[aviorp]

"No matter what marque you ride, its all the same wind"

The first bike I ever remember seeing in my childhood, is the 'Streethawk'. Used to watch that series (TV Serial), without understanding a word, just to see that garage open and the black bike flying out.

I was picturing this in mind, when dad said he is getting a new bike. Bunked school, no cricket and waited all day long in the house only to end up seeing something that was like a sketch out of my rough book - it was a HH CD100.

Hoping that he would buy a super bike someday, it ended up being my first bike, nearly after a decade. Kudos to him for maintaining it for that long. I used to clean it up every now & then, so I get to ride often. Don't remember crossing 60 in that bike, I doubt it would have even if I tried, but the feel of riding a bike was something more joyous than anything else that I had done for the first time in that age.

So, it really dint matter that dad couldn't buy some super looking bike but I was totally in love with it and enjoyed every ride, untill..

Definitely Male

Well, it was a perfect bike for any guy who had just joined engineering to get tempted & I did fall for it. So, dad was kind enough to buy me my first bike - The Bajaj Pulsar 150. Just loved the design, the round doom and its exhaust (I dont know why I liked it, but we all like exhausts dont we). It served my purpose throughout the college days, doing typically what most of them would have.

5 Years later, I ended up buying another pulsar (200), which I still have, as I wanted something more powerful. Over a period of time, the number of long rides reduced and the focus shifted to cars. Though, I have not gone on long rides in the last 3 years or so, thanks to the Scorp, its been my daily ride to work.

Inspiration from Real Life Heroes

There are inspirational movies, books, youtube videos, t'logs about motorcyclists and their stories. However, nothing comes close to what you witness and experience in person with some gutsy bikers.

On my maiden drive to Leh in 2011, met an elderly Gentleman who rode a 'Hoodibaba' Caliber 115, from Delhi to Leh, all alone. He had all the gears in place and this was the first time I ever saw someone in a proper riding gear. Met couple of other riders, of which one of them was riding solo from Europe - mentioned it on my t'log too. It left me wonder why I had stopped riding and chose to drive instead. Well, driving is a passion too but bikes will remain as our first love. I presume, this is a feeling which is common with most of us in this forum.

Soon after, met our very own biker boyz during the t-bhp drive to Chikmagalur and this was first time I saw the Ninja up close. I was trying to pick up my jaw from the floor, watching the beauty. There were few other bikes too, Mahesh's FZ1, Santhosh & Niranjan's CBR 250. Loved them all, but Aditya's Green beauty stood out, even with a 1 ltr. bike around. I had my eye set on it then.

It was this drive which made me change the way I looked at motorcycles and its riders. All these guys were riding sedately, no hard accelerations every now & then, no noisy exhausts, clean & gleaming bikes and to top it all, all the bikers with full gear. They even found a cozy place to park their beloved beauties. Wow, can biking be done this way? I pondered, after having seen those noisy RX 100's and shivajinagar maniacs, most of the time.

[aviorp]

"Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle"

I have had a few crashes but the funniest among all was this - was running late to work one day and had to attend a training. Unfortunately it started raining as well. This road was concrete and just as I overtook a car, a dog crossed the road, may be he was heading late too, and I had to brake hard. The rear wheel skidded and I went sliding, watching my bike slide further away from me with sparks flying off. That was quite a view. Got up with a bruised knee and elbow, torn pants, my brand new motorola razor shattered, picked up my bruised bike and headed to work, only to find the training was cancelled.

I have laughed it off many a times, but realized the importance of having proper gear. So, I bought these, even before I got the bike.

Helmet : LS2 FF384 - 4K
Jacket : Spartan Helios - 6.7K
Gloves : DSG Primal - 3K

[aviorp]

"Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy you a motorcycle and that's pretty close!"

Its close to 6 years now with the Pulsar 200 and its done just over 60K Kms. It does its job of helping me ride around the city but its not something I wanna take for long rides. The engine starts making too much noise and it vibrates like crazy at high speeds. So, with all the inspiration & stuff, a new desire to own a motorcycle creeped through me at the beginning of this year.

Over a period of time, read many reviews about RE Classic 500, CBR250R and the Ninja 250. Sometime in April, heard about the new Ninja 300 but the price was a major put off. Moreover, it was still new and wanted to get the initial reviews before deciding. Then, during one of the short T-Bhp drives, Schoudry bought a CBR250R. The tri-colour looked majestic and I had almost made up my mind.

Thank you Schoudry bhai for letting me take your CBR for a spin.

Sometime in Aug/Sep, read about some ECU issues on the Ninja for the first lot but heard it was fixed soon after. Most reviews praised the bike for its superior quality, dynamics and the design. By then, even the initial reviews about the KTM 390 was out, but I never liked its design nor the sound it made. So, considered only the following :

1. RE Classic 500

The first obvious motorcycle was the RE Classic 500. This one is a dream machine for many for its royal stance, thump and the riding comfort. Fortunately, one of my friend, who was kind enough to lend me his Desert storm, after I told him my plans. I rode his bull till Krishnagiri on a friday night and was pretty impressed with its power and loved the riding position. However, the vibrations and the engine noise was just too much. For a bike that's just over a year, it had rust in some places and that's completely unacceptable for something that costs nearly 2L.

Moreover, another friend who recently bought a TB500, had engine oil leak on day one and it took 3 visits to the service center to get it fixed. Well, had enough reasons to drop it from my list.

2. Honda CBR 250R

The guy who owns the TB500 also owns a CBR250R. So, I was lucky for the 2nd time and rode his CBR again to Krishnagiri. Totally was in love with its looks, power and engine refinement. The only discomfort I felt was the agressive (forward leaning) riding position. I felt a lot of strain on my shoulder and palms, may be because I was holding on to it too hard. So, wanted to ride again before I decided, so went for another ride to a place called 'Tonnuru Kere'. Loosened up my muscles this time and felt a lot better.

By the end of this ride, I had decided that its the CBR but for the heck of it I wanted to see the Ninja in person and decided to pay a visit to the Probiking showroom, near BTM.

Just as I entered, there was this white beauty next to the monstrous 650. I was drooling like a saint bernard. I completely forgot about the ride in the CBR and was gazing at it like a baby, who found its lost toy. I also wanted to see the Green variant but unfortunately they dint have one nor a test ride. Got the quotation, headed back home and called Aditya (n_aditya) and fired a series of questions. One of the obvious questions was, why does it cost so much? Well, he said 'Quality comes at a price' and when a liter bike costs about 16-17L, why not a 300 costs 4L. Fair enough I thought.

Thank you so much for taking your time off and patiently answering all my queries Adi bhai.

The booking was done on the auspicious day of Deepavali and got the delivery on the 23rd.

On-Road price : 4.12L

[aviorp]

Technical Specifications

[aviorp]

The Proposal

This is first time ever I was riding a sports/performance bike and I was so excited on the delivery day. The showroom is about 5 Kms from my house and it took me close to an hour to reach home as I was no nervous riding in the traffic. I filled fuel for about 500 bucks as the bottom most line on the digital fuel meter started blinking. As I was refuelling, waited for a few lines to go up and there was no progress. The guy took the lever out of the tank and I stood wondering if it was working. Then, saw an increase with just one line. I was like, if I start ripping her, she is gonna rip me.

It took me a while to come to terms that a sports bike was actually in my garage. That night, spent reading the owners manual for about 15 minutes and the rest of night clicking pics of the beauty.

The manual says to keep the revs below 4K RPM for the initial 800Kms and under 6K for the next 800. The following day I took her out for a spin on NICE Road and totally loved it.

Done about 300Kms so far and honestly, don't have any complaints for now. I'm loving every bit of it. It's gonna take me a long time to cover this 1600 odd kms, before I get to open the throttle.

Some Key Points -

Design and Quality

+ Inspired from its elder sibling, the design is outstanding. Well, she is drop dead gorgeous. I loved the white more than the green for once.
+ The Quality of this bike is just top notch. Just can't find any exposed wires or something hanging loose. There are hardly even any exposed screws & the paint quality is splendid.
+ The bike will not start if the side stand is on and if the vehicle is in first gear & when it is on, with the first clutch depressed, if the side stand is released, the engine shuts off automatically.
+ The headlights are extremely powerful. Went for a short ride to KGF during the night and the low beam pretty much lights up the 2-lane road & for quite a distance too.
+ The indicators integrated to the fairings looks elegant.
+ There is a small light just above the number plate at the rear to illuminate it

- The headlight on the right, low beam, comes up automatically when the vehicle is started. Ideally, the left light should be lit according to our standards, if I'm not wrong.

Engine, Gearbox & Clutch

+ After riding a Pulsar for nearly a decade, just cant compare the refinement of the Ninja. It is just stunning. With the helmet on, it sometimes even hard to make out if its even running.
+ The growl of the engine is eargasmic. It sounds the best just after the 4K rpm.
+ The clutch & gearbox obviously is butter smooth. The gear shift is as precise as it can get
+ Ninja comes with FCC Clutch and Slipper function, which helps in downshifting quickly and not having to rev match. Tested it a couple of times too.

Ride & Handling

+ When compared to the CBR250R's ride, the Ninja's seating position is a lot more upright. The CBR felt more aggressive
+ Dint take me too long to get used to it and dint have any shoulder or palm aching, as I did when riding the CBR
+ She can easily cruise all day long at 150+ and surely long distances will not be tough.

Tyres and Brakes

+ Comes standard with the IRC Road winner Tyres. Never really heard of this brand, so time will tell its durability.
+ The alloys are 10 spoke 17". Totally love the design and looks sporty.
+ The brakes seems adequate. Had to do an emergency braking and downshift quickly. So tested both the brakes and the slipper function
- Don't really know how ABS be on a 2 wheeler would help, but for this price, ABS should have been included.

Speedometer

+ The dials are well illuminated and even when the sun is right above, its easier to read the numbers.
+ Just love the way it makes a full swing and illuminates all the lights
+ Separate indicators for left & right turns


Will let the pics do the talking now -

[aviorp]

Key to Happiness



My Covert Agent



With the big daddy



Bella



'Rock'star



Sun bath



Killer Eyes



City ride Vs Weekend ride



Japanese Combat



Pretty Gal



One way to control her



With all the make up



Love these alloys



Beauty and the beast



Getting tanned



My First Ride



She's got Power



My Fav shot

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[Sheel]

Wow, amazing! A big congratulations for following your heart

Please keep this updated with your ownership tit bits. Would help many in choosing and many would realize, that yes, you get what you pay for.

I would chose this over the D-390 and not because it is faired.

[black12rr]

Congrats for getting a bike in your life . When I was taking my bike delivery , I saw your bike at the basement of the showroom . The white color has some bluish hint in it , looks great . Lets ride some time . Ride safe .

The new dashboard is awesome compared to the previous version . That's a beautiful tachometer there .

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by aviorp

[center]The Proposal

Congrats on your new ride mate! Looks awesome in white and enjoyed reading your write up as well. And those are some good shots of the bike in various lighting conditions!

I have to agree with black12rr that the entire instrument console but the tacho in particular is awesome.

Originally Posted by Sheel

I would chose this over the D-390 and not because it is faired.

A little more elaboration would certainly help prospective buyers.

[niranjanrvce]

Woah! Congrats Avinash! Terrific choice of bike there.
This is a world class, top-notch product that you will enjoy for however long you keep - I agree with Aditya on Quality comes at a price. I am sure you will keep her well and hope to see you on a ride sometime soon.
I remember the Chikmagalur trip well - since then the CBR250 is gone from my garage and a green fella sits in his place along with a recent orange beast addition. Very glad that trip inspired you to take the plunge and get a true blue sportsbike into your garage.

[Porschefire]

Congrats mate!!!
What you've got yourself is truly a world class product. Yes, quality does come at a price and it shows on the Ninja. I bought myself a 250R about 8 months back (probably the last 250R to be sold in the country ) and i must say that its kept me hooked ever since!!!
White looks awesome and i think it looks more special than the green. Enjoy the bike and ride safe!!!

PS: We should meet over a ride sometime. I'll PM you.

[ashkamath]

Congrats Bro. That is an absolute stunner there. Quality does come at a price and white Ninja is a head turner. The fit and finish is immaculate. Your pics made me drool.

Don't really know how ABS be on a 2 wheeler would help, but for this price, ABS should have been included

The below link should help to understand ABS better. and I agree for that price, ABS should have been included.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/ho...rks-64330.html

[Parth46]

Absolutely brilliant choice mate! looks stunning in white. I've been on the edge ever since launch, not able to justify plonking 4 big ones on this, but just love this piece of machinery and getting more and more tempted with each passing day. If only it was just a bit cheaper. But hopefully soon.!

[n_aditya]

Congratulations Avinash. She's finally here and I'm waiting to see her in the flesh

Wishing you many happy and safe miles and years on this one. She is quite a machine and will be a great learning experience.

Unlike the bigger bikes that bite your head off when you make a mistake, this one is a lot more forgiving. Do get yourself a copy of the following books and videos which are highly recommended:

1. Sport Riding Techniques - Nick Ienatsch
2. Twist of the Wrist - Keith Code

These will help you unlearn all the wrong things we've been doing while riding bikes and improve our skills to a great extent.

Originally Posted by aviorp

The manual says to keep the revs below 4K RPM for the initial 800Kms and under 6K for the next 800. Done about 300Kms so far and honestly, don't have any complaints for now. I'm loving every bit of it. It's gonna take me a long time to cover this 1600 odd kms, before I get to open the throttle.

This is the most painful part. I remember coming back home from work and riding 70 kms everyday to complete the run-in process. What a painful thing it is to cruise at those piddly speeds