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Impressions: After the first 1000kms
Been following the thread silently, and here are my thoughts after the run-in period:
Pros:
Excellent acceleration (this bike is not meant for smooth acceleration, rather maxing out at every gear), and good high speed stability at cruising speeds (120kph).
The suspension is generally hard, but handling is top notch and provides extra confidence. I am easily riding 20-30% faster in everyday conditions over my old bike (Apache 180)
Excellent tires and good braking (though rear seems to engage fully at even the slightest touch)
Cons:
The gear box is clunky at best. The first three gears are really clunky (and engages with a scary thud), 4th and above is generally smooth. The Apache had much better shifts (and I wonder how a Honda must feel considering that it has the best gearboxes... generally speaking). Have heard that it will get smoother with time, but as of now...
Unreliable fuel gauge. Goes from half to low fuel suddenly (I generally reset a trip meter at every fill and keep an eye out for the 200km mark.) I get about 220 kms from about 9l of fuel.
Issues:
The engine shuts off randomly while shifting especially at lower gears. I am yet to figure out the reason (and a way to reproduce it. Happens randomly). I have spoken to the ASS but they are not aware of any such problems. This might be a huge problem if it happens at higher speeds (it did happen to be once when I shifted down from 5th to 4th while riding at 70kph. Thankfully the clutch was engaged and pressing the starter immediately brought the engine back to life and I escaped. It was especially scary since I was in an expressway with heavy traffic.)
There is a minor oil leakage from one of the engine seals, and the head gasket needs replacement. But the spares are not available (wtf!). The ASS assured me that it is not a huge problem since the leakage is little, and there is nothing to worry about. It will be replaced later.
Many wires are exposed and only covered by tapes. Unlikely they will last long. Guess will have to be on constant lookout, since if the electricals fail the bike will not go anywhere.
About the ASS, I was at one of the more recommended ASS (Bagga Link, Kirti Nagar, Delhi). At best the service is decent, but as usual the mechanic simply refuses to listen to your problems and will only try and escape with the regular oil change, chain tightening and air filter cleaning. They try to put every problem under the carpet. However, the manager is quite nice and attends to issues.
Been following the thread silently, and here are my thoughts after the run-in period:
Pros:
Excellent acceleration (this bike is not meant for smooth acceleration, rather maxing out at every gear), and good high speed stability at cruising speeds (120kph).
The suspension is generally hard, but handling is top notch and provides extra confidence. I am easily riding 20-30% faster in everyday conditions over my old bike (Apache 180)
Excellent tires and good braking (though rear seems to engage fully at even the slightest touch)
Cons:
The gear box is clunky at best. The first three gears are really clunky (and engages with a scary thud), 4th and above is generally smooth. The Apache had much better shifts (and I wonder how a Honda must feel considering that it has the best gearboxes... generally speaking). Have heard that it will get smoother with time, but as of now...
Unreliable fuel gauge. Goes from half to low fuel suddenly (I generally reset a trip meter at every fill and keep an eye out for the 200km mark.) I get about 220 kms from about 9l of fuel.
Issues:
The engine shuts off randomly while shifting especially at lower gears. I am yet to figure out the reason (and a way to reproduce it. Happens randomly). I have spoken to the ASS but they are not aware of any such problems. This might be a huge problem if it happens at higher speeds (it did happen to be once when I shifted down from 5th to 4th while riding at 70kph. Thankfully the clutch was engaged and pressing the starter immediately brought the engine back to life and I escaped. It was especially scary since I was in an expressway with heavy traffic.)
There is a minor oil leakage from one of the engine seals, and the head gasket needs replacement. But the spares are not available (wtf!). The ASS assured me that it is not a huge problem since the leakage is little, and there is nothing to worry about. It will be replaced later.
Many wires are exposed and only covered by tapes. Unlikely they will last long. Guess will have to be on constant lookout, since if the electricals fail the bike will not go anywhere.
About the ASS, I was at one of the more recommended ASS (Bagga Link, Kirti Nagar, Delhi). At best the service is decent, but as usual the mechanic simply refuses to listen to your problems and will only try and escape with the regular oil change, chain tightening and air filter cleaning. They try to put every problem under the carpet. However, the manager is quite nice and attends to issues.
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