[aviorp]

10000

Completed this a couple of a months ago, on a ride to Kodai. Went via Palani and came back via Vathalgundu. The road from Palani is quite narrow, but much better than the one towards the other side.

When compared to the previous visits, Kodai was a lot different. Dint expect so much crowd in the month of March. Lots of pine trees being chopped to widen the roads, dusty & dirty. It resembled Ooty in many ways.

Few pics :

Palani



Beautiful Roads all the way till Palani



Sun rise just before hitting the Palani-Kodai road



These were by far the longest hair pin bends



Initial stretch



Then, this.



Upper lake view



The following day.



After this, did a lot more rides and nearing 13K kms. Will post the details soon

[hsub]

Great going Avi. I have picked up a used N300 recently and am enjoying the new ride.

How do you find the Rynox tail bag. Would you recommend it?

[kanishka88]

*HOOKED*

Trust me, I may look a newbie by the number of posts But I am 'very' regular reader here, and this is, by far the best thread.! So much so, it forced an alsi lad like me to reply.

This thread has surely motivated me to follow my heart and go for Ninja. The typical cost benefit analysis of CBR / KTM vs Ninja is what stops me. I have a question for you (and all other Ninja owners). Have you ever felt the need for ABS, or have you missed the ABS on the bike? I know its a must have at this price, but is it a deal breaker by any way? Many thanks

[aviorp]

Great going Avi. I have picked up a used N300 recently and am enjoying the new ride.

Congratulations. The more you ride her, the more you'll grin, as much as I'm

How do you find the Rynox tail bag. Would you recommend it?

Excellent for a 2-3 day ride. Most of the time, its my SLR, Foot Pump, puncture kit, rain liners, toiletries, a couple of shorts/t-shirt. Its expandable too, using the zip at the bottom. So, yeah, for a weekend ride, this is all you need.

Originally Posted by kanishka88

*HOOKED*

Trust me, I may look a newbie by the number of posts But I am 'very' regular reader here, and this is, by far the best thread.! So much so, it forced an alsi lad like me to reply.

Thank you Kanishka (i'm guessing that's your name).

Have you ever felt the need for ABS, or have you missed the ABS on the bike? I know its a must have at this price, but is it a deal breaker by any way? Many thanks

Well, I have not ridden a motorcycle with ABS, so can't really say it would have made any difference. However, for this price, it should have been included.

This is definitely nowhere close to a deal breaker. She is one hell of a machine and just have to ride it to know it. So, if you're okay with shelling out 4L, go for it. You won't regret for sure.

[kanishka88]

Thank you Kanishka (i'm guessing that's your name).
.
.
This is definitely nowhere close to a deal breaker. She is one hell of a machine and just have to ride it to know it. So, if you're okay with shelling out 4L, go for it. You won't regret for sure.

Thanks buddy, that was quite insightful. Yes I am kanishk, spelled as kanishka :P

I actually happened to test drove the bike a couple of days and Have fallen in deep love with it. I couldnt ever imagine the level of refinement and smoothness this bike has. I am planning to book it soon. Thanks for your words about ABS

[ashkamath]

Hey Avi, I am mesmerised with your N300 and avidly follow this page. I have been riding for 3 decades now and my 390 is past 14k. But I relish your posts and snaps more than anything. Great going and God bless.

[hsub]

Originally Posted by kanishka88

*HOOKED*
Have you ever felt the need for ABS, or have you missed the ABS on the bike? I know its a must have at this price, but is it a deal breaker by any way? Many thanks

I had the same question and having owned both D390 and N300 my answer in short is "ABS is not a deal breaker".

N300 brakes well, holds its line and does not hinder your overall riding experience. I am planning on upgrading to Steel lines and better pads to increase the feel/response in the near future.

[aviorp]

11000 & 12000

Shettihalli

After Kodai, dint ride much for nearly a month, except for a couple of CCD rides. Finally broke free and rode here. Ideal time to visit would be for either a sunrise or set. I was too lazy to get up early, so was there for dusk.

Left B'lore around 2PM and reached around 5. Spent a good one hour and was back home by 9:30.

Route :

Bangalore -> Nelamangla -> Hassan by pass -> Go about 5kms, take a left near the HP Petrol Bunk (Very narrow lane) -> Head straight for nearly 20-25kms -> Take a right near the next fuel station -> Ride 4-5Kms -> (From here it is best to ask the locals for direction, but anyone wants to try it) Take the next right at a junction -> Ride another few kms till the next junction, take left and from here its about 3 kms. (Please don't use this for actual directions, use Google maps)

Road Condition :

Excellent till Hassan. After that a little patchy, but most parts are good.











Coorg

Within a few weeks, got another chance to do a ride to Coorg with my friend. We dint have much time, so this was a fast one. Left on Saturday evening and returned Sunday evening.

On our way, got stuck in the rain a couple of a times and then made a terrible mistake by taking the Hunsur -> Gonnikoppa -> Virajpet road. Was filled with slush and puddle of water all over.

The Stock tyres are terrible when riding in rain and slush. It slips a lot and a couple of times fish tailed too. Will share more information on this in a bit.

Came back via Kushalnagar, which is much much better. Freshly laid tar in most parts and loads of curves. Had a surprise near Kushalnagar too. Overall it was my first adventurous ride.

The Jap sibs



With the big fella




Kodachadri

Back in 2007, we hiked to this place but ever since then I was craving to ride up here. Finally, 7 years later, managed to fulfill that desire.

Again, due to the lack of time, had to do this in a day. So, left B'lore on Sunday at 3AM. Reached the base at 9. Around 390Kms.

Route : Bangalore -> Tumkur -> Arsikere -> Shimoga -> Ribbonpete -> Nagara -> Hosanagara -> Kodachadari

The roads are excellent all the way till the base.

Malnad at its best during the first rain



Cocooned by greenery



That's the peak



And this is where the actual test began for her



I so thought I'll either hit the fairing..



..or the sump guard



However, touchwood, not a scratch



She scaled up in ishtyle



Clouds all over the place (rather I was inside the cloud)



But what a view once the screen rolled up





As high as she can go





View on the other side



Bhatru manne (Yummy food, hot tea/coffee)



The descent was even harder.



A goodbye pic to this enticing place



In all, it took me 4 hours to scale up & down those 20kms. These tires are a waste for wet/slippery/slush condition. I had to wait for the slush to get dried up and then ride a couple of curves, then wait again. Otherwise, this bike is capable of doing a lot more than what I thought.

Dint click any pics on the way back, as I got stuck in rain for sometime, then had to rush back but I'm sure people could see me grin even with the helmet on. I was super happy after this ride, with the way she behaved. Love her more than ever.

Will soon get the 3rd service done and update.

[Chida]

Man...I just cannot hold myself back anymore from buying N300...Not that I have surplus to put on this bike...but this just has been a favourite for a long time now (I mean since the launch of 250R)...Time to have a reality check with my better half, just convinced her yesterday for R25...this thread has given me more reasons to go for my first love....

[Sheel]

Avirop, time to go for better rubber.

And GC in a car is a bother, not much on a bike if you are careful, moreover bike can have many escape paths. Slush, sportsbike & good grippy tires(tarmac) sure are a slidey recipe

Please continue with your ride & pictures

[kanishka88]

Originally Posted by Chida

Man...I just cannot hold myself back anymore from buying N300...Not that I have surplus to put on this bike...but this just has been a favourite for a long time now (I mean since the launch of 250R)...Time to have a reality check with my better half, just convinced her yesterday for R25...this thread has given me more reasons to go for my first love....

Take the plunge my friend. Thanks Avirop and all other people, booked the Green Machine from Mumbai east showroom.

[kanishka88]

Originally Posted by Chida

Man...I just cannot hold myself back anymore from buying N300...Not that I have surplus to put on this bike...but this just has been a favourite for a long time now (I mean since the launch of 250R)...Time to have a reality check with my better half, just convinced her yesterday for R25...this thread has given me more reasons to go for my first love....

Dude go for it. I was in similar dilemma and ended up booking the mean green yesterday. I was lucky to have a test drive at showroom and I can tell you. There is nothing that beats this machine at the moment in the market in terms of refinement, quality and ease of use

Originally Posted by hsub

I had the same question and having owned both D390 and N300 my answer in short is "ABS is not a deal breaker".

N300 brakes well, holds its line and does not hinder your overall riding experience. I am planning on upgrading to Steel lines and better pads to increase the feel/response in the near future.

Originally Posted by aviorp

Well, I have not ridden a motorcycle with ABS, so can't really say it would have made any difference. However, for this price, it should have been included.

This is definitely nowhere close to a deal breaker. She is one hell of a machine and just have to ride it to know it. So, if you're okay with shelling out 4L, go for it. You won't regret for sure.

Many thanks to both of you. Your feeds helped me by pass the scare of lack of abs and make the booking

[Chida]

Originally Posted by kanishka88

Dude go for it. I was in similar dilemma and ended up booking the mean green yesterday. I was lucky to have a test drive at showroom and I can tell you. There is nothing that beats this machine at the moment in the market in terms of refinement, quality and ease of use

Congrats Kanishk. You are really lucky to have a test drive. Can you pls PM me the formalities you went through?

Yeah, I have made the decision, my better half agreed too:-) but would probably wait for few more months as i need to do some savings.

How long is the waiting period??

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[vulcanize]

Originally Posted by aviorp

Well, driving is a passion too but bikes will remain as our first love.

Great going. Thanks for the write ups and pics
I agree with the quoted part above - have always loved bikes a bit more than cars.
But somehow never managed to like the four stroke variety because in the early days. the Hero Honda 100 cc bike sounded very effeminate when compared to the sweet sound of the two stroke Yamaha RX 100.
And same way, even though my Yamaha R6 is a nice speedy little thing, I have a penchant and a special place for my old sweetheart - 250 CC Jawa/Yezdi


Same goes for cars - most vehicles in the USA are automatic and that takes out the fun of shifting gears. It is sort of an acquired taste, so to speak because driving the Maruti 800 felt more fun than driving an automatic. Then again, I don't know how much of a fun it would be, driving in today's rush hour traffic in India since the growth has been exponential in the past 16 years since I left those shores.

Keep on riding and enjoy

[aviorp]

Originally Posted by kanishka88

Thanks Avirop and all other people, booked the Green Machine from Mumbai east showroom.

Congrats mate. Wish you miles of happiness & ride safe.