[camitesh]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Secret : Although the bike is sold out for this year, people have still managed their turn due to cancellations. Rare but has happened. So if you are really interested, just put in your name and who knows !!

Originally Posted by amods

I've inquired with Bigwing guys and it is out of stock for this year and up to March 22! They said they'll get back after March. The on-road price they mentioned is 11.04 Lakhs! This(price) was the only reason I'm holding back up to now

although I won't go to the extent you went to get the bike allotted(Need time for funds ), it was great how you aligned things together to get this beauty. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry to go OT here Abhishek but considering how your thread would evoke a lot of interest for the new CBR 650R from readers only to sadly find it out of stock (like fellow BHPian Amod), I couldn't resist from sharing this OLX ad about 2021 CBR650R on sale in Mumbai for someone who just cannot wait.

The price of Rs. 9.5 lakhs IMO looks good considering the kms run and accessories.

Disclaimer: I'm in no way associated to the seller or have seen the bike myself. For anyone wishing to pursue this, please do your due diligence. All pic credits to the original owner

Source: OLX Ad

[amods]

Originally Posted by camitesh

Sorry to go OT here Abhishek but considering how your thread would evoke a lot of interest for the new CBR 650R from readers only to sadly find it out of stock (like fellow BHPian Amod), I couldn't resist from sharing this OLX ad about 2021 CBR650R on sale in Mumbai for someone who just cannot wait.

The price of Rs. 9.5 lakhs IMO looks good considering the kms run and accessories.

Disclaimer: I'm in no way associated to the seller or have seen the bike myself. For anyone wishing to pursue this, please do your due diligence. All pic credits to the original owner

Source: OLX Ad

Alas, only if it was in Bengaluru. This machine sells like a hot cake. There are a few in my known circle, but all are second owners. My preference is a first owner bike.

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

In a way, it's a full circle as the first experience of mine on a bike at the age of 4 was sitting on the fuel tank of a supposedly CKD unit of a Japanese made Hero Honda CD 100 which made me grin all the way. It was a short ride by a family member every evening but it is still strong in my memory. Decades later, I grinned again around a Honda with a tad more powerful engine, a 650cc.

Wow.
That's quite a story. Thanks for sharing this abhisheksircar and mighty congratulations on your red steed. Wish you loads of fun on her !!

Loved going through your detailed posts and pictures.

[abhisheksircar]

Having the PPF cover on the bike, I have to be careful to not let the bike get washed in usual service stations as they might damage the application. To keep that intact, I usually wash it myself but then you get hard water stains, dirt in difficult to reach places and all that. I had to look for a solution outside who understands detailing, PPF etc but at the same time is close-by and is reasonable for regular cleaning. I plan a clean like this at least once in 2 months.

In comes Guy Car Steamer. https://g.page/guy-car-steamer?share

Shrey who owns this place is again driven by passion and hence there are chances that he will detect gaps in the outcome after a cleanup although you might miss it out. The place is always filled with cars and bikes and hence it is advisable to call and book before you visit. He is a petrolhead and is a biker as well owning a CBR 650F along with 3 Honda VTECs, one of which is souped up to 400 bhp by him. That should be enough introduction towards his obsessiveness towards good outcomes.







As good as new !

The bike meanwhile is growing up on me even better with every next ride. I had stopped for few months since I was unwell but now back to rides although close-by breakfast rides for now. Will update soon.

One sad news ! My side stand extender came off in one of the rides. I think it was loose somewhere. Will have to look for a better fit soon.

[abhisheksircar]

Breakfast rides continues and this time it was to a place which sells Biryani starting from 0500 hrs in the morning. They presumably are sold out by 0900 hrs. The cold weather and the piping hot Biryani makes it a divine eat. It's very different from the usual layered Biryani that we normally know off but this one is spicy and has an identity of itself.

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/GCjD1z7q5kS6ACcj8

We started a little late to avoid the fog but we still were caught up within dense fog. It was actually scary as you could not see just anything. The headlights worked well and had good visibility through the ride penetrating well through the mist. It was thankfully not glaring back from the mist.

A recommended short ride for foodies from Bengaluru.

[abhisheksircar]

Breakfast rides continues to closeby places only with all the closures all around. This time it was to a familiar short ride to Burger King in Shoolgiri, Tamil Nadu. The route comprises of 4 lane highways which are fast routes although infested with traffic as this is a busy route connecting Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. There are many eat outs in this route but this time we decided to go to Burger King.

Location : https://g.page/burgerking-krishnagiri?share

A friend drove his brand new Kushaq from Kolkata to Bangalore followed by Goa and back to Bangalore, later leading to Kolkata. So we decided to ride together as a meetup. On the way back, we switched vehicles as he rode the CBR and I drove his Kushaq. I really liked the handling of the Kushaq. It's a fun to drive vehicle with quite good build quality. I liked the design elements too which is sharp and makes it stand out. Meanwhile, he is convinced that he will have the 2022 CBR parked with him soon.

The riders were not just Honda riders but old friends riding R3s and Triumph too.

The burgers were good as always and it usually tastes better when you are hungry in the morning. This place opens up only after 0900 hrs.

[abhisheksircar]

Meanwhile, 2022 Honda CBR 650R is now launched in India with revised graphics and a price hike of about 50k on the ex-showroom price. The effective on-road in Bangalore is expected to be around 11.5

Good to see Honda taking inspiration from my bike on the revised stickering











Noticed later that this news has a thread of it's own already. Apologies.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...-35-lakhs.html (2022 Honda CBR650R launched at 9.35 lakhs)

[abhisheksircar]

The rides continue and this time it was to a Punjabi Dhaba which is run quite authentically as a Dhaba. A bit too Authentically as when you ask for a washroom, they point you to the open field around. That said, it was nice to ride down on open 4 lane good roads beyond the Bengaluru Airport. We again were few friends riding in together having bikes from the Honda (AT, CB/R650R, CB1000) and Yamaha (R3) stable. This was the first ride of this year in Jan2022.

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/LE2dVqo9TDCwEVMv5

The Paratha and Lassi were a delight although it's not the typical rich version of these which you get in Punjab but a very basic version of the same.





This time we were also joined by DJ who carries some immense equipment (read camera) with him and he did take some nice shots. He is the one riding the AT.







Meanwhile, the bike keeps growing on me and it imbibes more confidence to get better control of the bike. The braking is something which I really enjoyed. Linear acceleration is something I picked up this bike for. In this ride, I opened up the engine to almost it's potential and it did hold up quite nice. Honda has done a brilliant job here. I switched to the R3 for sometime and realized what I was missing. That extra 300 odd cc helps. Although I must say, through the ride, the R3 was riding all along and most of the time ahead as we do not have Autobahns here. R3 remains to be a fabulous bike too.







This road is filled with super bikes and supercars on weekends and what caught our attention was a group of supercars out of which one was a delightful M2. It was a delight to see it and of course hear it leaving aside the 458 Italia, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Merc and the VW Polo.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CYQTS...dium=copy_link

Got them on an Insta update somewhere later. This was clicked the same day.

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by abhisheksircar

Attachment 2274227
.

Nice clicks Abhishek. Hope you didn’t get a copyright violation notice from Dino Anna (Dino’s vault) due to this click.

[abhisheksircar]

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Nice clicks Abhishek. Hope you didn’t get a copyright violation notice from Dino Anna (Dino’s vault) due to this click.

Hahaha. Not my click or me in the frame, so I should be good to go I did search and see what you were referring to though. Quite a resemblance !

My 2nd service is scheduled for this week. I'll keep you all updated.

[abhisheksircar]

The second service is scheduled with a usage of 5500 km to 6000 km or 165 days to 180 days. Which ever comes earlier. With my limited breakfast rides and a bit longer rides, it had to be the days. Considering the delivery date of 30Aug2021, I am now at 178 days, clocking around 4200 kms.

I usually have not taken a test ride in most bikes I have bought. Fazer, R15, R3 and now this. God's grace, every time, the bikes have been very nice to me. 6 months down and I know that the CBR650R will be no exception as it's already very well accepted in my stable. Be it a 140 kms ride or a 1400 kms trip, it's been an absolute pleasure riding the bike. The refinement, linear power delivery, build quality, handling and the braking has been the highlights of this bike. Always in control.



Th second service is something that can be done at home itself. It's that straight forward but you would avoid it for warranty issues, but of course. I take my bike all cleaned up to avoid a cleanup over there as they might not handle the PPF all over the bike properly. I get it done at Guy Car Steamer (https://g.page/guy-car-steamer?share). Chain is cleaned and lubed as well. I use the Maxima cleaner and lube which is the same thing that they use at the service center. What's left is general checkup to see if everything is in place. Tension adjustment of the chain, oil and oil filter change.

I usually go to the service station early to avoid the barrage of 350s that come in. When I entered, there was 1 and when I left, there were around 15 of them. I reached there at around 0900 hrs. The bike was immediately attended to by a staff there who queued up my bike. I had a quick breakfast and came back by 0930 by when a tech came to start on my bike. Brief words were exchanged, service done and the bike was ready to be billed by 1030 hrs. Seamless.



The total was Rs. 3010/- which is quite reasonable. It could be 4-5 hundred more if you clean and lube the chain over there. This as well is a very reasonable cost for servicing a superbike. I have heard horror stories from other friends of mine who own superbikes.

The real essence of the service will be on services of 12000 onwards but at this moment, I am happy with the service experience with the little that I am engaging with. The big Indian question of 'kitna deti hain'. The console shows 22 km/ltr.

[abhisheksircar]

The rides continue although I am not getting time to update it. Hope to update soon, but one thing is for sure, I am enjoying this middleweight from Honda. It's very balanced. Neither too overpowering and definitely does not lag behind. I have done just about 5000 kms yet and it's been a pleasure.

Meanwhile few accessories which were pending got added.

Quick Shifter



I was told many times that this is required only if you are in the tracks. Also, for experienced riders this is not needed at all. I am neither hitting the tracks and I think I don't ride that bad as well but I still went for it and I must say, glad I did. Yet another thing which I think should be on the stock bike after the Akra. It's scarily fast when you do not blip down, engage the clutch (or clutchless), take a moment and change the gear. Here it's like 1,2,3,4,5,6 and you are looking for the brakes already to slow down. In one word. Fun. It took me almost 6 months to get the accessory though but glad it's here. These are for upshifts only and I think it can be engaged anytime after 6000 RPM although higher RPMs surely works sweet.

Shop : Honda Bigwing Topline
Price : ~17000 INR including installation charges

PUIG Front Fender Extender



This was in my list from the beginning too but again was not available. I have not done any major long rides yet, other than a ride to a destination 600 kms away where I confronted a short section where it rained and I had the muck right up my dash as well. I am hoping this will help in the next ride.

Shop : https://www.bikenbiker.com/
Price : 1250 INR

PUIG Bar end weights



There is vibration in the 6000 RPM range and it's evident although does not bother. This is again something that was in the list from the beginning but was not available until now. I honestly did not sense a lot of difference but I have not ridden much with it yet. I'll update on this thread if I see a significant change.

Shop : https://www.bikenbiker.com/
Price : 6500 INR

Hepco and Becker Royster Tail Bag







In my recent tour, I took a tail bag from my friend (TeeJay). It worked well as I was a little worried if a tail bag can be installed with my current setup of a tail tidy and it sustained about 1400 kms of ride, no issues at all. After coming back I started looking at various options and I narrowed down on the Hepco Becker Royster (Tail Bag). It is comparatively expensive but I love the quality and the design. It blends in well with the sporty theme of the bike. It takes about 5 mins to strap the bag in and out and can be easily carried off. There is one strap which goes around the tail and the two straps which go around the rear foot-peg. I must say that the Rynox which I had taken from Teejay was a more convenient way to strap in and out and even to carry due to available shoulder straps but otherwise, the quality and the space is much better in the Royster. I could do a Goa and back for a 3-5 day trip with this one bag.

Shop : https://www.bikenbiker.com/
Price : 15000 INR when I bought it but it is now available at around 19000 INR.

[abhisheksircar]

For Bengaluru riders heading towards TN, one of the favorite spots to stop for breakfast is Murugan Idly. The roads on this side are amazing but infested with traffic. There is traffic going to all over south on these roads. It's both commercial and private vehicles.

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/cVxrdH413byikcB76

Murugan Idly serves some amazing food, strong coffee and some nice sweets. I forgot the name of the Halwa they serve but it's a wonderful end to your breakfast. There is this Idly covered with a spicy powder and that's their signature dish. What you might not be able to avoid is an inevitable wait. Do add up an extra 10-30 mins for that on your travel time.

As I mentioned earlier, this route is infested with traffic but this bike makes it a breeze with availability of torque in every gear. You can stay within 2 shifts of 5th and 6th to tackle everything.



This ride was with 4 riders riding the 2021 Black CBR650R, Black CB650R, my red 2021 CBR 650R and a beautifully maintained Yamaha R3 with Akra as well. We had Sameer in this ride, joined by his son and Sameer's camera kit which captured some amazing shots. Here goes !!

[abhisheksircar]

While the short breakfast rides continued, I was itching to go beyond breakfast. I was longing to go to Dhanushkodi, otherwise called the last land of India in Tamil Nadu. This is the place which extends out of India and almost touches Srilanka. On clear days, you can actually see Srilanka from the view point. Not all is up beat about this place. This place also has the scary history of a whole down gulped down by a cyclone back in 1964. It not only took away a town but the ocean also gulped down a complete train killing thousands before they even saw it coming. It took days for the rescue team to even get there due to lack of communication and transport convenience those days. Now, this place, rather Rameswaram is as much a tourist place, as it is religious. The stretch that I spoke about which almost reaches out to Srilanka also has it's connect to Lord Rama and it's hanuman army building up a floating bridge over there to reach Lanka and rescue Sita. Look deep around and you will see locals showing you floating corals which supposedly was the ones used to make the floating bridge.

But what sets all this aside is the final view of the place. It just humbles you down in front of the mammoth ocean on all sides.

A quick preview with a badly edited, choppy drone video. I am not good at either.

Dhanushkodi

The Ride and the Roads

The ride was from Bangalore to Dhanushkodi through some really good highways which this bike craves for. The total ride was about 1300 kms, to and fro. This can be done in 2 days but I took it casual and did it in 3 days. It took about 9 hrs to reach the place which included 5 breaks. 1 breakfast break. 1 lunch break. 3 fuel breaks. The third was no really required but I prefer to stay tanked up in these trips and the last one was before the destination.



You can see in the map how it jets out towards Srilanka.

Roads in Tamil Nadu are pretty well known for it's reputation of being well made even if it is around small villages. This trip was mostly in TN. The bike just loved the roads and I loved the ride. Yes it's not a tourer but I had no issues in my back or stiffness etc. The only bit which bothered me was the seat which is quite firm. Now I know why fellow riders work on the seats to make these tours comfortable.

The bike was an absolute fun to ride. Extremely smooth delivery of power, perfect handling, a riding posture which is neither too aggressive, nor too relaxed to be hit by the wind. The braking again was shining out as a plus with few strong braking situations with not so sensible drivers on the road.

I went with a Rynox tailbag which I took from a friend and was little skeptical how it will hold on to the Evotech tail tidy. It did great and was a perfect bag for a 3 day trip. I can do a Goa with this along with Drone, extra slippers etc.

There was a short ghat section which was quite animated with automated speakers asking the vehicle to slow down on speed. It took me a while to get used to it as the instructions comes from speakers all over.



0630 hrs in Bangalore with the rising sun.



Some nice hills in TN on the way.



Absolutely beautiful roads. As it would be called in the North. Makhan !!

Food Breaks

I marked two places for food on the way to Rameswaram.

Breakfast : Murugan Idly (https://goo.gl/maps/CRKUGdkhbhbMFDBR8)

I have been there many times and hence I could not think beyond it. I left at a comfortable 0630 hrs IST and hence it was just perfect time to get to breakfast. It takes less than an hour from my place. Idly is the best food I find in long tours. Goes very easy on the stomach.



The safe IDLY without the adventures spicy powder.

Lunch : Dindigul Thalappakatti Biryani (https://goo.gl/maps/f5Rj39obgchYrXt87)

Dindigul Thalappakatti Biryani is very well known and has presence around the world. It started from Dindigul which was on the way, so why not ? They started in 1957 and have a very traditional approach in their recipes. How was the Biryani ? It was good. The one that I like is the layered Hyderabadi or Lucknowi biryani but this was different. Good different. I would not say out of the world, but it was nice to my taste palette and my stomach.



It's different, but good.

While coming back, I stopped for breakfast in an A2B, I cant remember exactly where and before entering Bangalore, Lunch at Burger King on the highway at Krishnagiri (https://g.page/burgerking-krishnagiri?share)

Fuel

There are adequate fuel pumps on the way and although this bike does not demand for it, but there were quite a few IOCs on the way with XP95. I stopped once in IOC and the remaining 2 times, I stopped in whichever petrol pump was well presented and fast moving. The answer to the "Kitna Deti Hain" was an average of 21 km/ltr with some quite balanced yet spirited riding. I was not conservative for sure.

The Stay

There were 2 places that I was contemplating.

1. JKR Resort and SPA (https://jkr-resorts.com/) : This looked like a very well maintained hotel with all the required facilities but it had a drawback. It was within the city and did not have views of the ocean. It was around 32 kms from the view point.

2. Jiwan Residency (https://www.jiwanresidency.com/) : This was bang on the bank of the ocean and has beautiful views. This is 26 kms away from the view point. There is one room called the Kailash, which has a beautiful view of the ocean. I was a little late and compromised with the Himavan suite which had a glimpse of the ocean and that's more like it. The sunrise is right opposite the hotel and is a beautiful view.



That's the hotel and the room with the corner balcony is Kailash.



The Himavan Suit with a sitting place, dressing room, washroom and an airconditioned room with a balcony with view of trees !



That's the glimpse I got from my room for which I booked the suit which was not really required



Sunrise is right across the road outside the hotel. You do not need to wake up early to capture the sunrise anywhere else.



The parking at the hotel. Not much crowd and hence safe.



There was a ferry ride going on outside the hotel but I did not have the guts to board it seeing the condition of the Ferry



An unfortunate dead yet beautiful turtle

But I should have booked the JKR. Jiwan is going through difficult times like many hotels and hence the staffs are really limited and so are options to eat. The rooms were okay but the food just turned me off. The staff are having their own time since they have got to know that they are indispensable. There is no food options at all, well almost nothing. The have some fixed meals which you have to preorder way before to get it. I did not know that and ended up in the restaurant to find nothing. They guided me to a shack like place around which messed up my stomach. Next day I asked them to keep it simple and just give me some curd rice and salad. They denied on the face although it's as simple as it could get. They first said, no material there and next moment I see them taking salad to a room and the answer is that it was already ordered and the rest is saved for breakfast tomorrow. Thankfully there was a consultant/Manager who was going through the task of fixing all this and I walked up to his room. He was very helpful and in 15 mins I had fresh salad and wonderfully made curd rice served in my room. That said, it was an ordeal.

I rode to the destination one day, I stayed there one day and rode back the other. The day I stayed, I barely stepped out. I was done seeing the view point by 0900 hrs. I would have been much more happy to have stayed in JKR and taken rest rather in a convenient place than this struggle.

The Destination

Rameswaram is where I stayed in and Dhanushkodi is the town which was destroyed by the cyclone, leaving ruins. I left at 0545 hrs in the morning to Arichal Munai (view point) which is about 25 kms from the hotel. It was pitch dark and Google took me through this straight which had ocean on both sides as I could see in the digital map. I could not see anything around me, but Google showed me that I was surrounded by mighty ocean on both sides. Not knowing the demographics made it quite spooky. The bright lights of the headlight made me a bug magnet and I was almost like in a movie scene made around a pest attack. Thankfully I always carry some visor cleaners and cleaning cloth along with me. That was least of my botheration. There was absolutely no one in the whole way and this place is known to be haunted. If there was a bigger bug which would have hit me on my shoulder that day, making me feel that it was someone is tapping me; I would not be alive to type this today. I was psyched.

Thankfully on reached the final location, I saw some people who were crazier than me and were already there to catch the sunrise. These roads are usually closed in the night. The sun was unfortunately up behind the clouds and then suddenly I could see the massive oceans around me. I was to myself for a good 20 mins realizing how inferior I was to this massive presence. Then I realized that I was carrying the drone and took some shots. It was VERY windy and I was not sure if I would say goodbye to the drone or get it back. It managed.

On the way back, I could now enjoy as I could see that the Ocean was about 150 mtrs away after a sandy beach. Some sense of relief. It looked beautiful with the bluish green ocean. This place was not haunted or abandoned anymore. There was a thriving fishing community there who survives on fishing and tourism. Three things on the way back which I had to catch up with, was the ruins of a church that somehow still survived a bit, A temple through a straight stretch of detour and an abandoned pier which takes you to almost 100 mtrs into the sea. You can walk to this place, but not ride/drive after a certain point. There was another place where they say Lord Ram had built the floating bridge but by 0900 hrs, the heat was killing me with the riding gears and all. I had to rush back to my room.



Well maintained straight roads to the view point.



A straight detour to a relatively newer temple through the ocean



Backwaters all over as well



The abondoned Pier is not to be missed.



This is how far inside the pier takes you. I am just standing on the pier and taking the pic



The sunrise at the location over a rocky beach



An empty beach not recommended to go around in due to quick sand



The ruins of the church which is now a thriving business point for small shops catering to the tourists



That's the gear at 40+ degree celcius.

Rameswaram Temple and Around it

This place is as religious as it is touristy. This place is bustling around from 0430 hrs or may be before with devotees all over the temple. Tonsured heads is a very common visual here. Majority of the restaurants are vegetarian for obvious reasons but there are few shacks serving sea food. One of the well known one had messed up my stomach, so I would recommend to go easy with the fast moving vegetarian outlets. What I missed out seeing was the House of Kalam. This is where Dr. Abdul Kalam spent his childhood.

It's touristy, it's religious and it's a major fishing hub too. There are trawlers all around and with the proximity to Srilanka, I can imagine why the fishermen are always trapped in boundary disputes.



The very famous Rameswaram Temple



Some buildings around it







Ruins but still has two majestic lions guarding it



Now this was interesting. AR enabled story telling of Ramayan after downloading an App.



Many fishing trawlers taking rest, to get ready for the next day expedition



And some light boats out for fishing as well

Dhanushkodi, The last land of India. A place you cannot miss ! Honda CBR 650R, an amazing bike to tour around in

[vvaibhav10]

Oh what an article Abhishek! Clear, unbiased, exhaustive, and I feel a “must read” for anyone looking to buy CBR 650 r/f. Loved it!