[itisravi]

Congratulations on the purchase!

The fact that I wanted strictly a KL or KA registered bike made the search even tougher as I was not interested in going through the hassle of re-registering the bike.

Noob question- if you also live and ride partly in Bangalore for say weeks at a stretch, would it be a hassle every time a cop stops and fines you because the vehicle is KL registered? Asking because I see quite a few big bikes on the highways of Bangalore but bearing other state's registration.

[Sunny_ST3]

Wow. Congratulation. Perfect thread for R1's fanboy like me. That cross-plane roar is just too good. What is your nearest Yamaha service center for R1?

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by itisravi

Congratulations on the purchase!
Noob question- if you also live and ride partly in Bangalore for say weeks at a stretch, would it be a hassle every time a cop stops and fines you because the vehicle is KL registered? Asking because I see quite a few big bikes on the highways of Bangalore but bearing other state's registration.

Thanks a lot!

Well, that is a risk I am willing to take.

But I do have a few points ready with me in case this happens. For the weekend rides, I can always say I am on a trip and they have no way of saying that I am not.

Moreover, a PUC certificate from Kerala stays very handy. So every 6 months or so I will go to my home town and get the PUC done from there. Afterall that is valid proof that bike doesn't stay in Bangalore permanently.

Also, I do not ride in groups anyways and I like to keep a low profile(which is kind of ironic considering the color of the bike) which I hope would make me safer from the random checks.

To be honest, The hunt for non-KA vehicles has cooled down quite a bit nowadays. I have not faced any problem with my other vehicles which are also KL. As long as you manage to stay under the radar it should be fine.

Cheers
Krishna

[vishwasvr]

Hearty congrats on your lovely ride Krishna! There is something special about the R1! Ride safe!

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by Sunny_ST3

Wow. Congratulation. Perfect thread for R1's fanboy like me. That cross-plane roar is just too good. What is your nearest Yamaha service center for R1?

The nearest where they do the Yamaha Superbike service is Bangalore Wheels, Rajajinagar.
But I do not plan on taking the bike there at all.
As much as possible simple service and stuff will be done DIY.
For more complex stuff I am on the lookout for some good garages, but I do have Highlander just a stone throw away from my place at HSR. Karthick there is pretty good with bikes, he has been handling my bike for the last 4 years and I trust his skill with it.

Originally Posted by vishwasvr

Hearty congrats on your lovely ride Krishna! There is something special about the R1! Ride safe!

Thanks for the kind words Vishwa.

Cheers
Krishna

[amods]

Congratulations on the new acquisition. Take it to tracks to unleash the beast that it is - that will be the real use this bike can be put to.

I am wondering why(if) didn't you consider the Z900. It is a very logical 4Cyl in market.

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by amods

Congratulations on the new acquisition. Take it to tracks to unleash the beast that it is - that will be the real use this bike can be put to.

I am wondering why(if) didn't you consider the Z900. It is a very logical 4Cyl in market.

So this is something I left out on purpose from the review. Avoiding Naked bikes was a very conscious decision, I was very very clear on what kind of bike I wanted to own and that was a supersport(600/1000).

As much as I enjoy naked bikes and I swear they are such fun bikes to zip around in, they were never something I considered wanting to own as my first superbike and I have never had a single naked bike as my dream bike, no offense to any naked bike owners but it is just not something I considered or was even in my radar.

As far as the Z900 is concerned apart from the fact it being a naked bike, I was very apprehensive about the ownership costs associated with the brand. Spare parts cost an arm and a leg and their billing rates are just bonkers.
The only reason the 6R was considered was that I had no other option in the 600cc class. And as much as the 6r is a gem of a bike I wasn't fully comfortable with the ownership costs associated with the brand.

My preference for bikes goes like this Supersport > ADV >Naked bikes.

And as of now, I am lucky to have a Supersport and an ADV(Brother's Tiger XRX) to swap around with. Maybe someday when the bank account allows I wouldn't mind adding a Street Triple RS to the stable. That would make for some epic shenanigans.

So yeah, a naked bike as a primary bike was never going to happen to begin with.

But to anyone else looking into getting a superbike and are not opposed to getting a naked bike, it'd be criminal to not consider the Z900 and the Striples offerings.

Cheers
Krishna

[ash22]

That Dream come true moment Krishna!!
Happy & Safe Motoring.!

R1 seems a little more reliable when compared to its competitors. The design is so futuristic that, It doesn't look odd even after years. This is a very well maintained bike and you can definitely pass on this bike to your next generations.

[salman_ferrari]

Congratulations on your R1! Forget about the fact it's 2013, its discontinued etc. This is the best classic litre class bike period.

Hearing the cold start gave me chills & reminiscent of the time I rode R6 on the track. I feel the current gen bikes have too many nannies, this bike right here is best of the worlds.

Happy & Safe Motoring!

[ArunRS2305]

Congratulations on your new beast.
I have a feeling that I've seen your bike at motonerdz trivandrum.
If it's the same bike, then it's one of the most well maintained and clean bikes I've seen. Sounds awesome too. The crosplane crank is eargasmic. Wishing you happy miles ahead.
Best wishes
Arun.

[yesyeswe]

I enjoyed reading your review on xbhp, and i loved reading the review on tbhp because of the extra details and the exhaust sound videos. Without revving the bike sounds like an American muscle you have got the best looking version of the R1.
Ride safe

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by ash22

That Dream come true moment Krishna!!
Happy & Safe Motoring.!

R1 seems a little more reliable when compared to its competitors. The design is so futuristic that, It doesn't look odd even after years. This is a very well maintained bike and you can definitely pass on this bike to your next generations.

Thanks a lot, Ash! I appreciate it and hopefully, I do not have to let go fo this machine at all.

Originally Posted by salman_ferrari

Congratulations on your R1! Forget about the fact it's 2013, its discontinued etc. This is the best classic litre class bike period.

Hearing the cold start gave me chills & reminiscent of the time I rode R6 on the track. I feel the current gen bikes have too many nannies, this bike right here is best of the worlds.

Happy & Safe Motoring!

Thanks a lot, Salman. While I do agree, I see why they are bringing in all the electronics. These bikes are pushing out way too much power for the rider's own good. And many times people with a loose throttle grip hand end up costing themselves people around them unwanted trouble. So while it is a shame that we do not get to enjoy pure riding engagement much the electronic nannies are well warranted in these times.

I'd imagine that R6 would have been a hell of a machine and that too riding it on the track is just icing on cake. The bike does revs to the moon after all

Originally Posted by ArunRS2305

Congratulations on your new beast.
I have a feeling that I've seen your bike at motonerdz trivandrum.
If it's the same bike, then it's one of the most well maintained and clean bikes I've seen. Sounds awesome too. The cross plane crank is eargasmic. Wishing you happy miles ahead.
Best wishes
Arun.

Yes, the bike used to get its service done from Motonerdz. My friend who owned the bike before me used to get the service done there. And since the owner of Motonerdz is a long-time friend it all kind of worked out just fine. I believe he is a Tbhpian too

Originally Posted by yesyeswe

I enjoyed reading your review on xbhp, and i loved reading the review on tbhp because of the extra details and the exhaust sound videos. Without revving the bike sounds like an American muscle you have got the best looking version of the R1.
Ride safe

Xbhp is where I got a lot of support in learning the rights and wrongs of my motorcycling methods and that is exactly how I became friends with many life long friends I have now, including the previous owner of this bike. So in a way, it was the reason why I am able to own this bike now. So it only right that I write an ownership post there too, but with a different perspective like you said.

Thanks a lot for your wishes.

Cheers
Krishna

[Sran]

Congrats for your purchase. Hope you redline it more than enough. No car can give you a smile broader than overtaking in a bike and those winds which caress the face when you take a turn in hilly roads. So many bike trips down the memory lane to mahabaleshwar, malshej, lonavala, mumbai, belgaum, goa, nasik. Driving a bike in Pune was so fun till 06.


I would like to tell you that superbikes scene in India was more crazy back in 90s and 2000s than what it is now.

Anyone and I mean anyone who has lived even for a short while in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad or even in Dhanbad would tell you about superbike craze back then. When I was in college in early '00s in Pune there was a whole network of imported superbike dealers selling new and old bikes in mumbai. Bike modifications were in prime those days. We used to go at a shake place in koregaon park at night where most of the people with superbikes would come around at 2 am. We would talk at length about bikes and how santacruz's and Lokhandwala's groups are upgrading their superbikes. I don't think Moto GP has as many fans today than 15 years back. Rarely one would a hostel room or drawing room wall without a superbike poster and actors photos. Superbikes are easily available today than 15 or 20 years back but drivers were like minded, sporty and driven.

I know a lot of this ancedotal but there are many who would attest to what I said. I hope you don't stop driving bikes like I did because you will surely miss it. Oh! How I miss winds messing up my long hair and driving in only 2 or 3 gear from university gate to deccan gymkhana revving all the time and annoying others. Once you get together with your bike it is more of an extension of your body. Take care of of your bike and it will always take care of you.

[krishnaprasadgg]

Originally Posted by Sran

Congrats for your purchase. Hope you redline it more than enough. No car can give you a smile broader than overtaking in a bike and those winds which caress the face when you take a turn in hilly roads. So many bike trips down the memory lane to mahabaleshwar, malshej, lonavala, mumbai, belgaum, goa, nasik. Driving a bike in Pune was so fun till 06.


I would like to tell you that superbikes scene in India was more crazy back in 90s and 2000s than what it is now.

Anyone and I mean anyone who has lived even for a short while in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad or even in Dhanbad would tell you about superbike craze back then. When I was in college in early '00s in Pune there was a whole network of imported superbike dealers selling new and old bikes in mumbai. Bike modifications were in prime those days. We used to go at a shake place in koregaon park at night where most of the people with superbikes would come around at 2 am. We would talk at length about bikes and how santacruz's and Lokhandwala's groups are upgrading their superbikes. I don't think Moto GP has as many fans today than 15 years back. Rarely one would a hostel room or drawing room wall without a superbike poster and actors photos. Superbikes are easily available today than 15 or 20 years back but drivers were like minded, sporty and driven.

I know a lot of this ancedotal but there are many who would attest to what I said. I hope you don't stop driving bikes like I did because you will surely miss it. Oh! How I miss winds messing up my long hair and driving in only 2 or 3 gear from university gate to deccan gymkhana revving all the time and annoying others. Once you get together with your bike it is more of an extension of your body. Take care of of your bike and it will always take care of you.

Well, I stand corrected. I never got to see superbikes in Kerala up until I was in college and then too I had to go to Cochin or Calicut to catch a glimpse of few. I would really like to hear more about the superbike scene before all the manufacturers started coming in, it would have been without a doubt a more adventurous time to own and maintain a bike like that with no official support systems from the manufacturers.

And no plans on stopping to ride any time soon. Will keep at it until I am no longer physically fit to do so.

Thanks for the wishes!

Cheers
Krishna

[krishnaprasadgg]

It is pretty heartbreaking to see a nail in your tyre while having just started your trip to someplace and it hurts, even more, when it happens to a brand new set of tyres that had been just scrubbed in properly.
And that is exactly what I saw when I had done just 40-50 kms into my trip from Palakkad to Bangalore.

The Screw that screwed itself into the rear tyre


Somehow a screw had found its way into the rear tyre and lodged itself in pretty tight. Now even though we had a puncture repair kit and the ResqTech mini tyre inflator handy we took the call to not remove the screw and plug it with the patch kit as it was pretty much plugged itself in all the way that there was no air leak at the moment. And we decided we would get the puncture taken care of in a safe and right manner by getting the mushroom plug method from Madhus Tyre Centre and probably just get the wheels balanced as well.

So we rode on with the screw in the tyre for the rest of the 450 kms ride. We inspected the tyre for any pressure loss every time we stopped for a break and it was holding in the air pretty well.

It took about 5-6 days for me to be able to take the bike to get the tyre fixed. And since Madhus have recently opened up a new branch in Wilson Garden which was much more closer to where I live than their Langford road branch but the Wilson Garden branch stays closed on Sundays.

So I went to the Langford branch only to hear from their manager/staff that
Their tech who works on bikes had been transferred to the Langford branch and is not available
Their staff who could work on the bike might not be coming into work today
They had moved all the accessories and machines they had to work on bikes to the Wilson Garden branch

They were very apologetic about it though and said that we could wait for some time and see if the tech does come in by any chance and we decided to wait, in a few minutes the manager/staff returned to tell that they did have a paddock with them so if the tech comes in the job can be done. And lucky for me the tech did come in sometime and promptly started to get on the job.



So for the mushroom plugging technique, the tyre needs to be removed off of the wheels and the puncture is patched in from the inside and sealed shut with some strong adhesive somewhat similar to the ones used on the tube patches.



Cheers
Krishna