[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

. The Avenger neck was a direct fit.

Thanks mate, the hub was a direct fit? or did you have to change the triple tree as well?

[djpeesh]

The front wheel and disc are from the Avenger as well. The triple tree wasn't a direct fit, so did a bit of jugaad and bolted on the original meters and console. Have a ignition key in the centre as my experimentation with the nail key basically allowed absolutely no security so it's a collectors piece at home.

[djpeesh]

Update at 7500 km.

The short read:
Pros:
+Loving the bike. It's seriously a motorcycle that you want it to be. It's fast when you want to go fast, a tourer when you want to go for the long haul, and a commuter when you want to potter about the city. It's seriously versatile
+It's an absolute dream on the highway, especially after you swap the crap stock shocks (Showa btw). I got the TEC adjustable damping and preload ones.
+It's an unremarkable bike. No one touches and fiddles with it while parked.
+The king and queen seat is absolutely hideous to look at, but on the highway after 500 kilometers, your butt will thank you.

The cons:
-It's got unreliable parts. My low fuel warning light doesn't work, despite having it changed under warranty. My left side mirror flew off at high speed despite tightening it at the service center.
-The footpeg issue still plays on the back of my mind. Refer previous posts.
-The engine gets very very hot in traffic. Coupled with the heat wave and its HORRIBLE to ride in traffic jams.
-The brakes aren't great. Plan high speed braking in advance. The lack of ABS is sorely felt.







The long read will follow soon.

[djpeesh]

The bonnie is going touring. She's going to be riding 6,000 km across the country and I'm getting her all set (as you've noticed in the other thread).

That means
New lights
New crash guard and dual roots horns
And assistance for saree clad ladies with saree guards

Decided not to change my Tyres until after the trip. Whether that's a good idea or not remains to be seen. So the Michelin pilot road 2 and pilot street will remain residents of my car for a bit.

Gone back to the stock shocks as the Tec ones couldn't handle the potholes in Bombay and fell apart. Got a refund and now back to stock. I may experiment when I get back with paolis but for now, frozen adding any new mods.

Question for the gurus:
1. I've added leds and changed the horn. Will adding a mobile phone charging outlet overload my battery?
2. Anyone have any thoughts on the sw motech mobile phone Holder? It's 8k so almost as expensive as much crash guards and apart from the hood, doesn't seem to offer much more than my Rynox one.

[Sting]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Question for the gurus:
1. I've added leds and changed the horn. Will adding a mobile phone charging outlet overload my battery? ...

This one is for the gurus but I will still give it a shot !

The OEM battery IIRC is rated to 10 amps. Your LEDs should draw out about 3 amps. Check the amperage of the roots horn (could be around 3.5 amp). That's a total of 6.5 amps- when you are using both. The horn is only used for short bursts and I'm guessing you've used a relay to install them. A mobile charger draws out another 1-2 amps (depending on the charger). Just keep the numbers in mind and you should be fine. Are you carrying an electronic air pump?

I don't see an issue with the setup but hopefully someone with a better knowhow in the electrical department can pitch in!

Edit: The TEC gave in?! They were the front runners for my future upgrade. That's heartbreak.

Cheers,
Sting

[dustom_99]

Mobile charger should only be an amp or below, it shouldn't be a trouble.
Batteries are rated for amp-hour not apm alone. Although batteries come with Max amperage you can draw from it , it is largely for powering starter motor , and would be order of 150-200 CCA ( cold cranking amps) . it is hell lot if amps to be worried about a mobile charger.
However you should keep a check on bikes charging system , most bikes of this category will have 250w charging system or there about.
So at 12/13 volts it can supply a Max of 20 sum thing amps consistently. One Shouldn't use more than 60% of it for duties other than charging battery. So you have 12- 14 amps to play around.
Out of which
60w head light (5amps) indicators+ tail light (3-4amps) , ECU+ ign coil + other electrical ( another 3-4 amps) .
So you have another 2-3 amps for whatever you want .
All this is based on assumption that charging system is 250w.

We have not considered horn here , since it is used only when needed and if charging system is not giving out enough amps , rest of the required amps will be supplied by battery.
One sign of overloaded charging system is - dimming of head light when horn is used.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

The bonnie is going touring. She's going to be riding 6,000 km across the country and I'm getting her all set (as you've noticed in the other thread).
1. I've added leds and changed the horn. Will adding a mobile phone charging outlet overload my battery?
2. Anyone have any thoughts on the sw motech mobile phone Holder? It's 8k so almost as expensive as much crash guards and apart from the hood, doesn't seem to offer much more than my Rynox one.

So when is this ride planned for and have you decided on the route? When you say 6,000 kms across the country, it seems to me that you'd be doing a Kashmir to Kanyakumari ride. If by chance, your route includes Bangalore do keep me posted and we could meet up if time permits.

About the mobile phone charging outlet, have you considered a Power Bank?

I picked up one at a discounted price of Rs.1,000.00 from the Reliance Digital store and once that is charged completely, it is good to fully charge my mobile three times over. I used it on my recent ride to Cochin and I never had to use my regular mobile charger. I don't recollect the brand name, but if you're interested do let me know and I can get you the details. I was considering to get a mobile charging outlet as well for my Baron, but felt this to be more cost effective and I don't have to worry that my battery will drain out.

About the mobile phone holder, what's wrong with the Rynox one that you already have? If you intend to buy a new one, I'd still suggest that you go for the Ram Mount and holder similar to the one I picked up. It cost me Rs.3,100.00 and you could pick up a waterproof mobile case for Rs.900.00 as well and that should take care of your phone against the elements.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by Snehal Sekhar

So when is this ride planned for and have you decided on the route? When you say 6,000 kms across the country, it seems to me that you'd be doing a Kashmir to Kanyakumari ride. If by chance, your route includes Bangalore do keep me posted and we could meet up if time permits.

About the mobile phone charging outlet, have you considered a Power Bank?

I picked up one at a discounted price of Rs.1,000.00 from the Reliance Digital store and once that is charged completely, it is good to fully charge my mobile three times over. I used it on my recent ride to Cochin and I never had to use my regular mobile charger. I don't recollect the brand name, but if you're interested do let me know and I can get you the details. I was considering to get a mobile charging outlet as well for my Baron, but felt this to be more cost effective and I don't have to worry that my battery will drain out.

About the mobile phone holder, what's wrong with the Rynox one that you already have? If you intend to buy a new one, I'd still suggest that you go for the Ram Mount and holder similar to the one I picked up. It cost me Rs.3,100.00 and you could pick up a waterproof mobile case for Rs.900.00 as well and that should take care of your phone against the elements.

Snehal,
Ride is to Bhutan and back from Bombay. The reason I wanted to get a charging point is not really for my phone but for my Garmin Virb camera.

And there's nothing wrong with the Rynox mount. Only sunlight legibility is a bit of a problem. Otherwise it's awesome. The only reason for considering the sw motech one was that it oozed quality but I got ahead of myself. That's also a ram mount. But freaking 7800 rupees.

Sticking with the Rynox for now.

3 more days to go.

[Snehal Sekhar]

Wow! That's quite a long distance ride that you're off to. Best of luck buddy. Ride hard and strong and may the wind always be behind your back. How many days is this ride planned for? Do let us know the details and post snaps as often as you can if possible.

Now this is going to be another one of the must do rides for me apart from Bangalore - Leh - Bangalore and the South India Coast to Coast ride.

[grplr02]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Snehal,
Ride is to Bhutan and back from Bombay.

3 more days to go.

When are you going to be in Bhutan? For how long? Where in Bhutan do you plan to visit? If I'm in town (Thimphu) when you visit, it'd be great to meet up.

[djpeesh]

Originally Posted by grplr02

When are you going to be in Bhutan? For how long? Where in Bhutan do you plan to visit? If I'm in town (Thimphu) when you visit, it'd be great to meet up.

Hey, I'll be in Thimphu Sept 25 or 26, Inshallah. Heading out from Bombay Saturday morning.

Final Bonnification, here's a picture (or maybe two)

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

Hey, I'll be in Thimphu Sept 25 or 26, Inshallah. Heading out from Bombay Saturday morning.

Final Bonnification, here's a picture (or maybe two)

Please accept my heartiest best wishes.

Inform me if you face any issues or queries while in West Bengal. Have sent you my number on PM.

Good luck. Ride safe.
For the ride!

[djpeesh]

Touring on the Bonneville was something I always thought I'd land up doing eventually, but never did I think I had the willpower to even attempt something epic. It turns out the Bonnie is very very very capable and doesn't murmur or protest even when she's running after having fallen TWICE at highway speeds, and having lost a brake pedal, after having been hit head on by a drunk Bhutanese taxi driver.

So how was the ride? EPIC.

Over the next few days, I'll post my story here. Le Bonne is currently on her way home, courtesy Gati.

Just to pique your interest, here are a few photos:

Before we set off



The living room full of bike gear





Bonnie loaded up
Somewhere over the rainbow is Bhutan (clicked near Gorakhpur)


Bhutan



The roads we rode on

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

It turns out the Bonnie is very very very capable and doesn't murmur or protest even when she's running after having fallen TWICE at highway speeds, and having lost a brake pedal, after having been hit head on by a drunk Bhutanese taxi driver.

So how was the ride? EPIC.

I am sure that it indeed would have been epic.

Curious to know how you coped with the brake pedal issue especially .

Thank the Almighty that you both are safe (I take it that your are fine as you are posting here)

Best Regards & Ride Safe

Ram

[djpeesh]

Day 0. I took the day off from work to sort out everything, make sure everything was working and we were all systems go.

Among the final purchases were the Dirtsack Longranger Pro saddle bags and a pair of Rynox gloves (more on them later)



At 8 pm, I went to fuel up and had a bit of a panic attack. What if I don't make it? Will everything work out?

Fuelling complete and tyre pressures checked, we were in business.

Kept everything by the door and tried to go to sleep at 9. After tossing and turning for five hours, it was time to wake up and gear up.