Superbike query approved.

it isn't "practical" to ride in the city.

but there are places u can ride ur bike outside the city where u can bury the needle
(well maybe not coz ur's is a Blackbird)

but u can enjoy short bursts of 200kmph+...
nothing compared to distance u can cover at those speeds in the UAE tho.


there's a clause about not being able to bring the bike via TR if it's more
than 3/4 years old. not sure tho.

shouldn't be a problem... provided u're up for it...
but its not as comfy as doing 200 clicks on smooth UAE tarmac.

Well there are good roads around Pune and mumbai. There are superbikes around too. There is the Golden Quadrilateral on whihc you might be able to touch 200 . You could easily cruise at 140-150.
THe National Highways are good enough for superbikes. THe state highways vary from location to location and might be infested with pot holes.

As long as your trip encompasses only the Golden Quadrilateral and National Highwyas, your black bird should be good.

You could take it on some twisties to Aamby Valley and Lavassa where most of the urban young crowd go for their cornering practises or you could plan trips to the sea beaches of GanpatiPhule, Malvan, Tarkalri or the hill stations of Mahabaleshwar (all are around 350kms from mumbai) on your black bird.

Shouldnt be a wee bit problematic. Am looking forward doing 1500kms in 2 days this weekend

Apart from the roads, the driving skill required is phenomennal. Expectt no lane discipline from most of the drivers. There would be human, canine and bovine interventions on the road and its these things that you would really need to worry about. So you would need some divine intervention once in a while to keep u on the bike!

Confirm if you would be allowed to get a 11-year old bike into the country first...

I am not looking for riding at 200km in India, I rarely do in UAE.
Mine is a 2000 model with needles.

Well, if those are the clause then I cannot bring my bike. Very unfortunate.

My reason to post here is only that i have done 190 kmph on Busa as a pillion in Pune. That was the most intense feeling ever. Accelerated a 06 R1 to 120 kmph in Pune,lifting the front wheel in air.

All you need to know is the perfect roads and timing. It is possible.

And do check out this video by Tenhut, in Pune,
YouTube - COPS Sunday Rides

I am all for promoting superbike riding in India,but with riding gear of course.

Thanks for your response. Whenever I am in India I travel a lot usually by road. I have driven in most of Maharashtra and well versed with the road condition. That's what troubles me. They are not fit for sbk ride. The potholes can kill someone on sbk. Even the NH have lot of potholes. Do you ride sbk in India?

Thanks Satya,
I have gone through most of the threads on this forum. A wealth of information. On an sbk, 120kms is the crusing speed. You cannot expect to know all the roads condition in India and also they change very 2 months. I travel a lot because of my photography hobby. I have traveled most of North India by car and wish to do again on mobike.

can some one please put more light on how old the bike can be to bring it on T.R and if there are any other specifications to adhere by!

I am contemplating bringing my Blackbird CBR1100XX to India. Before that I have some questions which needs some answers. I am 49 years old and physically fit. I am owning (bought new from showroom) and riding this bike from last 11 years in Abu Dhabi. I love this bike and have thoroughly enjoyed riding this bike in UAE due to the world class roads. You will never see pot holes or even small cracks in the UAE roads. The roads are very straight and smooth which make easy and safe to ride even at 200kms/hr.
Although, I am born biker and love bikes I am also practical and love my life more than anything in this world. And hence the following questions:

Your bike is one heck of a bike... I would say it is one of the most practical superbikes to ever be made... I know for I have done quite some miles on it... yours is the carb version, which according to me was the best of the series... the throttle response is so liner and smooth...

Now to answer your queries:


1. Are the road in India, especially Pune and Mumbai suitable to ride a sbk? I know there are few sbks in India. But are they riding enough to justify a sbk in India? I do not want to own an sbk for just a weekend ride but instead tour different places in India.

The issue is not about roads... its about road safety and traffic discipline... if you are expecting roads and traffic discipline like UAE then forget it... however, that certainly does not mean that superbikes not for India... if you want to tour then you certainly have the right machine and there is no reason why you can't do it... roads outside cities are pretty good...

2. How about servicing? Will Honda in India (Pune/Mumbai) service imported bikes or are there other garages that can service/repair sbks?

If you are looking for official service centers... forget it... it will take at least another 5 years for these guys to get their act together... there are some really good and knowledgeable tuners in Pune and Mumbai who will keep you bike in fine shape...

3. Although my bike is 11 years old, it is been serviced regularly in Honda service center and the bike condition is quite good. I just need some cosmetic changes to make it look like showroom bike. Will it make sense to bring an 11 years old bike. I intend to keep it for another 10 years. Mind you, this bike has a long life.

Yes it certainly does make sense to bring your bike here if it is in as good a condition as you claim it to be...

4. I'll be riding this bike only 20-30 days in a year when I visit India. I wish to ride 3000-4000 kms in those 20 days.

No reason why can't....

What are your suggestions?

as far as i know you can not get a bike older than 4 years in india.

please check with the custom's website for getting the bikes in india. from what i can understand, you do not plan to shift to india so the TR regulations do not apply to you. what you can alternatively do is get the bike via "carnet" route (it might be called something else for bikes) you can get the bike with you with each of your visits to india. you can use it here for maximum of 6 months. then it has to go back to the place it originally came from.

if you really want to know the truth (practical) about riding SBKs in india - the answer is NO, SBKs are not practical in india. as others have mentioned it's not just the pot holes you need to worry about, but also about the idiots on the roads who would stop right in the middle of the road to attend to the nature's call, turn without indicating, come wrong side, make u-turns as if they are the only ones on the road and what not. CEAT's new advertisements (youtube it) are the actual depiction of what all happens on the roads everyday all the time.

but for touring, i can't think of any other bike better suited than the blackbird. rightly said by abhimanyu - the carbed ones are more fun to ride. that's true not just for the sports tourer, but also for all the ancestors of current generation of fuel injected bikes.

that said - why don't you consider doing your tours on the national tourer of india - the royal enfield?? you will find someone to check up on the bike in probably even the remotest of places. and riding through india on a bullet - well nothing gives you a better experience or joy.
SBK i am still doubtful whether it makes sense to ride it pan india without proper support vehicles by your side.

to know more get in touch with sundeep gajjar (sunny) or bunny punia. i think they have the most experience of touring in india on a SBK.

but again to quote abhimanyu - why not??

I am closing in on 40,000 kms on Sbks in India. 24K on my current, 10K on my last 3K on the one prior to that and several K on several other bikes. (All in India)

Sbks are practical in India? Depends on the perspective. If one goes by safety and security concerns of Indian roads, it is not safe to be on the roads of this country. Period. Be it a Sbk or a Karizma. It is not great unless you are in a public bus in which you might be somewhat safe if you are not elbowed out by others from the foot board itself.

This country lacks discipline, respect to fellow riders and drivers and thus this country has become the place of highest road casualties per capita in the world. If you can live with that, ride a Sbk in India.

Totally agree with Ken Da here. It's unsafe to ride even a 100 motorcycle @ 40 kmph in this country as there is no guarantee that a rouge cabby won't come hurtling towards you @ 100 kmph or suddenly a kid won't jump infront of you and just walk out laughing while you are down in blood.

Motorcycle riding, be it 100cc or 1000cc, is all skill, and in India, it's skill + luck. Skill would make your ride fun in any condition and you luck would take you home safe, sound and dandy.

Practicality is another question, but that's not what we are discussing here. So, if anyone can afford a SBK and can shoulder the responsibility of riding the SBK as a true BIKER, in my honest opinion, the person should go for it.

abhimanyu31,
Thanks for your response.