Re: My itch for a bigger bike

I think that was on the older 675 which had heating issues and oil cooler was right under and speed breakers would cause it to get scraped, the newer model cooler is higher up and with a better ground clearance it should be able to handle moderately bad roads. I guess another option to consider should be the versys but honestly I want the street for some touring n a few track days in the future. Kawasaki sales and service is pathetic I've heard in Chennai. The striples lightweight and everyday usability is what I want to pay a premium over the other 2 also the presence of traction control, only drawback is not able to switch off the abs.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Ok guys have added truimph scrambler to the list, it's a very good all rounder bike, gets all the added gadgetry in stock form, plus the additional off road capabilities and the ground clearance of the tiger makes a very good proposition.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Boss,
There are Street Triple 675 owners who did KHARDUNG-LA on it! But that is not the point. It is too much of a stressful thing. Ground clearance is relatively less. Engine Coolant Tank is fiber and sits at the bottom.

With Arrow exhaust, I have observed that if you happen to hit a large speed bump, a part of Arrow exhaust scrapes first and if you hit too large bump or hit a sharp bump at too much speed, then you may end up cracking the engine crank-case from bottom OR cracking the coolant reservoir (depending on your bad luck).

Having said all the above, I have been riding my street a lot on good as well as fairly bad roads. If you are very careful on bad roads, you will surely be able to manage fairly ok. I have NEVER allowed the bike to scrape its bottom when riding SOLO. When riding with Pillion who was very heavy (myself 89 kg and the pillion somewhere about 80 kg), definitely my bike has scraped 2-3 times but I was dead slow on each occasion and except minor scratch on part of arrow exhaust, nothing happened to it.

I ride in Hinjewadi area of Pune daily and it has terrible roads with many speed breakers. But I have managed ok so far.

When it comes to Street Triple, you must absolutely be sure about it It has lots of pros but does have few cons including price and low ground clearance.

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Very good option indeed - but one caveat - it does not have that "Zing Thing" which really makes Street Triple quite special. It is made for different type of rider altogether. And in that case Ducati Scrambler is a tough competitor with similar price point. In fact in reviews abroad, Ducati Scrambler has come on top though Triumph has more retro charm.

But really, if you love FAST and AGILE, then you are not going to like it compared to Street Triple. Street is just unbeatable - even MV Agusta Brutale is behind it except the factor of beauty.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Well I'm obviously going avoid taking the striple off-roading, the newer bike has a better ground clearance and yes coming to performance, is unmatchable, I'm mainly considering the scrambler because if I it's versatility, I'm just concerned on our roads, you know how bad our roads are normally with potholes and speed bumps n broken roads, that was my main concern. Will try to ride both, but I'm still edging towards the striple but the scrambler is a outside bet for me, I'm avoiding kawasaki because if their bad service and after sales value.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

[MENTION=41053]jeevan.chaukar[/MENTION] - what if the coolant reservoir breaks on a journey? It won't lead you stranded, would it? Afaik, you can still ride, and refill the coolant from the radiator cap. The reservoir comes into use only to store excess coolant and top up the radiator when required.

Does it cost a lot to replace?

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Ducati monster?
Ducati scrambler?
Aprilliia Shiver?
Benelli 899 (1 ownership review here -> https://www.xbhp.com/talkies/superbi...xperience.html )
Street rod?
Z650 ?

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

I am quite doubtful if you can ride once coolant reservoir breaks. I think you will get stranded. But if you are conscious and careful of it then no issues. I don't know the price but pretty much every small thing costs a lot to replace on these kind of bikes (normal indicators which are not even LED are still about Rs 5000/- for 4 of them - LED ones are Rs 10000/- Coolant tank also might be few thousands..need to check)

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

The oil sump is more liable to hit the bumps than the coolant reservoir. I've not heard of a single bike with broken reservoir though a few bikes have had cracked sumps.
The sump is exactly at the point that scraps and hits on the bumps.
The new coolant reservoir costs around 30k.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

That's bad news. Oil sump cracking gives no hope.

[MENTION=41053]jeevan.chaukar[/MENTION] - The coolant reservoir cracking doesn't mean you'll get stranded. Afaik, the radiator system has coolant pumping through its pipes, which will not get drained if the coolant reservoir is empty. In fact, my car has an empty coolant reservoir, but once you open up the radiator cap, the coolant shows full.

What will drain out the coolant from the engine is the radiator pipes breaking, like when a stone hits it. Those pipes going to and from the engine would leak out coolant from the radiator completely, leaving you stranded.

Tagging [MENTION=32286]psr[/MENTION], [MENTION=39214]B7ACKTHORN[/MENTION], [MENTION=29952]arvstreetracer[/MENTION] sirs here for confirmation.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

True that . ie., coolant reservoir tank is to hod the surplus coolant + water when the engine is operating at temperature and excess coolant increases in volume due to heat and spills over into the reservoir. when engine cools, the tank has a system of sending back the coolant into radiator. If the tank cracks , this process cannot happen, and all excess will flow out. so in normal operating condition the Radiator will be running a little less in coolant level, but will be safe to operate for long periods. In cars the coolant circulation is under pressure and is needed to ensure proper circulation and operate at higher temperature...I do not know if the same applies to two wheelers..if it is so, then a cracked or broken coolant tank will lead to most of the coolant spilling out and the engine operating at an elevated temperature
Engine sump damage , however small is more Dangerous than coolant tank crack..
Hope this is helpful.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Just adding to what sir just said. A crack in the radiator or a hit below the radiator can almost immediately drain all of the radiator coolant and render the cooling system ineffective, say a sharp object like stone, metal railings or anything that directly punctures the radiator. And you're right, an empty coolant reservoir isn't an alarming issue. It's just an expansion chamber for the pressurized fluid. Though it's recommended to have certain level in the reservoir, reason being, should there arise a situation where there is a decrease in coolant level in the radiator, the coolant in the reservoir can be sucked to be compensated for the loss.

And yes, a cracked oil sump is far worse than a leaky cooling system. A mildly leaking cooling plumbing can be mended and the journey can be continued. The same is not the case with a cracked oil sump. Cracked oil sump or cracked lower case means, the car is fit perfectly only to be towed in a flatbed to the nearest service station. Critical engine components can be starved of oil and can cause seizure in under 20 mins or severe damage to the cylinder and piston and valve train when sump cracked induced oil loss is observed.

IMMEDIATELY stop the engine in such cases, and parceling it back to the SVC for a detailed inspection is the right thing to do.

Cheers!
VJ

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Hi Paritosh,
Actually for bikes with Arrow Exhaust, there is a portion of the exhaust that is very first to scrape on a larger speed bump. You can check...But yes, I have heard of people cracking Engine Sump which is even bigger issue than coolant tank.

The opinion here seems that one can ride at least some distance with the coolant tank cracked but I would not prefer to take any chances if it happens to me.

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In any case, when you are trying to buy and maintain any naked sport / faired sport / Low and long Cruiser bike in 600+ cc segment which is not designed from scratch with Indian conditions in mind, almost all of them have such low ground clearance that hitting a huge speed breaker is almost always a trouble and one has to be extremely conscious of this limitation.

(Not applicable to touring/adventure bikes which have much higher ground clearance - which explains their fairly large number in almost all cities - our normal roads are almost as challenging as mild off-roading in Europe )

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Well, that's something that we have to live with, don't we. A miscalculation on a big bike with poor ground clearance, suddenly ones expensive toy becomes a liability. Sump guards do come into play, but finding the right one for your motorcycle is an altogether different story.


Cheers!
VJ

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

Correct me if I'm wrong but the position of the coolant reservoir on the 2017 striple has changed and been pushed up soo that problem is unlikely, with a better ground clearance, I'd expect if anything to be scraped it will be the exhausts.

Re: My itch for a bigger bike

As mentioned, the coolant reservoir scraping was never really an issue on old street unless someone is particularly unlucky.
The oil sump still scrapes on the new model which is actually true for most imports except adv tourers. One always has to be careful when navigating speed breakers. Normal potholes and undulations don't pose an issue.