[Odeen12]

Hey Guys!

Hope all good with you. I just checked, the last post on my thread “Speed Burble” was on 22nd March 2017. It’s September of 2018 and things have changed. As these 2 pictures below,




2015 was a good year. I got the Speed home. A long cherished dream of owing a powerful naked came through. Every day, every moment I spent on that motorcycle was bliss. Though have not updated the thread as often as I would have liked, hands down the Speed Triple is and now was just a lot of fun.



Spent 2 years with this baby and with time, riding her became second nature. She became an extension of who I was. She’s big mind you. So yes, there was no shortcut to effort. But once she starts going there is no stopping that canon ball.

Some 9000kms and hell lot of fun later, my life seemed to have hit a plateau. Everything became just normal. Professionally or even the motorcycle seemed to feel a little sluggish for me I guess. After a lot of deliberation took the tough call and decided to part with the Burble. Luckily she’s with a brilliant owner who I am sure will enjoy her to bits. I do get regular WhatsApp messages, pictures from him. Both of them seem to be getting along really well!!



I had this itch which I should have scratched at some point before I got the Speed Triple.
The Itch to get a proper full blown litre class Super Sport. I am not getting younger. Body is still strong, I guess. Made up my mind to plunge head first.

Thought about a pre owned bike. But then this thought creeped. People abuse their motorcycles. Goa Fest, Some random College fest, Some random super bike fest. If you’ve seen the videos you will notice one thing in common, loudest motorcycle event. I don’t know what pleasure does one get from murdering a motorcycle like that. To brutally work that throttle on a stationery bike and in the bargain fry your rings etc etc etc. But hey, their bike, their rules. I decided to rather stay away from all this.

And as the wise Tyler Durden said:*The first rule of project mayhem is you do not ask questions.


New bike it is then.

Here were the options available,

- Yamaha YZF-R1
- BMW S1000rr
- Kawasaki ZX-10r

Now you know in this country test rides are equivalent to a Unicorn. It doesn’t matter to the dealer even if you are a willing customer to put down upwards of 20lacs. They are convinced that they are doing you a favour by letting you buy a motorcycle from them. If you have followed my Speed Burble story you will know exactly why I walked out of Kawasaki and not get the Z1000.


Yamaha YZF-R1:
The mighty epitome of Superbikes. That Crossplane inline 4 is a riot. Sounds brilliant and revs freely. But no test rides. So you go with reviews online and make your own assumptions. With whatever I know, it’s a committed motorcycle for sure. That is evident from the 2011 Crossplane which I have ridden and the new one apparently is an attack tool. So forget going to work once in a while or at least decide to work your crotch, shoulders, legs and back. Still will WANT one someday.


BMW S1000rr:
This thing is a monster. It’s every boy and man’s wet dream. I was seriously considering this bike for all the hype and stories that go with her. Now baring a few minor upgrades etc overall it’s still the same motorcycle which they launched with. They haven’t changed the 1000rr and to come to think of it, why should they? That Inline 4 is powerful and does exactly any serious motorcyclist would want. Walked into the showroom at Andheri. Asked for a test ride and was obliged. Damn! We were off. A ride from Andheri to Bandra, late afternoon. Ok done. The moment you sit on the motorcycle you realise what German engineering is all about. The attention to details on these is amazing. The paint, the feel of the cockpit and the lush seats. All in all you feel like a king.
The thing moves like a beast. Oodles of power and grunt. And extremely mechanical. It’s so classic German. The thing is built like a Tank. I mean even Hitler would approve of it. And yes the QS is sublime. The damn thing pops with every shift once you get to the meat of things.
The BMW however is also very overwhelming. There’s too many options. The ride is super mechanical and the heat dissipation is a joke. I wore denims to a test ride. I roll them, a little, because they look hipster. Big mistake! By the time I got back to Andheri my left shin was on fire. I absolutely could not keep my leg down on the peg.
I understand the city is no place for a bike like this. The track is where she spreads her wings etc. Came back with a feeling of I don’t know?



Kawasaki ZX-10r:
Everyone seems to have one. And honestly why not. It’s a proven capable motorcycle which offers the absolute bang for the buck. Went and saw the motorcycle. Which was at the time available in only one colour. Green (I don’t like it). But colour and looks are the last thing you would look for in a performance motorcycle. Again, no test ride available. So had to work with reviews from the internet. However lucky for me, i got to ride one. That too on Palm beach road. The first thing you realise when on the motorcycle is how wide it is. Or it’s probably the way the clip ons are stacked. But I liked that. Coming from a Speed Triple, this felt right at home. The engine and transmission is typical Kawasaki smooth and refined. Clank it in gear and combustion helps move the motorcycle ahead. Immediately you notice the tall gearing on the motorcycle. Which made me think, will it be as fun as the Triple in the city? Or do you get sprockets sorted with the appropriate gearing? But this motorcycle is not meant for the city. So you get along. I don’t know why did I even bother looking at that instrument cluster. It’s downright difficult. If you think you can cruise at 120 kmph and peek at the speedo to figure what’s going on, forget about it. But i do like that Red Line meter. The power delivery seemed to peek quite late. She felt extremely docile in and around 5-7k. But post that, it’s a rocket ship and you need to hold on to your panties. The brakes work fantastic. Period. The front is ridiculously lush and so damn comfortable. Add more, the new crop of ZX-10r’s are loaded to the “T”. For the price it’s the most VFM motorcycle out there. All in all in the short span of time I had with her she felt lovely. So yep, another good option to consider.


Here was the dilemma. For some reason I was still not convinced a 100 percent between the BMW and Kawasaki. But seems like I will need to take a call between these 2 and figure what to do.


A few days, weeks passed and then I got a call from a dear friend, Stuart Lima. He works with Suzuki Palm beach. And he insisted that I come and have a look at the New GSX-R1000.
First response, Gixxers are for posers. I am not coming to Vashi for that.
Stuart however was convinced that I had to ride this new and improved GSX-R.

So that weekend it was Palm Beach, Vashi.

Both the variants, GSXR- A and RR were available to be tested and tried. After a brief discussion and some chai, plus the bashing that Gixxer stock exhaust, time came to get astride the GSX-R-A
The moment you fling that leg over the bike, you realise how narrow this monster is. It seems like a 600 to be honest. Have ridden a Daytona and as far as size goes, this was so close to it.

Turned the key …touch the easy start system once and she comes alive with a smooth rumble. However from a Japanese standpoint, she is relatively noisy.

Before I left, Stuart asked me NOT to be gentle with her and categorically asked me wring everything out of her to have some fun.

I got moving and you immediately feel the weight. Or should I say the nothingness of it. The motorcycle is 202kg wet, I guess. But the Kobe engineers have hidden the same really well. The steering feels nice and light, but with feedback. So we trudged around. And got to the main road of Palm Beach.

Now for any regular petrolhead who lives in Bombay knows what Palm beach stands for. It equals Speed. And if it’s a Sunday afternoon, then it’s Extra special! (Hardly anyone on the roads)

Got to a signal and while I waited,
She was in A mode. Decided to turn the traction control off completely.

The surge of power comes in right from 4k and builds like a freight train picking momentum to shatter your being.
First Gear
Second Gear - Power wheelie. There is lift off immediately.
Third Gear - And you can whizz past anything on the road.
Third Gear - Next Signal. Road ran out and have to take a U Turn.

This time I wanted this to last a little longer.

Went all the way to the end of Palm Beach. Took another U Turn. I couldn’t stop grinning inside the helmet.

On the way back I was doing may be 40-50kmph in 4th gear and the engine was spinning smoothly without any lugging.
Everything I did on that motorcycle felt absolutely right. It seemed like a Tailor made experience. And I really wanted more from where that came. Hence I was sold to the idea of a Suzuki.

I’ll list the Pro’s and Con’s and the entire decision to get the A and Not the RR spec version below.

GSX-RR
So I took her out for a spin as well. And the experience was the same. But with some more oomph!


Now the difference between the A and RR is, the RR comes loaded with extra goodies.
Has the Blipper/ QS, 6 Axis IMU, Showa BFF forks and the BFRC rear, Launch control.
And all that comes at a price difference of another 3lacs or so.

The engine and some other features like the Traction control system, Progressive braking, the discs, the Brembo brakes are common between both the models.

In my case, I instantly connected with that engine. It’s a riot on your senses. And for someone like me, I don’t know if I actually wanted to spend that sort of money. I already was stretching myself.

Told Stuart that I’d like some time while I make this decision.
After a few days of deliberation and taking stock of my finances, the GSX-R-A was the right choice. Made the call and the entire process started.

The bike got here in December. Due to work commitments and other things going on in my life, I was to take delivery of this baby in January. Date confirmed for 18th January 2018.

Helmet in hand got to the Metro station in Andheri. Got off at Ghatkopar and then it was a long rickshaw ride to Palm Beach Road.

Got to the showroom and there she was. Peti packed from Japan!
We got her off the crate.





Connected the battery, checked the fluids and then there was power!
This was the first picture which I sent to my friends. They didn’t know.
Sure to say they were pleasantly and in an abusive way quite surprised.




The ride back from Vashi to Andheri was laden with bad roads and a lot of traffic. The bike handled beautifully. The new curved radiator works like a charm. She does get hot in traffic, but the moment you start moving you’ll forget about it.


The customary Pooja done.



And so begins another experience in my life.


8 Months and only 2400kms later here are my relatively simple observations.

Engine and Its bits:
The VVT which Suzuki claims has been lifted directly from their Moto GP bike does a lot of hockus pokus. And the result is great mid range and wonderful bottom end power and increased top end pleasure. On paper this is the best of both worlds. And trust me it works. It feels like different compartments of power. At 4k you get this surge. Then when you climb up the revs to say around 10k, the bike gives you another burst of more. And then all you need to do is tuck in tighter and leave her to do what she does best.
Having said that, Suzuki decided not to have the counter balancer shaft which has made the bike sort of vibey in certain RPM’s. It settles down the moment you go up in the rev range.
The transmission was relatively good. However I did find there was a issue when shifting from 1st to 2nd. And as it turned out, the bike was called in for a recall. Post the changes to the ECU, the motorcycle gears slot in beautifully and is quite smooth.


The stock silencer is horrendous. It’s actually a duffel bag attached to a otherwise very sleek motorcycle. But it does sound good. At full whip, the intake and the exhaust create this lovely symphony. Inside the helmet the experience just amplifies.
However changed it. Arrows it is.



Electronics and dash:
She has 3 riding modes. Which basically is all 200 horses but the throttle input changes. The A mode is where all the fun is. Everything about the motorcycle becomes edgy and crisp. I have used B and C only in the rain. And the bike feels so damn timid, especially in C mode.
She has 10 levels of traction control. And when you switch it off, is when you realise how discreet it is. I mostly hover around in 3 and 4 where I find it lets you be stupid, but has your back if you need it.

Do you like Casio watches. Because that’s what it is. The dash is crisp and relatively easy to read. Has all the necessary information neatly stacked. Plus as a cherry on top, Suzuki decided to give you a proper fuel gauge. On a litre class super sport that’s a luxury item.


Riding, Ergonomics and all the good stuff:
Suzuki’s have always been extremely comfortable motorcycles to ride. And this bike continues that legacy. Coming from a Speed Triple which is bulky and wide, the GSX-R is so small and compact.
I think the clip ons could have been wider. I am relatively tall and the narrow clips when breaking hard put a toll on my shoulders. The easiest fix is to grip the tank. Which is anyways the most basic of things you do on a motorcycle.
The foot pegs are comfortable and seem to fit me well. Have had no cramps while riding distances.






The seat however is another thing. It's spartan courtesy Suzuki.
And the rear seat. My wife looked at it once and has given up on my life choices.


The motorcycle does have decent brakes. And as off now they do the job well. Have had no issues as stated in quite a few reviews.
While we are on brakes. The ABS is sublime. There is no jerk, shudder etc. Its extremely progressive and confidence inspiring.

Finally considering I did not get the RR version, I will have the ECU flashed. Should give me a few options and in turn make the bike better.




No motorcycle is complete without a list of good accessories. It's that personal touch you add after the manufacturer has done his bit.
Installed the following,

- Evotech Radiator and Oil cooler guard
- Evotech Front and Rear wheel slider / bobbins
- Evotech Engine sliders
- Evotech Tail tidy
- Evotech Bar end weights and sliders
- MRA light smoke double bubble wind screen
- Tech Spec Snake Skin tank grips
- Speedo angels - Speedometer screen protector
- Powerbronze Rear wheel hugger
- Arrow Slip On exhaust

Some pictures of putting these goodies on.




Attachment 1795298





Things still pending
- Woolich ECU Flash. With Race tools.
- Yoshimura Case sliders.
- Brembo RCS 19 master cylinder.
- Braided lines.
- ASV Levers or Brembo
- Samco radiator tubes
- Pro Ti bolts.
- And a Arrow full system.
- Might change the Sprocket and Chain


There's so much to learn from her. Its exhilarating and sublime. And I am in love, again!


Hope you like this. Cheers!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Superbikes Section. Thanks for sharing!

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on getting the beast home. It surely does look sleek in comparison to other liter class bikes. The stock silencer is way too big on the motorcycle. Arrow suit the sleek nature.

Happy biking.

[Nitish.arnold]

WOW,

That's the word which comes after seeing these drool worthy pics,
Did you get her serviced yet? what is the maintenance like, and do they have guys specially trained for this beast?

Also want to know where do you get these aftermarket parts sourced from. I put up in Delhi, but all of my parts come from china/ USA. Things are so damn costly here.

Thanks, (a prospective litre classer stuck in honing skills on yamaha r3 & cbr650f)

[v12]

Congrats on the GSX Rahul! A Supersports was long overdue for you and so was this thread. Somehow I still cannot fathom that the Speed Triple is gone - that motorcycle was really special. For me too, since it was the first 1000cc bike that I ever rode. I remember seeing the Speed on our first ride when I got the Z. You mentioned to me that the Z is so silent and refined - and I mentioned that the Speed sounded so raw and savage - just like a muscle car. Just like the Z - the Speed holds a special place in my heart!

Anyways thats the past! This is really a great bike for you - and I am sure you will be doing a lot of justice to this bike (just like the Speed). I can see the long pending list of accessories (even after you decided that you are not gonna spend anything more on the bike) - very difficult to control that!

Am glad you replaced 2 of the most ugliest things on it - the rear mudguard and the OE exhaust. Their oversize totally spoils the looks of an otherwise ultra-slim motorcycle.

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on getting the beast home. It surely does look sleek in comparison to other liter class bikes. The stock silencer is way too big on the motorcycle. Arrow suit the sleek nature.

Happy biking.

Thank you Krishna for your kind words. Asolutely the stock silencer is horrendous!!

[narula123]

Congrats on picking up a great machine bud. That powerbronze piece looks yummy among other things. Could you DM me the details please (I already expect it to burn a hole in my pocket).

Hope to catch up with you somewhere on the road.

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by Nitish.arnold

WOW,

That's the word which comes after seeing these drool worthy pics,
Did you get her serviced yet? what is the maintenance like, and do they have guys specially trained for this beast?
Thanks, (a prospective litre classer stuck in honing skills on yamaha r3 & cbr650f)

Thank you Nitish. I did have her serviced thrice now. The intervals as stated by Suzuki is every 6 months.

1st service: was done at 750kms.
2nd service: because of the way she was shifting from 1st to 2nd. I felt it was a issue with the oil. However now we know, post recall, it was the issue with the ECU.
3rd service: was routine Which i did recently.

The first service was expensive. But that was due to labour charges. Had quite a few accessories to be added.

2nd and 3rd service the average cost has been around 8k.
Which includes,
Motul 300V- 10w-40 oil
Suzuki OE oil filter
Brake pad cleaning.
Chain cleaning and lube
Air filter cleaning.
Wash

So in Bombay we have 2 showrooms. One which is really close to my house and the other is quite the distance considering the traffic conditions here. The guys who do work on the bikes know what they are doing. They are trained from Suzuki to work on the bigger bikes.

I feel you, when you say that the aftermarket parts are expensive.
I got mine from Lazy Ass Bikers (Dhaval) in Bombay or from bikegear.in (Mr Gupta). I think he's in Rajasthan. The parts unfortunately are expensive when you compare them online. It's just that i don't have to worry about customs etc.
Having said that Allen (V12) has helped me procure some bits which turned out be a blessing. Every penny saved is some earned i guess. The only option i think is to plan and save and prioritise what is needed.

That R3 is a peach of a motorcycle. I had an RD350 and it was the best thing that have ever happened to me.

Hope this helps man.

Originally Posted by v12

Congrats on the GSX Rahul! A Supersports was long overdue for you and so was this thread. Somehow I still cannot fathom that the Speed Triple is gone - that motorcycle was really special. For me too, since it was the first 1000cc bike that I ever rode.

Allen my friend in Andheri and the only one here apart from Aman whom i have had the pleasure of riding with. Both on Speed and the Suzuki. In your case, you've ridden with me on the Kawa 800, KTM390, Yamaha RX100 and now the V650!

I miss the Speed too. Quite a lot. Wish we all were rich and could afford to keep multiple motorcycles. Having said that, you have multiple motorcycles

That list which i have made is the last of the last. I am not getting anything more. Never say never.

Originally Posted by narula123

Congrats on picking up a great machine bud. That powerbronze piece looks yummy among other things. Could you DM me the details please (I already expect it to burn a hole in my pocket).

Hope to catch up with you somewhere on the road.

Hey man. Thank you. Absolutely looking forward to seeing you. I'll message you the hugger details.
Cheers!

NOTE FROM T-BHP SUPPORT: Please avoid submitting back-to-back posts. Use the EDIT / QUOTE+ functions within 30 minutes of submitting the first post, instead of posting consecutively. Thank you.

[The Brutailer]

Amazing write up man. Loved reading it. Could feel the passion you have for high performance machines. I like machines that are loud, brash and wicked. This seems to fit the bill. Not overly electronically controlled yet sophisticated all the same.

Congrats and wishing you many happy miles with this demon.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by Odeen12

So in Bombay we have 2 showrooms. One which is really close to my house and the other is quite the distance considering the traffic conditions here. The guys who do work on the bikes know what they are doing. They are trained from Suzuki to work on the bigger bikes.

[/b]

Firstly, congratulations Rahul on bringing home the GSX-R. With regards to the showrooms, I guess you are referring to the showroom in Juhu and the other one which is on Palm Beach Road. There is also a third one, which was on the linking road in Borivali and now has shifted to Dahisar. That is the place I picked my Busa from and where I take it for service. For accessories and parts you should try Demon Tweeks who are based out of UK. Got a good deal when I purchased EBC brake pads from them.

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Amazing write up man. Loved reading it. Could feel the passion you have for high performance machines. I like machines that are loud, brash and wicked. This seems to fit the bill. Not overly electronically controlled yet sophisticated all the same.

Congrats and wishing you many happy miles with this demon.

Hey thanks a ton. Glad you liked her as well!!

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Firstly, congratulations Rahul on bringing home the GSX-R. With regards to the showrooms, I guess you are referring to the showroom in Juhu and the other one which is on Palm Beach Road. There is also a third one, which was on the linking road in Borivali and now has shifted to Dahisar. That is the place I picked my Busa from and where I take it for service. For accessories and parts you should try Demon Tweeks who are based out of UK. Got a good deal when I purchased EBC brake pads from them.

Hi man. Thank you.
Yes, referring to the one in Juhu and Palm Beach. I honestly didn't know about Borivali. As off now i take her to Vashi and if Stuart is not around then Juhu. Which is way convenient as i stay at Versova!

I'll absolutely check Demon Tweeks. Do they deliver to Bombay? Did you face any issues with customs etc?

Thanks in advance!

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by Odeen12

Hi man. Thank you.
Yes, referring to the one in Juhu and Palm Beach. I honestly didn't know about Borivali. As off now i take her to Vashi and if Stuart is not around then Juhu. Which is way convenient as i stay at Versova!

I'll absolutely check Demon Tweeks. Do they deliver to Bombay? Did you face any issues with customs etc?

Thanks in advance!

I got it delivered at home in Mumbai. The thing with customs is that the item needs to be small and not too expensive. I have ordered a lot of parts from many countries and never had any issue. Only once I had ordered many parts in one go from a UK based website and it got stuck at airport customs. The parts included two rear suspension sets, clutch parts and cables for my RD’s. The parcel was bulky and heavy so had to visit the customs office at domestic airport pay the duty and I collected them on the same day.

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

I got it delivered at home in Mumbai. The thing with customs is that the item needs to be small and not too expensive. I have ordered a lot of parts from many countries and never had any issue. Only once I had ordered many parts in one go from a UK based website and it got stuck at airport customs. The parts included two rear suspension sets, clutch parts and cables for my RD’s. The parcel was bulky and heavy so had to visit the customs office at domestic airport pay the duty and I collected them on the same day.

I am going to give this a shot for sure. There is some hope left then!! Thanks a ton again.

[alphadog]

Super Superbike!.
Your bike looks amazing and a great write up too with cool pics. I love all the well thought out additions you have done to your bike, especially loosing the ugly bulky exhaust, that was sticking out like a sore thumb and the tail tidy.
A good electric blue is good to see, punctuating the plethora of reviews of greens that has been visible on bhp forums of late...
A sure shot attention grabber and by the sounds of it, a great bike to ride as well.
Enjoy your ride, wishing you miles of super-biking.

Cheerio!

[quickdraw]

Looks like Stuart baba is preaching the GSX way. He is one of the biggest gixxer fans I know and am not surprised at all. Damn good rider and human being too, glad to hear that he is doing well.

Congratulations, this brings back memories of me riding a 2005 GSXR1000 on Palm Beach road over a decade ago. It was truly a special machine and after reading your thread I'm glad to know that after years of blunders Suzuki got its flavor back. I think I really share your thought process on getting an illogical liter bike and ride it around while I still can.

I would urge you to definitely plan and bring it to a track to really enjoy it, the bike looks lovely.