[SAHIR.KITTUR]

For all the guys who ask " Kitna Deti hai " ??

[NikhilB]

Originally Posted by contact.nitin7

Seating, there has to be something done with that too, its really not that comfortable if you are wanting to ride continuously for around a 100kms.

Seriously?
I find the seat very comfortable for long rides.
Flat and wide with the rear seat acting as a support for the last vertebrae. I find the seating position (including the pegs) very similar to a padded bar-stool.
Are you sitting as far back as possible (while riding alone)?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

For all the guys who ask " Kitna Deti hai " ??

How accurate is this display (the FE part)? Its showing 85kmpl which is unbelievable. If this is true then its the best of both worlds for the economic enthusiast.

[Dragonheart22]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

How accurate is this display (the FE part)? Its showing 85kmpl which is unbelievable. If this is true then its the best of both worlds for the economic enthusiast.

I dont think that was his intention... He is doing 33kph in 6th gear! That is not practical

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by NikhilB

Seriously?
I find the seat very comfortable for long rides.
Flat and wide with the rear seat acting as a support for the last vertebrae. I find the seating position (including the pegs) very similar to a padded bar-stool.
Are you sitting as far back as possible (while riding alone)?

Yeah, but a different way of looking at it is that on surfaces that are not very good, especially for taller guys, that same support becomes a pain as it keeps hitting the lower part of the spine.

I find the seat quite good actually, and I have ridden the bike for 300 kms without issue. Now you cannot compare it to the Bullet seat (the standard seat - not the springed torture rack of the new Classics), but on its own, its a very decent seat.

Its also sculpted and tapered up front beautifully, so that it does not ever bite into the under side of your thighs and you can slide around and off with ease. Its not designed with mile munching in mind. Its designed for aggressive riding.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

How accurate is this display (the FE part)? Its showing 85kmpl which is unbelievable. If this is true then its the best of both worlds for the economic enthusiast.

The display is VERY accurate. Within 1-2 kmpl's when compared to the figures arrived at by tankful to tankful basis over a full tank range (300 odd kms).

He is riding at 33 kmph in 6th gear.

Normal aggressive riding will give you 35 kmpl. The same type of riding on my Bullet 500 I get sub 25 kmpl.

On tour ridden peacefully, she will give over 40 kmpl. The same type of riding on my Bullet 500 I get around 27 kmpl.

[SAHIR.KITTUR]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

How accurate is this display (the FE part)? Its showing 85kmpl which is unbelievable. If this is true then its the best of both worlds for the economic enthusiast.

Aditya, This was noticed by me when I was descending Chorla ghat on the way from Belgaum to Goa. There is nothing wrong with the figures.

Thats Me & my Duke. Thanks "Duke" for making me 20 years younger !!

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Also use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by SAHIR.KITTUR

Aditya, This was noticed by me when I was descending Chorla ghat on the way from Belgaum to Goa. There is nothing wrong with the figures.

How many kms has your bike done?

Normally speaking, unless you slowed down specially for the photo, 33 kmph is too slow both for 6th (definite lugging) as well as going down a ghat, where 6th is also usually not the ideal gear.

The mileage is a computed average of your riding over a certain time span preceding the reading and not an instantaneous real time readout from what I understand, hence asking.

P.S. Surprised to see many 40+ "oldies" going for the Duke more than any other bike save the Bullet.

[SAHIR.KITTUR]

Originally Posted by ebonho

How many kms has your bike done?

Normally speaking, unless you slowed down specially for the photo, 33 kmph is too slow both for 6th (definite lugging) as well as going down a ghat, where 6th is also usually not the ideal gear.

The mileage is a computed average of your riding over a certain time span preceding the reading and not an instantaneous real time readout from what I understand, hence asking.

P.S. Surprised to see many 40+ "oldies" going for the Duke more than any other bike save the Bullet.

Yes, I had slowed down just to take the snap shot. I have done 1100 kms on it.

P.S. Life Begins at 40

[ebonho]

I was wondering - does the fiber front spoiler down below near the engine serve any purpose besides looks and to an extent protecting the underside of the engine sump (though how much protection is debatable as it is fiber and not metal)?

I think a perforated metal (aluminum sheet ideally) sump guard would make a lot more sense both from a protection standpoint as well as the fact that the current fiber part with the pointy downward sloping end actually looks like it would gouge into rocks or the ground if you are riding the bike offroad where ground clearance becomes an issue.

[Added_flavor]

Did ebonho or anyone get a chance to ride in heavy rains? How does the bike perform? I remember reading about the possibilities of slush on the radiator, water spray to rider etc. Also how are the stock tyres in wet conditions?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Did ebonho or anyone get a chance to ride in heavy rains? How does the bike perform? I remember reading about the possibilities of slush on the radiator, water spray to rider etc. Also how are the stock tyres in wet conditions?

Not ridden in proper rains yet. A friend from Bangalore though has had a few opportunities of riding in the wet during their showers recently and says the tyres did pretty well. Too early to comment though.

Even without riding in the wet, on a long ride, you do get some road crud on to the radiator as well as under the seat on the setion between the tyre hugger and the monshock flap.

Those who have removed the hugger for looks, get a lot more crud on the underside of the seat.

[shreeda]

I have done over 250Km in rain, including a fairly long highway run of 200Km in reasonably heavy rain. At no point of time I had scary moments riding the Duke at speeds around 65-70Kmph. These speeds were achieved riding at night, in rain. The confidence it inspired is left to one's imagination.

I will not conclude my opinions yet. As Doc said, it's still early and also because I didn't have panic braking situations under those conditions. Overall, I was very satisfied with the bike's handling and grip of the rubber. Only gripe is how dirty it gets. Almost impossible to clean it completely!

[ebonho]

Been wanting to check out the top speed for some time.

Before yesterday, the max I had touched

134 (with the modified/chopped off air box snorkel)

132 (with the stock air box snorkel)

I wasn't too concerned, with claims by others of 138/139, cause I assumed it was because of my weight (95 kilos).

Also, there was a similar weight journo (Overdrive I think) who claimed a top speed of 132 - saying that the lighter riders could probably manage 5-6 kmph more.

As it is the effective real life top speed of this bike in short traffic bursts or even in highway mode, sitting up with wind and traffic density, is around 120-125 kmph tops.

To get past 130 kmph and more sitting up is possible, but you need a lot of road, no wind, and no significant upward gradient.

So Saturday night I promised myself that Sunday morning would be top speed testing.

So alarm set for an early start, before weekend traffic chokes the bypass. I warmed the bike, rode peacefully to Dehu Road, with a few brief straightline pulls again topping out at 133-134.

Got to the bypass, and turned left. Dropped down 3 gears, and starting pulling from 3rd., being careful to time my shifts right. Hitting the rev limiter breaks the momentum and slows you down momentarily.

3rd, 4th, 5th, and finally in 6th. 135 kmph (my personal best till then) before a moron cuts across a break in the median forcing me to cut throttle.

I know there is another good stretch immediately after the break before hitting traffic where the Expressway traffic from the exit bridge merges with the bypass.

Drop down to 5th and start pulling, shift to 6th, fully crouched. Quickly take eyes off the road to look at the display.

Blink my eyes a few times. Is the sun reflecting off blurring the digital display?

Am I have a case of early morning hallucinations?

139 kmph. Then 140 kmph. Before 139 again.

Bike hitting the limiter in 6th. The revs orcillating in a wavelike fashion. Not as strong a cutoff starvation as in the lower gears.

Pumped and thrilled, I head to my fiends place at Chandni Chowk. Drag him out of bed. And back on to the bypass as a long detour to our cold coffee tapri (where we encounter an over-enthusiastic R15 V2.0 rider ..... ).

Mileage at the ned of the morning's redlining shenanigans - 3.2 L/100 km - 31.25 kmpl.

This quite simply is one hell of a machine!

[contact.nitin7]

Originally Posted by NikhilB

Seriously?
I find the seat very comfortable for long rides.
Flat and wide with the rear seat acting as a support for the last vertebrae. I find the seating position (including the pegs) very similar to a padded bar-stool.
Are you sitting as far back as possible (while riding alone)?

Absolutely Man, I have been riding like that, Hell !! The knees pain like hell after 100kms, and the Rear has to be cushioned by getting it off the bike onto something more soft.
Does being 5"11' makes a diff.

Originally Posted by Dragonheart22

He is doing 33kph in 6th gear! That is not practical

Originally Posted by ebonho

The display is VERY accurate. Within 1-2 kmpl's when compared to the figures arrived at by tankful to tankful basis over a full tank range (300 odd kms).

Even after riding pretty nicely this time during my enitre tank full, I rode a max of 320kms, where it always showed me more than 40kmpl , with out getting on reserve, reserve another 68kms for sure, :P

Originally Posted by shreeda

I have done over 250Km in rain, including a fairly long highway run of 200Km in reasonably heavy rain. At no point of time I had scary moments riding the Duke at speeds around 65-70Kmph. These speeds were achieved riding at night, in rain. The confidence it inspired is left to one's imagination. !

Why on Earth Am I scared to ride it in rains, It may be because of excessive tyre pressure, that i got scared when it wheelspinned in rain in the second gear, Now I am pretty scared to ride it in rains