Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

In no time brother...you shall see it soon

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

Been some weeks now since I have not put anything up here. So did I stop riding regularly ? Or was I too busy and caught up with work ? Maybe I was abducted by the Aliens ?
None of them. Took a couple of weeks away from weekend rides after reading the article by Schumi on OD. Add to that refrain from updating about a next door Sunday morning breakfast ride I did.

Well, time to share some of the busting that went around during this time.

Since my last ride, The ODO of the Roadbuster has gone up by almost 1000 points owing to mostly commuting, a little ride to Shoolagiri for breakfast a couple of weeks back and an over nighter, a first for the Roadbuster and me, at Yercaud. The over nighter happened this week and turned out to be one hell of an epic ride. 14 bikes from all the genres in all the hues of the spectrum flowing like a colorful river for a couple of hundred kilometers.

Ride 1:

A Hungry Morning !

Distance : 100 kms

Time : 3 hours (0630 till 0930 on 11 07 2015)

Bangalore - Shoolagiri - Bangalore

Stop : None !

Average : 21 kmpl

Log:The group with which I have been riding since the conception of the Roadbuster was slowly but steadily building up a plan for an over nighter. This was less because most of the nearby places were done and dusted with and more because we are comfortable with each other's riding styles and do end up having good times at most times. The plan was almost locked and loaded and the finer details needed to be ironed out. This lead us to have a really short breakfast ride to Shoolagiri . We started, late, at 0630 from the spot right after the ecity flyover. A dozen of us gathered and started on our way. We reached Shoolagiri in no time. Ordered our MacDs and Idlis, chatted and laughed and at least discussed the logistics for the 'overnighter' . I had not decided till then whether I would be able to make it, thanks to some chores from the 'other' side. We filled our empty stomachs and turned around. And we were soon back and telling our goodbyes. The only highlight of the little ride being me 'overshooting' a U turn and riding a few kilometers in the process and everyone having a good laugh at that. A good friendly breakfast ride which was more about the people than the rides and the ride.

Photos :








ODO : Insignificant !!!

Ride 2:
A Journey, A Night & A Road To Remember !

Distance : 490 kms

Time : 32.5 hours (0600 on 25 07 2015 till 1430 on 26 07 2015)

Bangalore - Salem- Yercaud - Salem - Bangalore

Stop : Many and one whole night !

Average : 19 kmpl

Log:
I thank the holy mother of God and the God of the lands that I was able to convince the 'other' side and found myself paying up for the stay and gearing up for the ride one week in from the Shoolagiri ride. If I had not been able to adjust, thanks to a Minion movie, I would have missed the ride of my life !

A week before the reservations were made thanks to our exceptionally capable ride manager. The place was booked. understanding was made that we would park our darlings right in front of the place where we slept the night out. What started off with 6, ended up with 14 riders. All sane and all fun. Like a group of penguins. All happy, similar, excited and in order.

Quick checks and packing a night before so that I don't end up forgetting any of the must-haves followed by a cleaning and chain clean and lube done, i went off to sleep, pretty late, at 0100 on the 25th and I was up at 0500 again, all excited and jumpy !!!

Left home at around 0600. Struggled with tying the luggage to the motorcycle for 15 or so minutes in the middle of the road as it kept slipping and moving, to the amusement of a few young women who giggled themselves to happiness early in the morning watching a fully geared rider struggle with the ropes, bag and a green spectacular bike. I never looked up towards them but few of the comments were hilarious !!! On fastened, to their 'awww's, I was back on my way to the meeting point but, for the first time, having made people wait at the meeting point !

At the meeting points was this never before seen sight for me. More than a dozen riders, decd in gear, around their multi hued machines along the side of the road. A little help from the experienced ones means I could get the luggage on nice and safe and we were ready to get a move on.

Finally, after all planning in the last couple of weeks, we were about to implement the plan !!! Introductions and safety briefing later we were on our way for, what would turn out to be, an epic ride.

We were soon at our regular breakfast point on this stretch, the Shoolagiri MacD. Just like a couple of weeks back, few enjoy the American junk while others filled themselves up with traditional Indian for breakfast that had to fuel us for the next few hours of journey, till we were atop Yercaud.

We had decided to not ride in a huge single group and cause havoc to the traffic on the highway, like many do. Instead, like always, we rode how we were comfortable and got together at the toll booths where we would wait a couple of minutes, have some refreshments and carry on again. Simple effective efficient and you don't irritate that driver on the road either.

The altitude was decreasing and, with it, the mercury was shooting out. We were soon at Salem. We decided to fill ourselves and our steeds up here. Water, Coconut water and some Bharat Petroleum was served as required. This was the prologue to what must be the best hill road I have done on the Roadbuster, the climb to Yercaud.

Yercaud is five thousand odd feets above the sea level and is a decently sized hill station. Having grown up around Darjeeling, hill stations have always been special to me. The vibrant greens, the sun playing possum, the unpredictable rains and the winding roads, like a snake resting after a good heavy afternoon meal, all play a role to create an experience that is unprecedented, at least to the inner child in me.

After dodging some Bengaluru level traffic at Salem, we were soon at the foothill. A few bucks paid as 'entry fee' and we were on our way up. The roads in tamil nadu are a revelation. They are perfectly laid most of the times. They are marked well. Potholes are hard to come by. And these wonderful tarmacs are filled up with imbeciles !!! Luckily though, we had made good time and that meant we did not face much traffic on the way up, save a cloud or two of traffic, thanks to a humongous bus struggling and chugging along at tortoise speeds and thus causing a serpent of slow vehicles. While some others were due to drivers trying to pull on higher gears and having no idea about lines that should be taken to keep moving like a car should.

We pushed our machines and we grinned while doing that ! The chicken strips were formed. The sweeping curves and the 20 hairpins and every technical sections just meant one thing ! Fun ! These roads were made for motorcycles. You lean. You power out of corners. You keep the lines. And you grin. Just not any grin, a mental grin. And while you are having that much fun, you would soon realise, around the 10th hairpin, that the temperatures have plummeted and a cool breeze is striking your, what was a 200 kms tired , face. After stopping right at the end of the climb we gathered again, had some fun discussing the curves and soon moved on to the place we would set-up our tents for the evening, the 'Golden Nest Resort'.

Once in the resort, which was atop one of the numerous hills with a breathtaking view and very near to the Yercaud Lake, we parked our machines in front of our little cottage, we changed, freshened up, watched the video from our climb and went for our semi heavy lunch. Now the cuisine is the Chettinad and the food was cooked great. The various preparations of chicken, I have special affinity towards anything non vegeterian, were lip smacking and portions of rice, daal and sides were humongous. So much so that we returned half the rice plates !!!

Once done with the lunch, we absorbed the beauty that was in the view right in front of the restaurant of the hotel ! Green hills all around. Clouds looking like wool knit scarves on them. Little rays of sub, shining through little cloud pockets and illuminating patches of hills or the reservoir far away in the horizon. Then we discussed our next course of action, 'The Loop'

'The Loop' as we started to call the scenic narrow hilly road around Yercaud was a 30 odd kilometer of typical hill road flanked by more green that one can imagine. Trees of various shapes and sizes, shrubs, grass and the little road with almost non existent traffic makes you feel like what Adam would have felt if he was 'riding' through the garden of Eden. Luckily, as anticipated, rains started to hit Yercaud as soon as we were about to leave our abode to do 'The Loop'. This meant the ones who were not ready with the rain gear and wasn't sure about riding in the wet, especially on hilly roads, gave the trip a skip and 7 of us ended up doing this bit. For me, these 30kms and a couple of hours was the highlight of the ride. One with the nature, with the Roadbuster, as drizzle turned into torrential rains half way through 'The Loop'. We took the roads with utmost care and no hurry. A few of us were soaking and so we decided to stop for awhile. We found shelter in the verandah of a little village house with a roof. We warmed ourselves here. The old lady, who was the owner of the place, was the nicest of human beings you will come across. Didn't ask us anything. Let us stand and wait. Lovely woman !

Once we were a bit warmed up, we continued on with 'The Loop'. The rain succumbed a bit and gave up completely once we completed, let me say this one last time, 'The Loop'. It was as if the heavens had opened up just to make us experience the serenity and tranquillity of the place in full glory. Wish I could live in such a place ! Alas !

Back in Yercaud town and just by the lake, we waited as others picked up some things that they wanted. As I was looking behind while sitting on the saddle, parked of course, someone was licking Roadbuster's headlamps. 'Holy Cow !', quite literally.

Some photos and we were back at the resort. Parked our steeds. Dried ourselves. Watched the sun set and put a show to remember while doing so. Sipped on some beverages and retreated back into the rooms just after the darkness had covered the misty mountains making it look so ghastly, which, a moment or two ago looked so glorious reciprocating the last rays of the sun as it bid adieu to the day.

The night brought us good food, good weather, good talks and, most importantly, awesome few hours as we talked our hearts out, just like each one of us ride our hearts out each time we are in the saddle. The evening shall be remembered for a very long time to come as a memory of great joy, the kind you share with your grand children.

Late but we did go to sleep. All up early next morning again to the sun shining once again and the eerie hills had started to smile again. We refreshed ourselves, had our 'complementary' breakfast, mounted the luggage on the machine and were all set to get a move on. Bills paid, we flew down the lovely hilly roads again at around 1100 on 26th July. A photo session at the 20th hairpin apart, there was no stopping save for the traffic which was substantially heavier that day. Nevertheless we glided down the serpent like a teenager on a water slide, with a grin etched right across our faces.

The temperatures began to shoot up as we descended. Another quick stop at the Bharat Petroleum to fill up and we were soon out of the heavily congested Salem. We followed the same routine from there on and stopped at toll booths to gather up and continue.

The group stopped just before Krishnagiri while I continued on my way home as I had to be home by lunch. A little drizzle greeted me right after Krishangiri which was very welcome with the heat shooting up.

Soon back at Bangalore and a tank full up later, I was home at 0230.

As I parked the Roadbuster and noted down the readings for my diligently maintained log, I was tired and sweating but smiling, happy and content with how she fared in the multitude of situations on the road and how lovely the ride was, thanks to the co riders I had, right from a 25 year told to a 57 year old, all equally capable, helping and, perfectly, nice people. I pondered what I would have missed if we had called out 'The Loop' ride that evening due to rain. I realised I had met a group of wonderful people, just not the fabulous riders, in the lady who gave us shelter without a question, the guys who served us at the resort in spite of us making a mess there, the manger of the place who wanted to take the photo of the lovely sunset as the sun shone on the reservoir in the horizon, a wonderful sight far away, just like the ride will seem to be in a few days from now.

Kudos and to more we go !

Photos :













'Holy Cow' !










Chicken Strips !!!






Videos :
1. Yercaud to 'Golden Nest Resort'


2. 'The Loop'




3. Descent from Yercaud - From my handlebar camera


ODO : 4880 Kms

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !


Epic man..!! That was hilarious.!!

Great pics BTW, interested to see the videos..!

Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

RB looks huge when compared to the other 3 in the last photo. Good going buddy

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

Videos Up !

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

Bought action camera? Which one? Where did you mount? How ?

Sent from my OnePlus

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !



Yes. Xiaomi Yi. Handlebar. Handlebar mount

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

How much ?
Water proof?

[emoji83]

Sent from my OnePlus

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

5.1K.
No. Need extra casing, ordered from Chinaexpress.

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

A Fly By The Neighbourhood !

Distance : 74 kms

Time : 2 hours (0600 till 0800 on 02 08 2015)

Bangalore - Shivanahalli - Harohalli - Bangalore

Stop : Many small ones

Average : 18 kmpl

Log:

Still not out of the biking-hangover of the over nighter at Yercaud, another weekend had arrived. There were a few plans flying around about real long ones but I did not want do one, given the monsoon and that I had done one just a week back.

Everything meant it was going to be a solo one and a short one as 1000 AM was the mark I had to hit to return. My photographer friend, who takes crazy brilliant photos of birds and animals, had suggested me the road to 'Shivanahalli'. The place is hardly 20 kilometres from home so it would be not worth waking up and doing all the pre ride rituals for that little a ride. This lead to me opening Google maps on my 24 inch screened PC, full zoom onto Shivanahalli and find roads to make it worthwhile.

Closer inspection suggested the road would take me through a forest and, with a bit of dilly dallying, would take me to Harohalli, which is a few kilometres before Kanakapura. Add destination and loop made on maps, the total distance was to be a respectable 74 kilometers. Good enough to ride ! A very short one though and probably no surprises. Well ! Gobsmack !

So, I was out at my pre decided time of 0600 AM and was wheezing through Bannerghata road. High beams blinding me, over anxious dogs galore on the road sides ready to do a suicide slayer on me and more pot holes than dogs on kanakapura roads on chilly mornings !!!

Google Navigation, talk about being dependent on Google (!!!), talking into my ears with her spot on Indian Accent and being my North Star !! Soon I took the little left lane towards Shivanahalli. This looked like a little. one bus wide or a bit more. well laid lane that was flanked by green through and through.

With the clouds and the time of the year, the sun rises later than a month back. It felt brilliant to the smog subjected lung as I breathe in some pure air. A few photos taken and soon the roads were becoming worse but nothing threatening or alarming.

The view was magnificent and to think this place was so near from where I put up was a great realization in itself.

As I continued, the tarmac soon gave way, soon after a BMTC bus went by, to trail road. Gravel, red sad and rocks. Tiger, from Triumph, territory. I pondered for a second whether I should turn around and head back or if I should continue exploring. I decided on the later.

Riding on the trail was fun and I am somewhat acquainted to how the Roadbuster behaves in these kinds of roads, thanks to my office commute, yeah Bangalore !

Soon though, the trails became rougher and going got stickier as the road sloped downwards as we went past a check post that had the sign to let everyone know that this was an elephant crossing ! Kept chugging along as Roadbuster took to it like a champion ! Never expected her to perform so well in this kind of tricky situations. You could feel the rear wiggle and move a bit, thanks to the moisture all around, but nothing worrying. The view, mostly breathtaking, helped in easing bit of the nerves too.

After a few kilometers of trail riding, the road took us straight into a village and through it I rode, with shocked eyes of villagers with smiles etched on their faces at the sight of the geared rider ! Insane, that's what they were calling me for sure. Soon, after asking a few of them and following Maps through 2 feet lanes while dodging cow crap, we met well laid tarmac again. The joy of meeting tarmac was something I was feeling for the first time. After all that trailblazing, tarmac felt orgasmically good and Roadbuster was etching to go again.

The road linked me back to the bypass from Anekal to Harohalli. Perfect tarmac painted beautifully, except for a few parts of pot hole painted, and empty, save for a few crazy helmet-devoid pulsar riders, who went crazy; shouting and gesturing; wanted to race me. I did what I always do in these situations, slowed down and let them win themselves to glory and slow down to celebrate and it worked. Accelerated then and, in no time, we were out of their sights.

Harohalli came pretty soon. Like umpteen times before in the morning, had a few gulps of water and moved towards Bangalore. Good, comparatively empty Kanakapura road took me back home in not too much time, 40 kilometers odd.

Tanked her up at Kanakapura SHELL. Fuel price looked so stunning, almost like Rosie Hu...you know who, with 6 as the first digit. Fall on crude ! Fall on !

We were home by 0800 AM so we avoided the rush that we normally encounter on the return from a Sunday morning ride. Quickly to home, done with 74 KMs in 2 hours flat, and everyone was still fast asleep at home. Weather was still lovely, grey and coldish, so decided hit the sack again

The ride felt like a dream after I woke up a couple of hours later, a dream where I clicked past the 5 0 0 0 Kms on the odometer, on a 4 feet wide road through a little forest, of a mean G reen Kawasaki Superbike!!! Absolutely living the dream ! To more we go !

Photos :

Stats:


Route:


Green And Greener






Milestone !


Videos:


ODO : 5048 Kms

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

[MENTION=70393]Sourjya Guha[/MENTION] [MENTION=46089]djay99[/MENTION] [MENTION=13997]Shreeni0403[/MENTION]

Guys, I am going for a ride down south and will be in Bangalore this weekend. If you guys have time lets meetup.
Either of you please PM me your contact information, so we can sync up offline.

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

Rant Update :

Quite some time since I have added anything here. Time to get a quick update going !

Well, I firmly believe, life flows sinusoidally, with clear crests and troughs ! And a trough has been hit. It is like when you are walking along a lovely beach with a crimson sunset and a teal horizon, when suddenly you are struck by a falling coconut and then you lose your sense and fall into a glut of animal faeces, only to shortly realize that a Pelican has decided to do its morning task on you while a red crab decided to break the monotony by cracking a couple of nuts, not the coconut;sadly !

More germane to this forum, about the crest bit of the Roadbuster, which is less than one tenths of the worry of the crest I have talked about !

Roadbuster has done another 1000 odd kilometers since. On the lesser side, one must say. Her life blood, the battery, developed an issue. No one knows how and why ! She refused to crank right in the middle of a, traffic congested, fly over in Bangalore. I had to push start her. I do not know how I managed to gather the power required to do so but I did it !

I immediately reported this to the infamous Khivraj service centre on Kasturba road. The 'guy' came in to my office. Verified, with his multimeter, that the battery, though it showed correct voltage then, had to be replaced with a red led ! The histrionics starts from here.

1. I was asked to drop the battery so that they could charge it and that might solve the issue. They did so for 2 days. Told it was back green and should work fine again.

2. 2 weeks since and I had to push start her again. Luckily, this time it was in my garage and the slope came to my rescue.

3. I take her to the SS in the next weekend. They check some parameters and take photos and tell me that they would send that over to their 'head' in Pune. Once he verifies
the data and sends his approval, I could get the new battery. They promise me it will be done that day, keep me waiting till evening and continue with their baloney.
At around 5, after wasting my entire day, the 'guy' lets me know that Mr 'head' is on vacation and nothing can move till he is back. I controlled my anger and returned.

4. Mr 'head' responds to the testing that the 'guy' did only on next Tuesday. I give a piece of my mind and the 'guy' comes in to check more readings that Mr 'head' had
suggested. They take and leave and tell me that they will let me know once they are ready for replacement ! We are approaching 2 months from the date of conception of
the problem at this point of time.

5. Mr 'Head' takes another week to come up with his next response, to do further testing!!! To verify if the stator coil is fine or no ! This is when I lost my patience and vented
out all the 'good' things I had accumulated, while managing with a semi dead battery, while pushing her to start a grand total of 4 times though all 3 next times happened
in my garage !

6. I talk in detail and decide to book my 2nd servicing as I had crossed 6000 on the ODO a few weeks before the 6 month time frame ! I revisit the SS, a 4th time. More tests
done and, what they call, servicing done, the 'guy' sends his reports to Mr 'head' in Pune once again and awaits response. Nothing. Not picking up either of his phones
either. I was ready chastise these gentleman at this point of time. With other customers around, the 'guy' decided to make a run to his 'GM' and returned after an hour or
so with the news that he would change the battery at that point of time and Mr 'Head' will be tackled later appropriately for his king like behaviour ! I come back with a
serviced and a, once more, fully alive after more than 2 months - Roadbuster !

It is almost unfathomable that there is no person in Bangalore who can approve warranties and one has to depend on 1 person, in Pune, who does not have an iota of sense of how to deal with customers or the bare minimum professional ethics !!! It is just me who knows how mentally tiring those moments were when you were about to crank her up and did not know whether she will start or no, dreaded moments in traffic lights and I conceded to not switching off the engine at lights !

Well, just like the succulent red cherry on the sumptuous cake, I had the first puncture on the rear, while I was on my way to the service center for the second service, which was plugged in. Around half a dozen other little pins were found that could not do the ultimate damage. And the cream on top of the cherry, while pushing her at the fuel pump with a slight shoulder pain, she fell. This would not happen if a layer of the kevlar grip patch of my right glove did not give way right at that moment, after almost 2 years. Even then, I could have stopped it from falling, had my shoulder been fine but I did not have the strength had to lay her down slowly, on her right. The good fellas at the Shell immediately came to the rescue. No damages luckily. She rested on the number plate, which bent at the edge, which did not allow the exhaust to touch the ground. The frame sliders worked perfect too. Just a bit of garnishing then, the pressure wash at the service centre peeled a little bit of the '800' sticker ! Oh ! the plate for the heavenly cake ! Still to get the bill for the last service that will include the details of the new battery as well. No response yet. 7 days delayed already !

Kudos ! Till later with better things, hopefully !

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !


Have you been riding a lot in the city lately?
If yes, then 10 bucks says that its the ABS thats causing the battery drain. A well known issue in this country.

Because logically, ABS + DRL + Fan + Horn(if used) is a huge load on the battery, and due to the low speeds and start-stop traffic, the dynamo doesn't kick in.

Go through this thread, if you haven't already. http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/motorcyc...-problems.html

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !

The dynamo kicks in at idle. The max voltage is reached around 4000 rpm mark. Charging process is working spot on. The battery was conked as it couldn't hold charge for long. I'm suspecting a lemon. New battery behaving as expected. None of the mechanical or electrical component is working as it shouldn't. Shouldn't the Duke have similar issues then? With similar setup and heat. Either way will soon know if there is something deeper if the issue returns. Also no other Z has faced this issue.

Re: Houston ! We Have a Situation ! ROADBUSTER is coming in !


The Duke doesnt have that powerful a fan, and no DRLs either. And the dynamo may kick in at idle, but maybe it is not adequate enough, keeping in mind the heavy load. And I believe no other Z800 is used as much in traffic(I dont even know if yours is, but the post above certainly makes it sound so).