Team-BHP - My 2008 Honda Varadero XL1000VA

Technocrat, Abhinav, Preetam - thanks for your comments. The interstate trip on the Vara is now postponed till the weather becomes a bit cooler again. Meanwhile, Sheela (my wife) and I have booked a bungalow in Coonoor (next to Ooty) from April 1 thro May 15... we will drive down from Mumbai in my Nissan Xtrail, which is almost as much fun as riding the Vara! Abhinav, the Vara returns about 22 kms to the litre on the highway, even when thrumming along at speeds between 120kph and 150kph... so the 25 litre tank is really a boon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varaman (Post 1775958)

The problem with cruisers like the HD, Goldwing or the Intruder is that they are fine for cruising along beautifully tarred roads (like they have in Europa and US)... in India, these bikes face serious limitations due to ridiculously high speed-breakers (thanks to the low ground clearance) and really bad roads. Secondly, the rear shocks of these cruisers are not designed to absorb the punishment on Indian roads... the rider's spine ends up compensating for the shocks and this makes for poor riding enjoyment. The Varadero has excellent telescopic front shocks (almost like a dirt bike) and a 40 setting adjustable rear monoshock with a rebound damper adjuster as well :) Lastly, manouverability - the Vara is extremely nimble and easy to handle, unlike the cruisers which behave like errant buffaloes. Hope this answers your question.:thumbs up

The maximum time that I have ridden the Vara in a single day is for 11 hours straight, to Mahabaleshwar and back to Mumbai... and the most remarkable thing is that I did not even experience numb-butt or a weary back at the end of the day. I have also taken her to Chiplun, Guhagarh, Alibag, Karnala, Veldoor, Lonavla (maybe 25 times) etc. The maximum distance covered in a day is around 600 kms, largely limited by traffic and road conditions.

Hey man vara! what a bike! Does it compare favourably with Italian tourers like Moto Guzzi and Ducati (not the Desmos but the Sports Classic tourers) and the quintessential super tourer, the BMW R-1200(boxer) ? Is yours a four pot job or a twin? Final drive must be chain (or is it an axel?)

Way back 22 yrs ago the max I rode was 450 kms virtually non stop on my RD-350 from Nasirabad (near Ajmer) to Delhi. I had everything that you did'nt Numb Butt, weary back, frozen arms, the works!

Ride safe and post more pics, varaman!

Quote:

Originally Posted by windiesel (Post 1782231)

varadero, africa twin, ktm adventure, r1200GS these are the bikes to own if you really wanna get out of here... everything else is more or less impractical in India...

surprising we have so many sportsbikes being sold in india today but no full fledged tourers yet...the annual rides by the bulletteers is proof enough that we have a great market here for these bikes.... Beemer is already set well in India in the car market and I'd like to see them bring in the r1200GS ....its gonna be the cat among pigeons among the superbikes sold in india...

Hey, Windiesel (cool name, buddy!), Cujo... Haven't had a chance to ride the Moto or the Ducati tourers. My guess is that they would be less suited to the road conditions we have here in India. The Vara is a twin, not a four pot job - and yes, she is a chain drive. The only tourer I have ridden which has a comparable ride quality is the Honda ST1300 Pan European. The BMW1200GS is terrific badge value, but (this may surprise you) is quite a problematic bike - several owners of the Vara (in Europe) are erstwhile owners of the 1200GS and they do not have many kind things to say about it. Also, the cost of ownership of a Vara is a mere fraction of that of the BMW. I totally agree with Cujo that India is ready and waiting for world class tourers. I think the next one to come to India through the official launch route will be the Honda VFR 1200... so, here's hoping... :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varaman (Post 1784431)

Also, the cost of ownership of a Vara is a mere fraction of that of the BMW.

@Vara - That is one hell of a tourer you have there.

I have been curious for a while as to the cost of ownership of these one-off direct imports. what exactly is the cost of ownership of the Vara? Could you share some numbers with us.

How do owners such as yourself deal with maintenance and the cost of spares? The prices of company sold superbikes are intimidating enough, the price of a one-off direct import would be prohibitive I imagine.

I found that the Vara has the reputation of being a bit of a gas guzzler, thats gotta hurt too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varaman (Post 1784431)

. I totally agree with Cujo that India is ready and waiting for world class tourers. I think the next one to come to India through the official launch route will be the Honda VFR 1200... so, here's hoping... :)

:thumbs upThat's a sweet tourer there. Too bad Honda never thought of US as being worthy of a Varadero. We now have the younger brother of the ST1300 the NT700V, but thats no Varadero.

I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of VFR1200 as well, thats something that can easily replace my VFR800.

Hmm - cost of ownership is a tough one to define, but I will give it a whirl: (a)Purchase price of stock bike inclusive of invoice value, freight, insurance, customs duty, octroi, RTO taxes etc will be between 13 and 15 lakhs (b) Spares are not prohibitively expensive and can be ordered online from several vendors... the smaller ones can be Fedexed right to your doorstep while the larger ones can be brought in through friends coming in from Singapore or London (c) Consumables like oil filters, engine oil etc are not big-ticket items... servicing costs are pretty low provided you have a competent mechanic or garage... I go to Johny in Bandra (Carter Road) and he is extremely competent and very reasonable with his charges. Regarding fuel economy, the Vara gives me between 22 and 25 kms per litre, which is excellent for a 1000 cc superbike. As they say, "haathi lena ho toh chaara ke intezaam bhi karna hoga"... "if you want to buy an elephant, you have to plan for the fodder too" :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Varaman (Post 1785310)

Regarding fuel economy, the Vara gives me between 22 and 25 kms per litre, which is excellent for a 1000 cc superbike. As they say, "haathi lena ho toh chaara ke intezaam bhi karna hoga"... "if you want to buy an elephant, you have to plan for the fodder too" :)

22-25 kmpl is definitely commendable for a 1000cc bike. Would give a very good range without having to panic for petrol in between your long rides if you have tanked up.

OT: Good quote :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhinav.s (Post 1785397)

22-25 kmpl is definitely commendable for a 1000cc bike. Would give a very good range without having to panic for petrol in between your long rides if you have tanked up.

OT: Good quote :D

The effective range with its 25 litre tank is between 550 kms and 600 kms... one can very easily ride from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar and back without needing to gas up in between.