition, then the Ninja 1000 is the bike for you. Finally the decision has to be made by you.

Cheers...

[virajvroom]

Awesome! Thanks for the detailed message. That clears the doubts! I am aware of the Handling charges scam. One of the fellow Tata car owners had highlighted this. But didnt know same applies to Superbikes. With car quotes Handling charges are mentioned separately in quotation. Seems like Kundan guys merged it with RTO tax in this quote!

Beemer was a new term for me. Glad to know the history. I felt like a misfit when I was entering the BMW showroom. Parked my Vespa near the R1200GS :O . But then the staff was cool! I was allowed to sit on both Supersports and Touring bikes to help me make a decision w.r.t seating positions. Unfortunately Kawasaki showroom didn't have the Ninja 1000. Your view on the power of the bike opened my eyes! I am 6 ft and 90 kgs, so pretty sure can handle it. But do I really need that kind of power? I think a test ride will give me a better picture. Showroom has informed me they would have a demo vehicle in April.

I will also try getting in touch with Shomit. I spend a lot of time in his area which is a prime market for people like me selling cola's during summer.

Originally Posted by dkaile

First things first, Pune showroom people are behaving quite unprofessionally by asking such huge amount under the RTO head from gullible customers.
=======
If your mind is made up for the Beemer, go for it blindly. It's a great bike on its own but with very different capabilities from the Ninja. If you want Japanese precision, reliability and sports bike capabilities at nearly half the price from the competition, then the Ninja 1000 is the bike for you. Finally the decision has to be made by you.

Cheers...