becham_79

Hi guys, I am Arun from Thiruvananthapuram, currently in Canada.

I have been silent member of XBHP, reading the ownership threads, experiences etc. “Kudos” to all you guys for penning down your views and experiences and for the excellent pics. I got to learn a lot from reading all the threads in XBHP and it has also helped in keeping me updated with the motorcycling world in India, once I moved abroad.

I started my hunt for a motorcycle towards the end of 2010. After lot of deliberations, reading reviews and experiences online and a couple of test drives later, I has ‘zeroed in’ on the GSX-R. I initially test rode/drove a K9 GSX-R 750 and was on the market for a 600cc bike, I loved the GSX-R 750, and it was the first sports bike I ever rode. Then in March ‘11 came across a dealer with a new K8 GSX-R 1000, the price worked out and so now I ride a Black-Gold K8 Suzuki GSX-R 1000.

Choosing the GSX-R 1000 over the 750

• Aesthetically, I still like the 750 (K9-K10). But being a 2008 model the 1000 has the projector headlights plus has dual exhausts. Projector headlights are what I liked the most in the 750 which the newer 1000’s lack.
• The mode selector switch can tame the power to that of a 750/650cc while getting used to the bike.
• It had 0km on it, was practically new (never started) and the price was less than that of the available 2010 GSXR 750. I don’t like the newer 750’s (2011), for it’s looks.
• More power is always better

I could have gone for the Hayabusa, but I didn’t think I was ready for it. I felt like I needed to add a few more pounds, the specs and the looks of the busa are intimidating for a ‘sportsbike noob’ like me who would have been happy with a 750. I have been riding for more than 12 years, mainly 100 - 350cc in India. I own a Pulsar 150 DTSi in India, which is the first bike I bought with my money.

As for the transition from 150cc to 1000cc (and all that horses), well I was scared the first time I took the motorbike off the dealer’s floor, I questioned my decision of getting the 1000c, as I mounted the bike for the first ride. The mode selector switch gave me some confidence (is probably more psychological), and I was nervous since I was riding a motorbike after a couple of years. From the dealer, I went to a Gas Station (Petrol Pump), I am pretty sure that I was nervous on my ride till there (1 minute ride). Filled her up and started the ride back home. The riding gear and the gloves made the ride awkward, the feel of the handle with the gloves is definitely different, much better without the gloves, but safety comes first and it was cold. The first ride home was pretty tensed, but it started to loosen up during the 20km highways ride. Once I hit 110kmph (for a few seconds) on the highway, it all settled down, the sportsbike dream was realized.

I am still getting used to the sporty stance, have kind of figured out ways to reduce stress on my hands which used to hurt a lot initially, now it is the back after a 60km ride. I keep trying out different positions; one of these days will master something that will work. I usually ride the bike to work (when it’s not raining), so it has been mostly city rides, navigating traffic lights. It is a short ride to work and so on the way I take a detour if I am early to work and head out to the highway to break her in. Also a short ride is not worth the time spent in gearing up. I have done a couple of short runs with pillion, the ride felt normal to me though a little more pressure on my arms, but doesn’t seem like it is comfortable for the pillion as expected. My sliding back ‘n’ forth in my seat and adjusting positions doesn’t help the pillion leaning on me.

The ride is awesome, overall the bike handles pretty well and she burns fuel the way speedo climbs. The bike is not for city rides she is made for tracks and highways. It gets tiring to ride her in crawling traffic especially with too many traffic lights. The bike is stable at higher speeds and inspires confidence with each mile. The horn is ‘weak’, I would have preferred a loud blast, but here generally all horns are weak. The clutch and the brake levers feel a little far to reach (with factory settings), need to adjust them, seem like a fairly easy procedure. The dealer said that he had adjusted the shocks for my weight and height, before the delivery. The projector head-light is pretty cool, though it is only for the high beam, I love projectors. I ride with the high beam during the day, was advised to do so by the dealer (who has been riding for 35 years). It makes the otherwise invisible motorbike more visible to other vehicles here. When I asked “won’t high beam irritate the oncoming driver”, the answer I got was “the more irritated the better, it increases the chances of them noticing you”, which is true here since the other drivers are not used to a lot of motorcycles. I think it helps in intersections, where oncoming traffic could cut into your path. I rode in low temperatures (-5 to 10 degree) and in rain (light); the bike did well, though my nose started watering and hands started getting numb to the end of the ride. Thankfully my helmet (have a Scorpion EXO 400) didn’t fog at all, so visibility was not a problem. I don’t ride in the nights, too much of a risk, even though I think the head-lights are pretty good for night riding. I initially liked the exhaust note, but now I think it can be a little louder (I don’t like too loud exhausts), maybe an upgrade sometime later. I haven’t crossed 6K rpm, mainly due to break-in.

Being a newbie here, the best part of my riding experience is getting the ‘wave’ from other sports-bikers; it makes me feel special. It feels good to be back on 2 wheels. It is definitely an ‘out of the world’ experience riding sports bikes.

Here are a couple of pics of the ride:

Attached Thumbnails

         

MG

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Binoy

Congrats man, shes looks hot
Its the first time i saw this colour combo which looks great.
Have a wonderful stay in xbhp and wish you long miles on you beauty

Ride Safe
CHEERS

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shelton_jh

Wow, what can I say. It's always been my dream to own a Gixxer but in my case it would be the 600. Liked the mode selector concept, for starters like us it would be a blessing. Nice write up, nice bike and awesome place to ride. Congrats and Ride safe

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kinshuk.arya

wow, hot ride.... nice color combo....

get her a pair of frame sliders. they protect the bike from getting scratched in case of a tip over.

also the pillion is not supposed to lean on you.... the pillions knees and thighs should be holding your lower body and their hands should either clasped around you (for high speed runs and acceleration) or rested on the fuel tank...
this should give you some relief from the wrist pain....

P.S: time to change your pic...

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rakshit rana

congrats mate.you got an amazing ride there & amazing place tho.just keep your right wrist under control till the time you get used to it & you'll soon get used to riding position too.RIDE SAFE

mbharat

Riding a motorcycle in India is obviously different from riding a motorcycle in North America (speed being the main factor, the other being very unpredictable weather). Looks like you have good gear, ride safe.

I would recommend sitting up straight and relaxing (I know, easier said than done). If you really want to have an upright seating position on the superbike, consider heli bars:

Heli Modified, Maine | HeliBars

If you plan on long rides, you should **really** get a Corbin seat:

Corbin Motorcycle Seats & Accessories | Cool Motorcycle Stuff since 1968 | 800-538-7035

Correct, ALWAYS ride with your high beams on (unless you have HID lights).
IMO, people in North America just don't care about motorcycles (there ARE a ton of us out there). In Europe (Italy) is where I felt people were most conducive to motorcycles. Don't know about Australia, New Zealand etc., never been there.

Get cold weather motorcycle gear, here is my fav. website on motorcycle gear:

Motorcycle Riding Suits

The scorpion exo (I have a 1000) visors are one of the best on the market, they don't fog at all (clean them with water ONLY, do NOT use any solvent(s)).

Good approach, one thing you may want to do is to change your oil (I changed mine within the first 50 miles). The reason is given (again from my fav. website) here:

New Motorcycle Check list, Break in

Note that you really should not run your bike hard (yes, I contradict the website above in that point) because running your bike hard during break-in will maximize horsepower AND minimize engine life (i.e..your bike will become a track bike).

Again, be really careful. That throttle is pretty sensitive. Ride safe, later.

Bartman

dual disc 200

That's one Sweet Ride mate..always loved the K7 & K8 color combos!

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becham_79

Thanks Guys! and thanks for approving the thread.

I have Shogun Frame Sliders, need to get them installed, probably will do during the first service. I don't have the proper tools to install it.
I thought I changed my pic, seems like I change the wrong one earlier, thanks...


Thanks for the suggestions mbharat.
I do mostly short runs, for long runs, I agree, need GEL seats or something like in the link you provided will be required.
I usually get my gear and accessories from Motorcycle Superstore - Motorcycle Accessories and Motorcycle Gear. Thanks for the links.
I not running the bike too hard, just trying to vary RPM and shift at ~5K in highways.
I have about 500km in the ODO by now. I haven't changed the oil. I read conflicting reviews online about the oil change, so decided to go by the manual, 1000km. Though I think doing the change at 50km is not a bad idea.

haxor

Congrats on getting your SBK.



Well,I disagree with that statement though,the more power you have,the more careful you have to be.
Liter class bikes accelerate like crazy and hence you have to have enough control on throttle and on yourself too.
Seen many accident videos on net and hence you need to be careful to stay alive as the drivers drive like crazy and don't respect 2 wheelers (happens everywhere)

Ride Safe!

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