[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Hey all! Sorry to gatecrash this thread but I wanted to purchase some OEM Conti GT 535 Mirrors to fit onto my himalayan. I was hoping the members on this thread could give me some leads. Thanks!

[Viju]

Hi Neil, do you know if your GT535 Brembo front caliper and the GT650 Bybre caliper are interchangeable? Do you know anyone at RE who can confirm this? Thanks in advance!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Viju

Hi Neil, do you know if your GT535 Brembo front caliper and the GT650 Bybre caliper are interchangeable? Do you know anyone at RE who can confirm this? Thanks in advance!

Viju, as per Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 guru and new TBHPian Aditya,

The front pads for GT 535 and 650 aren't the same

650 has a bigger caliper for 320mm discs

GT 535 has a 300mm unit

I believe that he tried to post a reply to your query on this thread but for some reason, his message isn't showing up. So, I've posted the above on his behalf.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Viju, as per Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 guru and new TBHPian Aditya,

Thank you, Neil and Aditya for your quick response.

[neil.jericho]

This Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 ownership thread has been awfully silent for far too long and there are a ton of pending updates that I need to write about. I hope to get through everything in the next couple of weeks. With that mandatory preamble out of the way, let’s get down to business.

As I had mentioned in my last round of posts, I had dropped off my motorcycle with Motonerdz in Trivandrum. While I like to think that I have been rather meticulous in the upkeep of my bike, there were a bunch of small tasks that needed to be addressed. Almost as (more?) importantly, after 8 years of hard riding, the Continental GT 535 looked a little tired. It’s safe to say that the motorcycle desperately needed a mid-life makeover.

My brief to the Motonerdz team was simple. I wanted the motorcycle to both, feel and look, like it was a brand spanking new motorcycle. Barring the couple of electric problems that had cropped up, the Continental GT 535 had served me very well since 2014. It has survived Bangalore's infamous traffic commutes, the usual breakfast rides, stressful all-day rides, multiple overnighters, track weekends, ill-conceived offroading experiments and everything else in between.

It is hard to explain but of all the motorcycles that I have owned, this once halo product of Royal Enfield, has carved out a very special place for itself in my heart. I was looking forward to many more years of riding it across South India (and hopefully, other parts of our beautiful country), without having the minutest doubts about its reliability nag away at the back of my mind. That, and I wanted it to look like it had just rolled out of the showroom because hey, there is no arguing that the Continental GT 535 is one of the best designed Indian bikes of all time.

After handing over the motorcycle, I came up with a check list / wish list of things to be done on the motorcycle. In no particular order, they were

1. New paintjob
Unsurprisingly, finalizing the paint scheme and design was the activity that took the longest time. I scoured the internet for a signature colour mix that wouldn’t require an update in the bike’s RC. After shortlisting a dozen design options (including from several classic UJMs), we went with the colour combination from the stunning deBolex DB25 and a simple scheme that was reminiscent of the bigger Royal Enfield Continental GT 650.

The front mudguard and rear mudguard would also be painted in this gorgeous yellow shade. The stock grey panels would do a gross disservice to the new paintjob.

Initially, we planned to get the exhaust rechromed but after several rounds of discussion, we settled on painting the engine in glossy black and the exhaust in matte black. To complement this combination, the wheel rims were painted in black while the spokes retained their OEM finish. The other grey coloured OEM bits were painted in black, to match the overall look of the bike. This includes the footpegs, guards, a new triple clamp (more on that later), mounts and so on.

I think it’s safe to say that the final outcome speaks for itself. That yellow colour absolutely POPS in the real world. The bike grabs attention like it’s nobody's business. Here is a clip of what the motorcycle looks like.

However, there is so much more that has gone into the motorcycle than just a striking paintjob.


2. Install anti vibration plate
The Carberry anti-vibration plate is a popular product that reduces the vibrations in Royal Enfield motorcycles, to a perceptible extent. The reviews of the product are largely positive, with the primary negative feedback being its price of above Rs 3,000. One could always argue that the price to performance ratio isn’t worth the money spent. In my books, if you are unhappy with the vibrations on your older Royal Enfield motorcycles, you can either try out a product like this or sell your motorcycle and buy another bike that is a lot smoother but with a tenth of the character of what you currently own.

Does the anti-vibration plate actually work? I believe it does help to some extent. How much would be hard for me to actually quantify.


3. Install 90-degree valves on both wheels
My Triumph Street Triple 675 comes with 90 degree valves on both the wheels and this simple feature makes checking the air pressure extremely easy, especially while touring. The problem with a motorcycle that has spoked wheels and valve stems that face the wheel hub is that it can be really difficult to fill air at a petrol bunk which has the long metallic nozzle extensions. For regular usage, I stick to IOCL bunks that have the newer small nozzles for filling air. Being a tubed setup, it isn’t possible to install 90-degree valve stems on the wheels of my motorcycle. However, I hear that the alloys from the 650 twins are a direct fit onto the Continental GT 535. If that is the case, I will most likely switch to the alloy setup with the tubeless Vredstein Centauro ST tires that come on the new Continental GT 650. This combination will allow me to install 90-degree valves.


4. Check the front brakes
While the brake fluid was new, I wanted everything else to be given a thorough once over.


5. Replace all rubber hoses
The OEM rubber hoses aren’t known to be particularly long lasting. It was time for a fresh set of hoses to go in.


6. Tighten the foundation bolts
Self explanatory.


7. Replace spark plug
I had heard positive feedback on the NGK Platinum spark plugs. Way back in 2016, a Royal Enfield service advisor had suggested that I try it out but I didn’t want to spend 4 times the money of the regular spark plug. Does the NGK Platinum spark plug really make that much of a difference on a performance motorcycle (ahem!) like the Continental GT 535? Thats hard to say without riding it back to back with a stock plug setup. Since I was going all out on the making the bike feel like it just rolled out of the showroom, this was a no brainer.

8. Check the throttle body
Periodic maintenance. Thats it.


9. Check the rear brake
This is similar to point number 4 in the list.


10. Check compression
No particular reason to get this done. Periodic maintenance.


11. Replace the OEM rear bulb with a brighter LED bulb
Better visibility is always, well, better.


12. Check if any engine work is to be done
This was more of a preventive step than anything else. As it turned out, everything was fine.

13. Reshape the double seat
Back in 2021, I had upgraded the padding of the double seat of the Continental GT 535 and while the new seat was extremely comfortable, the aesthetics of the motorcycle had taken a major hit. The seat height had also gone up by a fair bit, which made flatfooting less easy than before. I wanted the seat to be trimmed down enough that the motorcycle retained its classic looks without compromising on the seating comfort.


14. Replace the triple clamp
In early 2016, I had replaced the semi-aggressive stock clipons with an upright KTM Duke handlebar setup, in an attempt to make day to day living with the Continental GT 535 a lot easier. The daily office commute, with the laptop on my back, was taking a real toll on my wrists. After I moved to the new Scrambler-ish setup, the benefits were instantly evident. Over time, I switched back to the OEM clipons. That short-lived but breezy KTM handlebar phase however, did leave 2 gaping holes on the triple clamp. It was finally time to get a new one and get it colour matched with the rest of the motorcycle.


15. Replace the front brake reservoir cap
Over the years, the existing one ended up getting slightly scuffed. How that happened, I do not remember. The details are probably buried somewhere in this mammoth ownership thread. In 2020, I had requested the friendly folks at the Republic of Bikers to help source this. Unfortunately, this item was never in stock. Despite the best efforts of the team at Motonerdz, they too could not procure the brake reservoir cap in Trivandrum. I willl have to see if its available over the counter in Bangalore. There is nothing wrong with the existing one, barring the visual scars.


16. Fix the steering lock nut
During this slow speed fall in 2021, the steering lock nut on the right side suffered minor damage. This meant that when the handlebar was at full lock position on the right side, the handlebar was closer to the tank, than what it was on the left side. The team at Motonerdz fixed this and now there is no perceptible difference from lock to lock.


17. Fabricate a fly screen
After the paint scheme, this required the maximum brainstorming before we locked down on a final design. Long story short, the fabricator took an awfully long time to make this to our specifications. I simply love how it has turned out, though many of my friends aren’t the biggest fans of the custom fly screen. On highway runs, it certainly does help with managing windblast. If I had an Instagram account, the custom fly screen would have easily earned me an additional 21% in the count of likes and 18.5% in shares, as compared to another motorcycle without the fly screen. So what if the motorcycle now looks like a charging Indian rhinoceros in the rear view mirrors of my fellow riders?

18. Install Simtac indicator LED and flasher
Like the rear tail light, brighter is better. I wanted a flasher for the few times when the bike was parked on the side of the road in poor visibility conditions. Simtac's products are supposed to be the best of what is available in India right now. The company confirmed that it is a direct fit for the Continental GT 535.


19. Fabricate clamp for right side horn
In 2017, one of the two clamps that held up the horns had broken due to low morale, me(n?)tal fatigue and / or #JustREthings. It was time to get another clamp installed so that the motorcycle went back to the twin horn setup.


20. Replace accelerator and clutch cable
Over a decade ago, the accelerator cable on my Yamaha R15 gave up at the infamous Silk Board junction and I had the distinctly unfortunate privilege of pushing the motorcycle for a few kilometers, in peak traffic, to my FNG. Since then, I’ve made it a point to replace the accelerator and clutch cable on my motorcycles every 10,000 kilometers. I consider this a small price to pay for complete peace of mind. As this experience taught me, one can never be too careful with such matters.


21. Check crush washer
The drain bolt for the engine oil needed to be replaced. Preventive maintenance.


22. Fix underside screw on RHS handlebar to remove play
This issue had to be sorted out. This was a simple fix.


23. Cone set check
Periodic maintenance. Thats it.


24. Sheathing of entire wiring harness
Despite all the warnings on mechanical impropriety and endless electrical gremlins that I got before buying the motorcycle, the Continental GT 535 has only left me stranded on two occasions. Both were on account of electric issues. The first was due to the well-known issue of the wiring harness wearing out over time due to frequent physical contact. The second was due to damage to the wiring from a fall. Later, I caught a wiring related issue early enough and replaced the entire wiring harness with a new one. Not wanting to experience electric issues for a third time, I got the Motonerdz team to put a protective wrap around the wiring harness. Sometimes, it is better to be safe than sorry.


And now for 2 unexpected entries.

25. Royal Enfield touring mirrors
A fellow TBHPian had these optional touring mirrors on his Royal Enfield motorcycle that he sold a few years ago. He was not a fan of the stock oval shaped mirrors on my motorcycle and gave them to me to try out on my Continental GT 535. Compared to the stock mirrors which used to vibrate at multiple points of the rev range, these touring mirrors in a whole different league altogether. They are crystal clear almost throughout the rev range, which is a trick and a half. I only wish they were a quarter of an inch bigger, for a wider field of view. At Rs 6,850, these touring mirrors are frightfully expensive but the quality (both build and visibility) is fantastic. Dare I say it, these optional mirrors are actually worth the money.

With the touring mirrors installed

26. Mad Dog LED headlight
Again, these were lent to me by the same TBHPian. The cutoff from the headlight is pretty sharp and the intensity is surprisingly good! With a few really early morning starts for rides, these headlights have been put to the test and they have performed admirably well. I know in the absence of aux lights, LED headlights can usually prove to be ineffective in the rains. So far, I havent had a chance to test them in those conditions and I hope it stays that way!

I have a feeling that there are a few more updates that I might have forgotten about.

Overall, the team from Motonerdz has done an excellent job. The motorcycle was ready to be picked up a long time back. A combination of me being busy, touring on my Suzuki Gixxer SF 250, procrastination, life's usual head-scratching shenanigans and more, meant that the motorcycle was in their safe custody until I could get around to picking it up.

All said and done, the refreshed Continental GT 535 is back to being ready to rock and roll. Coming up in my subsequent posts are updates on
- a thankfully rainless monsoon ride from Trivandrum to Cochin
- a most eventful ride from Cochin to Bangalore (keep your popcorn ready for this one)
- a breakfast ride (with familiar old faces) to savour the best dosa ever
- a worrying new sound and nailing down what it stems from
- a 4 day 1000+ kilometer chasing the rain clouds (away !) ride took us from Bangalore to Agumbe to Kalpasa to Madikeri and finally, back to Bangalore.
- a quickfire breakfast blast with the newest Ninja 400 on the forum.

[Chevy]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Initially, we planned to get the exhaust rechromed but after several rounds of discussion, we settled on painting the engine in glossy black and the exhaust in matte black. To complement this combination, the wheel rims were painted in black while the spokes retained their OEM finish. The other grey coloured OEM bits were painted in black, to match the overall look of the bike. This includes the footpegs, guards, a new triple clamp (more on that later), mounts and so on.

I think it’s safe to say that the final outcome speaks for itself. That yellow colour absolutely POPS in the real world. The bike grabs attention like it’s nobody's business. Here is a clip of what the motorcycle looks like.

However, there is so much more that has gone into the motorcycle than just a striking paintjob.

Neil, wonderful to see an update from you.

A quick question on exhaust in matte, as there is lot heat generated what pait have you used, can you please share the details I'am planning to a DIY on my GT 535

[Viju]

Hi Neil, I really don’t know how I missed this wonderful update! The GT looks factory fresh! And that yellow is just wow!

I do like the fairing. It gives the bike character. I am glad you reshaped the seat. Looks so much better now!

Overall, a great makeover and I am sure she’s going to serve you for many more years to come.

[VijayAnand1]

Nice looking GT Neil. Just as an anecdote, GTs always have looked nice with chromed exhaust. Neil, I hope you don't mind me sharing this light-hearted answer, I'm afraid. But the blacked out exhaust coupled with gloss black engine covers, simply makes it look like a spray paint job. Glossy engine cover does look good, but the chrome touch to the exhaust would have just made the GT stand out even sharply contrasting with the current paint job. Those battery and AF covers definitely deserve that olive wreath logo, seems like they're left for a loner. Just thought I'd share this friendly remark.

Cheers!
VJ

[neil.jericho]

Having ridden the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 for almost 30,000 kilometers in every possible terrain conditions, one would think that after picking it up from Motonerdz in Trivandrum, getting reacquainted with the motorcycle would have been the easiest thing in the world. Well, not quite.

Over the last few years, the Continental GT 535 has seen less running than before because the garage grew to add a Triumph Street Triple 675 and a Suzuki Gixxer SF 250. Between the new additions, I’ve added another 28,000 - 29,000 kilometers. While all 3 motorcycles are as completely different from each other as you can imagine, the time away from the Continental GT 535 gave me the opportunity to reexamine it with a fresh perspective, as I rode back to Cochin.

- Firstly, I topped up at an IOCL petrol bunk in Trivandrum and I couldn’t help but smile at the same old fuelling routine. The way that the bike's petrol tank is designed causes the petrol dispenser to cut off when the tank is only around 70% full. On other motorcycles, the cutoff happens when the motorcycle's tank is around 85 to 90% full. Since this isn’t a motorcycle that sold in droves, fuel attendants always hesitantly fill up the next few litres after the first cut off. None of them want a tank overflowand spillage situation, for obvious reasons. I do find that most of them are amused by how much additional fuel the tank gulps in. It always is an interesting conversation starter at petrol pumps everywhere.

Lunch break on the way to Cochin

- That torque hit is something else! Though the engine only produces a modest 29.1 HP, the ace up its sleeve is the 44 NM of torque at a very low 4,000 RPM. This is an engine which is built for riding across Kerala's narrow, winding and often crowded highways. The engine provides a fabulous wave of torque that lets you pull off quick overtakes without having to think twice. Touring on the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 with its tepid output figures (26.5 PS and 22.2 NM) and linear power delivery had changed my riding style. Getting back on the Continental GT 535 reignited that spark which the Suzuki was missing.

- Handling wise, the Suzuki Gixxer SF 250 on its Apollo Alpha H1 tires and the Triumph Street Triple 675, have the Continental GT beat. The Suzuki and the Triumph boast of a composure in the chassis dynamics and ability to tip in from side to side, which the Continental GT 535 does not have. Maybe it’s the higher center of gravity with the 18 inch wheels. Maybe its the lack of premium tires (until very recently) in this size. Or it very well could be the chassis design, for all I know. This doesn’t imply that the Continental GT 535 is unsettled in the corners or that it is lacking / unsafe. Far from it. There just is more muscling involved while riding the bike, which contrary to most people's expectations, makes it fun to ride.

- The sharpness of the braking, again, couldn’t match the Gixxer SF 250 which was running on better brake fluid and Versah brake pads. You feel like you are carrying a whole lot of momentum, while riding the Continental GT 535. While better Vresdestein Centauro tires will help in reducing the braking distance, I missed that extra sharpness which premium aftermarket brake pads offered. Oh, and I missed ABS!

Grabs eyeballs everywhere

- The seating comfort with this reshaped seat is a real game changer. The OEM seat's padding used to throw in the towel less than half way through a full day's riding. That meant a sore bottom, misery and silent curses for everyone in Royal Enfield who approved the production of the seat without proper testing. Now, with this extra layer of padding, it feels like my bottom is insulated from the vibrations.

I could go on (and on and on ....) but there are a lot more updates to get to. Overall, it is safe to say that the Continental GT 535 has its strong points and there are some noticeable areas of improvement. Out of the box, it was a good Royal Enfield motorcycle for its time, With an assortment of upgrades, it can become a much more involving and simply put, better motorcycle. It is a shame that not too many Continental GT 535 owners tinker around with their motorcycles.

Back in Cochin, the motorcycle was put to commuting duties and I was reminded of just how much attention it grabs everywhere. While collecting the bike from Motonerdz, they did mention that the battery light warning indicator was frequently coming on. Despite that, the bike was starting without any issues and never necessitated a kick start. That, and the emission test was pending. I got it done at the usual center where I get all my vehicles tested.

Emission test in progress

Next up, it was time to pack my bags and move back to Bangalore. But not without a major hiccup on the way.

Oh boy, things are about to get interesting

[neil.jericho]

As is often the case, life had a funny way of taking one too many unexpected twists and turns, often without us having too much of a say in what exactly ends up transpiring! Anyways, I had to shift lock, stock and two smoking barrels to Bangalore in a time frame that was a little too tight, for my liking. In the midst of all the chaotic shifting, I left my Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 behind in Cochin, under the optimistic assumption that I would ride it up at a later date. I dont know how I did it, but before the Continental GT 535 found its way to Bangalore, I squeezed in a ride with a few fellow TBHPians to Chikmagalur. KarthikK has done his usual excellent job of recapping that lovely ride here.

The following weekend, I was back in Cochin with a grand plan of peacefully riding the motorcycle back to Bangalore, on yet another solo ride. I was only worried about two things
- the monsoon rains
- the battery acting up

Thankfully, after reaching Cochin, neither of the above was really a factor. I used the motorcycle for pottering around town to meet a few friends and run some errands. The Continental GT 535 always started at the first crank and never gave me cause for a second thought.

There were heavy overnight showers, which did not bode well for my 550 kilometer solo ride to Bangalore. I had all my waterproof riding gear packed in my tail bag and with a small prayer, I set off from Cochin. This time, I was in no real rush to get to my destination. Hence, I only set off by 07:00 AM, which was rather late by my standards.

Within 20 minutes of departing, the rain clouds opened up. Oh boy! After pulling over under a metro station, I slipped on my rain gear and got back on the road. It didn’t take more than 10 minutes for the rains to cease. The overcast skies though, remained as ominous than ever. Rather than losing time in changing in and out of my rain gear, I kept riding, hoping that the conditions would shift one way or the other. Expectedly, everything remained just the same. The sky was 101 shades of grey with the threat of imminent downpours never really going away.

Meanwhile, the Continental GT 535 was blissfully munching miles. I was thoroughly smitten by the wave of torque which let it effortlessly overtake other vehicles, before settling back into its steady rhythm of following the clearly mandated speed limits (obviously!). Finally, after crossing one of the toll booths in Trichur, I packed my rain gear while taking a short water break. The speed camera-less section between Trichur and Palakkad was dispatched in no time and before I knew it, I was descending down the Palakkad flyover. At one of the subsequent signals, I switched off the motorcycle. When I tried to start it, nothing happened.

Moving the bike to the side, I managed to kick start it (must have tried the kick start after years) and after a few tiring attempts, the bike came to life. However, the dials were all wonky and I knew that this was the dreaded battery on its last legs issue. What baffled me though was that I had just ridden the motorcycle for 3 hours, almost continuously. How did the battery not charge itself in that time? A few hundred metres later, the motorcycle again came to a stop. A half dozen kickstarts later, I knew that I was in big trouble.

My experience with Royal Enfield’s Road Side Assistance team
Opening the side panel, I checked that there were no loose contacts at the battery. I called up a couple of local garages and they suggested that I reach out to the nearby Royal Enfield showroom for support. As luck would have it, I had crossed one a few kilometers back. After taking down my details, the service advisor sent 2 mechanics to my location. They arrived within 15 minutes or so.

After jumpstarting the battery, the motorcycle came to life and was able to hold a steady throttle. However, after switching off the motorcycle, they were unable to get it started again. The battery was well and truly dead. Even they couldn’t explain why this had happened to a battery that had been used for the last few hours.

After they checked with the service center on the battery availability, the mechanics told me that there was a battery store nearby. To my good fortune, my bike had stalled midway between a Royal Enfield showroom and an automobile battery store, though I was on a national highway. I gave the mechanics the go-ahead to procure a new battery. A short while later, they arrived with a new SF Sonic dry cell battery with an impressive 48 month warranty. Post installation, the Continental GT started without an issue and everything in the world, went back to being normal.

The total cost of jumpstarting my bike's old battery, collecting the new one and installing it, came to only Rs 200. At this time, I dont recall how much I paid for the new battery minus the exchange value. What I know for certain, is that the prices of batteries have gone up by a fair bit! Even the store owner mentioned the same and said that 2 wheeler owners are feeling the pinch in 2023. Anyways, I thanked the mechanics profusely and was back on my way.

As far as I remember, this is the first time that circumstances necessitated calling for Royal Enfield's road side support while I was on a ride. The cost to convenience factor is something which is unbeatable, really. Kudos to Royal Enfield for providing this facility, though their customers must be praying that they never have to call upon it! I would rate my experience with the RE support a full 5/5.

Back in business
Once I was back on the highway, I took my usual stop at the Cafe Coffee Day in Chengapalli, which is a short distance from Coimbatore. While mulling over the battery incident, for the life of me, I couldnt understand how this could have happened. Anyways, there was only one potential chink the armour, and that was the battery. Now that it was replaced, there was nothing else to worry about on the refreshed Continental GT 535. The ride to Salem was a far too familiar one. The Continental GT kept chugging away at a steady 100 kmph. While the motorcycle has a lot of strengths, steady speed cruising on monotonous highway roads isn’t at the top of the list.

Cold coffee in Chengapalli


On the way to Salem

The ride from Salem to Bangalore was so much more fun than the preceding section. Here, there was the occasional heavy vehicle traffic to weave through, in the afternoon. That, combined with the Thoppur ghats and the very gradual but perceptible increase in elevation, on the interesting highway made sure that the Continental GT 535 was in its element. Instead of the steady droning speeds from earlier, now I had to keep riding in the 80 to 110 kmph zone, which is where all the lovely torque comes into play. Honestly, the time lost in the battery change and the slow but steady riding past Erode were but a distant memory, when I was blitzing my way back to Bangalore. My only regret was that I was enjoying this brilliant ride all by myself. I can count at least 15 TBHPians who would have loved to ride back to Bangalore with me, at that blistering pace!

All the fun and games came to a screeching halt after crossing the state border and entering into Karnataka. By 6 PM, I was back at home, tired and thoroughly entertained by the afternoon's hijinks. In the 13+ years that I’ve been riding and driving on the Cochin to Bangalore stretch, this was by far, the longest trip but it also ended up being one of the more memorable ones.

Coming up in my subsequent posts are updates on
- a breakfast ride (with familiar old faces) to savour the best dosa ever.
- a worrying new sound and nailing down what it stems from.
- a 4 day 1000+ kilometer chasing the rain clouds (away !) ride took us from Bangalore to Agumbe to Kalpasa to Madikeri and finally, back to Bangalore.
- a quickfire breakfast blast with the newest Ninja 400 on the forum.
- a moderately annoying breakfast ride for some of the best wood fired idlis in this part of the country.

[Majumdarda]

An ownership review and that too quite a regular one. I am definitely not keeping an eye on the forum these days. Your long thread will be the fodder for me for some days now. For sure, I will have questions, for sure they would have been answered. Reading through an ownership review, and that too a regular one, is more interesting to me than a movie, and its like one of those strategy games from my college days. Live and Leave, to live again.

Anyways, Neil, in regards to the battery, I also had faced somewhat similar issue with my Amun-Ra (Bullet 500) and even though I had replaced the battery, the issue started up again. What apparently seams is that why the battery has not charged up even after continuous riding, takes a turn towards, is the battery not able to retain the charge, to the extent that I went ahead and got it replaced. But then once the new one also started showing the same symptoms, did we realize that mechanics need to have more knowledge over mechanicals. Anyways, the issue was with the RR unit, something which could have been discovered had one known what is the voltage expected on a idle and running mode.

Long story short, can you also have a look at the R/R unit and have it checked if there are any shorts or if that has worn out. Better to have it clubbed with a servicing. The R/R unit is expected to charge up the battery properly.

Your thoughts?

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The speed camera-less section between Trichur and Palakkad was dispatched in no time and before I knew it, I was descending down the Palakkad flyover.

This used to be a stretch of road where you have the dreaded Kuthiran ghat section slowing you down. While its a short patch of a hill, its hellish on a single carriage way road. With the 4 lane layout, you don't even notice you've reached Kuthiran. I had travelled on this stretch last December and was amazed at how fast we reached Palghat, after keeping to the speed limit. Had I known there were no speed cameras (I most certainly did see them. Are they disabled or dummy cameras?), I would have asked the driver to floor our Innova and would have video-ed all the black soot coming out of it :-). The new road has made it a stress free and effortless to drive. No more risky overtaking. The usual gaps in the road are the only places you need to pay attention.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Chevy

Neil, wonderful to see an update from you.

A quick question on exhaust in matte, as there is lot heat generated what pait have you used, can you please share the details I'am planning to a DIY on my GT 535

Chevy, the exhaust was powder coated and not painted as I had wrongly mentioned earlier. This was done because powder coating technically should last longer than paint. Im not too sure that I would recommend going down the DIY route for a long lasting finish. Do keep us posted on the results, whichever approach you end up taking.

Originally Posted by Viju

Hi Neil, I really don’t know how I missed this wonderful update! The GT looks factory fresh! And that yellow is just wow!

I do like the fairing. It gives the bike character. I am glad you reshaped the seat. Looks so much better now!

Overall, a great makeover and I am sure she’s going to serve you for many more years to come.

Thanks a lot Viju!

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Nice looking GT Neil. Just as an anecdote, GTs always have looked nice with chromed exhaust. Neil, I hope you don't mind me sharing this light-hearted answer, I'm afraid. But the blacked out exhaust coupled with gloss black engine covers, simply makes it look like a spray paint job. Glossy engine cover does look good, but the chrome touch to the exhaust would have just made the GT stand out even sharply contrasting with the current paint job. Those battery and AF covers definitely deserve that olive wreath logo, seems like they're left for a loner. Just thought I'd share this friendly remark.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks Vijay. Honestly, I wanted to retain the traditional chrome look for the exhaust but finding a vendor that could do a top notch job turned out to be much harder than anticipated. Leaving it as-is wasnt an option, as the old chrome was looking well below its best. In the end, we decided to play it safe and went with the new blackened out look, which Ive become a massive fan of.

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

Anyways, Neil, in regards to the battery, I also had faced somewhat similar issue with my Amun-Ra (Bullet 500) and even though I had replaced the battery, the issue started up again. What apparently seams is that why the battery has not charged up even after continuous riding, takes a turn towards, is the battery not able to retain the charge, to the extent that I went ahead and got it replaced. But then once the new one also started showing the same symptoms, did we realize that mechanics need to have more knowledge over mechanicals. Anyways, the issue was with the RR unit, something which could have been discovered had one known what is the voltage expected on a idle and running mode.

Long story short, can you also have a look at the R/R unit and have it checked if there are any shorts or if that has worn out. Better to have it clubbed with a servicing. The R/R unit is expected to charge up the battery properly.

Thanks Majumdarda. Even I suspected the RR unit but after switching over to the new battery, I havent had the battery light come on even once (not that it used to work properly earlier, it was more of a random light generator than a functional warning light!). So, Im guessing it had something to do with the old battery. Anyways, as I was on the ride, there was no way to get the old one examined and replaced under warranty etc. Its all part and parcel of our 2 wheeled adventures.

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

This used to be a stretch of road where you have the dreaded Kuthiran ghat section slowing you down. While its a short patch of a hill, its hellish on a single carriage way road. With the 4 lane layout, you don't even notice you've reached Kuthiran. I had travelled on this stretch last December and was amazed at how fast we reached Palghat, after keeping to the speed limit. Had I known there were no speed cameras (I most certainly did see them. Are they disabled or dummy cameras?), I would have asked the driver to floor our Innova and would have video-ed all the black soot coming out of it :-). The new road has made it a stress free and effortless to drive. No more risky overtaking. The usual gaps in the road are the only places you need to pay attention.

sandeepmohan, there is a small stretch where there arent any cameras and you can enjoy your vehicle's capabilities, responsibly of course! These new highways have made travelling from Walayar to Cochin extremely easy. In fact, on the entire Cochin to Bangalore stretch, it is only the L&T Coimbatore bypass that is narrow, 2 laned and extremely dangerous. I am yet to travel through it without at least 2 - 3 people attempting vehicular homicide in broad daylight. When that will be fixed, is anyones guess.

[neil.jericho]

Now that I was in Bangalore, it was time to get back to some goold ol fashioned Sunday morning riding to chase away the corporate blues. And what better place to ride to, than the famous Nani Hotel in Vijayapura? In the past, I have rather (in?)famously proclaimed on the forum that these are the best dosas ever and I continue to stand by my bold statement. Honestly, I cant remember the last time that I have been to Vijayapura for these lovely dosas. It's been that long!

Joining me on this ride were my old buddies r_nairtvm (on his timeless Triumph Bonneville), Roomy (on his mint condition pre-owned VStrom 650), shan_ned (on his immaculate Street Triple 765 RS) and Added_Flavour (on his well travelled Africa Twin). The meeting point at Hebbal was so crowded that I thought it was the parking lot to a Metallica concert in Bangalore! Just as we were about to leave, one of the other motorcycles had battery trouble and as usual, I had to push start it. This is far from the first time that my muscle power has been put to good use while riding with this old gang of TBHP riders.

One of the riders astutely mentioned that instead of everyone in the group expecting to push start the rider on top of his Royal Enfield motorcycle (i.e. me), it is always the Royal Enfield rider who has to push start all the other motorcycles in the group

These jokes just write themselves ....


Trying to blend in with the local motorcycles


Sumptuous!

The blissful ride to Vijayapura was over before we knew it. As expected, the breakfast was divine. As I've said before - Best. Dosas. Ever.

We ended up chatting for quite a while, before taking a roundabout route to get back to the city. Riding the Continental GT through the winding back roads with such lovely weather and great companions, was what memorable Sunday mornings were all about.

A group picture


TBHPian Added_Flavour


TBHPian Roomy


TBHPian shan_ned


TBHPian r_nairtvm was also taking pictures


A rare photograph of yours truly

We said our farewells after getting to the city. It had been far too long since we had all ridden together. TBHPian Roomy and I were headed in the same direction and we kept a good pace on the Outer Ring Road, in the absence of any traffic.

All in all, this was a fabulous way to get back to Sunday morning breakfast rides after returning to Bangalore.

[neil.jericho]

While returning from my breakfast ride to Vijayapura, it felt to me as though as I could hear a lot more noise from the front end of the motorcycle, than normal. After stopping to check that everything was still tightened to my satisfaction, I prodded around but was unable to locate the source of this mysterious new noise. The sound seemed to increase when the revs did.

Since I had an upcoming 4 day mega monsoon ride, I didn't want to take any chances. I dropped into the well-known Art of Motorcycles garage, to see if they could diagnose the issue and tell me whether to proceed with the ride or not. Though I didn't have a prior appointment, the team was kind enough to check on the issue. The main mechanic took all of 10 seconds to narrow down the source of the problem.

Pressing down on the fuel cap, he showed me that the newly introduced sound simply disappeared! It turned out that the fuel cap had developed very minor play (think between a quarter to half of a millimeter) due to wear and tear. This was enough to lead to the metallic sound at the upper end of the rev range. The mechanic assured me that I wouldn't have to worry about this for the upcoming ride. It's just something that I need to get around to replacing, sooner or later. This, however, does mean that I need to replace the entire lock set, so it isn't going to be light on the wallet.

Meanwhile, here is a picture of the Royal Enfield Continental GT 535 doing its best to blend in at a parking space in South Bangalore. Mission unsuccessful, I say!

Here are a couple of pictures from the memorable mega monsoon ride.

Still to come
- a 4 day 1000+ kilometer chasing the rain clouds (away !) ride took us from Bangalore to Agumbe to Kalpasa to Madikeri and finally, back to Bangalore. TBHPian KarthikK will be updating this thread in his usual inimitable style.
- a quickfire breakfast blast with the newest Ninja 400 on the forum.
- a moderately annoying breakfast ride for some of the best wood fired idlis in this part of the country.
- a short visit to Gear & Gear Motorcycles.