[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Hamza123

I usually ride almost every weekend and sometimes when I get time even during the week. I don't ride at fast speeds at all and like to stick to the 90 100 range. I would love to have an upright and comfortable seating posture which I think plays the biggest role when it comes to touring. Reliability and sensible maintainance and spares are the other requirements as I would like to ride the motorcycle rather than it being a garage queen.
Even my breakfast and Sunday rides are between 200 to 300 kms as I hate going for anything shorter than that. Not much of an off road guy and the max I would go is into some B roads and dust trails.

From the list and requirements you have pointed out I feel a slightly used Tiger 800 suit you the best. You could even consider the new 850 Tiger Sport, which should be within your budget brand new.

I would say the next option should be Ninja 1000 and perhaps the last should be Versys 1000. Honestly, piloting a Versys 1000 on even B road and some small dust trails can be quite a handful. Please do test it in similar conditions before taking a call. It’s a BIG, HEAVY bike so it’s important to try it out in the more challenging conditions that you think you might encounter in your usage.

Given you are happy to ride within 80-100 kmph, I think it’ll be quite a struggle to use an inline 4 engine with that driving style. It will really beg you to go faster. The Tiger on the other hand, I personally find equally easy to stay within 100 and just as easy to twist the throttle too.

Triumph has excellent service in Pune (perhaps even the best pan India) and the ownership experience and cost of a Tiger 800 should definitely be lower than the Kawasaki litre class offerings.

PS: On a side note, I think I recently read on some group of a Versys 1000 (2nd owner, first owner was Kawasaki India or similar) on sale around Wakad, Pune. Perhaps you can ask around in your Kawasaki groups if you know of the seller.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by no_fear

1. Learned this the hard way - insurance companies will say that you can get cashless, 0 dep insurance on Ducati. But you have to pay the repair expenses in full upfront, and then you have to claim the money from insurance, which takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 1 month. My Hypermotard got rear ended, and the total repair bill is 5.8 lacs. I have to now pay 5.8 lacs upfront to dealer and then get the money back from the insurance company. My insurance provider is New India Assurance. When I took out the policy, I was told it is cashless, but now New India told me that I need to pay upfront and then file for a claim. Why? Because brands like Ducati, Aprilia do not have any factory presence in India, hence insurance company uses this method. I have no idea about the rationale and logic, but I am sure SnS_12 who has background in insurance or any other bhpian can shed light on this matter. Probably the insurance agent is bluffing me, since my policy does not mention anything, but I am too exhausted arguing with insurance agents.

I doubt any SBK dealer/service center will be able to offer cashless claim settlement in India. Reasons being:

a) A cashless setup is an agreement between the insurer and that particular manufacturer/dealer. Both parties agreement has to be in place and just can't be one sided.

b) Insurance companies will have no issues offering cashless service but its the dealers/service guys who don't opt for it as the payment will be made to them by the Insurance company only after the work is completed or a part payment will be released for major/costlier work.

c) SBK dealers don't stock parts except consumables or fast moving parts as they are expensive to stock up and don't have that kind of cash flow where they can order parts without receiving payments from customers/insurance companies as they have to make the full payment to the parent sourcing company for it.

My only advice to potential big bike owners is have a 50% budget over and above the actual bike cost and for exotics like the Italians and Germans it has to be even more.

Things can go south financially very soon if you buy one on finance and at a stretched budget. Accidents can happen without any prior notice and as no_fear mentioned being rear ended has got him a bill of over 5 lacs. One has to account for such unexpected financial bombs on such big bikes which can take one off guard post purchase.

I had a stone hit my Busa in three months of ownership which costed me 1.5 lacs to repair but i didn't loose my sleep over the cost even though I had to pay for it upfront and then get it reimbursed by my insurer.

P.s - Another point to add when buying used SBK's is most insurance companies might not offer Zero Dep Insurance for older vehicles. So even a plastic part damage like fairing, will see you footing 50% of the cost as depreciation. That is BIG MONEY!!!

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

My only advice to potential big bike owners is have a 50% budget over and above the actual bike cost and for exotics like the Italians and Germans it has to be even more.!

As usual Sns to the rescue. +1 and very valid and solid points. I learned something new again and owe him another drink. In the grand scheme of things, the insurance / repair costs will not affect my net worth, as the money is returned, but it affects cash flow. Unless I am a millionaire, I won't have lacs sitting in my current account and that means I have to liquidate my investments to pay for these unexpected bills. Or worse, borrow from banks or friends or put it on my credit card, and pay interest on that, which I detest.

Sns is right on the point of adding 50% on top of budget. You may not use it, but its safe to keep it budgeted for, in the event you ever need it.

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by no_fear

Unless I am a millionaire, I won't have lacs sitting in my current account and that means I have to liquidate my investments to pay for these unexpected bills. Or worse, borrow from banks or friends or put it on my credit card, and pay interest on that, which I detest.

Brother, by owning 6 exotic Italians you're already considered a Millionaire

On a serious note, having a higher budget then one spends on something is a good practice and especially when buying luxury items like SBK's which in most cases would depreciate in value overtime and buying it on finance is definitely a big NO for me.

I know people who have a ongoing housing and car loan and want to add a SBK on finance as the annual appraisal they received can now accommodate that EMI.. Little do they realize that buying a SBK is the easiest part maintaining one is what can bite you off guard financially.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

I know people who have a ongoing housing and car loan and want to add a SBK on finance as the annual appraisal they received can now accommodate that EMI.. Little do they realize that buying a SBK is the easiest part maintaining one is what can bite you off guard financially.

On the other hand, I know someone who will not buy any 'pleasure' item (big bikes included) unless he has 10x of the cost of purchase as liquid assets. This is to ensure that even the most unfortunate event - total loss of the bike for whatever reason, will not create a huge dent on the finances. It will pinch for sure but not enough that you won't want to eat your meals for next few days

However, after having read Hamza123's post and experiences with both bikes and cars (Honda City and Ninja 650), I am sure he is one of those who is quite prudent with his money spends.

[Odeen12]

Originally Posted by SnS_12

I doubt any SBK dealer/service center will be able to offer cashless claim settlement in India. Reasons being:

a) A cashless setup is an agreement between the insurer and that particular manufacturer/dealer. Both parties agreement has to be in place and just can't be one sided.

That is BIG MONEY!!!

Hi hi. I think Triumph provides full cashless settlement. This is from personal experience with the Mumbai service centre.

I had a Speed Triple and on one of the rides i went into an horrible ditch. When i came out on the other side the rim was bent badly. I didn't drop the bike or anything but eventually the rim had to be replaced. With the belly pan as well.

Eventually dropped off the bike at the service centre and had to pay zero monies for the replacement parts. The service head took care of the insurance claim process end to end. And the bike with new components was delivered to me i think in 3 weeks. There was a minuscule amount which i paid for certain things that the insurance did not cover.

AFAIK they still provide the same sort of coverage. Don't know about other Triumph dealerships.

I think with insurance claims which are high you can always write to the insurer to release part funds for purchase of parts. This can be adjusted during the final billing when vehicle is ready.

Cheers!!

[SnS_12]

Originally Posted by Odeen12

Hi hi. I think Triumph provides full cashless settlement. This is from personal experience with the Mumbai service center.

The service head took care of the insurance claim process end to end. And the bike with new components was delivered to me i think in 3 weeks. There was a minuscule amount which i paid for certain things that the insurance did not cover.

As I said its more on the dealerships to offer a cashless settlement than the Insurance companies.

a) And in cases where they do they insist that the insurance is renewed with them through their channel partner. Hence, they get to earn on Insurance commissions.

b) Also, since the bike was delivered to you in three weeks, chances are that the part was already available with them and if not was at least somewhere within India for them to source it quickly.

Parts for big bikes can take from anywhere to a month or more (non covid times) to arrive and if the Insurance company or the dealership is willing to foot the bill for so long is only when you can have 100% cashless service.

[AtheK]

I also personally think that Tiger is the best bet for you, I was riding a friend's Tiger 800 few weeks back, what a lovely bike. Seat is perfect, speedo is nice, power is more then you would ever need. You should seriously take a longish ride on it.

A friend and also a bhpian owns both tiger and Ninja 1000, he got the Tiger after the Ninja, I clearly know which one he prefers now.

[Hamza123]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

But, since you are already used to a Ninja 650, both these bikes may not feel like a proper upgrade. And since your budget is sufficiently more than what the Suzuki and the Kawasaki cost, then you definitely will want something bigger and better. In that case, the Versys 1000 makes a lot of sense. But, at some level, these are not just logical buys. Since you have time, test ride everything in your budget. You will never know what connects with you the best.

In summary,
Only head - VStrom 650. Eyes closed.
Head + heart - Versys 1000. You already seem to have a liking to it and your wife is comfortable on it.
Only heart - Based on test rides. You never know what tugs your heart strings!

My only suggestion is to keep your finances in place. You never know when a really good preowned deal might popup and help you save a lot of cash. Happy hunting.

I totally agree with you. The Ninja 650 has all the power you need on Indian roads. I don't even know if am doing a mistake selling it but I got a great deal on it. And the back was starting to feel a bit strained on those longish 300kms ride. But the biggest problem is my wife refuses to sit on it because of the feeling she will be thrown off under acceleration. But she had no such complains on the versys as the seat was scooped and pretty much flat.

Originally Posted by no_fear

@Hamza, for your sanity and to keep enjoying weekend rides, I will discourage you from looking at used Ducatis. This is purely my opinion and my current experience from owning 4 Ducatis at the moment.

I agree and have heard this from many people. That's why it's last on my list unfortunately. One day maybe and hopefully I'll live the Italian dream. The multistrada is my one of my favorite.

Originally Posted by Axe77

From the list and requirements you have pointed out I feel a slightly used Tiger 800 suit you the best. You could even consider the new 850 Tiger Sport, which should be within your budget brand new.

I would say the next option should be Ninja 1000 and perhaps the last should be Versys 1000. Honestly, piloting a Versys 1000 on even B road and some small dust trails can be quite a handful. Please do test it in similar conditions before taking a call. It’s a BIG, HEAVY bike so it’s important to try it out in the more challenging conditions that you think you might encounter in your usage.

Getting a good used Tiger is a big challenge and the ones that are available have either too much mileage on them or ridiculously priced or both. Will still keep looking.
By B roads I mean most state highways. Most of the places I have visited on my Ninja I have had zero problems so hoping an adventure tourer would do it better. Surprisingly in my short test ride I was instantly at home on the versys. It could be because my Ninja 650 was by no means a light bike and neither is my Thunderbird.

Originally Posted by sunilch

However, after having read Hamza123's post and experiences with both bikes and cars (Honda City and Ninja 650), I am sure he is one of those who is quite prudent with his money spends.

Yes most of the times I overthink a lot before spending but the Ninja 650 was an impulsive buy. Almost as impulsively as I sold it .

Originally Posted by AtheK

I also personally think that Tiger is the best bet for you, I was riding a friend's Tiger 800 few weeks back, what a lovely bike. Seat is perfect, speedo is nice, power is more then you would ever need. You should seriously take a longish ride on it.

A friend and also a bhpian owns both tiger and Ninja 1000, he got the Tiger after the Ninja, I clearly know which one he prefers now.

I agree. I would prefer a taller more upright seating than a Ninja and an adv would be my first preference.

[Hamza123]

That's me on the versys 1000 before the lockdown. When I test rode I was not seriously looking to upgrade at that time. This was sometime last year. A longer test ride is due

[krishsreedharan]

I have been pondering over the last few months on an adventure tourer that I wanted to have in my garage. I have been too spoilt by the smoothness of the Kawasaki inline 4 in my Z900 ... and my usage is mainly going to be highway mile munching with a little bit of mud/unpaved tracks.

So bit the bullet and put down a booking deposit on a Versys 1000. Picture of it below.



This is due to be registered before this weekend and I will be taking delivery next week.

Cheers!
Krish

[Hamza123]

Originally Posted by krishsreedharan

I have been pondering over the last few months on an adventure tourer that I wanted to have in my garage. I have been too spoilt by the smoothness of the Kawasaki inline 4 in my Z900 ... and my usage is mainly going to be highway mile munching with a little bit of mud/unpaved tracks.

Too good and congratulations in advance
Would request you to start an ownership thread as surprisingly there is zero threads on the bike in the entire forum

[krishsreedharan]

Originally Posted by Hamza123

Would request you to start an ownership thread as surprisingly there is zero threads on the bike in the entire forum

It is in the works. But I do recall seeing a thread on a Versys 1000 - which has clocked about 50,000 kms or thereabouts.

[Hamza123]

Originally Posted by krishsreedharan

It is in the works. But I do recall seeing a thread on a Versys 1000 - which has clocked about 50,000 kms or thereabouts.

That’s the older model
Although I know mechanically both are the same. Can you share the on road price and also if you have planned any accessories for it ?

[krishsreedharan]

Originally Posted by Hamza123

Can you share the on road price and also if you have planned any accessories for it ?

On-road price is ₹ 13.44 here in Coimbatore. Already ordered Hepco-Becker Engine Guards (Crash Bars/Guards), Barkbusters Hand Guards, Baja Designs Squadron Pro Aux Lights and Viofo Motorcycle Dashcam (Front and Rear).

I am getting a set of Hepco-Becker Panniers and Top Box from a friend of mine - he is letting them go. They were on his 2017 Versys 1000 and save for the mounting rack, which I need to buy, they will be a direct fit on mine.

For mounting my mobile phone, I already have all the SP Connect hardware.