Great bro hats-off to you , i know there was something big coming in your travelogue.

Yours is the only thread which I regularly check.. A true biker.. Awesome man.. One question? How much have you clocked till now?

Trips like these and a bike log so detailed as this are an inspiration. Wishing you more miles on your midori

Wonderful ride, Sachin. I can see that you bought the N650 for a definite purpose and best of all, are putting it to that purpose with real gusto.

I also read the first four pages of your travelogue and was reminded of the numerous similar and more dangerous (read issue of life and death) experiences I have had in my life in the Army.

The one and only thing that saves the situation and the day is to a measured calm in the face of such contingencies, plus fast yet logical thinking on one's feet. I cannot write the more "interesting" episodes here but can share them with you if and when we meet in person.

Awesome Stuff ..Sachin Bhai.....

It's been close to 6 weeks I have not updated this thread and there was a good reason why this thread was not updated. I was BUSY riding!
So where was I? Well, I was on the longest trip I have done so far on the Ninja 650 and the ride was to the most happiest country in the world - BHUTAN!!!

I went through all high's and low's anyone could possibly think of and it was a roller-coaster ride for all of us on this trip. To give some numbers., 6 Bikers, 7500 kms, 7 States of India, 2 Countries and 20 days of insanity!

Talking about the bike that took it all and brought me back in one piece - Midori! I did not expect the bike to be flawless throughout the ride so starting with the problems before the good part. There are two major problems with Ninja 650 especially if you are a hardcore tourer.

1. Fan Problem: There is a high possibility that the motor of your fan might stop functioning if you are riding the bike in slush, mud and too much dust. What happens next is as soon as the engine temperature rises above 118 degrees the coolant warning light will be lit and you will realize that he fan has stopped working No I did not face this problem in the trip but since I have faced it once I thought this is the best time to highlight it. You can fix this problem by adding a fender extender to your front fender as it fender extender will prevent the slush and mud from entering the radiator. We had carried a spare fan in this trip just in case of emergency.
2. Fork Seal Problem: If you have never changed your fork seal before a long trip like me, and if you are stupid like me to do a 7500 kms ride without replacing them then go on and read further I have never replaced the fork seals of my bike until this trip and first day of the trip my fork seals started leaking oil after riding some 40 kms of bad roads. I was lucky enough to find a spare fork seal set available en-route and got it changed.

Other than this the bike does not have any major issues to talk about. I did manage to break my top case mounting kit in this ride and had to dismantle it and carry it back home

Coming to the good part of the bike, got a mileage of 27.2 kmpl in this trip and yes it is a big thing for a 650 cc parallel twin engine which is powerful yet efficient. Surprisingly, I only scraped the bumps on a couple of occasions in the entire trip due to my mistakes and overall there was no problems experienced with rest to GC. Very comfortable, powerful when you want it to be and took all bad roads possible although I must say it will take a toll on the rider on bad roads to manage this beast for prolonged hours. For e.g. From Trashigang to Samdrup Jonkar which is 180 kms out of which 140 kms there are literally no roads. It took us 7 hours to complete this stretch and on such roads I wished I had a bike with better suspension travel & button tires.

You can read follow the link below to read the travelogue if anyone is interested
LOST IN BHUTAN: 6 BIKERS, 20 DAYS, 7500 KMS OF INSANITY! - L.O.S.T.

Some pictures from the ride below

Fog, dirt tracks are the recipes for a memorable and adventurous road trip


Ninjutsus Relaxing
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At Chele La Pass, On the way to Haa Valley!
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Riding above clouds is a feeling beyond imagination!


Phobjika Valley is hands down my favourite place. Picturesque valleys, very few human population and peaceful.


Chele La Conquered


Phobjika Valley - A place made of dreams!

I have included a link to a document here, which is a comparison of the two bikes based on purely factual data - numbers only. This was an exercise for myself, just for the heck of it. You may find the torque and power entries interesting.



To me, the N650 was a higher version of my current CBR 250. Add one cylinder, increase the cc by about 400 and I get a N650. Both were bikes of the same genre - sports with a strong bias towards everyday riding and some touring thrown in.

Actually, even the CBR was my second choice. The first was the humble KLR650 or V Strom 650. It represented to me the optimal balance of power, comfort, fuel efficiency and MRS (Maintainability, Reliability and Serviceability - a superb concept in the Corps of Elec and Mech Engrs in the Army which I subscribe to; I am an infantry officer extremely interested in tech). It would allow me to ride solo as and where I wished plus allow my wife to tour with me. Sadly, both bikes are N/A in India thereby depriving an entire segment of riders from enjoying what IMO, are the most completely rounded bikes in the world.

The next inevitable option was the V Strom 1000 and XC series which invalidated themselves due to their exorbitant costs in India - I am not in the bracket which can spend 16 lacs on a motorcycle without causing serious retrograde changes in the lifestyle of my family of a wife and two grown kids.

So, I wanted a powerful and comfortable bike within my budget. It had to powerful enough to carry two near 6 footers and their luggage to Leh and back, yet do so with the max comfort possible, esp for the lady on the pillion.There did not seem any bike other than the Bonneville which achieved the above two QR within satisfactory norms. In addition, it had simple, inoffensive, classic looks and a glorious history.

In conclusion, for me, substance ALWAYS follows style, not the other way round. Therefore, if not the KLR650/V Strom 650, then the Bonneville would have to do, esp at my age and in the coming years; I am 45 now and should be able to ride for the next 20 years without too much pain.

After riding the N650 and the Bonneville, my decision to get the latter was further strengthened, primarily by the pillion comfort levels on it.

Sir actually am a rookie who will be upgrading straight from 125-150CCs to Ninja 650/ Bonnie/ Z800.

Sir actually am a rookie who will be upgrading straight from 125-150CCs to Ninja 650/ Bonnie/ Z800. Am actually scratching every inch of my body on deciding which to go for. I know all three are of different league. Things i loved about Z800 is looks, acceleration and the sweet exhaust note. Things I loved about Ninja is practicality but it isnt as attractive as other two(no offence to anyone). Then comes the bonnie, well what can i say about her? I love every bit of bonnie but when I see Z800 it just turns my head away from Bonnie

My question to you experienced people is how well are these three bikes to get adjusted to for a person like me coming from 150CCs? And how well these fair for a longer rides. And like @Sachinnair sir even am crazy about touring on my bike. Please feed me with your suggestions regarding these bikes.

Between just back from 2000 kms coastal Karnataka ride. Will share link for travelogue once it is ready

Cheers Guys!!