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**kinshuk.arya** · 05-06-2016, 02:43 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Apologied for the delayed update, the thing is there is not much to update, not going on any rides for now, its just my daily commute to office,

The motorcycle is doing great however, spoiled by the Michelins in my FZ I have decided to change the front tyre of Pumba as well to the Michelin Pilot Street for better grip.

Have got the tyre will be changing it in a couple of days.

Have also ordered an MRF Vyde 170 Section for the rear, it is supposed to be a softer compound than the stock zappers and is wider by 20mm. Will have to take the motorcycle to the service center for that so will get that changed during the second service which is due shortly.

Also thinking of putting white paint on the side wall of the tyres. Any idea how it might look?

Thinking of getting the Saree guard removed too and use it for barbeque parties at home.

**Ritabroto** · 05-06-2016, 06:47 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by kinshuk.arya View Post

Apologied for the delayed update, the thing is there is not much to update, not going on any rides for now, its just my daily commute to office,

The motorcycle is doing great however, spoiled by the Michelins in my FZ I have decided to change the front tyre of Pumba as well to the Michelin Pilot Street for better grip.

Have got the tyre will be changing it in a couple of days.

Have also ordered an MRF Vyde 170 Section for the rear, it is supposed to be a softer compound than the stock zappers and is wider by 20mm. Will have to take the motorcycle to the service center for that so will get that changed during the second service which is due shortly.

Also thinking of putting white paint on the side wall of the tyres. Any idea how it might look?

Thinking of getting the Saree guard removed too and use it for barbeque parties at home.

LOL!!!! Saree guard in barbecue... thats a nice combination!!!!!!

**kinshuk.arya** · 05-19-2016, 04:28 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Hello All,

So the Pune dealer of Harley, 2 Rivers, organised a new event called the "Passport to Freedom" in their dealership.

The event was basically a seminar with snacks and cold drinks.

Sandeep Goswami aka the Old Fox a well known figure in the riding community of India was the speaker for the event. He talked about the following things

1. Braking in a motorcycle
2. things to do in sudden cases
3. Use and the need of ABS in bigger bikes
4. the need for honing the skills as a rider
5. Counter steering
6. Effect of wind
7. Riding in the heat, misconception of Mesh riding gear.
8. Safety Perception

there was an informal chat with him in between the session where we discussed why Harley is not giving ABS in the lower models, which is the best motorcycle from the Harley as a company and why is it not actually marketed by them :P

It was a really good and informative session. I just hope Harley keeps on organizing such sessions.

penning down however and whatever I remember,

Motorcycling does not care about your past records, a person can go down on the 31st turn after taking the previous 30 turns perfectly.

The contact patches which are our connection to this world while on a motorcycle are quite small, infact he had cut outs showing the actual contact patch which will be there in a big harley, the front patch was the size of cross section of an egg cut along the vertical axis and the rear is slightly bigger than the front same shape. So whenever you think of speeding always think that will those patches be enough to keep you connected to this world.

While heavy braking always use both the brakes, people talk about the percentages like 70-30 with 70 in the front or 60-40 but in a real life situation those percentages go down the gutter, so one needs to practice a lot, but one thing was sure front brakes are much more effective than the rear ones and one should use the rear majorly for stabilising the vehicle. and the front is more effective because of weight transfer of the motorcycle on the front tyre.

always keep only two fingers on the front brake any more than that and you might end up in the dust under panic braking.

while braking always try to keep your motorcycle as upright as possible. try and never brake while in a turn or while going over the speed breakers, brake before them and shed as much speed as needed.

in case of sudden appearance of a speed breaker go over it and keep the handle straight with a light pressure on the handle. do not try to grab the handle tightly, as the motorcycle will correct itself for any deviation from the vertical position.

in case of sudden appearance of other things like a car, dog, pedestrian etc, always try to brake and try to stop instead of swerving as swerving is a 3 step manoeuvre which might end up in the oncoming lane.

at high speeds tunneling effect comes into picture wherein the peripheral vision goes away almost completely.

keep changing your focus while on the road and do not fixate on any one single point.

technically the rider is riding blind when the eyes are trying to focus from the instrument panel to the horizon, so if a person is moving at a speed of 100kmph he is travelling 90 feet/sec and if it takes a second for hte eye to fcous the rider is blind for 90 feet.

Never outspeed your field of vision, and during the night never outspeed your headlights.

remain hydrated while in the heat, signs of dehydrations are colour of urine, excessive sweating, salt patchs on clothes and in case where you are not feeling any sweat stop immediately and cool down.

Mesh riding gears are worse than vented leather or textile in excess heat as it helps the air to remove the moisture from the skin.

Brake fading happens when the brakes are over heated, normally while going downhill for a long time with brakes engaged. in cases where one needs to go downhill for a long time one should use engine braking rather than brakes.

Never ride in the blind spot of other vehicles, and always overtake in as less time as possible.

ABS although an important aid is not a necessity if one can practice braking techniques.

ABS also distorts the safety perception of the rider making him think that the motorcycle will stop in any given situation perfectly, which in turn might create a more rash riding style, same goes for safety gear. so if one needs to be aware of the limitations of electronic aids and safety gear.

Effect of cross winds, when there is a heavy cross wind flowing the motorcycle automatically steers into it as per design to compensate for the effect of wind, but when the same motorcycle tries to overtake a bigger vehicle which completely cuts off the cross wind it might get dangerous as the motorcycle might end up hitting the other vehicle as it would have lost the balancing effect of the wind. same in vice versa when the overtaking step is complete.

Dont remember other points for now.

in the informal chat we discussed about V Rod, technically the most advanced motorcycle from the Harley stable and since Harleys sell because of their classic or vintage or old school design principals the company is not vey much interested in marketing the same.

**Deathmate.Zed** · 05-19-2016, 06:14 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by kinshuk.arya View Post

..motorcycle from the Harley stable and since Harleys sell because of their classic or vintage or old school design principals the company is not vey much interested in marketing the same.

Thanks for penning down the recollection Kinshuk! So this was another reason why you left early from office

**kinshuk.arya** · 05-23-2016, 11:40 AM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

So I finally got the most necessary addition on the Pumba, A Backrest. Finally my wife can sit pillion.

Got it done this weekend, the price for this one was 7000 INR as opposed to the 32000INR for the "Harley" one.

We did run into a bit of trouble while installing, one of the Hex screws out of 4 as per tradition started slipping on the Hex key, the mechani had to hammer it a lot and than use a flat screwdriver on one of the edges to keep it moving, other than that the installation was a breeze, it is a quick release type of backrest and can be removed from the motorcycle in less than 2 minutes.

It also has a provision to add a carrier later on.

The fit and finish is quite good, however I could see some paint peeling near one of the hex bolts, result of over tightening or vibrations I am not sure. I have notified it to the manufacturer but need your ideas as well on what can be done now?

Some pics of the backrest and Pumba.

Regards,
Kinshuk

**kinshuk.arya** · 06-21-2016, 02:50 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

I finally got the time to change the front tyre from the MRF zappers to the one which should have been there in the first place.

Got a Michelin Pilot Street 110/70 - R17 from snapdeal a couple of weeks back, but didnt get a chance to get it changed.

Here are some photos of the change, the process was quite easy but the major problem comes while fitting the caliper back on the disk, that alone took me and the mechanic almost an hour and a half, the rest of the process was done in 15 minutes flat.

The braking has improved a lot, the tyre doesnt skid or squeal under heavy braking, tested it yesterday, compared it to similar situations while using the MRFs. the looks have improved too.

for those who want to do it on their own, tools required are 24mm and 14 mm ring spanner, with 6 and 8 number allen keys. and also keep in mind the caliper takes a lot of effort to go back in.

couple of pics.

Will be changing the Rear tyre this weekend to MRF Vyde 170 section. and also the second service will be done at the same time.

Attached Files

**Wayfarer7** · 06-23-2016, 01:14 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Hi Kinshuk,

Did you order the MRF Vyde through an MRF dealer? Mind sharing the cost of the same and for the 150 section as well.

Thanks.

**kinshuk.arya** · 06-27-2016, 12:02 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Hello guys,

got the second servicing done for Pumba, costed me 6500Rs, including 3 liters of Engine oil, they also charged for engine drain bolt washer, some anti freeze coolant and a lot of taxes.

I also got the MRF Vyde 170 section tyre installed in the rear, The tyre cost was 9500INR and a 1200 INR for labour charges. the tyre looks good and feels much better in wet than the stock mrfs.

The Vyde has a softer compound in comparison to the Zappers.

Here are some pice of the tyre and the width of the contact patch.

the width of the contact patch, around 2 inches wide.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Originally posted by Wayfarer7 View Post

Hi Kinshuk,

Did you order the MRF Vyde through an MRF dealer? Mind sharing the cost of the same and for the 150 section as well.

Thanks.

Hey Wayfarer7,

Ordered the Vyde 170 through Harley delaership only. The cost is 9500INR, not sure of the cost of the 150 section but should be around 6000.

Regards,
Kinshuk

Attached Files

**dnewguy** · 06-27-2016, 12:44 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by kinshuk.arya View Post

Hello All,

So the Pune dealer of Harley, 2 Rivers, organised a new event called the "Passport to Freedom" in their dealership.

The event was basically a seminar with snacks and cold drinks.

Sandeep Goswami aka the Old Fox a well known figure in the riding community of India was the speaker for the event. He talked about the following things

1. Braking in a motorcycle
2. things to do in sudden cases
3. Use and the need of ABS in bigger bikes
4. the need for honing the skills as a rider
5. Counter steering
6. Effect of wind
7. Riding in the heat, misconception of Mesh riding gear.
8. Safety Perception

Hi Kinshuk

Many thanks for sharing the wisdom of Sir Old Fox.
I wonder if there is some video record of the event over youtube

His talks on riding and its various major/minor aspects are engaging and eye-openers.

Cheers.

P.s - What do you do with the old tyre..... keep it as a spare or sell it off to some dealer ?

**kinshuk.arya** · 06-27-2016, 06:14 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by dnewguy View Post

Hi Kinshuk

Many thanks for sharing the wisdom of Sir Old Fox.
I wonder if there is some video record of the event over youtube

His talks on riding and its various major/minor aspects are engaging and eye-openers.

Cheers.

P.s - What do you do with the old tyre..... keep it as a spare or sell it off to some dealer ?

Hey,

there is no video of the same with me.

Older tyre I like to sell off, if I can find any buyer.

Regards,
Kinshuk

**zestbiker** · 07-22-2017, 11:49 AM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Hello [MENTION=27129]kinshuk.arya[/MENTION]
Eagerly looking for more updates on your ownership of the Pumbaa mate.

**kinshuk.arya** · 07-24-2017, 10:13 AM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by zestbiker View Post

Hello @kinshuk.arya
Eagerly looking for more updates on your ownership of the Pumbaa mate.

Hey nothing much t update, no long rides just office commute, Pumba has completed 6500km now.

On add ons side, have added a tank raiser. (pics attached)

Regards,
Kinshuk

**experimentalhead** · 07-24-2017, 01:37 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Originally posted by kinshuk.arya View Post

Hello All,

So the Pune dealer of Harley, 2 Rivers, organised a new event called the "Passport to Freedom" in their dealership.

The event was basically a seminar with snacks and cold drinks.

Sandeep Goswami aka the Old Fox a well known figure in the riding community of India was the speaker for the event. He talked about the following things

1. Braking in a motorcycle
2. things to do in sudden cases
3. Use and the need of ABS in bigger bikes
4. the need for honing the skills as a rider
5. Counter steering
6. Effect of wind
7. Riding in the heat, misconception of Mesh riding gear.
8. Safety Perception

Thanks for sharing. Very important for anyone. We should never take our motorcycles, our skills and riding conditions for granted. Even best of the best have bitten the dust.

**kinshuk.arya** · 01-21-2019, 05:40 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Finally, after a long hiatus of 2 years I went for a long ride. This ride meant a great deal to me, as I wanted to check how I am going to fare and if my better half will still like to go on a long ride after the comfortable long drives in the XUV. The results were quite promising, it were so good that my better half has started thinking about going to Leh on a Motorcycle in the year 2020. I am still not sure if I can cover close to 6500kms on a motorcycle even on one as comfortable as the Street 750. But that is a discussion for another time.

The ride was a regular Breakfast ride for the Harley riders organized by the dealership in Pune, Two Rivers Harley Davidson. This weekend it was till Le Meridien in Mahabaleshwar. The distance between the assembly point @ CCD Ambegaon and the hotel is around a 100 kms. My Home from the assembly point is around 30 kms. So for me the distance was of 130kms one way.

The group met at the assembly point @6:30AM, 20+ motorcycles had assembled over there with close to 25 people as some of us had pillions with them as well. The motorcycles ranged from the tiny Street 750 to the humongous Fatboy and pretty much everything in between, there were a couple of Heritage Classics, a lot of Streets, a few Iron 883s, and some 1200 ones, including the Custom 1200, a Lowrider and a few Roadster. There was also a 2018 Fatbob. Some of the motorcycles were so loud that it became quite irritating to ride alongside them. Later on I observed that they had complete straight pipes and not just slip ons.

Starting from home the weather was slightly chilly but the actual effect of the cold was realized when we started from the assembly point and on to the open highway, living inside the city one fails to realize the actual temperature in the open. On top of the weather being quite chilly the wind chill factor was also made the ride slightly uncomfortable, my hands even though wrapped in leather riding gloves started to get number 20-25 minutes in the ride.

The ride was pretty uneventful but the sights that we got to see were amazing, there were areas where there was fog over the lake and rivers but not as dense on the highway. Once we started to climb the Ghat the wind chill factor reduced but the cold slightly increased hence negating it. Ghats are a totally different entity when done on a motorcycle. The bum started to get numb and the right side lower thigh muscle started to ache as that leg was not rested because of the continued usage of rear brakes (thanks to the infamous Erratic Indian traffic). Took one small break for a couple of minutes on the ghat to let it rest and then completed the journey to the hotel.

The breakfast was good although slightly on the expensive side, considering it was a special deal done by the dealership for the ride. While starting back there was a big group which came in some company picnic or such and then we came to realise the level of awareness related to riding gears which is effectively nill, as we had a lot of people asking the same thing why are we all so dressed like that. There were a couple of picture requests as well which normally went to the owners of the biggest motorcycles over there.

After a brief photo session, we started back stopped on the way for a couple of boxes of farm fresh strawberries, the ride down the ghat was troublesome this time as there was heavy traffic on the ghat of both light and heavy 4 wheelers, took almost 1.5 times more time as climbing the ghat.

Post the ghat the exhaustion and the stiffness in muscles started to take over and we were stopping after every 20-25kms, especially the last 70-80kms we stopped 4 times as I was finding it difficult to concentrate on both the riding and the muscle pains.

This was more a solo ride for me rather than a group ride although we started and ended at the same place people were riding pretty much on their own, at their own pace, some of the riders going as fast as 130-140kmph. Me and wife were at around 90-100 the entire time as I didnt have the heart to tackle Indian roads on speeds more than that.

The Motorcycle performed exceptionally well, no hiccups nothing no matter what the speed, there were slight vibrations on the footpegs at 100-110, but apart from that nothing from the motorcycle, and for the first time my motorcycle returned a mileage of more than 20kmpl on this ride, went for more than 220kms without the low fuel sign, which normally lights up in around 170kms in my daily commute.

Gem of an Engine and Gearbox.

Some pics from the ride. Couldn’t get much time for photosession on the way so some from the venues and couple when we stopped for strawberries.

**zestbiker** · 03-30-2019, 10:47 PM

Re: Pumbaa: Red Harley Street 750

Nice going by Pumbaa and it's owner.
Well tackling 270kms in a day two up balancing 400kg of combined weight around the twisties is bound to give some tiredness-n best of luck planning for the Leh trip.
I just did a 640km overnight trip on Holi day to the snow bound Prasahar lake on my HD whom i have christened Tera Chorinja

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