[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Congratulations Vikram !

I am surprised to hear about the cost of the EBC pads - they are more expensive than the EBC pads for my Multistrada :O

Unfortunately you will face bad lighting issue in most superbikes in India which dont come with LED headlamps. Instead of trying to do some jugaad for 899 headlights - get proper aux lights on your bike. You can get them mounted on the front forks - much better solution.

...But ONLY if they're being wired into the bike's high-beam circuit ONLY. Otherwise, as more typically desi-wired "always on", auxiliary lamps are not dip-able and blind oncoming traffic and thus put people traveling in both directions at much higher risk. This is something that a majority of motorists in the subcontinent have yet to figure out... they have no idea how safe and easy driving at night is in places (yes, even heavily traveled and dark places) where the rule to dip high beams to oncoming traffic is consistently observed.

Can't speak for Pakistan, but in Nepal, SriLanka, Thailand, Central American Banana Republics, and for that matter Mizoram, common sense has prevailed and people are a lot better about this.

I love India, but hate driving at night here, whereas abroad it was my favorite time for mile-munching!

Read foreign reviews of some of these same bikes and they often comment favorably on the lighting, despite their higher speeds. There's a reason for that!

...just clarifying, forgive my little sermon (but please take it to heart, in the interest of "continuous improvement" of driving habits/conditions/pleasure)!

-Eric

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by ringoism

...But ONLY if they're being wired into the bike's high-beam circuit ONLY. Otherwise, as more typically desi-wired "always on", auxiliary lamps are not dip-able and blind oncoming traffic and thus put people traveling in both directions at much higher risk. This is something that a majority of motorists in the subcontinent have yet to figure out... they have no idea how safe and easy driving at night is in places (yes, even heavily traveled and dark places) where the rule to dip high beams to oncoming traffic is consistently observed.

Can't speak for Pakistan, but in Nepal, SriLanka, Thailand, Central American Banana Republics, and for that matter Mizoram, common sense has prevailed and people are a lot better about this.

I love India, but hate driving at night here, whereas abroad it was my favorite time for mile-munching!

Read foreign reviews of some of these same bikes and they often comment favorably on the lighting, despite their higher speeds. There's a reason for that!

...just clarifying, forgive my little sermon (but please take it to heart, in the interest of "continuous improvement" of driving habits/conditions/pleasure)!

-Eric

I get what you are saying Eric. However most Aux lights will not get connected to the high dip circuit because of various reasons - warranty for one. Its upto the user to 1. buy good quality aux (baja/denali etc) which are properly focussed 2. Angle them so that they dont blind the incoming traffic.

Unfortunately in majority of India conditions as you would have seen - the incoming traffic is using high beam and you are basically blinded unless you have a weapon of your own. Also - other countries dont have to worry about cycle/pedestrians/animals coming in the middle of road out of nowhere like us.

[ashwinprakas]

While on the topic of LED's even DOT certified ones come in 5000k temperature which is decent for night riding, but they suck when it comes to riding in Fog, have experienced this first hand when riding to Mumbai from Surat before dawn where we experienced the worst kind of fog ever, the white light simply kept bouncing back.

Hence it would be best to target something in the range of 4300~4600k temperature as they work well in all conditions.

[sharad_kmc]

Congratulations on the wonderful review Vikram. All of us do have that school boy still in us waiting for the right toy. Would just want to know why did you zero down on the Benelli. Gujarat has a host of other used SBK’s available in the used classifieds. Would a Kawasaki or a Honda served you better from the service and spared view point.

[wolg]

Congratulations on the bike ! and great write up. Thank you for sharing .

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Vikram8891

In my budget at that time – 3 Lakhs, there were loads of sports bikes in the market

...

Honestly, I do feel that maybe I overpaid

Vikram,
Congratulations on the purchase and a very happy & long ownership to you! The Baroda (note the B, not the V ) I knew was filled with Sunnys and Scootys and whatnot; never knew such big bikes were in abundance lol! But then that was during my childhood, things have definitely changed!

I'm really surprised that the options you found for a 3 lakh budget! So where did you finally park the figure for getting the Benelli, if you don't mind me asking?

[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by sharad_kmc

Congratulations on the wonderful review Vikram. All of us do have that school boy still in us waiting for the right toy. Would just want to know why did you zero down on the Benelli. Gujarat has a host of other used SBK’s available in the used classifieds. Would a Kawasaki or a Honda served you better from the service and spared view point.

I knew it had to be a naked and was mostly leaning towards the Z650. However like I said, as of Jan 2019 there were absolutely no SVC or showrooms of Kawasaki in Gujarat. Benelli has both in Vadodara. Honda is good but again in naked I didn't get anything in my budget. Naked + ABS + 3-4 Lakhs = Benelli!

Originally Posted by wolg

Congratulations on the bike ! and great write up. Thank you for sharing .

Thank you for reading through it.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Vikram,
Congratulations on the purchase and a very happy & long ownership to you! The Baroda (note the B, not the V ) I knew was filled with Sunnys and Scootys and whatnot; never knew such big bikes were in abundance lol! But then that was during my childhood, things have definitely changed!

I'm really surprised that the options you found for a 3 lakh budget! So where did you finally park the figure for getting the Benelli, if you don't mind me asking?

Sent you a PM for what I paid
You should see how many SBKs come to the meet up points each weekend between Vadodara and Ahmedabad. At some of the meet up points you can see over 50 bikes on a slow day. GSX R 1000, BMW S1000R, ZX 10 r, ZX 14r, Ninja 650/100, Hayabusas, Harleys and even Aprilia and MUV Agusta. You name it, you can find it!

[azhar915]

Originally Posted by Vikram8891

[*]I haven’t yet had the opportunity to take the bike to 6th gear. Not even once.

Are you sure about this? When i ride mine, i usually don't realize i'm in 6th gear unless i try to upshift again.
The bike rides smoothly in 6th gear even at speeds as low as 45-50kmph without engine knocking. I sometimes miss the gear indicator.

Have you removed the muffler/silencer from your ixil exhaust?

[Vikram8891]

Originally Posted by azhar915

Are you sure about this? When i ride mine, i usually don't realize i'm in 6th gear unless i try to upshift again.
The bike rides smoothly in 6th gear even at speeds as low as 45-50kmph without engine knocking. I sometimes miss the gear indicator.

Have you removed the muffler/silencer from your ixil exhaust?

Hi Azhar,

Yes, I actually like to keep it in the powerband and am mostly in 3-4 when in the city. Like I said, haven't had the opportunity to take it beyond 5th, yet.

I agree that a gear indicator would have been nice, but I am mostly able to figure out which gear I am on. The IXILs currently don't have the DB killers installed. In shorter rides they are good but in the long ones, I expect I will have to put them in or get ear plugs.

[Vikram8891]

Benelli Vadodara it seems is really making an attempt to promote the brand. The company organized a small 100 kms round trip ride from Vadodara to Pavagadh and back for all 500 cc and above bikes a couple of weekends ago. It was a good opportunity to meet with the other Benelli riders at least from Vadodara.





Although it seems the engine capacity was not a hard criteria since we had a couple of 300s with us as well. Since it was a short ride and that too on a single lane highway, no one was being irresponsible and scorching it up, much to my relief.





Came across a beautiful looking TRK 502 which was recently purchased by a fellow rider. It’s a lovely looking bike and got the most eyeballs. I got a chance to get up on the saddle, though didn’t ride it. Parts quality and robustness seem quite pronounced. The seat is “very” comfortable. Even next to a 6 ft tall rider the bike looks big and purpose built. Exhaust note sounds good, and quite noticeable at higher revs. Won't really bother the cows and dogs in the city though





The ride was fun though what played spoil sport a bit was the regular stops to take photos. Rest I felt with the monsoons coming in, the waterfalls will open up more and give us even better locations to ride to. There is another ride which has been planned to a waterfall some 140 kms from Vadodara this coming Sunday as well. For now do enjoy the few pics I could get.


Tastefully modified TNT 600i






Can't stop clicking enough pics!


Love the look of this one.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

I get what you are saying Eric. However most Aux lights will not get connected to the high dip circuit because of various reasons - warranty for one. Its upto the user to 1. buy good quality aux (baja/denali etc) which are properly focussed 2. Angle them so that they dont blind the incoming traffic.

Unfortunately in majority of India conditions as you would have seen - the incoming traffic is using high beam and you are basically blinded unless you have a weapon of your own. Also - other countries dont have to worry about cycle/pedestrians/animals coming in the middle of road out of nowhere like us.

I can get the thing of potential warranty issues, though with more understanding/reasonable Authorized Service Centers, it wouldn't matter (mine didn't care regarding the Impulse mods).

I doubt that most can be aimed/focused so as to not blind. I've tried that in the past.

And I think we have to stop thinking that here in India the conditions of wandering livestock, etc, are unique in all the world, AND/OR that even if they were, this does not in any way suggest that overall night road safety is improved by everyone running with their brights on vs. dipping.

One of the great technological advances in vehicle lighting in the past couple decades was the low-beam that projected just as far as the high-beams, but with the very distinct vertical cut-off below which there was full brightness below (so that all cows/goats/dogs/pedestrians can be easily seen, so long as they're not floating in midair more than three feet above the ground!), and no projection above it with which to blind oncoming traffic. In India (not in all other lands) there's the added benefit of that "line" being easily adjustable from the cabin... to allow for varying passenger weights, etc.

It is just a pity that the benefits of that great technological advance are not being realized, whether from ignorance or outright stubbornness or, indeed, people regarding their lighting as a kind of "weapon" (and the bigger the better) - which would align more with a sad kind of aggression.

In all the other lands I've mentioned in the region, there are likewise dark, unlit roads and various animals roaming the nights... but not this problem, and I'll bet anything their nighttime accident statistics better India's every time. I just don't get it.

-Eric

[Vikram8891]

It had been a fun run with my first sportsbike. After riding it for 11 months and close to 10000 kms, I realised though that it just wasn't the bike for me.

Though at the outset it seemed like the perfect companion, after a while I thought I would grow used to the Benelli's weight but sadly despite riding it so much, I just could not get over the sheer mass of this thing. Another issue was the weak brakes. Changed the brake pads and the brake hoses were already steel braided. Changed the brake fluids and also removed air from the lines. None of that seemed to help. Even the showroom folk told me that apart from a master cylinder change, there was nothing further to be done to marginally improve the situation. There was no issue with the bite and in the few panic situations the ABS worked in an exemplary manner bringing the bike to a halt. However the massive play in the brake lever (almost 50%) was what unnerved me.

Finally came to terms with the fact that I have to let it go and practically as soon as I can so that I get some value on it. The bike is in no terms a lemon. I just could not get used to it. Despite pulling one day 600 kms ride on it!

So with that chapter closed, I went for something lighter, much much faster and quite unique (bordering on exotic). I will be back with a new thread on it. For now I would request the mods to close this thread, since I would not be posting any further on the Benelli.

It was definitely a bike which showed me what performance biking is about and I did some crazy trips on it which pushed my own boundaries, but it was time to let it go and hopefully pass it on to someone who enjoys it more than I did.