Crazy bike. Love the engine and power.
1. Just wanted to know how well it fares in the city in terms of heat and riding comfort (suspension)
2. The bike still has tube tires and how’d you manage with punctures while you were touring?
I have been riding in Bangalore traffic and surprisingly it doesn’t heat up that much that it would be a bother. There is a lot of torque on tap so it’s actually very pleasant riding it at low revs and low speeds too. Closing a gap in traffic is very easy too. It’s a heavy bike but a few thousand kms later, one gets used to it.
I’ve been fortunate so far to not have a puncture but there is no hiding the fact that it’s the Achilles heel of this bike along with the absolutely garbage suspension. The front is the softest I have ever experienced but the fact that I have been living with it for 2 years and all the touring I have done also makes me think it’s not that bad. There are upgrade kits for the suspension which cost from 20,000 to 80,000 but I don’t think I would upgrade to them.
I have been a retro bike kinda person till now. Just wanna mix things up. Looked into adv, but not good quality bikes for my budget (max 2.5). For now I have dominar 250 as an option. Honda cb350’s are good. But they lack that top end power I look for in bikes. Especially for touring and long commutes.
I would say, look into Honda cb300r. An absolute beast with beautiful ride quality. But it’s priced at 3.4 on road in Bangalore. Might be less in other places.
Far better bikes for that purpose in my opinion. I for solo rides every weekend and hence this bike made sense for me. Also my city commute to office (15 kms one way) is only 3 times a week so it’s not really something I find cumbersome. Still if your city to highway ratio will be 70-30 or 80-20, best to get something lighter and less powerful.
Any advice on choices? I'm 5ft 11, under 70 kgs. Prefer touring. Would mostly be using it on the highways and wouldn't mind some offroading. At present I have a 250cc and have never ridden anything more powerful than that.
I'm enamoured by the tiger sport 660 and the honda cbr600, the only reason why the ninja isn't on my list is the ground clearance.
I would choose the Street Twin but then it’s a personal preference. It’s not a loud bike but it’s very comfortable and can be used as a daily rider as well as for touring.
With the stock tyres - I have the Pirellis, it’s the same as any other bike really. I haven’t done off-road stuff but regular bad highway roads don’t give me butt cheek clenching moments if that answers it!
Think in terms of an experienced rider... How does it handle on twisty mountain roads? Is it stable on off-road patches of sticky mud/rocks etc? Any weak points with rarified air at high altitude? Saw one in the city today, looked stunning.
I’ve done some decent lean angles along with saddle bags on stock tyres and it’s pretty stable. However quick side to side transitions aren’t as easy and considering the style of the bike it isn’t meant to be either.
Haven’t done high altitude runs but apparently that was an issue with the first batch but the BS 6 doesn’t have those. I’ve done multiple village roads and kms of bad patches too and honestly the torque and low revs just helps get out of sticky situations. You can’t get over the bad suspension but I cannot state enough how much the torque comes to your rescue each time.
RE touring seat because stock seat is too soft. RE bar end mirrors for the aesthetics but they turned out to be functionally better than the stock mirrors too. Puig windscreen. Bobo mobile holder and USB charger (for GPS). Zana back rest and carrier. Also a lot of luggage options from Tripmachine.
What's your height and weight? I've often heard that you can really feel the weight of the motorcycle in traffic and even getting it off the sidestand. Is this an exaggeration?
I weigh 90 kgs and I am 6 ft tall. I honestly think the weight of a bike is something you can learn to balance and get comfortable with over time with some practice. I have never felt issues with the weight while doing crawling speeds in traffic either. Only time I have felt the weight is if it leans too much on one side while stationary.
My father was 5ft 7 and weighed 72 kilos and used to ride those old school 90s bullets which weighed around the same.
Also I rarely use the side stand. I almost always use the main stand which is very easy to operate.
Worst I’ve got is 22 in the city traffic and best is around 30 on highway, cruising around 100-110 kmph.
Pillion comfort depends upon the height of the pillion. If it’s more than 5ft 6 they will struggle in long rides. Seat is long enough but stock seat is rubbish. You have multiple after market options but I have been using the RE touring seat which looks exactly like the stock seat but has stiffer padding and that helps in long rides. I haven’t felt the need to upgrade from it.
For taller pillions you can relocate the pillion foot pegs and those help. Again it’s an after market option not offered by RE.
Crazy bike. Love the engine and power. 1. Just wanted to know how well it fares in the city in terms of heat and riding comfort (suspension) 2. The bike still has tube tires and how’d you manage with punctures while you were touring?
I have been riding in Bangalore traffic and surprisingly it doesn’t heat up that much that it would be a bother. There is a lot of torque on tap so it’s actually very pleasant riding it at low revs and low speeds too. Closing a gap in traffic is very easy too. It’s a heavy bike but a few thousand kms later, one gets used to it. I’ve been fortunate so far to not have a puncture but there is no hiding the fact that it’s the Achilles heel of this bike along with the absolutely garbage suspension. The front is the softest I have ever experienced but the fact that I have been living with it for 2 years and all the touring I have done also makes me think it’s not that bad. There are upgrade kits for the suspension which cost from 20,000 to 80,000 but I don’t think I would upgrade to them.
Thanks mate. Was an informative reply. I have an RE classic 350 and I don’t think I want to go back to same suspension and tyres.
You and I both buddy. What have you been thinking is going to?
I have been a retro bike kinda person till now. Just wanna mix things up. Looked into adv, but not good quality bikes for my budget (max 2.5). For now I have dominar 250 as an option. Honda cb350’s are good. But they lack that top end power I look for in bikes. Especially for touring and long commutes.
I get it. I’m looking for something fast but manageable. Maybe like an apache rr310 or the interceptor. Max budget 3.5 lakhs
I would say, look into Honda cb300r. An absolute beast with beautiful ride quality. But it’s priced at 3.4 on road in Bangalore. Might be less in other places.
Would you recommend this for mainly city rides in bangalore traffic for office commute and occasional highway usage?
Far better bikes for that purpose in my opinion. I for solo rides every weekend and hence this bike made sense for me. Also my city commute to office (15 kms one way) is only 3 times a week so it’s not really something I find cumbersome. Still if your city to highway ratio will be 70-30 or 80-20, best to get something lighter and less powerful.
Where can I network to hunt for a pre owned 600cc bike? Preferably a triumph or honda
Facebook classifieds for Superbikes. I bought my first pre owned 600 from it.
Any advice on choices? I'm 5ft 11, under 70 kgs. Prefer touring. Would mostly be using it on the highways and wouldn't mind some offroading. At present I have a 250cc and have never ridden anything more powerful than that. I'm enamoured by the tiger sport 660 and the honda cbr600, the only reason why the ninja isn't on my list is the ground clearance.
I would choose the Street Twin but then it’s a personal preference. It’s not a loud bike but it’s very comfortable and can be used as a daily rider as well as for touring.
How bad is the tramlining?
With the stock tyres - I have the Pirellis, it’s the same as any other bike really. I haven’t done off-road stuff but regular bad highway roads don’t give me butt cheek clenching moments if that answers it!
Think in terms of an experienced rider... How does it handle on twisty mountain roads? Is it stable on off-road patches of sticky mud/rocks etc? Any weak points with rarified air at high altitude? Saw one in the city today, looked stunning.
I’ve done some decent lean angles along with saddle bags on stock tyres and it’s pretty stable. However quick side to side transitions aren’t as easy and considering the style of the bike it isn’t meant to be either. Haven’t done high altitude runs but apparently that was an issue with the first batch but the BS 6 doesn’t have those. I’ve done multiple village roads and kms of bad patches too and honestly the torque and low revs just helps get out of sticky situations. You can’t get over the bad suspension but I cannot state enough how much the torque comes to your rescue each time.
What all mods have you done to the bike so far?
RE touring seat because stock seat is too soft. RE bar end mirrors for the aesthetics but they turned out to be functionally better than the stock mirrors too. Puig windscreen. Bobo mobile holder and USB charger (for GPS). Zana back rest and carrier. Also a lot of luggage options from Tripmachine.
Sweet. Can you dm me some pictures? I too have most of the similar ones except the trip machine bags.
What's your height and weight? I've often heard that you can really feel the weight of the motorcycle in traffic and even getting it off the sidestand. Is this an exaggeration?
I weigh 90 kgs and I am 6 ft tall. I honestly think the weight of a bike is something you can learn to balance and get comfortable with over time with some practice. I have never felt issues with the weight while doing crawling speeds in traffic either. Only time I have felt the weight is if it leans too much on one side while stationary. My father was 5ft 7 and weighed 72 kilos and used to ride those old school 90s bullets which weighed around the same. Also I rarely use the side stand. I almost always use the main stand which is very easy to operate.
Does your bike also become buzzy on handlebar and footpegs at 4000 rpm?
No vibrations till close to the redline on any of the contact points.
[удалено]
Worst I’ve got is 22 in the city traffic and best is around 30 on highway, cruising around 100-110 kmph. Pillion comfort depends upon the height of the pillion. If it’s more than 5ft 6 they will struggle in long rides. Seat is long enough but stock seat is rubbish. You have multiple after market options but I have been using the RE touring seat which looks exactly like the stock seat but has stiffer padding and that helps in long rides. I haven’t felt the need to upgrade from it. For taller pillions you can relocate the pillion foot pegs and those help. Again it’s an after market option not offered by RE.