The dilemma: First Post, My rides & The Intro
Everyone, at some point in life, should have faced a dilemma. Be it choosing a career, choosing a motorbike/car or anything similar. This is exactly what I am facing right now. What to include in my very first blog. Hence the intro.
I am here to share/record my daily experiences/experiments related to the rides that I own or anything related to a ride or riders in general. A platform to vent my frustrations as well as relive all those happy moments in life.
That out of the way, let me introduce my rides.
Link To My Garage
I currently own a 1996 Maruti Suzuki 800 Dx and a 2017 390 Duke.
Previously owned:
1. Yamaha Crux
2. Yamaha FZ - S
M800:
This 22 year old legend 😎, has seen 130K kms, been through two heart surgeries (read engine overhauling), gracefully accompanies me to all places without a complaint. Long story short, the bond I have with her and the precious moments that she created along the way is priceless for me. She has seen my ups, downs and my frustrations like no other. Even if I buy n number of cars, she will be there to stay. This is my most prized possession, one I am not willing to trade for anything in this world.
YAMAHA Story:
Little back story. I had owned two Yamaha's in the past, a Yamaha Crux and an FZ-S to be precise. I had a strong bond with the Crux, however when I wanted to upgrade, I couldn't afford to maintain two vehicles at the time, hence sold it to my close friend with a condition that he will never sell it without my knowledge.
I used the Crux from 2006 through 2013 with 60K kms on the odo. I had my own custom things done to it, which included an Eliminator rear rim and tyre, Yezdi front rim and tyre, custom suspension, an FZ handlebar and a K&N free flow filter. Those where the times when everything was done for the sake of visual mods and money was wasted on just the mention of a performance upgrade. But this gave my humble Crux a unique character which a lot of people admired.
But an upgrade was imminent and I wanted to get an R15 but my budget told me otherwise. Had to finally shortlist RTR180 Abs and FZ.
Being a Yamaha fanboy, I bought the Fz and had fun times with it. I took it to lot of places, the farthest being a 2000 km trip to Pondicherry, a 1000 Km trip to Dhanushkodi and n number of trips in and around Kerala and Tamilnadu. It never complained but I always lusted after a performance machine which is both safe and fast.
I never was able to connect to the FZ as I did with my Crux. I did not modify it (except for adding a hazard light and a mobile charger) and kept it stock throughout. Dont get me wrong this is a brilliant package and the best 150 at the time. However there was no bond that developed. Used it from 2013 through 2017. Decided to sell it at 55K kms to another friend of mine (see a pattern here 😉).
390 Duke - Isabella:
My requirement for the motorcycle was simple:
1. It should make me smile every time I take her for a ride.
2. It should have enough power to cruise at close to 100 km/hr for my touring duties with some more poke left.
3. Should be stress free and able to sit at high revs comfortably.
4. The braking should be very good. ABS was a necessity considering our great road sense.
Considerations:
YAMAHA R15
The R15 again was at the top of my upgrade list. My love for the R15 was still strong due to the way she felt on my first ride. This connect to the motorcycle was immediate.
Although she satisfied most of my requirements, this was eventually a sports bike and most importantly there was no ABS addition planned in the near future.
RE CONTINENTAL GT
This is one cool bike. The best bike in the RE lineup for me. Got good specs, Mountain torque, great Brembo brakes, Paioli shocks, Pirelli rubber, Harris Engineered chassis and that gorgeous 60's cafe racer style.
There are vibrations, its a little sporty and not as comfy as the other Enfields as it is stiffly sprung, but all this goes away the moment you ride it. The warm feeling it gives you and the way people react to it on the road, all of this makes you feel special. Its that charm, that feeling that will make you look back at the motorcycle after its parked in your garage. The same feeling as in an R15.
The downside was the cost which was almost as the new Duke 390 and it lacked the most critical thing, ABS. It was also mostly suited for taking short commutes in style rather than outright touring. A good second bike. Some time later may be. Definitely, can't afford now.
Then there is the KTM twins. Even though I was a die hard Yamaha fanboy, the Ktm twins had got my attention due to its two stroke like power giving it bags of character and its sharp nature. I had used my friends Ktm 200 Duke for sometime. I loved it for its feel and the way it made me smile every time I rode it.
The Mahindra Mojo also impressed but sadly it sucked in the braking department.
Sadly both did not come with ABS and the only options were the Dominar 400 and 390 Duke.
I took a test drive of the Dominar and even though it had ABS the breaking felt very weak. It did not have any bite and feel. Also I felt I was riding a modified Pulsar 200 NS and it had the classic bajaj vibration everywhere. May be this was a problem with the test bike but my initial impression forced me to take it off my list.
Also I had my apprehensions about whether the 390 will be too much to handle for me. Also the dilemma that it will be a very expensive purchase. The 2017 model was about to launch and I knew it would be even more expensive. But then I took the test drive. Even though the test drive vehicle was an RC 390(Duke was not available), I instantly got a feel of the engine and I knew this engines grunt will make happy for a very long time. Then there were no confusions and I booked the 390 Duke 2017.
I got her after 2 months, named it Isabella and so far I have covered 12500 kms (approx). No major trips so far but its in the pipeline.
Till my next post....
I am here to share/record my daily experiences/experiments related to the rides that I own or anything related to a ride or riders in general. A platform to vent my frustrations as well as relive all those happy moments in life.
That out of the way, let me introduce my rides.
Link To My Garage
I currently own a 1996 Maruti Suzuki 800 Dx and a 2017 390 Duke.
Previously owned:
1. Yamaha Crux
2. Yamaha FZ - S
M800:
This 22 year old legend 😎, has seen 130K kms, been through two heart surgeries (read engine overhauling), gracefully accompanies me to all places without a complaint. Long story short, the bond I have with her and the precious moments that she created along the way is priceless for me. She has seen my ups, downs and my frustrations like no other. Even if I buy n number of cars, she will be there to stay. This is my most prized possession, one I am not willing to trade for anything in this world.
YAMAHA Story:
Little back story. I had owned two Yamaha's in the past, a Yamaha Crux and an FZ-S to be precise. I had a strong bond with the Crux, however when I wanted to upgrade, I couldn't afford to maintain two vehicles at the time, hence sold it to my close friend with a condition that he will never sell it without my knowledge.
I used the Crux from 2006 through 2013 with 60K kms on the odo. I had my own custom things done to it, which included an Eliminator rear rim and tyre, Yezdi front rim and tyre, custom suspension, an FZ handlebar and a K&N free flow filter. Those where the times when everything was done for the sake of visual mods and money was wasted on just the mention of a performance upgrade. But this gave my humble Crux a unique character which a lot of people admired.
But an upgrade was imminent and I wanted to get an R15 but my budget told me otherwise. Had to finally shortlist RTR180 Abs and FZ.
Being a Yamaha fanboy, I bought the Fz and had fun times with it. I took it to lot of places, the farthest being a 2000 km trip to Pondicherry, a 1000 Km trip to Dhanushkodi and n number of trips in and around Kerala and Tamilnadu. It never complained but I always lusted after a performance machine which is both safe and fast.
I never was able to connect to the FZ as I did with my Crux. I did not modify it (except for adding a hazard light and a mobile charger) and kept it stock throughout. Dont get me wrong this is a brilliant package and the best 150 at the time. However there was no bond that developed. Used it from 2013 through 2017. Decided to sell it at 55K kms to another friend of mine (see a pattern here 😉).
390 Duke - Isabella:
My requirement for the motorcycle was simple:
1. It should make me smile every time I take her for a ride.
2. It should have enough power to cruise at close to 100 km/hr for my touring duties with some more poke left.
3. Should be stress free and able to sit at high revs comfortably.
4. The braking should be very good. ABS was a necessity considering our great road sense.
Considerations:
YAMAHA R15
The R15 again was at the top of my upgrade list. My love for the R15 was still strong due to the way she felt on my first ride. This connect to the motorcycle was immediate.
Although she satisfied most of my requirements, this was eventually a sports bike and most importantly there was no ABS addition planned in the near future.
RE CONTINENTAL GT
This is one cool bike. The best bike in the RE lineup for me. Got good specs, Mountain torque, great Brembo brakes, Paioli shocks, Pirelli rubber, Harris Engineered chassis and that gorgeous 60's cafe racer style.
There are vibrations, its a little sporty and not as comfy as the other Enfields as it is stiffly sprung, but all this goes away the moment you ride it. The warm feeling it gives you and the way people react to it on the road, all of this makes you feel special. Its that charm, that feeling that will make you look back at the motorcycle after its parked in your garage. The same feeling as in an R15.
The downside was the cost which was almost as the new Duke 390 and it lacked the most critical thing, ABS. It was also mostly suited for taking short commutes in style rather than outright touring. A good second bike. Some time later may be. Definitely, can't afford now.
Then there is the KTM twins. Even though I was a die hard Yamaha fanboy, the Ktm twins had got my attention due to its two stroke like power giving it bags of character and its sharp nature. I had used my friends Ktm 200 Duke for sometime. I loved it for its feel and the way it made me smile every time I rode it.
The Mahindra Mojo also impressed but sadly it sucked in the braking department.
Sadly both did not come with ABS and the only options were the Dominar 400 and 390 Duke.
I took a test drive of the Dominar and even though it had ABS the breaking felt very weak. It did not have any bite and feel. Also I felt I was riding a modified Pulsar 200 NS and it had the classic bajaj vibration everywhere. May be this was a problem with the test bike but my initial impression forced me to take it off my list.
Also I had my apprehensions about whether the 390 will be too much to handle for me. Also the dilemma that it will be a very expensive purchase. The 2017 model was about to launch and I knew it would be even more expensive. But then I took the test drive. Even though the test drive vehicle was an RC 390(Duke was not available), I instantly got a feel of the engine and I knew this engines grunt will make happy for a very long time. Then there were no confusions and I booked the 390 Duke 2017.
I got her after 2 months, named it Isabella and so far I have covered 12500 kms (approx). No major trips so far but its in the pipeline.
Till my next post....
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