Hi friends,

Just thought of sharing with you all.

My bike was tested by Dilip Rogger(Ace racer) yesterday in the chennai track(MMSC). He was one of the greatest person I have met. Not just because of his talent, but for his down to earth personality and no ego. I feel proud to have spent time with such a person.

Ok now coming to the topic. The session was arranged by autocar. And Dilip was there to test and review my bike. Before he could test the bike, we had time to chat for around 2 hours.

Finally the track was clear(incredibally exotic cars were out which was waiting to be tested by Narain Karthikeyan who also was there), and then Dilip changed himself to full suit. He rode my bike around the track. And it was really really terrific to watch. The corners were at such high speeds, and he was completely down on knees. I was amazed to see my bike perform on the straight as well.

He came back to the pits after around 10 laps. I was waiting to know his feedback.

His feedback about the bike:
Did it meet his expectation? The answer is NO. It did not.

Cons about the bike:
1, suspension is soft needs to be harder. (This is adjustable)
2, Brakes are poor. (As per the SVC guys, my break pads has already worn out at time of first service and due for change. Not sure whether the feedback was because of that)
3, Aerodynamics are not great:
a, The front tyre has fully finished its rubber(contact with ground) on a corner while the rear tyre has little more left.
b, While breaking at a high speed corner, bike tries to lift up instead of slide. This might be due to the weight of the bike.

Pros about the bike:
1, Good torque
2, Cornering out is very good because of the torque
3, Not much vibrations as in a normal V-TWIN
4, Very stable(may be due to weight)

He concluded saying that this bike cannot be used for a race.

I felt dis-heartened to hear this, and was not very happy. After the session, bid goodbye to him and we(me and yuva aka @yuv_biking) left the track and I came to office.

After some thinking I feel much better now because of various reasons:
1, He is an expert rider who has seen world class bikes, and his level of comparison was based on that.
2, I never bought a GT thinking it should handle like a M1 on track. Nor I am going to be a racer, other than riding it on the track on a track-day.
3, I have now seen Dilip ride my bike in the track and I know what this bike can do in the hands of a pro. This is far higher than what I expected out of this bike. I am sure with experience I can achieve such control on my bike someday if I work on it harder, which I will.

Thought of sharing my heart out with you all guys, hence this post. There are some photos with yuva. As per request from autocar, We are not posting it until the magazine comes out. We will share it sooner.

It was nice of you to share his feedback with all of us. However, please remember that his feedback mirrored his expectations on the track. For regular use on the streets, the GT is more than enough.

Hey men_in_jean... You sound disappointed on his feedback, you really have no reason to be that way. I mean, your GT gets featured in one of India's largest auto magazine, how cool is that?

As far as the feedback is concerned, the suspension is obviously at Step3 out of factory and therefore a bit softer for his liking (or was it track prepped before Mr.Dilip rode it?) It still has two more steps to go to be stiff enough for a track blast. Also, the front fork damping and preload may need to be set for track. Add power commander V to it, Yoshimura Slip on, quick re-map on the dyno and BAM...!! Mr.Dilip may have a different opinion...

We all love the GT, its a sports tourer and meant to be treated that way, His conclusion saying that the bike cannot be used for race is very sensible, considering his levels of expectations and refinement. Maybe it cannot be raced as IS. but throw in the aftermarket stuff and shed weight, then who knows, it may become a different animal... and start sliding into high speed corners rather than lifting under brakes.

On Sunny's review and many others that i had read, I've noticed that both GT650R as well as N650R can be race honed with minor modifications.

Your points 2 and 3 are spot on!

You knew what you wanted and have it as well, not many others were lucky enough, i'd say keep riding, ride hard and ride safe, with enough experience, one fine day you'd graduate to Litre class and be on your merry way. Till then, fire up the GT650R and make it put a smile on your face lol...will wait for those pics...!!

Buddy, you and me have a similar mindset

men_in_jean... u dont need to bother about what Mr Dilip gave feedback on GT650R, since he is an expert rider the bike might not be upto his mark as he has ridden the best in its class which doesn't mean that GT is not a good one.

GT has everything in it to satisfy the thirst of an bike enthusiast, that too a beginner who likes to hold an SBK. You don't have to feel bad for the review... It is an amazing bike with the massive power suitable for both city and highway... So proud to be GT-ian .... It rocks

[QUOTE=men_in_jean;683159
2, I never bought a GT thinking it should handle like a M1 on track. Nor I am going to be a racer, other than riding it on the track on a track-day.
3, I have now seen Dilip ride my bike in the track and I know what this bike can do in the hands of a pro. This is far higher than what I expected out of this bike. I am sure with experience I can achieve such control on my bike someday if I work on it harder, which I will.

.[/QUOTE]


There are different bikes for different purposes.nowhere is a gt650 in stock condition claimed as a racetrack bike.also street bikes are differently configured and cannot be raced and race bikes are not ment to be ridden on street. at 5.5l we cannot expect a track racer

The looks ,fuel effeciency ,and overall ownership experience of gt650 makes it a really a bike to aspire for .

can you expect a ducati or r1 at 5.5 l?or is the stock ducati or r1 the same as racing configured to give the same experience on track?can any racing professional take a stock ducati or r1 with wornout tyres,discs etc etc and say this is most suitable for track as such?

no chance brother ...no way you can be disheartened....you have a extremely good deal at hand and enjoy your priced possession to the max.

millions of Indian bikers aspire to own a hyusoung today but their economic condition does not permit...You are one of the fortunate few who owns a bike like this ...enjoy

@men in jean next time u meet dilip roger tell my name (satish) he is my good friend,actually when i meet u in the hyosung showroom i told his name and u didn't notice it,hope u know him now !

I am not saying people don't like Busa, but most of the general people know about it, rather than any other superbike. So they make a general guess that its busa. Although i would love it too if some one call it ducati...

Man, you got it right. I am also never going to take it on race track and daily commuting on our great Indian roads (with lot of potholes). So i think its a best choice in price, in completing the fantasy of owing a supersports and get those speeds which you can only think about on indian motocycles.

@men_in_jean: Pardon my ignorance, but on high speed braking, is the bike not supposed to lift up rather than bottom out?
I have tried this a few times on my R15 (more out of fear of downsliding)&I found the bike lifted up&the lean angle reduced!

Thanks a lot bros.. It was that moment when he said it I felt disheartened .. later realizing the context he mentioned it I feel a lot better and now after hearing you guys i am clear.. Thanks for that..

I also thought so. But as per Mr. Dilip, the bike should slide with a mild touch on the brakes at a high speed corner which will help him make the turn more easy. I am really not able to picture it exactly the way he said it. Can someone here explain?

What Dilip means is that he wanted the bike to drift into the turn so he could negotiate the curve faster while already leaning.

Takes a lot of practice and skill to do this so dont try it out.

The stock rear brakes on big bikes are always less effective than the super sharp front brakes.

Race bikes therefore undergo a lot of modifications and thats why the pure bred racers are able to hammer the bikes to its limit.

The way i've been shown how to take high spd corners on RD is-
Slow in, fast out

1) Choose the Apex line
2) Shift weight and touch rear brake to help lean
3) Lean partially and apply front brakes to shift the bike's weight forward
4) Blip the throttle, downshift, match rev, clutch out
5) power out and counter steer (as needed) if the rear steps out more than what is necessary. (Never brake in middle of high speed corner)

The weight of the bike would help slide in/out of a corner
depending upon which part of the apex we decide to get on the powerband.

DISCLAIMER: Result of me trying this with my limited skill ended up
costing me torn ligament and broken left ankle.

Yamaha Commercial 2007 - R1 - YouTube

watch @ 1:18 for goosebumps...

A few more updates from my side . Done 3400 kms so far.

Hit a pothole 2 weeks back and the rim got bent . Total cost - 16.8k (fully covered under insurance) .

A small problem that i started facing recently is that it's getting harder and harder to put it on neutral . Jumps from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st gear skipping neutral . I'll get it checked soon . Any ideas why that could be happening ??

On a happy note , I crossed 200 kmph for the first time today !!
What an adrenaline rush !!

Congrats! Its a special feeling isn't it?

Congrats brat on booking the GT650R.You will definitely not be disappointed with the bike.Be ready to answer a lot of question from onlookers about the bike.
Congrats patty on getting delivery of your GT650R.Yeah bro while shifting to the 1st gear it does make a "Dhudd" noise.I too love the exhaust and don't see a need for a slip on exhaust.