[GreaseMonkey]

Finally getting to experience the joy… of writing a ‘Buying Experience’ (and planning to continue with ‘Ownership experience’ in the times to come) post on the forum after reading dozens over the years!!! Also, to share with fellow members the roller coaster journey of coming to a decision to invest in an (almost) 1000cc class bike.

Just to get a perspective, the past 18 months have wrecked havoc globally. Almost everyone has been impacted indirectly or directly with hardships, losses & pain of personal nature. At 46 years of age, one gets a chance to reflect on your life & I decided to take charge of at least something in my life & pursue things that really mattered to me!!

"No regrets" is an epitaph that would adorn my resting place , has always been a wish!! But for that got to "Live" a life first!! And what better way to do it by getting back to 'Riding bikes'!!! It's been a gap of almost 20 years since I had to give up on serious riding because of a freak incident that resulted in Bell's Palsy (temporary paralysis of one side of face)!! Then the usual circus of life took precedence ... kid growing up...job.... a supportive better half and so on!!

My ride before the Triumph came home (Actively searching for a new home now - as no dedicated space for parking 2 bikes!!)




Cut to May 2021...

Factors considered before the final decision:
• Aspirations to resume active riding after a hiatus of more than 2 decades (I am 46 this year)
• A ride that suits the occasional touring urge but is also a practical bike for daily city use
• A ride that suits the age & doesn’t make me seem like a “wannabe” and most importantly should be able to compliment the growing age (just a personal opinion of the wife!!)
• Comfortable seat & ease of getting on the bike for both rider & pillion (a.k.a the Mrs.)
• A bike that has an old school charm but new age technology for reliability. I am a Royal Enfield enthusiast having owned 3 Bullets (all pre 1990 – preference being for Cast Iron block engines)
• A sweet ‘Sounding’ firing that makes the heart go hmmmm….
• A bike that should offer enough opportunities to customise the ride over the years to enhance the riding pleasure & ownership experience (incentive to plan & budget!!)
• Robust After Sales support & availability of spares & access to trained service personnel (A big shout out to Mr. Atul Kamath (Service Head) at Shaman Triumph for patiently answering all queries!!)
• A riding fraternity to interact & get that community rider bonding.

Best Practices (Based on Team – BHP readings)
• Took a test ride of the exact version of the bike finalised.
• Took the wife on the test ride and sought her inputs too (Personal Best practice!!)
• Inspect the bike in the stock yard (Requested & got permission to visit the stock yard once the bike was delivered from the company)
• Being a CBU, was very keen to be present to do the “Un-boxing” and shoot a video. (Details later in the post)
• As with the marquee brands, the accessory list was comprehensive. However, prioritized the ‘Safety’ parts over the aesthetic ones. (Also helped keep the accessory budget under control!)
• Requested & was allowed to be present in person for the PDI at the service centre

The Journey to the final decision of choosing the ride:
• The initial contenders: Kawasaki Versys 650 & KTM Adventure 390
Went and saw both the bikes. Great machines in their own merit. But as mentioned earlier, guess I am an “Old school” guy. Didn’t think the fit was right. Though got to agree that was smitten by the Versys 650. The lack of color options was a dampener and also the bigger size would be challenging for a daily ride in my opinion.
• Being an avid reader of Auto magazines & forums, was following the launch of the Triumph Trident 650 very closely.
• The details of the ‘In line 3” engine was enticing enough to keep a follow up with the dealership for the test ride
• The overall design is a nice confluence of modern & classic
• Went for the test ride and when I saw the bike in person was hugely disappointed. Primarily on account of the driving posture (slightly more lean-in for my comfort) and the pathetic excuse of the pillion seat). Wife just refused to climb on to the ride saying she hates seating on “The first floor” not to mention the small seat size!!!
• The lockdown meant that the Triumph showroom was closed and we were doing the test ride from the workshop. That was a huge advantage as they had just received the latest consignment of bikes which included the Street Twin 2021, Speed Twin, Bonneville & the mind-blowing Rockets in the inventory for us to see.
• In the interim, I had been tracking the Street Twin “Limited edition” (1000 pieces worldwide & approximate 30 in India as mentioned by the dealer). My phone calls a month back had got the reply that all bikes were ‘Sold Out’ (Thanks to a recent thread we know how that works!!)
• On a whim, just asked the sales team member about the Goldline. And he was like well we have 2 coming in next week but one is spoken for!! He moves into the rows of bikes just delivered and brings out a Goldline that was scheduled for delivery (Added pic below)
• Just the sight of that matte black beauty with the special painted stripe & hand painted ‘Gold lining’ was giving the right flutter in the heart.
• First encouraging signal was the look on the wife’s face!!! And you hear the words “That’s a very nice one”. We immediately request a test ride and a Street Twin was arranged.
• I sit on the bike & wife follows. One simple swing and she is sitting comfortably on the seat (For reference, I am 5’9” and she is around 5’ 6”) “Now that’s an easy ride to mount & alight” another encouraging sign!!
• We fire up the bike and the sweet sound of firing is already sounding like music.
• Take her out for a spin and you immediately get a sense of the power with the torque experienced as you spin the throttle. At almost 190 kgs the weight of the bike does not overwhelm you. The handling is nimble. Initial impressions are very very enticing.
• Post the test ride, first reaction of the wife is that it’s comfortable.
• For me, I am already thinking there goes the budget for a toss. The Street Twin - Goldline edition is approximately 30% more than the Trident 650!!
• The journey back home & dinner discussion that night was intense!!!
• Deal clinchers: Limited edition, 2021 specs & the right tick marks on almost all the checklist items mentioned earlier

The bike that we saw at the worksop when we visited for the Test Ride:



The ‘Actual Buying’ process ( made super smooth & comfortable by Aawaiz & Vineeth at Team Shaman Triumph !!):
• A challenge perceived was the sanctioning of the loan amount. I had just joined a new firm and had only 2 months of salary slip. I was assured by the sales team that they will talk to their preferred banking partners & revert.
• The dealer recommended Axis Bank but I also wanted to evaluate ICICI bank since I have been banking with them for almost 2 decades
• Huge learning in the loan saga. Axis have an Auto loan product customized for bikes above 5 Lacs. ICICI bank were lost when I shared the quote from the dealer and asked for 50% funding
• Axis guys visited my home, got forms filled up, took the supporting documents and reverted with a sanction in 3 days flat. ICICI were completely at sea as even after 5 days they were trying for ‘Approval from seniors’ as it is an expensive bike!!! In the end just decided to go with Axis!


• Pricing Information:
 Ex showroom pricing: 8,25,000
 Registration charges & taxes: 1,65,000
 IMV charges: 3,250
 RST: 3,300
 Delivery & documentation: 20,000
 Insurance: 28,933
 Extended Warranty ( 2years): 19,609
TOTAL: 10,64,992


• Timelines:
 Test ride: 29th May
 Booking Amount paid: 31st May
 Loan applications completed: 1st June (for both banks)
 Loan sanctioned by Axis: 4th June (ICICI finally reverted on the 11th of June!!)
 Down payment done: 9th June
 Loan Disbursed to dealer: 10th June
 Bike delivered at stock yard: 15th June
 Unboxing at Stock yard: 17th June
 Papers sent to RTO for registration: 18th June
 PDI done at Workshop: 23rd June
 Installation of all the accessories: 1st July
 Final Delivery date: 4th July

The story in Pictures :
[b] The Stock Yard visit for Unboxing









The Actual Delivery ::




I have always had a name for my rides!!! (cliched ... I know!!)

This one is "Her Majesty" .... and she is now home!!!!



• The Accessories (ALL OEM parts): A big Thank you to Rajendra at Team Shaman for being understanding & flexible thru the whole finalisation!!













The Riding Experience (First 200 Kms)

The biggest tip for new bike delivery that I can share is regarding the "Keychain"!!! (Sounds silly I know... but trust me follow it and you will save yourself from lot of heartaches!!!)

Please opt for a soft leather or Silicon rubber or any soft material with respect to the keychain pendent. I realised from past experience when you insert the key in the ignition the pendent keeps moving rubbing across some part of the bike near the handle & tank resulting in micro scratches. Also the chance of damaging the paint when you operate the fuel tank lid!!

OK ... first lessons from moving to bigger bikes :

The heat signature from the engine will be a new realty!! Each bike will have it's intensity. It will be a slight discomfort for the thighs. I took the delivery at the Andheri showroom and navigated thru the JVLR traffic till the Eastern Express highway!! At IIT signal I was having full empathy for the 'Roasted leg' experience!!!

As time progressed, one realises its just a reorientation exercise and it soon is factored in by our brain!! Once on the highway though all the heat sensation goes off so to say due to the wind.

The bike itself is very nimble to handle. You are absolutely not in awe of any 'heft' that is usually associated with litre class bikes.

Highway riding on the free flowing Eastern Express highway lets you enjoy the relaxed riding posture, a good secure feeling courtesy the wide tyres and the sheer torque available thru the range! Inside the helmet you cant help but grin as you start appreciating the power available on tap


The stock exhausts have a decent gruff for those of us who like the audio experience!! However it is not the 'soundgasmic' type that the car guy is going to turn as you pass him


The user interface on the Analog Speedometer & Digital MID is very intuitive to use. Screens include choice for RAIN / ROAD mode, Distance to empty, Trip A, Trip B, General Odometer & RPM. Navigation on the controls is straight forward and I like the fact that there are no complex 'sub-menus'

The full sweep of the arm on the speedo and all the illumination on the MFD when you start the bike is a nice touch.


The Fuel gauge is a digital line stack. The first time I filled up it took a good couple of minutes for the lines to top up on the display. I will admit it did cause a flutter in my heart... praying that it shouldn't be a faulty sensor


The stock tyres are Pirelli (100 / 90 - R18 in Front & 150/70 - R17 in Rear)
The rubber compound I am told is 'Medium Soft' (sounds sweet to a F1 fan !!) and usually gives around 10k to 12k of running before replacement.

One feature I really appreciated was the 4 stage adjustment available for the clutch and front brake levers. Very handy so to speak for different sizes of the fingers and traffic fatigue

Given the retro / classic design of the bike the stock rear view mirrors are the round shape ones. Very happy about the visibility and the area it covers. Though I got to admit I did flirt with the thought of opting for the 'Bar end' ones!!! I may still go for it, but given the price point (16 K for the OEM accessory) I will be scouting for other options for sure!!

The step up to a litre class bike also means that the protective gear should be adequate.Gloves, helmet & jacket with armour are essentials. While all of us would surely love to go in for the 'best in class', my realisation is that serious budgetary provisioning needs to be done. I had done my research and realised that approximate 10% of the bike value (and also considering the type of usage intended city/touring/off road) is a starting point!!!]

Realised thru online research & biker groups that lots of reliable options are available in Mumbai to try out the gear & various brands!!!

Immediate agenda items:

The bike has complete Matte finish with the hand painted striping. Exploring options for paint protection.

The biggest bummer is the lack of a 'Center Stand'!!! Not only does it provide a peace of mind when your bike is parked in the society parking lot and you have someone plonk their dearies on the seat, as against when it is resting just on the side stand!!

Oh well why do I mention this, trust me this will be a true jewel for 'Her Majesty' (given the pricing of almost 23K for the OEM part!!) I mean Triumph seriously..... (Wish I could add the sound track "Duniya mein agar aaye hai toh jeena bhi padega.... centre stand agar zeher hai toh peena bhi padega!!!)

But then again... isn't this the 'Bike Bike' experience we yearn for!!!

Looking forward to ease the bike into the break in (800 kms) by this month end.

Staying true to the forum norms, will try & keep updating the periodic ownership experiences!!!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Big Bikes section. Thanks for sharing!

[akshayhonda]

Congratulation on the new hotness mate. It (rather She) looks bloody gorgeous in that matte black and gold pin-striping combo.

Get some good pipes and tan leather grips on the handlebar for that more retro'ish feel and burbles/bangs on short over-runs while doing quick overtakes

Ride safe and keep us posted with the ownership as the days go by. Happy riding!

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by GreaseMonkey

"No regrets" is an epitaph that would adorn my resting place , has always been a wish!! But for that got to "Live" a life first!! And what better way to do it by getting back to 'Riding bikes'!!!

Well GreaseMonkey, first of all welcome back to riding !!

Next, mighty congratulations on this limited edition beauty.
"Her Majesty" looks royal with those gold accents and contrasting play of colors. This is truly a special bike and I wish I could adore her in person

Great choice considering that you are resuming to ride after couple of decades. The low seat height + oodles of torque would be comfortable for both you and missus. And the best part is that this bike will keep you engaged for long long time (riding experience + sheer amount of customization options).

Next up would be decent set of gears for you and madame. Wish you loads of fun and lots of miles !!

P.S : Do you mind sharing details of the accessories in a bit of detail. Also, may want to get a better backrest if you will be riding 2 up frequently. A small twist tends to throw back the pillion !!

[abtyagi]

Matt black colour look absolute dope. Wishing you a lot of memorable miles with it. Looking forward to your travelogues. Congratulations

[luthfudeen]

That's a sweet looking steed! Congratulations! I ride the 2019 Street Twin and boy, is it a hoot. I ride it every day, perfect allrounder! Excellent choice and I'm jealous of your special edition paint scheme :P

Go for the SW Motech's sump guard if you ride in especially bad roads. The Triumph Sump guard is strong, but has a cut out for the oil filter. I found a dent on the filter when giving it for the yearly service. Chennai roads are pretty much non existent so I immediately switched to SW.

Stock tires are great, but check out the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2s once you're done with the Phantoms. For the roads I ride in, it provides good grip, keeps the TC light from blinking endlessly.

Don't worry about the fuel gauge. It's a Triumph 'feature'. And if you're going touring, expect pleasantly surprising fuel efficiency (provided you ride at 90 - 110)! I got 33 kmpl on a recent trip and range anxiety has lessened!

The front fender extender spoils the chopped look of the bike, but it helps in keeping mud off the radiator during rainy seasons. I wanted to apply a Matte PPF for the tank but everywhere I asked they told me they can't install it without visible seams. So I let the idea go and use MucOff Matte Paint Detailer after every wash.

The 900 is just a peach of an engine. A gentleman in the city, a hooligan on the highways! You will fall in love your bike more and more everyday! Ride Safe!

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by akshayhonda

Congratulation on the new hotness mate. It (rather She) looks bloody gorgeous in that matte black and gold pin-striping combo.

Get some good pipes and tan leather grips on the handlebar for that more retro'ish feel and burbles/bangs on short over-runs while doing quick overtakes

Ride safe and keep us posted with the ownership as the days go by. Happy riding!

Thanks Akshay! Some Vans & Hines are on the agenda for sure…. But this time round plan to go for these upgrades only based on some riding milestones!! Say like first 5 k on the odo or completing couple of long distance trips and sorts!

[deepfreak15]

Congrats on your new ride and wishing you many Kms of happy motoring. I can think of no better back to come back to after a long hiatus, great choice! Just curious, who customized your previous bike, was it Connie?

[AirbusCapt]

Congrats!! Its a beautiful ride, very apt for you considering that you are returning to riding so to speak. My suggestion is that you keep it stock for the first year or so until you understand what she can do. Then look at adding on parts and features.

[hareshjethwani]

Congratulations on the ride, what a beauty she is. The Matt black looks a class apart. Ride safe.

[GreaseMonkey]

P.S : Do you mind sharing details of the accessories in a bit of detail. Also, may want to get a better backrest if you will be riding 2 up frequently. A small twist tends to throw back the pillion !![/quote]


Was trying to add descriptions to the Accessory pics, but faced some challenges!! The details are as follows:

1. Auxillary power socket (For Cell phone & other devices)



2. CNC Front reservoir


3. Dresser bar (Guards)


4. Engine Protection covers


5. Fork Protectors


6. Handle bar risers


7. Headlight Grill


8. Radiator Grill


9. Sump Plate (Bash plate)


10. Valve caps

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by luthfudeen

That's a sweet looking steed! Congratulations! I ride the 2019 Street Twin and boy, is it a hoot. I ride it every day, perfect allrounder! Excellent choice and I'm jealous of your special edition paint scheme :P

Go for the SW Motech's sump guard if you ride in especially bad roads. The Triumph Sump guard is strong, but has a cut out for the oil filter. I found a dent on the filter when giving it for the yearly service. Chennai roads are pretty much non existent so I immediately switched to SW.

Stock tires are great, but check out the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2s once you're done with the Phantoms. For the roads I ride in, it provides good grip, keeps the TC light from blinking endlessly.

Don't worry about the fuel gauge. It's a Triumph 'feature'. And if you're going touring, expect pleasantly surprising fuel efficiency (provided you ride at 90 - 110)! I got 33 kmpl on a recent trip and range anxiety has lessened!

The front fender extender spoils the chopped look of the bike, but it helps in keeping mud off the radiator during rainy seasons. I wanted to apply a Matte PPF for the tank but everywhere I asked they told me they can't install it without visible seams. So I let the idea go and use MucOff Matte Paint Detailer after every wash.

The 900 is just a peach of an engine. A gentleman in the city, a hooligan on the highways! You will fall in love your bike more and more everyday! Ride Safe!

Thanks for the inputs Luthfudeen

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by deepfreak15

Congrats on your new ride and wishing you many Kms of happy motoring. I can think of no better back to come back to after a long hiatus, great choice! Just curious, who customized your previous bike, was it Connie?

It was customized at Vardenchi motorcycles by Akshai Varde

[GreaseMonkey]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Congrats!! Its a beautiful ride, very apt for you considering that you are returning to riding so to speak. My suggestion is that you keep it stock for the first year or so until you understand what she can do. Then look at adding on parts and features.

I am exactly planning that. She will remain stock till I discover the full potential and get to experience the original form!!

[Deaf2Tones]

Congratulations GreaseMonkey. I can understand the allure of the Street Twin and Speed Twin as they were two of the three options I had in mind when considering my own purchase recently. The Gold Line is a beautiful bike and I wish you many happy and safe miles.