[Laks]

Hi Karthik - hope you are well. My 2021 Ninja 1000SX has just completed 3 years, has been ridden very sparingly to the extent that it has only clocked 7K KM. Had taken it for general servicing yesterday to the authorized service center in Delhi and the technician who is very reliable (like Unni in RiderVentur) mentioned my front and rear tyres may need an imminent replacement. They are on stock Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22. I was a bit taken aback as it has only run 7K KM, although I guess the vintage of the tyres irrespective of whether they were used enough or not plays a role? The technician also pointed to a "sharp raise" all around the front tyre (and also the rear) which is supposedly common in superbike tyres - I am not sure how true this is or whether it is due to continuous descend down a serpentine hill recently from Uttarakhand with my tyre pressure not being ideal? Anyway, this is when I started going through your entire thread as I recall you had posted on tyre replacement updates. This is when it struck me that perhaps there is no one else who has continuously and so meticulously given us an ownership experience as you have, BIG THANK YOU!!
Let me please summarize what I have gathered from your thread on tyre replacement for N1K, since these were done some time back, would love to have your advice / latest thinking before I replace my tyres.
1. Metzeler Sportec M9 RR - this is the tyre you love the most, very grippy lasted for 14K+ KMs, need to be watchful on off-roads.
2. Michelin Road 6 - this is what you are currently on and seems like it will last for a very long time, albeit not as grippy as the above option. Excels in wet conditions.
3. For the rear, you went with 190/55 as opposed to stock 190/50 and this gives you a slightly higher ground clearance.

If you were to replace your tyres today, would you still consider the Michelin Road 6 and Metzeler Sportec M9 RR in that order or anything else which is better as on date?
Also, I noted that you had to look at the manufacturing date - is the idea not to buy anything with older manufacturing date as this is rubber and would tend to degrade with time? What is your guide here on what I should look for?

One more question pls: Have you been happy with SensAiry TPMS? Anything else that has recently come-up that you would recommend?

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Laks

Hi Karthik - hope you are well. My 2021 Ninja 1000SX has just completed 3 years, has been ridden very sparingly to the extent that it has only clocked 7K KM. Had taken it for general servicing yesterday to the authorized service center in Delhi and the technician who is very reliable (like Unni in RiderVentur) mentioned my front and rear tyres may need an imminent replacement. They are on stock Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22. I was a bit taken aback as it has only run 7K KM, although I guess the vintage of the tyres irrespective of whether they were used enough or not plays a role?

Hello Laks, nice to hear from you about your Ninja 1000SX. I do recollect even my first set of Bridgestone Battlax S20s wearing out a bit sooner than I would have liked. In my case too, the first set lasted roughly three years (low usage due to the covid pandemic lockdown era) and needed replacement due to age-related wear and prematurely squaring off while there was still sufficient tread depth still left. I guess this is somewhat similar to your case too.

The technician also pointed to a "sharp raise" all around the front tyre (and also the rear) which is supposedly common in superbike tyres - I am not sure how true this is or whether it is due to continuous descend down a serpentine hill recently from Uttarakhand with my tyre pressure not being ideal?

I am not very sure on this but it does sound like premature wear to me.

Anyway, this is when I started going through your entire thread as I recall you had posted on tyre replacement updates. This is when it struck me that perhaps there is no one else who has continuously and so meticulously given us an ownership experience as you have, BIG THANK YOU!!

Thanks for your kind words and I am happy it has helped you with useful information in some way .

Let me please summarize what I have gathered from your thread on tyre replacement for N1K, since these were done some time back, would love to have your advice / latest thinking before I replace my tyres.
1. Metzeler Sportec M9 RR - this is the tyre you love the most, very grippy lasted for 14K+ KMs, need to be watchful on off-roads.

Grip-wise and confidence-wise (on tarmac) the M9RR is the best that I have experienced (among my three sets so far) for pure cornering pleasure and confidence. It is basically a supersport tyre so this is expected. On the flip side, you lose a bit of off-road grip on gravel and mud/stones. If you tend to travel to places where the last mile connectvity is via broken patches, this is a caveat you must consider as a negative point for the M9RR over the Road 6.

2. Michelin Road 6 - this is what you are currently on and seems like it will last for a very long time, albeit not as grippy as the above option. Excels in wet conditions.

Hands down the best all rounder sport touring tyre, albeit slightly pricey compared to the other options in the market. That said, these tyres provide 85-90% of the grip levels of the M9RR on tarmac both in the dry and wet conditions. Added advantage is they are very confidence inspiring even for those mild offroad (gravel / mud / stones / slush) situations one will encounter when travelling to offbeat locations. The Road 6 also has a thicker central area which delays the squaring effect apparently. I can attest to noticing no squaring so far in my usage over the past year.

The extra moolah spent also may not pinch much considering these tyres last much longer than most sport tyre patterns. For example, my current set of Road 6 tyres have done around 12000km of touring, always with 2-up and panniers load, and still look good for another 7000-8000km of further usage. 20,000km of life is quite exceptional considering the high torque that these litre class beasts drive the rear tyre with . If your usage involves a mix of expressways and bad roads in mixed weather conditions, the Road 6 (or equivalent Metzeler Roadtec SE) is what I would recommend.

3. For the rear, you went with 190/55 as opposed to stock 190/50 and this gives you a slightly higher ground clearance.

Yes, this profile change gives you two advantages:

1 - The ground clearance gets increased by a few millimetres. While this may not sound like much, I personally noticed almost 80-90% reduction in speedbreakers hitting the cat-con box in the bottom after the tyre size change from 190/50 to 190/55. Of course, this is also after setting the rear preload correctly to avoid sagging with load.

2 - The 190/55-17 is a slightly rounder profile tyre compared to the 190/50-17 which is flatter. The bike is noticeably more eager to dive into corners and that makes spirited cornering more enjoyable in the twisties and mountains.

If you were to replace your tyres today, would you still consider the Michelin Road 6 and Metzeler Sportec M9 RR in that order or anything else which is better as on date?

If you largely do road-based rides with almost zero offroading, The M9RR provides more grip and cornering pleasure per rupee, and as a supersport tyre it will be more confidence inspiring, at the expense of some tyre life.

If you do a mix of terrains and weather, need more all round capabilities with a more rugged construction and longer lasting tyres, I would say spend a little extra and get the Road 6s. They give almost 80-90% of the M9RR's road grip levels, but offer several other advantages that are useful when touring in varied conditions.

Also, I noted that you had to look at the manufacturing date - is the idea not to buy anything with older manufacturing date as this is rubber and would tend to degrade with time? What is your guide here on what I should look for?

I generally prefer to buy tyres which are not older than a year from the date of purchase, but this is just my own preference. If tyres are stored correctly they should be good for 2-3 years too I guess, but I would still prefer to play safe and go for a more recent manufacturing date.

One more question pls: Have you been happy with SensAiry TPMS? Anything else that has recently come-up that you would recommend?

I had them for a couple of years and then the batteries wore out, after which I never bothered replacing them, instead got anodized aluminium valve caps and put those in place of the Sensairy caps. The app is simple to use and monitor and has alerts for low pressure, etc. which are handy to detect punctures. The external ones are prone to theft when parking in unattended places though. I think they sell even internal ones which are better than the external valve cap ones that I had. The internal ones are concealed inside the tyres once installed during tyre change, and the batteries last for a few years, by which time it is probably also time to change the tyres themselves. Do take a look at those too.

[Laks]

@KarthikK - thank you very much for your detailed response to my questions, appreciate it very much. I am looking to source the Michelin Road 6 and hope to have it installed soon and be back on the roads, enjoying the Ninja!!

[KarthikK]

Ride to Villa Aroor, Koppa (November 2024)

November is the month when winter season usually sets in, and after October's trip to coastal Goa, it was time to hit the mountains this time around. We wanted to just do a relaxed trip to an offbeat place for variety. The better half had already chosen the next place on the Ninja trip calendar as usual. This time it was a 120-year old, boutique heritage bungalow called Villa Aroor, nestled in the tea plantations of rural Koppa, a short distance away from Shimoga and Chikmagalur towns. Generally Karnataka is more famous for coffee estates and Tea plantations are quite rare and few in number, but this region in Koppa seems to have favoured Tea over coffee, and there are almost 3000-4000 acres of tea plantations in this high-altitude region between Balehonnur and Koppa, much to our surprise. Villa Aroor as we found out later, belongs to the Mysore plantations group who has been in the tea growing industry since many decades and owns ~2000 acres of tea plantations there, in addition to another ~2000 acres of coffee estates.

This was just an extended weekend plan and the place was hardly ~330km from home, so it would be a simple plan of relaxing on one day, exploring the place a bit on the second day with some easy hikes, and relaxing and returning leisurely on the third day.

We left home by around 5.30AM and took NICE road towards the Hassan highway. Winter season made its presence felt as we encountered thick fog and very cold morning winds which literally froze our fingers despite the gloves. Taking a short break at the first toll on Hassan highway, roughly 60km from home



Breakfast was done at Paakashala, Yediyur, roughly ~120km into the ride. Routine splash and dash breakfast break



Taking another quick break at the last toll of Hassan highway, before breaking off towards Belur and Chikmagalur



Stopping at Magadi lake near Chikmagalur to take in some scenic views in the winter morning sun









By roughly around 10.30AM we were in Chikmagalur town. We were still too early to our destination, so we decided to take a short break at one quaint little cafe called Butter & Co., located on Indira Gandhi road in Chikmagalur town.



We were the first customers there as they apparently open only at 10.30AM.



Since we had breakfast just a couple of hours ago and weren't hungry as such, we just settled for hot chocolate, cold coffee and shared a piece of Tres Leches pastry.



Post this break, we resumed our journey towards Koppa, taking the Chikmagalur - Aldur - Balehonnur route. While the same roads were so nice during some rides in the previous months, they had got battered and were broken in several patches this time around. Nonetheless the scenery was enjoyable and we were coasting at a relaxed pace, enjoying the fresh air and sights of the greenery of coffee estates all around.







We had to break off from the Balehonnur-Jayapura road to take a diversion towards Koppa. These were then very narrow roads but the road quality was excellent, allowing us to enjoy some twisties in peace (from potholes).



Roughly 20km into this road, the tarmac patch ended and the last mile connectivity to the property was through their private tea estate road with mud and stones, not less than off-roading for this sportbike



After a kilometre or so of following the direction boards on the mud and stone trails inside the tea estate, we arrived at the bungalow by roughly around half past noon.



The friendly staff greeted us with refreshing welcome drinks, and on casually enquiring we were happy to hear - our luck continues with regards to occupancy, and once again we happened to be the only guests in the entire property on the dates that we were staying there (in spite of there being three other rooms apart from ours) .

There were four rooms in total, each with different color themes and differentiated amenities. We had opted for the 'Yellow room', themed in yellow and brown interiors, had spacious bathroom with dressing area, and a giant size Jacuzzi. What better way to enjoy the mountains' cold weather!





The interiors were put together with a lot of attention to detail to ensure a tastefully antique yet contemporary theme, with the fireplace and retro switchboard, etc.



Large and spacious bathroom and dressing area with a portion of it overlooking the mountains





Huge Jacuzzi - one of the largest ones I have experienced in recent times!



The bedroom had another door which opened up to this large private garden area, overlooking the vast expanse of tea plantations. Apt for lazing around with a morning or evening cup of tea or coffee.



Private garden accessible from the room



There was also a sit-out next to this small garden where they would serve snacks or tea/coffee, which we later enjoyed sitting at and watching the sunset



The living room was compact but airy and spacious thanks to the glass walls on three sides. It was decently stocked with some interesting books and indoor games for timepass moments.



The passage leading to the rooms. This was a 120-year old bungalow, and as is the case with most heritage properties of this vintage, the ceiling was really really high, almost 3X the height of normal contemporary houses.



Soon it was time for lunch and we stepped into the dining room to check it out. It was again tastefully done up, with a large table made of a single piece of antique wood, and two sides of the room opened up to the picturesque vistas around.



There was also a gourmet DIY Coffee table kept in the dining area, in case guests wanted to help themselves to savour different coffee brews, all from home-grown coffee from the bungalow's owning company's estates.



Meals were set menu type, prepared after taking into consideration preferences before every meal. They were quite eager to serve a mix of traditional (Malnad) fare from the local region, and we gladly agreed. We are eggetarians and they were happy to serve us something with egg and veg dishes in every meal. Lunch spread consisted of Rotis, Rice with some flavourful Sabjis and Gulab Jamuns to end the meal on a sweet note



After lunch and some timepass, we stepped out in the evening to take a stroll around the property and enjoy the views of the setting sun against the backdrop of the tea estates all around.







Evening snacks of Pakora and peanut masala were served with piping hot cups of tea at this lovely sit-out area overlooking the sunset





After playing some indoor games for a while, it was soon time for an early dinner. The folks here must have got fed up of folks such as myself asking "What's in the menu?" for every meal, so they had a notice board where the next meal's menu was written, lol!



Dinner was a lovely mix of local dishes, each one more delicious than the other.



After a good night's sleep, we woke up early the next morning and decided to take a stroll around the bungalow area. I also decided to get the drone out to catch some morning views of the property's location.

Ninja with the morning sunshine, drenched in early morning dew



Bird's eye views of the bungalow nestled amidst the tea estates

[KarthikK]

Ride to Villa Aroor, Koppa (November 2024) continued …

Soon it was time for breakfast, so we headed back inside to savour a simple but delicious spread of local dishes for breakfast, with nicely brewed coffee.



Post breakfast we were guided to their tea factory, where a person met us and explained the entire processing flow of tea, from leaf to cup. While we have been on Tea factory tours in Munnar, Ooty/Coonoor and Darjeeling during earlier trips, those felt very touristy and hurried in comparison to this one. Here the host took time to explain and show in detail every step in the process, answering any questions we had, even the silly ones.

Arriving at the tea factory of Mysore plantations Ltd.





The sorting process of tea leaves which arrive after being plucked and packed by the plantation workers.



The mixing of crushed leaves and processed tea dust



The wood-fired furnace and hot air blower chambers which help to control humidity and process dry tea powder





Different stages of tea processing





Finished tea powder sorted in different grades of dust, leaf, CTC, etc. before packaging



They organized a simple but informative tasting session after the tour to demonstrate how they grade tea after every processing session and judge whether the samples meet their necessary standards.



After this we did a small guided hike to a lovely hidden waterfall inside a forest (uncultivated portion) of their private estate land. Due to the recently concluded monsoon season and the following bonus spurts of rainfall every now and then, the waterfall was in decent flow. I will proceed to add some snaps of the sights and scenes from the hike through the forest.











After the easy parts, we encountered some steep sections of the hike which needed some careful step-watching. This portion being close to the waterfall and always damp, had a few leeches loitering around waiting for their next prey, but the infestation was not as bad as in the monsoons though.



Since the frontal part of the waterfall was not accessible by foot due to slippery rocks, I sent the drone up to capture the widest view that the thick foliage allowed.





A comparison of the waterfall shot from an iPhone without and with shutter speed (long exposure) effect v/s the same shot by my Ricoh GR III camera with actual slow SS setting. Looks like the shutter speed blurring effect is digitally more pronounced by the phone OS. Welcome to the silent enhancement (by phone software) era .







After spending some time at the waterfall, we hiked through some more scenic tea plantations to make our way back to the bungalow for a nice lunch. These green carpet hills are steeper to hike than they look, lol!





After lunch we spent a nice time relaxing in their Jacuzzi. In the evening we set out on foot again, for a quick 20 minute hike to catch sunset at one of the hilltops around from where we could get a better view.

The bike meanwhile resting in the front porch



Sunset view from our room's sit-out garden



Hike up to the nearest hillock through the surrounding tea plantations



Watching the sun go down amidst the tea estates of Villa Aroor







The sun disappears behind the mountain silhouettes of the western Ghats of Koppa



We made our way back to the property, in time for some lovely snacks and hot steaming cups of tea to enjoy



The bungalow in the night time





It was a clear but cold night, winter was in full flow in this region, with the mercury levels touching 10-11 degrees in the night. The staff set up a bonfire in the garden for us to pass some time.



It was a clear night, and in such a location with high altitude and zero pollution, the visibility of the starry sky was fantastic. While neither of us is into astronomy, we killed some time with this app called Skyview which was helpful in identifying stars, planets, constellations, etc. for us newbies.



We had requested for a late and simple dinner that evening, after still feeling heavy with all the generous over-feeding done during the past two days. Dinner was just simple veg Pulao with Raita, Peanut masala on request (because it was so yummy the previous day) and some Gajar (carrot) Halwa to end dinner on a sweet note. After this lovely meal we called it a day



Timepass random shot of some hanging lights in the corridor

[KarthikK]

Ride to Villa Aroor, Koppa (November 2024) continued …

The following morning we lazily woke up a bit later than usual. The morning sun was not yet fully up. There was heavy mist in the air, and it made for some nice morning sights in the tea plantations around.

15 degrees temperature even at almost ~9AM!





I took the bike out 'off-roading' on some trails inside the tea plantations, trying to capture some picures for the memory books. Apologies for the spam, lol!


















The condition of the tyres after the 'off-roading', lol!



Breakfast was a simple spread on request, since we would be departing on this day and riding back home. They were really disappointed to see us reducing the breakfast spread to just 2-3 dishes, lol! We did ask for chilly cheese toast again though.



We had some time to pass before it was time to leave. Timepass coffee shots while enjoying the scenic views from our room.





The helmets all cleaned and gleaming, ready for the return journey.



We packed up the stuff, geared up and departed by roughly around 11.30AM. Some departing pictures of the property





The staff were eager to get a picture with their first 'superbiker' customers, so we gladly obliged . Thanks to team Villa Aroor for the lovely hospitality and memorable experiences.



A departing picture of ours with the property was next of course



We left the place and made our back to Chikmagalur, through the winding roads and tea estates of Koppa, stopping by to admire some views every now and then







We stopped at a small container cafe called KA18 cafe between Aldur and Chikmagalur, for a quick rehydration break.



This friendly cat had other plans for the better half's jacket while we took our coffee/juice break at KA18 cafe



The Ninja is ready to attack more corners en route home



We proceeded on the return journey via Chikmagalur - Belur - Hassan to hit the Hassan - Bangalore expressway. For a change, we decided to stop for lunch at a restaurant called Suruchi, off CR patna bypass, to savour some north Karnataka style Jowar Bhakri meals on a banana leaf, instead of the usual north Indian fare. The food was very nice and enjoyable.



The return journey from the lunch place to home was rather uneventful and we reached by around 6PM. This simple and memorable trip logged another ~660km on the odometer to open the account for the month of November.



Coincidentally the last day of this trip marked the completion of six years with the Ninja. Until my next ride report, thanks for reading!

[AKSO]

Good to see you back with the Ninja 1000 and munching those miles. Chickmagalur was memorable from my recent trip down south in November and those bad roads towards Charmadi are still fresh in my mind. The pictures from your trip have come out really well and bring alive your post. Ride Safe!

[Laks]

As always, great to read your travelogue and see the pics!!

[FAKER]

Added to the bucket list! :-)

Thanks for the writeup and amazing pictures.

[ex-innova-guy]

KarthikK sir, thank you very much for sharing your rides with us.

For people in and around Bangalore, this serves as a ready reckoner thread on where one can tread. Kudos to the enthusiasm that you both possess, and I hope you continue munching many more miles.

[Vinay3832]

Amazing pictures and write up as usual, thank you
My wife and I visited Villa Aroor in September this year during monsoons and it was a complete "hit the reset button" to our routine corporate jobs.
The road leading up to the villa are also a bliss to drive on - fresh air and almost zero traffic through the narrow winding roads.

[Simple_User]

Great write-up, even better views. Glad you had fun.

[VNair]

Beautiful pictures and beautiful ride!
Absolutely loved the Villa, on an average, how much does it cost per day?

[that_sedate_guy]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Ride to Villa Aroor, Koppa (November 2024) continued …

Beautiful location. I immediately checked it out and bookmarked it. With a newborn at home, plans will not be in motion for at least another year. Still it's a place worth noting especially because of all the other activities that have been included like the factory visit, the guided hikes etc. Seems to be quite worth the money spent.
On another mote, the Ninja with the panniers looks more like a purpose-built comfort tourer rather than a sportsbike. Looks perfect for the role!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by that_sedate_guy

Beautiful location. I immediately checked it out and bookmarked it.

Haha! That's my usual - my Google Maps is bookmarked with all the locations Karthik has shortlisted / visited. So no planning needed when I need to go on a holiday. Every single place is a class act!

One of my new year resolution is to cover atleast 10% of these places in 2025.