Loads of torque available from as low as 2000rpm. It never skips a beat even at lower speeds in higher gears.

BHPian turboNath recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Like most teenagers in India, my passion for motorcycles ignited at a tender age. The journey commenced with a 2012 Royal Enfield Classic 350, affectionately dubbed 'Pokkhiraj,' which faithfully accompanied me for over seven years. Transitioning from humble bicycles to that 350cc behemoth opened up an exhilarating realm of possibilities. Whether it was a daily commute to the office, sudden weekend getaways, local errands, or border-crossing adventures, Pokkhiraj stood as a steadfast companion, never faltering in its reliability. In an era where reliability and Royal Enfield rarely shared the same conversation, I was fortunate enough to experience a completely trouble-free ownership. My entire motorcycling philosophy centered around touring and exploring new places on two wheels, and Pokkhiraj effortlessly met all my expectations. Through some of the most unforgettable rides of my life, this motorcycle proved to be an extremely reliable companion. Here are some of my fondest pictures from the past decade (mostly 2017-2019)

Pokkhiraj at Gurudongmar Lake

Somewhere on the old silk route

Zuluk

Zero point

Enroute Manang village in Nepal

Pokkhiraj parked next to Kali Gandaki River in Lower Mustang, Nepal

Lower Mustang, Nepal

'Motovlogging' was just catching up back then and I had purchased a Noise Action cam before my first ride to Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim. Needless to say the video quality was really bad. However I managed to compile few clips into a small video.

Right before our Nepal trip, I upgraded to a Hero 7 black. This was one of the first videos shot using that camera which still works pretty well even after 5 years of torture !

Fast forward to 2013 - Kawasaki had just released the Ninja 1000 in India (in a parallel universe). I remember seeing it in an advert and I instantly fell in love with it. So much so that my wallpapers changed overnight. Alongwith that a tiny dream was slowly beginning to take shape in one corner of my heart which was still ruled by long stroke thumpers. As I clocked up more kilometres on the saddle, the itch for an upgrade finally showed up. Pokkhiraj used to feel strained at speeds over 100 kmph and the brakes seemed to have a mind of their own. Both these conditions were not exactly desirable for our unpredictable roads and I started looking out for a new motorcycle with a basic set of requirements - i) it should hold 100-120kmph comfortably on the highways (with some amount of power reserved for quick overtakes) ii) it should have good brakes with ABS ii) it should be comfortable & reliable on long trips. The Duke 390 and Dominar 400 looked very promising at first but then the rumours about Royal Enfield’s Twins started pouring in. The confirmation arrived when Royal Enfield unveiled them at EICMA 2017, completely captivating me with the notion of a parallel twin from a brand I had come to cherish over the past five years. Stellar reviews ensued and a test ride of the Interceptor in December 2018 sealed the deal for me (especially after hearing the captivating exhaust note). The familiar dug-dug-dug thump gave way to a matured rumble, which was simply music to my ears. The acceleration, a revelation for someone accustomed to a mere 19 horses, defied all expectations of a Royal Enfield. Following a patient wait of 4-5 months, the long-anticipated delivery of my Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 (affectionately nicknamed 'Nemo') marked the inception of a new motorcycling chapter. Pokkhiraj and Nemo coexisted amicably for a while but I found myself reaching for Nemo’s keys much more frequently. Eventually I had to part ways with Pokkhiraj.

D-Day

My job demanded frequent travel between Hyderabad and Kolkata on weekdays, leaving me with precious little time to indulge in weekend rides. Witnessing Pokkhiraj sulking in a corner became unbearable, prompting a difficult decision. Ultimately, we opted to entrust the keys to an extended family member who was actively seeking a pre-owned Bullet/Classic 350 at that time. This decision stands as one of the worst that I've ever made till date, and I still find myself yearning for the companionship of Pokkhiraj. Nemo came in at a very strange time in my life. The number of weekend rides were steadily declining due to other priorities and then Covid hit. In the first 6 months I had added about 6000km to the ODO and then the kilometres simply refused to add up. Post Covid, the travel situation improved a bit and I resumed rides once again. Nemo brought me immense joy. The engine was absolutely marvellous and a long weekend ride to Vizag-Araku-Chitrakoot Waterfalls-Koraput from Kolkata allayed all my fears with the new engine. It effortlessly munched up miles without breaking a sweat and that enabled me to cover 1000+kms on a single day. I was thoroughly impressed with the braking performance especially on wet roads. Thanks to Google Photos, I could find some pictures from that monsoon ride

Nemo with my brother's D400

Vizag

Chitrakoot Waterfalls in August 2019

I wanted to introduce Nemo to the Himalayas, which led to the formulation of a long weekend plan to revisit Gurudongmar Lake.

Like all mortal beings, motorcycles are also flawed. I was ready to look past its flaws (foot-peg positioning, pathetic stock seat etc.) but one thing was proving to be a nightmare. Those stock Pirelli tires mounted on spoked tube type rims were ‘nail-magnets’ and with every puncture, I was getting closer to the tipping point. In 5 years (and counting) of ownership, I have had 5 punctures and all of them have been nightmares. I learnt to remove and refit the tires but still a single puncture could cost you an entire day ! With every puncture, I had to replace the tube and again fill in tire sealant which was proving to be a costly affair. I was eagerly waiting for a set of alloys from Royal Enfield to save me from this dire state but that wait seemed to continue for weeks, months and eventually years.

Enroute Gurudongmar Lake

Near Thangu Valley

During this time, I had to relocate to Bangalore as part of a Return to Office mandate. This provided the opportunity to organize several rides around Bangalore with Nemo and a group of like-minded fellow riders. Everything was progressing seamlessly, HOWEVER.

The thing about power (and torque) is that one can never seem to have enough of it. Although Nemo was adequately equipped for Indian roads, the desire for something superior emerged around the fourth year of ownership. It's not that I had grown weary of Nemo, but rather, I found myself yearning for a machine that offered greater power and comfort on the highways—something that could last me a really long time. Like any other motorcycle purchase, my dream bike came with a set of expectations. It needed to be really fast and comfortable on highways, considering my predominant use for touring. Reliability was also a non-negotiable criterion. Even before setting these expectations, my heart (and my mind) consistently conjured up images of the iconic green Ninja 1000. While some might argue that big bikes aren't suited for Indian road conditions, I was convinced that the formidable N1k was, in fact, the most pragmatic superbike one could own (and live with) in India. I started watching all the available videos on YouTube and read every thread on Tbhp on the N1k (hats off to Karthikk for logging every single detail about his ownership experience).

In 2020, Kawasaki introduced an upgraded model with additional features such as a quickshifter, cruise control, TFT dash, and more. However, each time I looked at that sizable mobile screen of a display and the less-than-appealing exhaust of the upgraded version, my thoughts inevitably reverted to the 2018/19 model. Its remarkable analog tachometer, revving gloriously to 13k rpm, and the aesthetically pleasing symmetric four exhausts seemed to have won me over. Mentally, I was prepared to exercise patience and diligently search for a well-maintained, pre-owned version of the earlier model instead of opting for the new generation. This also made a lot of financial sense because the new one was nearing 16L on road with the bare minimum accessories like frame sliders, radiator guard etc. And thus my search began. I connected with BHPian boniver who has been my go-to person for anything remotely related to bikes. He has worked his magic on a couple of two strokes and gave them new lives. You just have to approach him with a query and he will make sure that you walk away with a machine that you're insanely thrilled to own ! Boniver and I instantly started working on gathering all the leads, fixing test rides etc. I wanted one with low mileage (<10k kms), single ownership and authorised dealership service records. As it turns out the N1k isn't very popular in the pre owned market. I got two options in Kolkata and one in Bangalore. Bhpian octane1002 also chimed in and helped me immensely on this quest. However, something or the other kept cropping up and we couldn't finalize any of them. Bangalore had two options and I managed to meet with one of the owners. He seemed pretty decent and agreed to meet me at the Kawasaki service centre with for a quick check up. But this bike was MH registered, had run around 11k kms and was under the second owner. It was within the 8L budget I had in my mind and I was ready to move on to the next step.

During this time, I received a sudden call from boniver one evening, informing me about another bike situated in HSR with low mileage. Without hesitation, I contacted the owner and rushed to his residence for a brief inspection. The initial information sounded almost too good to be true – the bike had been meticulously maintained at the Kawasaki service centre, had a single owner, and boasted around 2.5k kilometers on the odometer. The owner turned out to be a pleasant gentleman who had initially purchased the bike for touring but had to set aside his passion due to work commitments. After a brief conversation, he brought it up from the basement and parked it in front of me – a 2019 Emerald Green Kawasaki Ninja 1000, the motorcycle that had occupied my thoughts for the past 10 years. Upon thorough inspection, I couldn't identify a single flaw with the bike's exterior. He suggested verifying the service records with Mr. Unni from Rideventur Kawasaki, and upon confirmation of the service history, we delved into negotiations. He was expecting around 9.5L for that pristine condition and I instantly offered him 9. However, the deal remained unresolved as another buyer from Kerala was scheduled to inspect the bike the following day. Returning home with a sense of unease, I reconsidered the situation. Not willing to risk losing this particular motorcycle, I contacted the owner once again and revised my offer to 9.2 lakhs. While boniver wasn't thrilled with my negotiation skills, he acknowledged that if I genuinely admired the bike, a slightly higher price wouldn't be a hindrance.

Two days later, I reached out to the owner, who indicated that he was still awaiting an offer from the other party. A week passed, and with each passing day, it felt like the deal was slipping away. Encouraged by boniver, I made another call to the owner. He informed me that he was just about to reach out, and he had accepted my offer. We virtually shook hands and discussed the extensive checklist of items to be examined before the ownership transfer. I immediately contacted boniver, who promptly sent me a helpful checklist of all the required documents. It was hard to believe what I had just accomplished, but a sense of joy overwhelmed me. Sleep eluded me for the next couple of nights; every time I closed my eyes, the resonant hum of that four-cylinder engine played in my ears, and an uncontrollable grin adorned my face. The financial transactions and paperwork were finalized in the subsequent week, but the process of name transfer encountered an unexpected hurdle with the Vahaan portal. Despite the bike having an active Own Damage + Third Party insurance, the portal erroneously indicated that it had expired the previous year. The Kawasaki showroom personnel were brought into the discussion and they managed to resolve the issue after a couple of days. Although the initial agreement was to hand over the keys only after the completion of the name transfer, owing to delays from the RTO and my escalating anxiety levels (considering I had already made the full payment with nothing to show for it), the owner suggested a workaround. He proposed creating a brief delivery note with a disclaimer typed out on a stamp paper, allowing for the handover of the bike along with all the relevant documents. Eagerly embracing this solution, I promptly headed to his residence. He had already taken it out from the basement and positioned it near the entrance to his apartment. The afternoon sun in Bangalore beamed brightly, casting a radiant gleam on the emerald green tank. Swinging my legs over the saddle, I immediately felt comfortable manoeuvring the substantial motorcycle. I took it for a brief spin around his compound, thanked him, and then headed back to my residence. As I hit the Outer Ring Road, the traffic was reaching its peak during office hours, and I doubted my ability to navigate through the congestion. The initial 5 minutes were challenging, but gradually, it felt like I was riding with a very familiar friend. The radiator fan was operating at full speed, yet the heat wasn't uncomfortably directed towards my legs. The weight of around 240 kilograms seemed inconsequential while in motion. It took me nearly 1.5 hours to cover a mere 15 kilometers that day, and it was almost evening when I finally arrived home. My mother was waiting for me patiently and she instantly developed an affinity for the motorcycle!

Happy Happy Happy !!

Nemo's new garage mate Ikigai

I have added ~7000kms in the last 5 months during my ownership. Here are some of my favourite and not so favourite bits.

Favourites:

• Lovely 1043cc, Inline four motor that produces 142 bhp & 111Nm.
• Loads of torque available from as low as 2000rpm. It never skips a beat even at lower speeds in higher gears.
• The exhaust note is a beautiful booming sound which sounds even sweeter once the tachometer creeps past 4000rpm. The intake howl is something that I look forward to on every ride !
• Brilliant suspension ensures you don't feel any imperfections on the road. It feels like an SUV with low ground clearance.
• The full power mode is just bonkers. I mostly keep it in Low power mode (~70% power) while riding inside the city
• Decent fuel economy of 22-23 km/l on the highways with consistent 110-120 km/h cruising.

Not so favourites:

• 130mm ground clearance is simply too low for Indian roads. Before adjusting the preload, I scraped the underbelly of the catcon at 4-5 speed breakers.
• It attracts a lot of attention due to the bulky green tank which is a curse in India. I avoid taking it to places where it will be parked out of my sight simply for this reason. In the quest for photographs, few people have sat on the bike and instantly lost balance while trying to remove the side stand. Thankfully I could save the bike in these instances but I shudder to think about 'what if' conditions.
• Although cushioned well, the rear seat is small for an adult. For two up touring Versys 1000 remains the most comfortable option.
• I wish it came with backlit switches
• Slightly longer turning radius (~10 feet)
• Service interval at every 6000kms seems short and the labour charges for Kawasaki are on the higher side as well.

Continue reading on BHPian turboNath's Kawasaki Ninja 1000 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Plenty more exciting cars like the Maruti Fronx 1.0 turbo-petrol, the Hyundai Verna turbo-petrol and the Maruti Jimny were launched in the Indian market.

2023 is coming to an end, so here's a chance to reflect on the year that's been.

From my point of view, as an automotive enthusiast, 2023 was quite a happening year. While I did not go out on any noteworthy personal / family road trips, attended many media drives and some of them were really fun. The most memorable one would have to be the Toyota Hilux drive, which happened in Uttarakhand in March. The drive involved driving along a river, driving on gravel tracks through a national park and even proper off-roading.

The off-roading bit was organised by an old friend and long-time BHPian, which made it great fun. The beauty of the location made it truly unforgettable. I was happy to be back in Uttarakhand after more than a decade and I must say, this was one of the best media drives I have ever attended.

A little later in the year, I got a chance to test what is likely to be my next car purchase  . Once again, the location was Uttarakhand.

Plenty more exciting cars like the Maruti Fronx 1.0 turbo-petrol, the Hyundai Verna turbo-petrol and the Maruti Jimny were launched in the Indian market. Higher up the ladder, there was the Volvo C40 Recharge which blew my mind with its performance. Make sure you check out the full list of Best Enthusiast Cars in India, 2023.

Now let's have a look at some of the big developments in the Indian car scene during 2023.

Return of the Delhi Auto Expo

January saw the return of the Delhi Auto Expo after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted proceedings over the past few years.

While not quite as exciting as the previous editions of the Expo, enthusiasts still had an opportunity to get up close with some of the most eagerly awaited products in the industry. Hyundai, Kia, Maruti and Tata among others had huge line-ups of cars.

BS 6.2 emission norms implemented

The Bharat Stage 6.2 (or BS 6.2) emission norms were implemented in April 2023. The transition to BS 6.2 meant that Real Driving Emissions (RDE) came into effect. This in turn meant the death of some more engines. While petrol engines were easier to upgrade, upgrading diesel engines was not economically viable for some companies. Hence, diesel variants of cars like the Honda City and Hyundai Verna among others, were axed.

E20 Fuel rolled out

India started the rollout of 20% ethanol-blended petrol this year. This was supposed to make fuel more affordable, but the price remains similar to that of regular petrol.

While some manufacturers are making E20-compliant engines, people are still on the fence about using the E20 fuel with their old E10-compliant engines (Related Thread).

Launch of Bharat NCAP

India got its own New Car Assessment Programme called the Bharat NCAP. In fact, the Tata Harrier and Safari have become the first cars in India to receive a Bharat-NCAP 5-star rating for adult and child occupant protection. The focus on safety has also led to manufacturers adding more and more safety features to their cars. Some started offering 6 airbags as standard while some mainstream cars also got ADAS features.

Looking forward to reading what BHPians think of the developments in the Indian Car Scene as well as some of their personal highlights!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Damn good year for me as an enthusiast:

• Completed all my Thar modifications

• Decided to hold onto my 10-year old 530d for another year or two, and put the car funds into investments instead. She is still in very good shape

• Drove some amazing cars on the highway & road-trips: Jimny, Elevate, Seltos 1.5L Turbo, GLC, Innova Hycross, Fronx 1.0L Turbo MT, Hilux & many more.

• Witnessed a month where all previous car sales records of India were smashed. God bless our country

• Witnessed 3 months where Team-BHP broke its all-time high traffic records. In one particular month of 2023, we had 51-lakh monthly visitors & over 2-crore pageviews !

• Started moving out of home without my wallet (oh, the convenience), thanks to FASTag, UPI, Digilocker & MParivahan Apps (have my driving licence, RC Book with insurance PUC etc. all in there)

• Hosted some extremely talented people from the auto industry at my terrace lounge, including the CEO of a car company (or two). Truly crazy car conversations with these overachievers & geniuses.

• Have the EQE parked down my house right now, so stepping out for a spin

Here's what BHPian gauravdgr8 had to say on the matter:

2023 for me was a blast. Drove crazy kms from Jan to Nov on some of the best highways. Did criss crossing across the country literally. From Ooty to Mohali to Bombay to Pune to Ooty to Hyderabad with a ton of Mysore - Bangalore in between. Tried some of the best cuisines on the way.

And finally to end the year, booked the facelifted Harrier.

Eagerly waiting for 2024

Here's what BHPian rakesh_r had to say on the matter:

2023 has been game changer for me, hectic, jam packed yet very rewarding:

• Fulfilled my dream of owning a Gurkha

• Bought a preowned Wagon R

• Finally witnessed the Aero show at Bengaluru, been trying to attend since quite some time

• Bought my own house, again was a long term dream.

• Got blessed with a baby boy: This will always be the most important event of my lifetime, where we got blessed with a charming prince.

In a nutshell, our lives drastically changed (in a good way), for which 2023 will always be a special one.

Here's what BHPian Rajeevraj had to say on the matter:

From a driving perspective was a regular year with a bunch of highway trips. Highlight was my Vento TSI completing 10 years. Had a good time looking back and summarizing the 10 years of ownership which I documented in this thread

The other highlight was getting a new bike-The KTM Adventure 390 which has now rekindled the joy of longer highway rides. Over the last 10 years was just using the bike as a commuter. Less than 2 months with the KTM Adventure, have covered 2000km including a 3 day 800km round trip. The first time in my riding career of maybe 60-70,000km that I am doing this kind of a trip. Just today me and my wife did a 120km breakfast ride for no real reason. That is the kind of change that the new bike has caused. Ownership review detailed here.

Here's what BHPian dileepcm had to say on the matter:

2023 was best and worst at the same time.

• Jan 1st: I was lucky to spend 1st of January in Prague. Drove from Netherlands and that happened to be my last long trip in my 3ish year of ownership of Golf 1.6 TDI station wagon.

• Feb 11th: Exchanged Golf for a used Lexus NX300h with 175k on odo which is my first SUV, first Automatic and first Japanese car – what a day! Ownership experience so far is updated here
• Mar 9/10: First trip with Lexus to Paris, it was more of getting to know the car. To this date, Its been a fantastic journey together as I get closer to hitting 25000 kms.
• May 18-20: Next trip to our ever favourite location – Black forest in the south of Germany. Really enjoyed.
• Rest of summer until August went with day to day chores.
• Aug 4th: Flagged off myself for the longest solo trip ever. Drove from Netherlands in EU to Morocco in Africa and back. Though I had to return sooner than originally planned, this was an amazing trip for many reasons. Its documented here.
• First week of September is when things went upside down. I lost my cousin after he suffered a cardiac arrest. He was about to be just 50. More than a being cousin, we pretty much grew up together, we shared the best friendship ever in my life, we created great memories, we drove to tons of places, he was the one who was always there for listening to me when there were hard times. But things took the wrong turn and I am left alone from that friendship for rest of my life here on earth.
• Got back to work and regular day to day life after a month or so. However its still hard getting back to normality. Rest of this year had no big trips.
• Work kept me busy pretty much the whole year with official trips within EU, to BLR etc. Team grew, organization grew, I also grew. My growth was not just in terms of professional next steps, but was also in terms kilos I added to myself which led to the next big thing of 2023. I am on a controlled weight loss journey. Started at 92ish, right now I am somewhere around 78. More to go.
• Nov 20: My Indian license expired after long 20 long years. That takes me to being 40 very soon. Life starts at 40 is what people say. I am looking for being healthy, being kind, bigger adventure, bigger moments in 2024 and beyond.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Main issue was there is an oil leak and when they drained the oil only around 100-150 ml was left.

BHPian BLACNWYTE recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Seventeenth Service Update:

I was planning to get Blu serviced during the last week of December or the first week of January, however, in the first week of December Blu was experiencing some excessive vibrations while idling and I decided to push up my schedule and get him serviced at the earliest.

Gave Blue for service at the same place as last time (EVM Honda, Neeramankara, Trivandrum) on 09.12.2023 second Saturday. Due to excessive bookings for service and since I didn't have a booking, SA told me that Blu will be serviced only by Monday and I was okay with it.

The works I wanted done were checking out the vibrations, tightening of brakes, engine oil change and overall tightening of nuts and bolts. I also told them to check for any other issues since Blu has crossed 7 years.

Monday morning I received a call from the SA that listed a few more problems than I expected. Main issue was there is an oil leak and when they drained the oil only around 100-150 ml was left. They wanted to replace the head gasket. Further, the brake cables have become hardened due to age and were replaced along with the levers. The rear suspension bush was shot and got it replaced. The air filter and spark plug were also replaced. The horn switch had popped out earlier and I had put it back. However, since then it needed to be pressed hard for the horn to function and so the switch was also replaced.

Apart from this the usual engine oil change, brake and clutch overhaul were done. I haven't observed any white/ bluish white smoke from the exhaust so the oil leaking into the engine and burning is ruled out for now. May be it was just leaking out due to the faulty seal/ gasket. Point to note is that there was no oil marks on the floor where I park Blu so I didn't know there was a leak. I think the vibrations were due to the less oil since now its not there.

I am relieved that I took Blu for service sooner otherwise I would have ended up with a seized engine. One other good thing is that, due to the AMC pacakge I took last time, I saved about Rs. 700/- from the final bill. So this AMC was worth it. Total Bill amounted to Rs. 3325/- with parts and labour.

The HASS bundled up all the replaced parts (old) and kept it in the under-seat storage which I found out upon reaching home. Now I don't know where I'll dispose these junk. Well, at least I know they replaced the parts.

Some pictures of the 7 year old handsome with over 58k kms on the Odo:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I am on the lookout for a motorcycle that can be used for office commutes as well as touring purposes

BHPian NikhilosKage recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Just came back from a test ride of both the Speed and the Scrambler at Khivraj Triumph - Electronic City. A few observations from my short ride (1 km+)

Speed 400:

• Easy to ride. First time riders will feel comfortable riding this
• The engine is refined and smooth. Couldn't take it above 5k rpm to check how the vibrations felt though.
• Torque is plentiful across the rev range. You can ride aggressively or ride in a relaxed manner. It can do both with ease
• Brakes are great
• While turning the steering from left to right at 40+ kmph speeds, the front suspension felt a bit weird like it was disconnected for half a second. It might be due to the test ride bike being dropped as mentioned by the sales representative

Scrambler 400x:

• Felt better to ride. Takes a little more getting used to than the Speed 400
• At 5'9", I could flat foot the bike at stand still. However, at low speeds I did feel a bit tentative with it. That should improve as one gets used to the motorcycle over time
• Brakes are great here as well
• The bike kept turning off randomly. In the 1km+ ride I did, it turned off 4-5 times
• The test ride bike was poor. It had a bent gear lever which made it difficult to ride at low speeds

I am on the lookout for a motorcycle that can be used for office commutes as well as touring purposes. I enjoyed riding the Speed 400, however, the package that the Scrambler 400x offers is tempting.

I was quoted an on-road price of ~3 Lakhs (including the 10k discount) for the Speed 400 and ~3.5 Lakhs for the Scrambler 400x. The Speed 400 feels like better value and I might go with that. However, I would wait to hear more about the issues that have been cropping up, like the engine shutting off randomly, before putting my money on this.

Other motorcycles I am looking at are the Himalayan, the X440 and the KTM 390 Adv.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The only issue I had was a slight squeaking noise from the rear brake. presumably due to dirt getting accumulated

BHPian WhiskeyTangoFox recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update: 4th Service:

Had the 4th Service (15,000 Km or 18 Months) due so I decided to take it to the Company Service Centre near BTM Lake. It was a minor service as there wasn't an Oil change scheduled (RE's logic). I will be doing an oil change myself in about 1000kms anyway. Made a prior booking on the App and headed there at 9:00 a.m.

Unfortunately, it being a State Holiday today, the SVC was very crowded, despite it being opening time. The experience was very average this time. The only issue I had was a slight squeaking noise from the rear brake. presumably due to dirt getting accumulated, which I mentioned to the Service Rep when he finally decided to dedicate his precious time towards acknowledging my presence. They honestly don't have an organised system of inboarding. It's an absolute crapshow of different service advisors and security guards picking and choosing people for the register entry and subsequent inboarding.

The Service Rep himself seemed lost. Either way, I told him I'd wait and take the bike as I didn't leave anywhere near the SVC, and went to the lounge upstairs at around 9:30. I was promised that I would get the bike by 11:30 maximum, which is honestly ridiculous for just chain cleaning, stem greasing etc. The SVC was not doing any form of cleaning for 15 days because the premises were under renovation If I had known earlier, I would have gone to a different SVC.

I took the time to check out the beautiful Kaza Brown Himalayan 450 they had upstairs on display. Absolutely loved it. Getting back to the topic, the bike wasn't ready even at 11:30, and after following up with him twice, the bike still wasn't ready. I asked him to call me when the bike arrived while I waited upstairs, which didn't happen. I received a message on my phone about 20 minutes later stating that the bike was ready, and came down to see that it was parked inside, and the man of the hour nicely sipping on a beverage, completely unaware. I wasn't in the mood to make a big deal out of it today, so I finished the billing and left. It cost just 425 Rs for the service.

They had also put way too much grease on the Cone Sets, which overflowed from the joints and made the handlebar feel very light. Cleaned it off myself later when I washed the bike.

Have attached the bill below for your reference.

 I probably will be taking it to an FNG after this as this was the last "free" service. Until next time, Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I had to take off the fan blades to swap over the shrouds - this meant destroying the blades.

BHPian SunnyBoi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This chapter starts off on a whim. The last maintenance checklist I hadn't ticked off is changing the coolant. One fine day I woke up and decided oh heck with it, lets just strip down everything cooling related anyway

The radiator fan terminals also had the same gunk as the headlight plugs. I soon found out this is either grease or some dielectric compound. I left the residue as is.

I had to leave the hose from thermostat to the head in place as I could not get any of my pliers in to take off the clamp. I ran some water through the pipe to make sure I flushed the old coolant from the block.

Since the radiator was off, i could clean around the head and even better with just the exhaust off. It was promptly treated with some ceramic coat as well. I noticed the hose connecting T-pipe to the thermostat has been rubbing on the engine. not good.

There were some "brown chunks" stuck on the radiator cap that got me nervous

Inside of the radiator didn't look too bad for being almost 9 years old. I blocked off the holes with some self fusing tape, filled it with a mild acid and let it sit for couple of hours anyway and it helped...somewhat.

Worst among corrosion was actually the nipple that goes to the expansion tank. Inside of the pipe had some off cream pastey substance inside

While I got new handle grips, I should change the throttle cable as well , right? The clutch cable was also cahnged not too a while ago, the last remaining old cable would be good to be replaced as well. Throttle cable was very old stock, manufactured on July 2016. The 2014 came with a newer throttle cable and I made sure to get the right part for my 2013 bike. I also got a new water pump seal, O-ring for the T-pipe, new trim around the speedo which KTM calls it "the dashboard" and a new windscreen because it was cheap and my old one was scratched badly. I also got a new clutch release fork from newer dukes because it seemed it was longer and that would make the clutch easier to operate. New spring for it because the old one is rusted.

I then saw a crack on the water pump housing. I went through old pictures and the crack was present before. I could still thread a bolt but it wouldnt tighten anymore.

Time for a new water pump housing. New on top, old on bottom, the countersunk edges on the side

The coolant hose going from T piece to the thermostat had a deep gash, plus wear marks from rubbing against the engine all this time. You can see the part of the engine where paint has come off in the second picture on this thread.

While fiddling around the water pump side, I looked up, saw a sticker ont he fuel pump. I was made in dec-2020, which means it was changed recently! Yay, saved on a large-sh expense!

Come with a prospect of having to buy a new thermostat hose, off I went to the service center again and got a new pipe. I did not get an exact part match and instead got an "updated part"

It seemed a tad smaller than the old one, which I saw it as a win since it wouldn't rub on the engine case anymore.

So with the whole water pump cover saga behind me, it was time to install the new one. Oh no it wouldn't be that easy, sigh. The aligning dowels on the old cover were stuck on with some kind of glue and they just REFUSED to budge, not matter how many times I tried with pliers.

Off I go to the service center who told me that don't have the part. none of the bajaj service centers had the part either. Stuck with a prospect of a non running bike, I thought of going to my welder guy, have him apply heat and remove the old dowels for me.

On the way to the welder, I gave my mechanic a visit. I showed him the old cover, he used locking pliers was able to extract those ****ing dowel pins. PHEW now I can finally go back to putting together everything.

While I was at the KTM service center asking for the dowel pins, I noticed a 2nd gen radiator fan in their junk pile. I asked them if I could have it as I wanted to transplant the shroud to my old 1st gen fan. They gave me the part since its trash for them anyway.

It looked straight forward to me, take off the 3 screws and swap over the shroud - the mounting holes all match up so it must be a direct fit, however it wasn't that simple. I had to take off the fan blades to swap over the shrouds - this meant destroying the blades. I could have carefully cut the old shroud around the motor, used it as sort of a "cap" on the working fan. This was again a bit complicated, I would have to make cuts to the frame of the working fan to make it work. I did not want to cut and paste something as critical as a radiator fan, however I may be sure that it would hold. So I let it go and use the old fan as is.

Enough OnlyFans rant, lets continue with the rest. The overflow tank was cleaned inside with a bottle brush thoroughly, there was some orange debris inside.

When it came to put everything together, the radiator fan is held to the radiator with some weird screws with tabs. I unfortunately lost one in my garage, spent over 1.5 hours searching for it and couldn't find it. I found a screw with a low profile and wiiide head, similar to the screws used to secure the side shield of Yamaha RX. Thankfully this hack worked and the nut holding the radiator fan torqued up just fine.

With these, all my cooling related problems would be solved, for now at least. I may have failed to convey how FRUSTRATING it was to get the cooling parts sorted -

• Day 1 - I take apart the cooling loop, go to the service center and get myself a new water pump seal and T pipe Oring
• Day 2 - I discover the broken water pump cover. Hop over to Service center again and get new cover
• Day 3 - Notice the damaged hose. Go to service center AGAIN and get it
• Day 4 - Stuck dowels. Go to service center and it isnt available.

All these delays are because of my inexperience dealing with motorcycle cooling loops including inspecting all the parts at once and stop assuming other will not be other things wrong after finding one faulty part.

However these delays gave me time to work on other parts just to keep myself busy and not drown in despair. One of these was refurbing everything on the handle.

So I had purchased these handle grips from a TVS Apache RTR. It has the most supple grip out of ANY bike Ive tried, even better than the really expensive touring bikes out there. All my bikes are running grips from this bike.

It comes with an accelerator pipe, however I did not check in advance if the orientation is the same and if it would work on the KTM.

The moment of truth when I opened up the KTM right side switch, it will work!

However I celebrated too early. Thedre is an extra plastic section after the cable lock that would interfere with the throttle operation

It only took me a minute to snip off the excess using my trusty side cutter

Handlebar and its holder got a fresh lick of paint

Handle bar switches had tons of muck and years of tired plastic on them

They were deep cleaned, I doused the electrical connectors inside with a considerable amount of iso propyl alcohol to make sure every little bit of water inside gets absorbed. The eventually got their ceramic coat as well.

As expected, the hand guards were touching the throttle grip when I tightened the bar end weights to the handle. Last time around, I trimmed the rubber on the grips but I did not want to this time. Instead I stacked on some washers till the two did not touch each other.

As for finishing touches, I replaced all the bolts and screws with SS allen bolts. They look nice!

Continue reading on BHPian SunnyBoi's KTM Duke 390 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

Unlike my usual solo ride route, ride to Goa was different. I would never get major ghat section anywhere in between

BHPian sasta_rider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello BHPians!

When I had taken delivery of R15 v4 back in Apr-2022, I had always had this craving to ride for any of the automobile events (MotoVerse, IBW, Motosoul, Auto Expos) for the love of 'sounding' machines. Sadly, due to personal reasons and my financial condition till last year, I could not be a part of any such event. However, this year, I had been waiting for the IBW2023 registration and finally booked the same on Nov-2023. In this travelogue, I will be throwing light about the trip plan, long solo ride, the event and how my baby R15 has been a part of me!

TRIP PLAN:

So, here was my plan in general, keeping one day before and ahead as buffer for travelling to and fro:

• Day 1: 07-Dec-2023: Kasaragod to Goa (via Mangaluru, Udupi, Kumta, Karwar). Distance from my home to my hotel at Calangute is 423 km.
• Day 2: 08-Dec-2023: IBW Day 1 (2 PM - 10 PM)
• Day 3: 09-Dec-2023: IBW Day 2 (1 PM - 10 PM)
• Day 4: 10-Dec-2023: Goa to Kasaragod (via Karwar, Kumta, Udupi, Mangaluru).

Previous night to the departure, I had the challenging task: packing. When I used to do KSD-BLR-KSD solo rides, I would not bother to carry much of my dress because I either travel to my home from BLR or to BLR from my home. But, this was a new trip altogether: I had to carry clothes, my GoPro kit, personal laptop and few general medicines.

The gear included following items (few already mentioned in my Ownership Thread:

• Rynox Helium GT Jacket
• Rynox Airtex Riding Pant
• Rynox Air GT Gloves
• Rynox Raincoat Pant (complementary with Rynox Riding Pant)
• MT Targo Pro Helmet with Smoke Visor
• GoPro Hero 10 + Enduro Battery Combo
• Decathlon Raincoat (Upper)
• Raida Base Layers
• Carbonado 20L + 10L Modpac (10L Modpac not in image since I planned to pack in it early morning on day of ride)

Trip Day 1 | 07-Dec-2023 | Ride to Goa:

I left Kasaragod early morning exactly at 05:30. I am not an early bird, and usually prefer to start any ride during the day time when I get complete visibility. But, for this ride, the route was via Mangaluru. And, till Talapady (Kerala-Karnataka border), the national highway widening work is in progress, which means a lot of diversions, road blocks due to heavy vehicle movement and total chaos! So, 05:30 AM departure was much needed to escape the city before all these chaos begin. This departure time was another advantage for me because, at Mangaluru, the mild traffic starts to seep in by 08:30 AM. Before exiting Mangaluru, I decided to feed R15 with MRPL's fine quality petrol at Kadri Hills and this was my first stop for only a few minutes.

By the time it was 07:00 AM, I had crossed Mangaluru and was just 30 km before the Maravanthe Beach Road. This was the second stop I took after my departure for a quick tea break and GoPro's battery change. Why not? From here, I knew that the road ahead was Maravanthe and most of the TeamBHPians will be well aware that the 'Maravanthe Beach Road' has some beautiful view altogether and to get my R15 clicked with the beautiful background was in one of my bucket list. I spent some good time here: clicking pictures of my R15 with scenic backgrounds, tried to hear the waves but due to moving vehicles could not enjoy much but never mind. Got the pictures clicked. Next stop I planned was somewhere after Kumta for breakfast. Had a good Onion Dose (Dosa) from a nearby restaurant and replenished my body with some water. I wish I had a hydration bag: why should I carry water bottle(s) that occupy space in my luggage?

Unlike my usual solo ride route, ride to Goa was different. I will never get major ghat section anywhere in between, which means I will cruise mostly on National Highway 66. Yes, the 2 lane road after Karwar till somewhere in middle of Goa, I had some beautiful curves where I could test my Road 5 tires that were installed recently. My boy! My confidence in cornering has increased 10x now. When on stock MRFs, I had this fear of getting skid even when there were no gravel. I had experienced such small skids when descending the Coorg Ghat road towards Sullia. This fear of skidding when cornering has died within me, thanks Michelin for those beautiful tires!

En-route, I also got to witness a lot of 300+ cc bikes: Ninja ZX-10R, Benellis and BMWs from Kerala, Mangaluru, Udupi tearing me eardrums with their sweet aftermarket exhausts! Apart from this, I could also see how a city and its people wake up: school going kids waiting for their bus, grocery vehicles carrying vegetables and people who are on their way to work to earn a living. If you want to see different types of people, I would suggest you to get out of home early morning for a ride/drive and travel to nearby city. In between, you can see variety of people! It feels so happy to look around myself.

From Maravanthe Beach, good highway stretch almost everywhere to the landscape of Karwar: I enjoyed each moment to my fullest. Also, before exiting Karwar, I got a few doses of patriotism after looking at the Naval Officers with Uniforms and their vehicles, young students who had appeared for some Defense exam (or admission maybe, if I am not wrong) and the well maintained areas nearby.

After crossing Karwar, the Goa check post welcomed me with few officers checking goods vehicle entering Goa. They let me in without stopping. Immediately, I stopped few meters ahead to change my GoPro's battery. Good that I had brought the Enduro Battery Pack for the sake of this trip, else I would have cried my lungs out! This is where the fun began: well-maintained 2 lane roads, Road 5 tires and moderate traffic. After few kilometers of tackling the curves, I went for a fuel stop. Wait, why does my R15 v4 need two fuel stops when on a ~430 km one way trip? This is where the fuel economy comes into picture. The fuel efficiency of R15 v4 completely depends on how you ride (based on experience):

Reality 1 (Rich Fuel Economy): I had a breakfast ride organized by Vinayak Motors, Bengaluru on Nov-2022 and on previous day of this ride, I had bike's tank fully filled. We were a group of 15 two-wheelers comprising of R15 (all versions), Fascino and one R3 who was the captain for this ride. We were advised to not overtake the captain, not cross the 80 kmph speed and ride safely until Nandi Upachar where the breakfast was planned. Route was Koramangala, Hebbal, and Nandi. Since no one crossed 85 kmph, I checked my instrument cluster and to my surprise it showed 61 kmpl! I assumed it cannot be accurate and chucked. The next week, my friend with his RE Thunderbird had come from Coimbatore and we planned a ride to Nandi Hills on a weekday. Again, we had maintained the speed below 85 kmph throughout. After these rides, I had done multiple city commutes: to office, to night outs and for night rides. After few days, when I re-filled the tank completely, and checked the fuel economy, I was shocked to see full-tank-to-full-tank fuel economy turned out 61 kmpl.

Reality 2 (Poor Fuel Economy): During this Goa journey (also during previous KSD-BLR-KSD trips), where I highly revved my engine for longer time on empty stretch of highway. This is where the fuel economy drops. Again, this is evident if the rider keeps monitoring the instrument cluster where the average fuel economy is showed. Let's say the current value being displayed is 40 kmph. Now, if the user maintains higher RPMs in sixth gear for linger duration, after few distance/time, the same display will show 39.1 kmph. Sadly, I could not track how much is the rate of decrease in the fuel economy. Will try to figure out on this someday!

Hence, two fuel stops.

Few kilometers before I reached Goa City, the roads were again wide open: not able to recall the exact place(s) but the transition from two lane to six lane happened. Again, when on highway, my throttle was wide open. It took me two hours to reach Calangute from Karnataka-Goa border which was 77 km apart including small ghat, highways and city.

Trip Day 2 | 08-Dec-2023 | IBW Day 1:

I reached the location exactly at 02:00 PM, got my coupons for the two day event along with a band for identity. It was scorching sunny that afternoon, I wish I had taken a cap, but hey, wait!

From the entry point, I was greeted by the Jimny display, but currently, let me stick on to two wheelers only. Then there was 'Orxa' Stall showcasing the 'Mantis', but I am a person who loves machines that make sound: internal combustion engine and exhaust. However, no hate to any EV owners reading this! Again, next to Orxa was the 'Ultraviolette Automotive' F77. Design wise I liked it: futuristic, does not look like an EV (atleast for me) and eye-grasping bike.

I was just walking around a little ahead, and heard a person saying 'Excuse Me, Sir?'. I turned back and it was a Kawasaki executive from the stall. He asked if I can lend few of my time to them for some QnA to which I agreed. He asked me my name, current motorcycle, profession and the motorcycle I expect from Kawasaki for the Indian market. I replied 'ZX-6R' with a grinning face, acting like I am unaware about the launch that has been planned for next day! After all this QnA, I was given a Kawasaki cap: I guess Kawasaki heard me complaining about the heat?

Next to Kawasaki was Suzuki, Triumph and opposite to them were LS2, Givi, Aprilia stalls. I looked for the Aprilia RS457 as well and the price reveal (₹4.10 lakhs ex-showroom) made sense to me atleast. But, fingers crossed, how Aprilia will deal with customer reach and RS457's service with their poor network is the point that bothered me!

For shopping there were 2 areas: indoor and outdoor. In indoor shopping, there was Rynox, Bandidos Pitstop, Grand Pitstop, BMC Filters and AGV/Alpinestars to name a few. In the outdoor shopping, there was Rynox, LRL Motors, Torque Block, IBW Merchandise to name a few. Due to my tempting nature, I brought a hydration bag and a set of 'Vesrah' brake pads for my R15. Will get the stock ones changed once they are out of life. Price wise, both OEM and the Vesrah are almost the same. So, why not try aftermarket product, that too of a Japanese origin? Will update about this some day later in my Ownership thread.

There were hell lot of superbikes, and I was mainly focussing on faired (super) bikes due to my current ownership being a faired bike. Some countless ZX-10Rs, Suzuki Hayabusa, Suzuki GSX-R, Z900, Triumph Daytona and two R1s. Among ADVs, there were BMW R1250 GS, Triumph Tigers and KTM Adventure 390. There were a lot of vintage scooters displayed, which are older than me! Among crusier category, Harley Davidson were ruling the show.

I did not focus much on the stage events apart from visiting the main stage when I was tired of roaming around like a crazy rat. I retrospect watching the showcase of Custom-Made Harley Davidson X440 by various individual creators who showcased their custom X440 to Mr. Ravi Avalur (HD Business Head).

Apart from all this, INR 500 worth complementary coupons was given to me, which I finished in the eatery. The sunny weather had drained me totally for that day!

Finally, after covering the entire area, especially where there were bikes: from vintage scooters to liter class superbikes, I called it a day by 09:15 PM. Though the event was till 10:00, I could no longer stay due to a little weakness. But, planning to completely attend the IBW2024.

Let pictures do the speaking (in sequence):

R15 resting mid-journey with the mighty Arabian Sea in the background

Finally, at the hotel, after a wonderful solo-ride to a vibrant city!

Yes, event coordinates for the nerds.

Kawasaki and their green variants are my weakness!

Good ol' Triumph Daytona at the Race Dynamics Stall

Recently launched Aprilia RS457, looks great, right?

Trip Day 3 | 09-Dec-2023 | IBW Day 2:

Second day of the event is what I was waiting for: the launch of Kawasaki's baby ZX-10R: the All New ZX-6R. Unlike the first day, I reached Vagator Hills (venue of IBW2023) by 04:00 PM to avoid scorching heat. By that time, Kawasaki had made the arrangements at their stall ready, with the ZX-6R covered before the launch. Exactly at 05:00 PM, the introduction was given about its purpose in the Indian market: power, performance and innovation which is what the ZX-6R is capable of! However, the price has not been revealed yet, but is assumed to be around ₹11 lakhs ex-showroom. Let us wait and see when the price is revealed!

Apart from this, I got to meet few YouTubers but did not click any pictures as they were looking tired the whole day clicking selfies with subscribers, so did not wish to bother them. Late evening, the venue was completely filled with the sounds of Akrapovic, Arrow, Brocks and Red Rooster exhausts: ahh, what an experience it was!

Like the previous day, I left at around 09:30 as there was nothing else to do. So, visited Calangute Beach and took some fresh air with the sound of waves taking all the negativity away from me.

Once back from the beach, it was time for me to head to my accommodation. The hotel room was an entire mess with all the dress out of the Modpac, my laptop lying on the table and charges thrown here and there. It took me around an hour or so to neatly pack the stuffs that I am done with, all thanks to my OCD. The 20L Modpac accommodated all the unused clothes (I realised that I had over-packed) while the 10L Modpac accommodated my laptop, used clothes and GoPro box.

Trip Day 4 | 10-Dec-2023 | Ride Back to Kasaragod:

I had planned to leave my accommodation by 06:30 AM and had made series of alarms ready the previous day. But, wait: chilled room, cosy bed, comparatively pleasant outside weather and lethargic attitude of mine made the exit from Calangute by 09:00 AM. But, since it was a Sunday, there were not much vehicles on road. Maybe, others too were enjoying the cosy weather!

To reach Goa-Karnataka border from Calangute, it took me 01:45 hrs, unlike the 02:00 hrs while I was coming to Calangute on Day 1. The roads were, like I mentioned, fabulous. I enjoyed the curves of Goa for one last time during this trip. No checking as such at the Goa-Karnataka border, so a smooth exit it was. And yes, I had worn the newly brought hydration bag over my Rynox jacket with 2L of water to fuel me. Took a quick stop near to the tunnel in Karwar (yes, I did feel difficult to sip water while riding, hence stopped aside).

From Karwar, I felt energetic and throttled up all the way towards Kasaragod. Once I reached Kumta, decided for a fuel stop (I only had 1 pointer fuel left. Previous fill up was on Trip Day 1 which was more than sufficient for the Calangute-Vagator run for the event). To not make me feel alone on the road, there were participants from IBW2023 who were returning to their home (Kozhikode, Mangalore, Kannur, Alleppey, etc.) on their own machines, which included a Ducati Panigale V4 S, BMW R 1250 GS, Dominar 400 and Ninja 1000SX. These big machines zipped across me and I could feel the music of exhausts reverbing my eardrums!

After the fuel stop, I continued my road run with average speed of 100-115 kmph depending on the traffic. This was the sole reason I got lower fuel economy, but this drop in FE was totally worth it as I enjoyed the machine to its fullest potential. This reminds me of a line from the famous song, Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma, sung by Jagjit Singh Ji: 'kuch paakar khona hai, kuch khokar paana hai' (meaning 'we have to attain something and lose something').

Highway too was not too much crowded, even though it was a Sunday afternoon. Next break I took was at Hejamadi Toll Plaza, ensured the Carbonado Modpacs are intact and proceeded further with the journey. While returning, I again got my bike's tank refuelled. Reason being I had enough petrol in my bike to reach my home but fuel is costlier in Kerala than Karnataka by around 7-8 rupees. So, why not fill up at MRPL, Mangaluru?

By around 04:45 PM, I reached my home safely: with lots of memories, road lessons and bunch of items for my R15 from the IBW2023!

Before I share the images, here are some quick stats for nerds:

Odometer Readings:

• Trip Start: 13945 km.
• Trip End: 14899 km.
• Total Trip: 954 km.

Travel Duration:

• Kasaragod to Calangute (Hotel): 05:30 AM to 01:30 PM (08:00 hrs)
• Calangute (Hotel) to Kasaragod: 09:00 AM - 04:45 PM (07:45 hrs)

Note: The travel duration is based on start and end time.

Average Fuel Economy:

• Towards Goa: 40.62 kmpl.
• Towards Kasaragod: 39.39 kmpl.

Note: I use 'Fuelio' app for the calculations since Day 1 of R15 purchase. Manually, I have verified and it does the right calculation provided the right input is fed.

Tire Pressure (Nitrogen):

• Front Tire: 29 psi
• Rear Tire: 33 psi

Tip: Always make a habit of either inspecting and correcting the tire pressure before a long ride or get it checked from a nearby tire shop/fuel station. This minor check before a ride can give you a better peace of mind during the ride!

Fuel Used: Normal Petrol

Below are the pictures from the event/ride:

ZX-6R Ready for Unveiling to the Audience

ZX-6R Unveiled, makes you crave for one?

Goa'n Rural roads are just cherry on a cake!

Those rev-meters (white dots above the Instrument Console) are always a treat to the eyes. To add to this, Uni-directional Quickshifter (up) is a boon!

Front tire profile changed from 100 --> 110 and rear tire from 140 --> 150 which means the area of contact is more than before, causing more resistance, thus reducing the top-speed by 9 kmph now. But the luggage/pillion weight, rider weight and tire pressure can be the contributing factors.

Finally, after a good and memorable trip/event, its time for some good rest for her!

Before I end this travelogue posts, let me say this: this forum has given me a lot about cars/bikes, tips and guidance on how to be a responsible rider/driver on-road. And, I believe that no one is perfect and as humans we tend to do mistakes. It all stands out when we do not do the same mistake again. A lot more things to learn from this forum. Thank you all for being a part!

Ride safe!

Sud.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Welds are strong. The finish is not that bad. Not a deal breaker at all

BHPian MotoChild recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello All,

So i visited the showroom to take a close look at the Bike and here are some observations:

Seating position:

• Tried both 225mm & 245mm settings
• Loved the 245mm seat height for me. The feet were well planted

A little caveat here: On the main stand, with 245mm seat height, i almost had to tip toe. (I'm 6'2") No other bike has ever made me feel like that, which for me was little turn on. I liked it a lot.

Foot pegs:

• They didn't bother me too much
• They're retractable. Much like the new INT650.

Weld quality:

• The Welds are strong and strong.
• The finish is not that bad. Not a deal breaker at all

Radiator guard, sump guard etc.:

• They're fairly good, sturdy and can take an impact.
• They can definitely take on a general use and might be able to take on a normal tour as well.
• For off-road and touring at places as rough as say SPITI, the metal grills make sense. Otherwise the plastic parts are quite sturdy

Phone mirroring:

• It just wouldn't connect with my IPHONE. I tried several times.
• Tried turning off the bike, turning it back on, turning off/on my phone bluetooth, the wifi, mobile data etc etc. Didn't work.
• The app and ios was up to date.
• I even tried with an android device, but still the same, it wouldn't connect.

Now, this could be the case with this particular bike that they had on display. I've asked them to write in to RE and get an answer. The store owner wanted to factory reset it. Will check again on my next visit.

Joystick:

• Its a new type of control. Takes a little while to understand.
• Find the push button, does takes some time to figure, cause sometimes it does slips.

Headlights:

• LED Headlights seemed weak to me.
• Although was in a well lit showroom, but still felt AUX lights will be needed for intercity touring

Looks:

• I saw the HANLE BLACK.
• The bike is beautiful! Although i booked the Kamet white, but this one is a head turner too.
• Looks and Feels like a big bike!
• Paint job is really cool, and feels a notch above the regular, especially with that glittery base in this Hanle Black.

Vibrations:

• I did give it a start, the exhaust sounded good
• The single cylinder makes it's presence felt (could be because i've been riding the Interceptor 650 lately). I wasn't sitting on the bike, just holding it. Sitting experience will definitely be different though, and nothing to be worried about.

Conclusion:

I am waiting to get my hands on a test bike so i can bring more value to this forum. If there is any thing you'd specifically like to be observed, please quote this post.

Cheers!

I was told that it is the first Himalayan to be delivered to a customer.

BHPian VellVector recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Took delivery of the new Himalayan yesterday - was told that it is the first Himalayan to be delivered to a customer.

First impressions from my short ride of around 20 KM:

• The fit and finish on the bike is good considering its price point.
• Overall the bike looks great - paint, wheels, etc look good to me.
• The digital dash is really nice - but I had a hard time figuring out the navigation and the switches seem to need multiple presses to respond.
• The engine has good power across the initial and especially mid range of the revs.
• Suspension is good - riding around some of the BWSSB work in progress streets was a breeze.
• Brakes are decent but didn't inspire complete confidence for me. May need to get used to it.
• The foot peg position is a bit problematic - being used to a bigger adv bike my legs naturally go to the outside of the pegs. But if i keep my legs straight down the pegs bump my back of my calves. Only solution seems to be to either keep my legs outside the pegs (works if your tall enough) or put your legs behind the pegs.

I wasn't particular on the colour and asked the owner of the dealership (who is an old friend) to pick what he felt was best. Coincidentally happened that this Himalyan I got has a very similar colour scheme to my 40th Anniversary GSA.

These are just some first impressions. Will post more after riding the bike a bit.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

While parting, the Duke gave me a taste that is hard to forget and I for one cannot be satisfied with something not being as intoxicating.

BHPian itsMridul recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone! Please welcome our newest member fee bleue in this forum.

Isn't she beautiful!!

Background:

My search for new bike began during January this year after undergoing and recovering from a surgery.

I have learnt riding bikes while studying in class VII on a Bajaj M80 which belonged to a relative. Although my father used to ride a Yezdi, but I was not allowed. Later he sold the Yezdi and bought himself a Bajaj Chetak. I occasionally ride it for about 6 years. Then when I was in college, he gifted me a Discover 125. That was my first!! I rode it with my hearts out. Then after college, when I got a job, I got a Pulsar 150 (Pulsars were the craze then in two / three tier cities). Although I wanted the 200 one, but father agreed to only 150.

Fast forward 8 years, got married, got another job and it was time for an upgrade. After much research and availability in my area, I zeroed in Duke 390 (the first gen, second gen was yet to be launched). Surprisingly the dealership guy convinced my better half that Duke 200 was a better choice for me. I was ready to shell out the full amount for 390 but came home saving about 60 thousand rupees and a Duke 200. I was not unhappy as I was never a top speed or acceleration guy. I was more of a cruiser kind of guy who loved occasional speed bursts for a few minutes in open road.

But the Duke fulfilled my desire. It has superb handling, occasional adrenaline rushing and good mileage for my use cases. And it spoiled me. The grin when revving out was an addictive one. She was rough, she was angry and moody. She whispers things in your ears, she makes you do things you didn't know you were capable of. She keeps you on the edge. But when she rides, she makes a connection which nothing can emulate.

But not all was rosy with it. The seat was extremely hard, there was engine vibes and unmistakably stiff suspension. I could feel the smallest of rumbles in my spine while on it. My wife also started to complain against its' ride quality. Two up was manageable but even thinking of carrying our little one for a long ride was impossible. So the Duke had to go. But while parting, she gave me a taste that is hard to forget and I for one cannot be satisfied with something not being as intoxicating.

Search:

After selling the Duke, a few things happened in quick succession. I had to undergo a surgery, it took considerable time to recover from it. During that time, I was riding my wife's Suzuki Swish 125 for daily office commutes. She even bought herself an Electric Scooty for her daily chores. All our road journeys were in our Nexon. But the longing for a bike was always at the back of my mind. So the search for the new one started again. But as the age advances, so are our priorities. This time my priorities were a little more practical:

• It will be a one bike garage. Keeping the Swish alongside the bike is not an option.
• The bike should offer very good comfort.
• It should not be a heavy bike. My garage has a sloped entrance. And I am not allowed to put pressure on my left hand.
• The seat height should be in the range of 800 mm. 10-15 mm on both sides are not dealbreakers either.
• Styling should not be very aggressive or attraction grabbing. As during office hours I'll be keeping it in a public parking, it should not attract much attention. Not a fan of loud exhaust either.
• There should be some exclusiveness, not something that everyone else is riding.
• This one is the most critical, it should remind me of my Duke to some extent.

Other bikes considered:

• Duke 390: again!! But this time it was rejected on point 2 and 5. The Duke, whatever generation it may be, still grabs eyeballs. It is a looker which also attracts all sorts of gaze.
• Honda CB300R: I somehow could not justify the earlier asking price. Also the bike felt very small even for two persons. A married man's nightmare!! Also the horrors of parts availability at Honda Bigwing.
• Honda CB350: No. 3, 5 and 7. Also did not find it exciting enough but was in consideration till finalisation.
• RE Classic: No. 6, 7 and 3. It is at the extreme opposite end of Duke (and the Duke has spoiled me enough). Everyone is riding a classic these days, there is no exclusivity.
• RE Meteor 350: Same as Classic. I even booked one, but they failed to deliver within the time and I cancelled my booking. I am thankful to RE for that.
• Harley 440: 3, 5 and 7. Also not a fan of how it looked in pictures. Did not go for any test ride either.
• Scrambler 400: I was more inclined towards this, but after watching the Revzilla video and considering my use case and price difference, finalised the speed.

Showroom Experience:

Back then when Speed was launched, Kolkata had only one Triumph dealership: Speed Triumph. Although the name itself has speed mentioned in it their service was lackluster. I visited after the initial excitement period, the deliveries had started, people were somewhat clear what to expect from the bike. However their attitude towards the customers were pathetic, no one actually came forward to talk or ask what I was looking for. I had described my experience in an earlier post in this forum. I came back disappointed and decided to wait for the unveiling of Himalayan.

The launch and subsequent reviews of the Himalayan made me realise, this is not the bike I am looking for. The Himalayan is too obvious, too much attention grabbing. I prefer stealth over attention.

Then I came to know about another dealership opening, this time OSL Triumph. By that time Scrambler was launched. I contacted over phone, and their representative picked the call. He was very reassuring and ready to provide test ride on the day itself. I visited on 21.11.2023 took the test ride. It was a short one but satisfying. I booked and paid the full amount on the day with a promised delivery on 25.11.2023.

Delivery:

As scheduled, I reached the dealership at about 3 pm. They handed over the documents and the bike after one hour. Two dealership persons just handed over the keys to me and explained the speedo console and its operation. No cake cutting or unveiling. I just asked my friend to take a photo and it was done.

Riding impression:

Oh! My my! The first thing you notice while riding this bike is how easy going it is. Start the bike, slot the gear and pull the throttle a little. It just glides. Gear changes were smooth, and the acceleration was linear. From the dealership I had to ride about 15 kms in stop-go and slow moving traffic. The bike could easily keep 30kmph in 4th gear without any hiccups. It can pull from there in 4th and maintain the poise. Likewise 40kmph in 5th. If the traffic speed is steady the even 6th gear can be slotted while moving at 40kmph.

After that 15 km in traffic, the road opened and I began to accelerate. However I maintained an average speed around 75 kmph with occasional speed burst. 80 is reached just below 4000 RPM. But the speed limiter was set at 90, so could not test higher speed or presence of any vibration. Till 80 it was very smooth.

I rode nearly 110 km (including the city traffic) at single stretch, but the journey was uneventful. Out of 110 km, I was able to ride about 90 km in 6th gear itself. The engine being very much easy going, did not required change of gear while slowing down at diversions, or picking up speeds. Did not check the brake bite, but it was fine in the traffic, so no worries there.

But not all are rosy!! The engine does heat up in traffic. I did feel the heat on my legs in stop-go traffic. But once on open highway I didn't feel anything. May be the heating will improve after the break-in period.

And the headlight could have been a little brighter. It was just sufficient, but a little more brightness would have been nice. I am not a fan of Aux Lights, will have to find a better solution for night ride.

Final thought:

After I sold the Duke, there was a void. I was riding the scooter and driving the Nexon, but the grin a motorcycle could bring was simply not there. It was like passing the days but without living those. Whenever I saw someone riding a new bike, I would place myself at his position and satiate my desire.

The Duke was like an angry and moody girlfriend. She needed constant attention and patting. But if you can live with that anger, she would reward you with unmatched excitement. Everytime you pull the throttle she never misses to elevate your enthusiasm. She is raw but she is a gem. Just learn to live with her.

And then the Speed 400. She is like the perfect wife you married a few years back. She knows your strength and shortcomings and yet she chooses to be with you in high or low. She still has that anger, but now matured enough to hide it under her smile. She still got that rawness but learned to socialize with grace. Poke her and she will show you her true colour. If you need your life easy, she is glad to accompany you. If you need that grin while riding, you know what to do....

We made a small Youtube video, sharing it here.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.