[Devenu]

A quick hello from Aurangabad!Got the beauty on the 7th of Jan and been enjoying every single KM on it! A complete first impression coming up soon!
Apologies for the bad quality of the pics! better one's on the way

[noelravin]

I rode the continental gt and found that after a short ride sitting in a typical city-riding position both my palms were under a lot of stress because of the acute angle the handle bars have. The handle bars are positioned such as to cafe-race or nothing. Unless you really crouch forward your hands do not feel positioned right. Has anyone else experienced this? I asked them if the handle bars could be swapped but they have no other models available for this bike. The handling and breaking though is really a mile above the old REs and pretty good.

Originally Posted by noelravin

I rode the continental gt and found that after a short ride sitting in a typical city-riding position both my palms were under a lot of stress because of the acute angle the handle bars have. The handle bars are positioned such as to cafe-race or nothing. Unless you really crouch forward your hands do not feel positioned right. Has anyone else experienced this? I asked them if the handle bars could be swapped but they have no other models available for this bike. The handling and breaking though is really a mile above the old REs and pretty good.

I just saw a few posts on the same subject. Sorry! I am glad that my views are shared and common.

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[VW2010]

An updated review of the cafe racer. Had this bike for a couple of days in exchange for my 390. The biggest issue with the bike is its suppose to be rode in the racing position. Other words
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...YNH_YlF7u9XxFQ

For normal riding in the city this position is not possible. This means your entire body weight is right on your palm and thats not really nice.

Bike is a head turner but breaks your wrist and palm big time.

Pluses to add - The bar end mirrors are 200/100. Yes, this is by far the best mirrors ever i have seen in any bikes. They are coated with a film which means your night riding is pleasant even if that idiot behind you is riding/driving in high beam.

Decent torque though it doesnt feel like a 535. Its so sober with all that torque and not really enriching to ride like even my 500. My old 500 has something or other always in stock whereas the 535 is bloody sober and in a way very good as well.

Horns are A+, lights a pretty ok and overall a good buy.

Cons:-

This is not a daily city rider and having said that i a m not sure if i want to be riding this bike in that position for day long. This may be a bike to impress your friends but may fall short on both city riding and long distance touring.

I was so happy to take my 500 out and more so to take the 390 back

[noelravin]

Is it possible to change the handlebar to one of a better riding position? Do you get quality replacements which would fit properly and safely and also hold the OE brakes, mirrors etc?

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by gearbox

Possible, However he is the MD of RE and should speak responsibly. Just because Harley' or Triumph' are not as indianised (Not made in India as RE's are) does not make their enthusiasts Poser'.

This is sheer disrespect to people who have their loyalties towards other motorcycles. RE should rather work on making better quality motorcycles than talk about such stuff.

The GT looks great though. But then it may not be a very comfortable one to ride long distances.

I found one more from the below mentioned site

http://entrepreneurindia.in/people/c...captain/23564/

"Lal also made clear what he thought of the challengers to its domination of the 250-800cc motorcycling segment in India. “Some of the other motorcycles are really heavy…excessive…really loud in terms of brand etc. But that’s not what we stand for at all,” he says with a grin. “There are people who enjoy that kind of biking and buy those kinds of motorcycles…they are the posers. They are buying a motorcycle more for a statement. That’s not us at all. We are catering to the ones that want to use their motorcycles on a regular bas"

You know; i started off to comment and agree with you that yes; maybe it is slightly disrespectful to the owners of the other motorcycle manufacturer(s). But then when i gave it a bit of thought; he does seem to be right. Ofcourse the way he has put it seems to give out a bit of 'sour grapes' impression; but he does seem to be spot on. The H-D's that i see everyday, (and i see a lot of them everyday because i work on the 6th floor of a building on which the ground floor has a H-D showroom) are mostly just being wrung hard on their throttle. Revved hard in first and second gear coz they make a hell of a racket (although a beautiful racket). But yes; how many of these owners use their bike everyday? And will they be able to take a trip to Ladakh or cross the Rann of Kutchh with their GC's and range considering their low mileage? Also their spare part availibility at these places (or any other non metro city places) in the case of a breakdown may be something which has to be heavily considered. Will these machines take the abuse you put a RE through?

He does seem to be right; but maybe he should have been more diplomatic about it!

[Pheonix]

Originally Posted by Devenu

A quick hello from Aurangabad!Got the beauty on the 7th of Jan and been enjoying every single KM on it! A complete first impression coming up soon!

Hearty Congratulations mate !! Wishing you miles of safe biking ahead .

I recently had a TD of the GT and boy i was surprised and it had me thinking if i was really on a RE !!

The fit and finish except for some places is just amazing nothing like it can be seen on any other RE.Traditional Cafe-Racing seating stance which allows you to subtly hug the bike.The footpegs are very aptly placed away towards the rear for that Cafe Racerish seating.

A very good 535CC motor with enough power and torque to bring a grin on your face.Throttle response was very noticeable for me as i could feel the high revving motor delivering good doses of power on demand. This was the first RE where i was confidently able to do a 140+ kmph on its speedo without any wobblings though vibes crept in post 125kmph. RE doing such stable high speeds is always welcome.,

The bits and pieces used in this bike is what surprised me the most and i feel RE should bring it in across all its other models. The amazing front Brembo brakes give you loads of confidence which I never had on a RE. ( Being a STD350 User the Drums are the most pathetic things screaming for help ) rear single Discs also do a very decent job. The Pirelli Monster Tyres, The Paioli suspension, A wonderful chassis . Build quality definitely up on things like handlebars, Alluminum front fender, rear foot rests, exhausts etc .All these put together definitely elevates the product value making it a very VFM proposition.

To all those RE owners who always wanted to have some good tyres,reliable brakes,superior suspension,good quality parts on their bikes this comes close to your desires of owning a decent worldclass bike and @ 2L INR i can say this is the best RE ticked at all the right places compared to all the other models in the brand IMHO

For folks like me out there who dream to but cannot immediately own an entry level HD or Triumph Bonny and are avid RE lovers, GT is surely a "Pocket Rocket" and can satisfy your needs till you tuck away all that money in your kiddy banks to buy those big toys later

[Nirmal_vallatha]

Originally Posted by Devenu

A quick hello from Aurangabad!Got the beauty on the 7th of Jan and been enjoying every single KM on it! A complete first impression coming up soon!
Apologies for the bad quality of the pics! better one's on the way

Hi Dev, congratz on the new acquisition.
Could you do a write-up on the ownership experience? I am a waiting buyer as well, and would love reading about your experience on it.
Especiall, how does it feel on long rides? I know it won't be great owing to the seating position, but i would love to know the extent of it.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by rahul4321

I found one more from the below mentioned site

http://entrepreneurindia.in/people/c...captain/23564/

"Lal also made clear what he thought of the challengers to its domination of the 250-800cc motorcycling segment in India. “Some of the other motorcycles are really heavy…excessive…really loud in terms of brand etc. But that’s not what we stand for at all,” he says with a grin. “There are people who enjoy that kind of biking and buy those kinds of motorcycles…they are the posers. They are buying a motorcycle more for a statement. That’s not us at all. We are catering to the ones that want to use their motorcycles on a regular bas"

You know; i started off to comment and agree with you that yes; maybe it is slightly disrespectful to the owners of the other motorcycle manufacturer(s). But then when i gave it a bit of thought; he does seem to be right. Ofcourse the way he has put it seems to give out a bit of 'sour grapes' impression; but he does seem to be spot on. The H-D's that i see everyday, (and i see a lot of them everyday because i work on the 6th floor of a building on which the ground floor has a H-D showroom) are mostly just being wrung hard on their throttle. Revved hard in first and second gear coz they make a hell of a racket (although a beautiful racket). But yes; how many of these owners use their bike everyday? And will they be able to take a trip to Ladakh or cross the Rann of Kutchh with their GC's and range considering their low mileage? Also their spare part availibility at these places (or any other non metro city places) in the case of a breakdown may be something which has to be heavily considered. Will these machines take the abuse you put a RE through?

He does seem to be right; but maybe he should have been more diplomatic about it!

Every vehicle has a purpose.In countries like the Europe,people buy cars with the purpose being one of the Important criteria.For eg,one of my colleague in Germany has VW Golf GT and a landy defender and his wife has a VW Sharan.The Funda is quite simple,Husband goes to office and some outstation trips on the GT,uses the defender to goto the mountains and his wife being a home maker does the grocery shopping,dropping of the kids etc etc.In India its a completely different scenario.I have seen people who own Scorpios and safaris who don't even use half of its potential.Here its use less show more.Thats when one buys a Harley or a superbike.Heck I know one of the guys in Mumbai who commutes to office on a Hayabusa and has clocked enough to put a guy who uses a splendor to shame.To some extent i agree with Mr Lal.You can use a bullet to commute to office,buy veggies from the supermarket,But at the same time do a Leh Ladakh at any point of time.But calling the other bikes as posers is a bit unethical.Every bike has a character,Bullet has its own,a CD 100 has its own.
About the continental GT i did happen to ride one of them.Again its one bike with one purpose.If i were to live at a country side with winding roads,the GT is for me.Riding it in Mumbai or any other city is Suicidal.
Summary-Define your purpose and choose what suits best
@Dev-Congos on the GT,expecting an ownership report from your side.

[Nirmal_vallatha]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

About the continental GT i did happen to ride one of them.Again its one bike with one purpose.If i were to live at a country side with winding roads,the GT is for me.Riding it in Mumbai or any other city is Suicidal.
Summary-Define your purpose and choose what suits best
@Dev-Congos on the GT,expecting an ownership report from your side.

I hear the GT getting a lot of stick about city riding. Is it that bad in traffic? I haven't an idea other than from test drives in varying traffic conditions in bangalore, but i dint feel it was that bad. IMO i felt it was an improvement over the other enfields id driven probably coz it felt lighter. And i did not experience that bad wrist pains. I was hoping it would be better in city riding than normal enfields seeing im not that avid a tourer. Maybe im missing something here? Why did you feel it was that bad? Mind sharing your views?
Thanks a lot.

[abhjain]

Originally Posted by Nirmal_vallatha

And i did not experience that bad wrist pains. I was hoping it would be better in city riding than normal enfields seeing im not that avid a tourer. Maybe im missing something here? Why did you feel it was that bad? Mind sharing your views?

Exactly the feedback that was given by my friend who's got a GT in Mumbai. He's riding daily between New Mumbai and Lower Parel which is a good 35 Kms and has never experienced any wrist pain ! I think few GT bashers have made up this story without actually owning one.

[Devenu]

Hi Guys! sorry about the delay in posting the the experience so far, but been really tied up with a lot of other stuff and have managed to only take her out of town a couple of times! A weekend ride is coming up and the detailed report will be up soon !
Anyways, some quick points:
1) Yes the riding position can, at times, put undue pressure on your wrists. This can can be mitigated by adjusting your lean a bit!
2) The bike is Super sweet to ride when the road opens up and puts a smile 100% of times when that happens, this is why we ride!
3) Quality is still not up to the mark and the chrome ring surrounds on the speedo and tach flew off while accelerating LOL!

Cheers!
Dev

[nasirkaka]

Where can i get a pair of PSD tyres which are used on the GT? Am planning to use them on my C5. What would the pair cost?

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Where can i get a pair of PSD tyres which are used on the GT? Am planning to use them on my C5. What would the pair cost?

Does the C5 have sufficient clearance in the swing arm to host these 130 size tires fitted?

[shan2129]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Does the C5 have sufficient clearance in the swing arm to host these 130 size tires fitted?

According to RE 130 size tyre should fit the C5 & Thunderbird 500 / 350 ( new ). I recently installed 130 size Pirelli on my TB500 & it fits beautifully

[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by shan2129

I recently installed 130 size Pirelli on my TB500 & it fits beautifully

Yes it works fine for the TB500 new models because of the change in swing arm. Have my own doubts for the c5.