[Hamza123]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Lovely review again, Sir! You've two great machines in your garage, a source of envy for most of us!

Although, I feel lack of ABS on a 600cc+ bike is :(

I actually have 4
A thunderbird 500 n my old avenger too . The thunderbird 500 thread is live

[Hamza123]

Had been on the lookout for an aftermarket windscreen for a while now. Wanted something a little larger than stock but not too large.
Finally settled on the MRA touring windscreen in smoked black. Looks great and I love the quality. Still to test it on the ride. The pictures here show the screen on the highest setting.

[Hamza123]

Hi all
Hope all well.
With things opening up I have been finally looking on getting the ninja out of its slumber and getting some miles on it before the year ends out.
Have been shopping around for some luggage options. Am terrible with tying knots so saddle bags are out.
I have shortlisted the 3 options as follows

1. SW Motech Blaze Saddle bags
These are good and a great mix of soft saddle bags and hard panniers. Also way cheaper than the rest. Only drawback is that they are not really any bigger than my current saddle bags

2. Hepco and Becker Junior 30 case
Looks ok. Just find it difficult to digest their nearly 70k price tag. A good inbetween size though.

3. GIVI V35 monokey
Now these are one good looking set of luggage. Only doubt it that they are a bit wide (2 feet on either side ) so would be a bit hard to move the bike around in traffic. But would be able to easily swallow 10 days of luggage .

Anyone else have any suggestion?
Not looking for fabricated ones. Asthethics play a huge role for me.
Also not looking for a top box. I hate the pizza box delivery look and they are highly unstable in crosswinds on the highway!

[narula123]

Hi Hamza,
Also check out luggage options from Kriega and Viaterra. The Viaterra claw is a pretty good VFM option if you arent planning on carrying a pillion while on long rides as it sits on the rear seat.
I use a Viaterra Claw mini since more than half a decade now and it can easily carry a week’s luggage for me without breaking the bank.
Recently, saw some awesome Kriega options at Lazy Ass Bikers and was quite impressed with them.

[Hamza123]

Originally Posted by narula123

Hi Hamza,
Also check out luggage options from Kriega and Viaterra. The Viaterra claw is a pretty good VFM option if you arent planning on carrying a pillion while on long rides as it sits on the rear seat.
I use a Viaterra Claw mini since more than half a decade now and it can easily carry a week’s luggage for me without breaking the bank.
Recently, saw some awesome Kriega options at Lazy Ass Bikers and was quite impressed with them.

Hi Varun
I was very keen on the quick release panniers type system hence shortlisted the above 3 options. I finally settled on the sw motech blaze saddle bags. They were a good in between the regular panniers and saddle bags. Was tempted for the hepco and Becker or givi as well for the cost was nearly 3 times more. Did not want to invest on something that I would use maybe twice or thrice a year. And hopefully with bigger bikes coming in the Ninja may not be the first choice for an out station trip too. Hence settled on these.

[Hamza123]

Next
Handlebar risers
Aux lamps

[Hamza123]

So the Big Green Boy went in for his annual service. With things opening opening Up and more and more rides expected was a good time to get some fresh fluids and filters in.

During the service at “Unleaded Care” Highly recommended and very reasonable place


A ride after what seemed like eternity to Mahableshwar with the Kawasaki Clan. Most of the regulars were back and in full force






On the way back I noticed some coolant overflowing. I was miserable thinking the radiator had burst or something. There was coolant all over the place whenever I stopped at the signal. On reaching home and a quick call to the good folks at unleaded care calmed me down a bit when they said it’s just air seeping into the system somehow. Took it to them and it turned out the radiator cap had gone kaput and a changed radiator cap was all it took to get the big green boy running cool again. Got the coolant flushed and refilled for good measure.

The leaky coolant

[Hamza123]

Sw Motech Blaze Saddle Bags Review and Install

So finally got the blaze saddle bags by SW motech after a lot of research and debate (mainly between me and my wallet )
These are Hybrid saddle bags. So they are right between the traditional saddle bags like vieterra and rynox and high end hard luggage like hepco and Becker and Givi.
Getting up early in the morning for a long ride is challenging for me. Playing around with straps and belts and loops and knots when half asleep is just not my cup of tea. In those regards these are a breeze to install.

The female adaptor that always remains installed on the bike. Barely visible behind the footpeg adaptor


The male rod which acts like a saddle stay which slides into the adaptor installed on the bike


The bags mounted on the bike



The Touring dress



Also installed an air seat by Solance aptly named Bum partner


Would I recommend the SW motech Blaze bags ?
Yes and No
Yes because they are easy to install. They are what they promise. They are of good ballistic nylon. And well they will do what they say they will do give you freedom from knots!! And with these the mounts and bags everything was included unlike some of the hard luggage where the mount had to be bough separately.

No because... well at 31 k that’s a really expensive price to pay for freedom from tying a few knots! Also if your wallet permits you should really go the distance and get the full hard luggage kit. The entire dependence of these bags are on two huge Velcro straps. How long these Velcros will last only time will tell. Also they are not water proof. They do come with internal rain covers though.
The only reason I did not go for full hard blown luggage is that in the near future I would replace the Ninja with something larger for long distance duties and wanted something as a stop gap arrangement till that happened.
Hepco and Becker was on my mind till the very end. I just could not digest the fact that the mount cost as much as the bag! Hence settled on these!

[Hamza123]

Ride to Goa with the Kawasaki Group

With the restrictions finally over and people less fearful of COVID ( don’t know if it’s being foolish) a quick weekend trip was planned to Goa. It was a welcome change for me as I love longer rides rather than short 50 100 km ones . Will leave you with some images from a lovely trip

The start point. Shell petrol pump Shivapur


Enroute to Goa via Amboli Ghat


Arambol beach. I think one of the best pictures I have with the bike till date


A rare picture of me with the bike


At the amazing St Xavier’s Church. So peaceful


A ferry ride to Divar Islands. Sometimes even the ride needs a ride!


Green brigade taking over cashewnut town


Lovely palm covered trees


Thank you Goa! Until we meet again

[Hamza123]

Riding gear update

Had been on the lookout to slowly upgrade my riding gear as when I got the bike I had got all the basic ones as I was not sure about how long the bike craze would be. The riding gear served me well but it was time to upgrade to something better

Rynox Tornado Pro gloves

Had heard only good things about these gloves in my little research online and I must say they are total value for money. They were instantly comfortable and did not require any break in as such. I wore them first time in my recent Goa ride and was completely comfortable in the first 10 mins. Highly recommended!




Kawasaki Riding Shoes

My Tarmac shoes which I had bought have served me very well and have shown no signs of wear or tear. But they offered no real protection.
Really fell in love with these the minute I saw them. Was more of an impulse buy and I still have to wear them for a ride.

[Hamza123]

I had been wanting to do a solo ride since long and finally got a chance today when no one from the usual group were available. Somehow I had a mental block to ride alone which I took care of today I guess 😊I could start earlier than normal as there was no meeting point, could stop for pictures when I wanted , could ride at my own pace. I guess solo and group rides both have their own pros and cons!

Some picture from today

[Hamza123]

Starting to get used to these solo peaceful rides
Today’s ride to Bhor /Mandhardevi

[Hamza123]

So as the year was coming to an end we decided to sneak in one more ride . Left for a 4 day trip to Gorkhana and Murudeshwara temple. Was also my longest ride till date which was approximately a 1500 kms round trip.
The bike as usual performed flawlessly. No complains no problems whatsoever. On the last day however I did have a slight problem getting the fuel lock opened. It was at the last fuel stop before home and thankfully there was no problem. Will have to get it checked at the earliest.

Leaving you all with some pictures from the trip


at the starting point at Khed Shivapur


Modern meets classic


sunset at Murudeshwara beach and temple.


The green beauty against the setting Sun


Exploring the unknown


Goodbye and here is to many more trips

[Red Liner]

Your fuel cap lock probably rusted a tad bit on the inside because of proximity to the sea. Just spray wd 40 into the key hole and let it sit for a while and then insert and reinsert your key so everything loosens up. Once you open the cap spray the back of it as well and let it sit.

[OmV]

Sorry to Hijack your thread Hamza but I have an issue to seek advice on.
I have a 2018 Ninja 650 running 28XXX Kms. It's been sitting idle all of January after doing a 4000km RJ ride in December. I started the bike after almost a whole of January and it took a couple of attempts to start it up. Finally when it did start up I rode around for a bit to clear the literal and figurative cobwebs. It was then that I noticed that the check engine light was on. Upon further inspection I found out the error code = 21 - which is a crankshaft sensor error. Online resources mention this could be due to faulty or shorted wiring.
The bike has been exposed to very dusty conditions due to construction work in my apartment building.

I am due to ride 650 odd kms over the weekend for some work. Now I am in two minds if this is a risk worth taking.
Please help.