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This is both a review of Joel’s big bore and FFE on my RTR 180 as well as my trip log of Mumbai – Bangalore journey. I was thinking of getting Joel’s kit since I bought my bike. In fact I bought the RTR with the intention of getting it modified further. Exchanged a few emails with Joel and he advised if I came down to Bangalore he himself would set up the kit. Asked a few friends but no one was free so decided to ride down alone in Diwali holidays from 26 -30 Oct.
Day 1 – Started at 4 am in the morning. Rode at 60-70 on pitch dark roads and as a result of the darkness plus my general directional confusion, I ended up heading towards Nasik highway. By the time I realized I was going in the wrong direction I had lost almost an hour. Asked a slumbering cop about the way to NH4 and he guided me to Kalyan Silphata road. That was the worst part of the day. The road was Hell, may be something like where Bad Bikers go after they die. Made it out after more than an hour.
By now the sun was shining and I had lost the advantage of my early start. Saw the exit for Lonavla on expressway and again thinking (wrongly again) that I will get another exit further got on to the expressway. That was really great for some time but later realized that no exit was in sight. Asked some IRB guys and they asked to pay a rs 1000 fine. Told them didn’t want to be here in the first place and they relented and guided me to nearest exit.
From there on wards I tried to keep speeds near 100kph if was to reach Bangalore same day. And judging by the roads and traffic it was fairly easy. It would be really fun to ride a more powerful bike on NH4. It also occurred to me that if I made it I could do a Saddle sore on the same highway sometime. Hadn’t eaten anything since the morning so stopped for breakfast at around 11 am after riding continuously for about 300 kms. Started again and concentrated on keeping near 100 kph wherever possible.
Roads were really awesome. And so was the bike. Even after 300 kms non stop at speeds in excess of 90 kph there was no change in sound or lag in response from the RTR 180. Its really built to be a lambi race ka ghoda!
Nearing Kolhapur and Karnataka Border the scenery really blows your mind away. I confess I am not a fan of taking pictures when I ride but some places were too difficult to resist like The Ghatprabha River.
Stopped 3 times to refuel only and had some dry fruits at the same time to save time. One important thing I have realized in long distance touring is that even 5-10 min breaks can affect a lot in your ETA if you don’t have a vehicle that can pick up speeds quickly and stay there for hours. Thanks to RTR I had no such problems but nevertheless I tried avoiding stopping unless absolutely essential such as giving updates to my family (who by the way were under the impression that I was riding with another friend!). My main intention in reaching before nightfall was that I also had to search for Joel’s workshop and find a place to spend the night.
By around 6.30 pm I was only about 200 kms from Bangalore but then as I had heard and later started believing – Man proposes, God disposes. It started raining. Not light showers but torrential rains the kind we get in July. Had no option but to turn into the nearest Dhaba. Had hot Chicken with Rotis and asked about where to spend the night. Learnt that the nearest hotel would be around 50 kms away in Chitraurga. Couldn’t see anything in the rain so asked if I could spend the night at the dhaba. The waiter said I could sleep in his quarters but it was flooded due to rain. But the fellow was kind enough to get a flattened carton to sleep on the floor. So with my Riding jacket for warmth and backpack as a pillow I camped out in the verandah of the dhaba.
A few minutes had passed since I laid down, I felt a scurrying noise near my feet. Got up and saw a small rat trying to get past me. Maybe it was his place for the night! But he ran off as I got up. So I again settled down and had a good sleep. Day 2 – Woke up and rode at moderate speeds of 60-70 as I was entering the city and hence pedestrian traffic was also increasing. Reached Joel’s workshop after some asking around. I found the traffic very well behaved in Bangalore as compared to Mumbai. Even directions and other signs were very helpful and the weather is so perfect for riding! I really envy fellow bikers in Bangalore! Gave the bike to Joel who suggested the Big bore and FFe and also some Headwork and a bigger carb with performance air filter.
All this was to sustain triple digit speeds for hours during touring as well as improving efficiency. Checked into a nearby hotel and had something to eat after a long time.
Slept through most of the day and also visited Joel a number of times because I had nothing to do.
Day 3 – Got the bike around evening and had a short ride and was blown away by what it had become. Joel said he had upjetted my existing carb instead of a bigger one. Revved more than 5 k in first gear before I realized what was happening. The bike simply pulled without any complaints. Thanks Joel and Dennis!
Visited a relative and spent the night there. Next started pretty late and wasn’t in a hurry since Joel had instructed to keep under 5k rpm for 400 kms before I could go higher. That was the tough part. Somehow completed 400 kms till evening and soon as I was ready to rip, it started raining again. I was too frustrated even to curse out loud. Decided to call it a day. Had hot dal and roti and slept at the hotel nearby.
Next morning was fun. Was ripping the bike till 120 kph and not a sound or lag anywhere. Was most delighted with the exhaust note, which jarring at first, had mellowed down to a pleasing, bassy tune.
However it was not meant to be. At around 8.30 am, stopped to stretch my legs and to my surprise saw that the valve timing check nut (see pic) was missing and oil had sprayed all over the left side of the bike. Rode under 30 till I reached Nippani. Found a mech who was very helpful. He first asked if the bike was serviced recently because if the nut is left loose while adjusting timing then it may come off at high speeds. I immediately called Joel and told him the same. He advised to change the oil and get the nut fixed. He managed to get a make shift nut with washers and changed oil too. It was just my luck that was enough oil to prevent seizure of the new block.
After this every 100 kms, I checked for leakage of oil from the nut but the guy had done a good job. Reached Mumbai without any more adventures by 9 pm.
Now for the review – [IMG]file:///C:\DOCUME~1\aapatel\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip _image002.gif[/IMG]
All throughout the return trip I had maintained speeds upwards of 90 kph for almost 80% of the time. Even with half the quantity of oil and a fresh bore piston, the engine performed remarkably well. (Didn’t have to give side to a single vehicle as I was fairly faster than the rest of the traffic!)
There was some jerking above 9k RPM. This I discussed with Joel who said I may need to increase the jet size further. This was done in Mumbai and was promptly resolved.
The FFE was fouling with the Brake pedal and the main stand throughout the return trip. Bent the pipe slightly out of the way and put a stopper on the stand when I came to Mumbai and now that too is taken care of.
Can’t comment on fuel efficiency as I haven’t filled the tank completely since I came back but who really cares when you can pull from 20kph in 5th gear without a frown!
Did a trip to Lonavla last weekend and found that the bike never ceases to delight and surprise. Took the ghats with a pillion and two backpacks in 4th gear without any fuss. It was only my insecurity which kept me downshifting even when not needed.
All in all it was all worth the trip and the troubles I encountered.
Hope to do a Mumbai – Bangalore again some time soon!
Hope you guys enjoyed reading too!
Day 1 – Started at 4 am in the morning. Rode at 60-70 on pitch dark roads and as a result of the darkness plus my general directional confusion, I ended up heading towards Nasik highway. By the time I realized I was going in the wrong direction I had lost almost an hour. Asked a slumbering cop about the way to NH4 and he guided me to Kalyan Silphata road. That was the worst part of the day. The road was Hell, may be something like where Bad Bikers go after they die. Made it out after more than an hour.
By now the sun was shining and I had lost the advantage of my early start. Saw the exit for Lonavla on expressway and again thinking (wrongly again) that I will get another exit further got on to the expressway. That was really great for some time but later realized that no exit was in sight. Asked some IRB guys and they asked to pay a rs 1000 fine. Told them didn’t want to be here in the first place and they relented and guided me to nearest exit.
From there on wards I tried to keep speeds near 100kph if was to reach Bangalore same day. And judging by the roads and traffic it was fairly easy. It would be really fun to ride a more powerful bike on NH4. It also occurred to me that if I made it I could do a Saddle sore on the same highway sometime. Hadn’t eaten anything since the morning so stopped for breakfast at around 11 am after riding continuously for about 300 kms. Started again and concentrated on keeping near 100 kph wherever possible.
Roads were really awesome. And so was the bike. Even after 300 kms non stop at speeds in excess of 90 kph there was no change in sound or lag in response from the RTR 180. Its really built to be a lambi race ka ghoda!
Nearing Kolhapur and Karnataka Border the scenery really blows your mind away. I confess I am not a fan of taking pictures when I ride but some places were too difficult to resist like The Ghatprabha River.
Stopped 3 times to refuel only and had some dry fruits at the same time to save time. One important thing I have realized in long distance touring is that even 5-10 min breaks can affect a lot in your ETA if you don’t have a vehicle that can pick up speeds quickly and stay there for hours. Thanks to RTR I had no such problems but nevertheless I tried avoiding stopping unless absolutely essential such as giving updates to my family (who by the way were under the impression that I was riding with another friend!). My main intention in reaching before nightfall was that I also had to search for Joel’s workshop and find a place to spend the night.
By around 6.30 pm I was only about 200 kms from Bangalore but then as I had heard and later started believing – Man proposes, God disposes. It started raining. Not light showers but torrential rains the kind we get in July. Had no option but to turn into the nearest Dhaba. Had hot Chicken with Rotis and asked about where to spend the night. Learnt that the nearest hotel would be around 50 kms away in Chitraurga. Couldn’t see anything in the rain so asked if I could spend the night at the dhaba. The waiter said I could sleep in his quarters but it was flooded due to rain. But the fellow was kind enough to get a flattened carton to sleep on the floor. So with my Riding jacket for warmth and backpack as a pillow I camped out in the verandah of the dhaba.
A few minutes had passed since I laid down, I felt a scurrying noise near my feet. Got up and saw a small rat trying to get past me. Maybe it was his place for the night! But he ran off as I got up. So I again settled down and had a good sleep. Day 2 – Woke up and rode at moderate speeds of 60-70 as I was entering the city and hence pedestrian traffic was also increasing. Reached Joel’s workshop after some asking around. I found the traffic very well behaved in Bangalore as compared to Mumbai. Even directions and other signs were very helpful and the weather is so perfect for riding! I really envy fellow bikers in Bangalore! Gave the bike to Joel who suggested the Big bore and FFe and also some Headwork and a bigger carb with performance air filter.
All this was to sustain triple digit speeds for hours during touring as well as improving efficiency. Checked into a nearby hotel and had something to eat after a long time.
Slept through most of the day and also visited Joel a number of times because I had nothing to do.
Day 3 – Got the bike around evening and had a short ride and was blown away by what it had become. Joel said he had upjetted my existing carb instead of a bigger one. Revved more than 5 k in first gear before I realized what was happening. The bike simply pulled without any complaints. Thanks Joel and Dennis!
Visited a relative and spent the night there. Next started pretty late and wasn’t in a hurry since Joel had instructed to keep under 5k rpm for 400 kms before I could go higher. That was the tough part. Somehow completed 400 kms till evening and soon as I was ready to rip, it started raining again. I was too frustrated even to curse out loud. Decided to call it a day. Had hot dal and roti and slept at the hotel nearby.
Next morning was fun. Was ripping the bike till 120 kph and not a sound or lag anywhere. Was most delighted with the exhaust note, which jarring at first, had mellowed down to a pleasing, bassy tune.
However it was not meant to be. At around 8.30 am, stopped to stretch my legs and to my surprise saw that the valve timing check nut (see pic) was missing and oil had sprayed all over the left side of the bike. Rode under 30 till I reached Nippani. Found a mech who was very helpful. He first asked if the bike was serviced recently because if the nut is left loose while adjusting timing then it may come off at high speeds. I immediately called Joel and told him the same. He advised to change the oil and get the nut fixed. He managed to get a make shift nut with washers and changed oil too. It was just my luck that was enough oil to prevent seizure of the new block.
After this every 100 kms, I checked for leakage of oil from the nut but the guy had done a good job. Reached Mumbai without any more adventures by 9 pm.
Now for the review – [IMG]file:///C:\DOCUME~1\aapatel\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip _image002.gif[/IMG]
All throughout the return trip I had maintained speeds upwards of 90 kph for almost 80% of the time. Even with half the quantity of oil and a fresh bore piston, the engine performed remarkably well. (Didn’t have to give side to a single vehicle as I was fairly faster than the rest of the traffic!)
There was some jerking above 9k RPM. This I discussed with Joel who said I may need to increase the jet size further. This was done in Mumbai and was promptly resolved.
The FFE was fouling with the Brake pedal and the main stand throughout the return trip. Bent the pipe slightly out of the way and put a stopper on the stand when I came to Mumbai and now that too is taken care of.
Can’t comment on fuel efficiency as I haven’t filled the tank completely since I came back but who really cares when you can pull from 20kph in 5th gear without a frown!
Did a trip to Lonavla last weekend and found that the bike never ceases to delight and surprise. Took the ghats with a pillion and two backpacks in 4th gear without any fuss. It was only my insecurity which kept me downshifting even when not needed.
All in all it was all worth the trip and the troubles I encountered.
Hope to do a Mumbai – Bangalore again some time soon!
Hope you guys enjoyed reading too!
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