[shapra]

Hi Folks,

This is a a nice site for auto/bike enthusiasts. I have been reading posts here for about a month now and decided to register today.

I have a question for Super sport riders in India. I am thinking of bringing my 2003 R6 into India, when I return from the US. I am worried about maintenance/repair/damage issues (I have zero skill in this area). I know some returning NRIs have brought their bikes into India. Not really worried about import duties and other costs.

Any advise/suggestions for me? How does your super sport handle the lunar surface in India? Is it tiring to ride in city traffic (like say, Bangalore)? I have years of prior riding experience in India -- Bullet/Yezdi/Hero Honda.

Best,
Shapra

[Jaggu]

Welcome Shapra.

Yes it can be a pain with slow moving traffic and the heat. Yeah the bike can also heat up a lil but otherwise you can ride around safely at 60-100 kph depending on traffic and timings

Parts and mainatanence if you have contacts are not a major issue, but dont expect 100% professional approach and be ready for some rip offs.

There are a quite a few online forums for Bangalore SBK riders, join and they should guide you better.

[BunnyPunia]

Rules and Regulations for Importing Bikes in India - Guidelines for Importing Bikes in India - Procedure For Importing motorcycles in India : might help

do u have US passport? if yes, then do u own the bike for more than 2 yrs? If again yes, then u can import the bike under the transfer of residence scheme. also under this, u can resell the bike for 2 yrs in India.

as for maintainance, to which city in India will u be comin back to? Del/Mum/Blore? then, no need to worry at all. Please clarify this last thing

[Rtech]

The roads in most major cities are not too bad actually. The bike will be able to cope well enough. Traffic, especially rush hour stop/go of the kind I saw in Bangalore can be a pain, and not just because you are on a 600! lol

For a popular bike like the R6, you would not face any problems with servicing or parts. Just bring back some consumables with you i.e. brake pads, cables, filters, bearings, fork seals etc. Maybe even a spare side panel which you can buy of ebay for cheap.

Don't worry too much about it. Bring it down and enjoy it. if you don't there will be enough buyers for it!

[prabhuav]

Shapra,

The newer Jap bikes virtually need no parts for a long time and even if they do, not very difficult to source.

I just got down a CB919 from the US and cost me ~ 200% in addition to the cost of the bike. If you can afford that, you will have fun riding it. Just have to be judicious about where and how you ride..

Robin is an authority on the subject - Linky ot his thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/everyt...ike-india.html

I had written down the experience I had with customs in here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...tml#post592383

Have fun..

Vijay

[prabhuav]

Originally Posted by BunnyPunia

Rules and Regulations for Importing Bikes in India - Guidelines for Importing Bikes in India - Procedure For Importing motorcycles in India : might help

do u have US passport? if yes, then do u own the bike for more than 2 yrs? If again yes, then u can import the bike under the transfer of residence scheme. also under this, u can resell the bike for 2 yrs in India.

as for maintainance, to which city in India will u be comin back to? Del/Mum/Blore? then, no need to worry at all. Please clarify this last thing

Bunny,

You only need to own the bike for 1 year. and no you donot need a US passport. indian passport works beautifully

Thanks
Vijay

[highwayblaze]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Welcome Shapra.

Yes it can be a pain with slow moving traffic and the heat. Yeah the bike can also heat up a lil but otherwise you can ride around safely at 60-100 kph depending on traffic and timings

Jaggu the R6 is liquid cooled with a water cooled radiator + fan. It kicks in when the temperature threshold crosses a certain level. I don't think its going to be a big problem on the 03.

[shapra]

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. To keep this post shorter, I will refrain from thanking individually

My bike is a 2003 model, registered in my name for 2 years. I dont know if the "must not be older than 3 years" rule will be a blocker.

Bangalore is the target city. It will be interesting to see how my R6 handles the potholes, gravel, speed bumps and the higher ambient temp/lower riding speed double-whammy. The bike seems happier at speeds above 30 mph with the temp guage reading 175F. At lower speeds, I see it go up to 190F.

In twisty roads in the US (US Scenic Route 1 trip report coming up shortly), you can mostly corner without worrying too much if there is tarmac beyond the corner. Even at lower speeds, I am sure there will be surprises in India. I think the skills learnt in my Motorcycle Safety Foundation course will bail me out. Anyone had close calls? Anyone unlearn some of the super sport riding techinques to adapt to Indian conditions?

[highwayblaze]

Originally Posted by shapra

. It will be interesting to see how my R6 handles the potholes, gravel, speed bumps and the higher ambient temp/lower riding speed double-whammy. The bike seems happier at speeds above 30 mph with the temp guage reading 175F. At lower speeds, I see it go up to 190F.

Dude it goes up to 190F but doesn't the fan kick in at that point. So it'll always kick-in at 190F. As long as you have your coolant level high and fan working don't worry about this. Either way all bikes will heat up anyway.

[Rtech]

Don't think so much about it. You said you have experience riding in India, so you do know what to expect. Be sensible and know how fast to ride on the road you are on. That's a basic rule for bikers anywhere in the world riding anything.

Bangalore has a huge superbike population, and from what I've heard, there are some nice roads to ride around out there. No, you can't ride anywhere close to 100% on our roads and the safety margin you need to leave will be far greater than what you can leave abroad, but thats all part of the game.

I've had close calls in the US as well with crazy guys taking turning and cutting across 3 lanes without looking. You get the same nuts everywhere. they just speak a different language, thats it.

[prabhuav]

Originally Posted by shapra

My bike is a 2003 model, registered in my name for 2 years. I dont know if the "must not be older than 3 years" rule will be a blocker.

Bangalore is the target city. It will be interesting to see how my R6 handles the potholes, gravel, speed bumps and the higher ambient temp/lower riding speed double-whammy. The bike seems happier at speeds above 30 mph with the temp guage reading 175F. At lower speeds, I see it go up to 190F.

There is no 3 year rule for TR. Only for direct import.

Since the depreciation is quarterly, it is critical that you have proof of when the bike was originally registered. For eg, My bike was a 2002 model but registered in Oct 2001. I was able to squeeze an additional quarter's depreciation.

Bangalore does offer many a road that you can open up on. You can do speeds that would get you arrested in the US..

[shapra]

SuperBike gurus,

My R6 will be shipped from the US in about 3-4 weeks. Depending on what the shipping company can manage, the bike will end up in Chennai or Bangalore. If it ends up in Chennai, I would love to ride it (after customs clearance) all the way to Namma Bengalooru.

1. What Fuel should I use? (Sorry, I havent been in India much the past decade. Speed petrol? 98 octane?). I read rtech's excellent guide on superbikes here on team-bhp. I will try to source an octane booster prior to picking up my bike.
2. Air pressure: Do the normal petrol bunk air hoses work on your super-bike?
3. Since the bike will not have an Indian registration, can I transit through Chennai? I will likely have a pilot car ahead of me (KA registration).

Best,
Shapra

[manson]

1. 98 octane would work best, however quite a few around me and so do i go with speed 93 (?) octane, works fine.

2. Yup, bunk air hoses work just as normally as they should

3. No first hand experience, prabhu i think got his 919 trucked though

i'd suggest you try sneaking in some chain spray alongwith the other stuff you're bringing down. Remember to get the smaller bottles, liquid in the larger bottles would go bad if kept stored for a long time.

manson.

[nitrous]

The huge Bharat Petroleum pump on the Chennai Airport Road has Speed 97.
If you're clearing it in Chennai, do let us know so we could have a meet and check the R0.6

[headers]

Originally Posted by nitrous

The huge Bharat Petroleum pump on the Chennai Airport Road has Speed 97.

How Huge..?? As huge as .......... Come on Nitrous, all petrol stations have a name! You dont even know the name?