[nitinkbhaskar]

Finally I am back in Bangalore.

As soon as I was settled (read 2 hours after stepping into home), I headed to basement to meet Reyah. Jopasu hand duster did its magic and she was back to her gleaming self. Connected the battery terminals as per the manual instructions and she roared to life.

All I had to do post that was to set the date / time again and off I went for a short spin.

Today morning, hit a small trail which pleasantly offered some slush. Feels so good to get back to riding !!

Looking forward to the weekend ride.

[nitinkbhaskar]

So stepped out yesterday morning with full of excitement as it was a first ride after a long hiatus. 3 - 4 kms away from my house, I realized that I left my phone on the charging pod

Took a decision to continue and cut short the ride as I was in no mood to get of the saddle so soon. Visited 1 of my pet places in the backyards of hoskote and absorbed all the serenity around.

Wish I could share a pic here.

However, things got better from here as it started raining . It was a first rain ride with Reyah. I just slowed down and puttered along on left most lane while smiling all the way home. Felt so refreshing.

With this, I feel I need to get rain liners now. And guess what popped my feed - the latest product from Viaterra. Shall be placing the order soon.

Meanwhile, have ordered 1 of the most important accessory for any adventure bike. More updates to follow soon !!

[nitinkbhaskar]

So I woke up today with a strong urge to venture out with Reyah.
Kitted up but it started raining. Feeling dejected, pulled out my yoga mat for some stretching.

And then I saw it - the shimmering sunrays piercing the clouds and bouncing on the backyard

Kitted up again and headed out for a short weekday spin.

Found a nice stretch of tarmac with lush green foliage around. Such sights are treat to urban eyes.



And then headed to my usual backyard trail. No pics of the road (or no roads) but the boots don't lie about the fun I had

Reyah is throwing no tantrums at all (except the number plate sound - its back again and I will be fixing it soon with a permanent solution).

[shubhankar]

That was a great thread, Nitin, one of the few deep reviews of the g310gs. Thank you for that.

I'm presently unable to decide between purchasing a g310gs and a 390 adventure. Being muddled by the sea of opinions online is not helping either. But I do have a slight bent towards the BMW.

Can you comment a bit on the long term reliability and dependability of your motorbike? Especially for 2-3 week long tours across remote India, where a part failing can be disastrous. And how it will place against the 390 Adventure.

Thanks

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by shubhankar

Can you comment a bit on the long term reliability and dependability of your motorbike? Especially for 2-3 week long tours across remote India, where a part failing can be disastrous. And how it will place against the 390 Adventure.
Thanks

Thanks shubhankar.

Well if week long tours is what you are primarily going to do, then I would suggest neither. Himalayan is what you should look at. Easy availability of spares and simple design will be a huge boon.

However, the long term reliability of 310GS is quite decent due to really good quality of cycle parts. There are folks who have ridden for >30k kms without any hiccups. With my use case (weekend riding / exploring and twice a year long rides), I would not hesitate in taking up a longish tour on my bike (parts sharing with TVS 310 does help though).

Both 310GS and 390A are great bikes in their own way. However, clear set of priorities and extensive test ride should help you in finalizing the steed. I for one, was quite sure that I would buy 390A, since its launch, due to good power figures and host of features. But a simple test ride told me that 310GS (though less on power / features), made me happier on saddle .

[shubhankar]

Thanks Nitin.

Well the RE isn't really on my radar. Without getting into details of why not, the only two contenders are the g310gs and the 390 Adventure. Visiting the dealership and getting a test ride is number 1 on the weekend agenda.

Yes there will be a couple of fortnight-long deep country rides in a year, but most of my riding through the year is going to be tarmac and trails around Mumbai. A niggle here or there is a part of riding, but I am only apprehensive of a major (ride-terminating) breakdown far away from a service center. Perhaps I am overreacting. Like you said, part sharing with the TVS rr310 will help a lot.

The 390 adv surely scores better on power and speed and electronic stunts and all but seems like the g310gs offers a better ride quality. Only if there was a clear indicator of what one should fish for.

[RPRIME95]

Originally Posted by shubhankar

Thanks Nitin.

The 390 adv surely scores better on power and speed and electronic stunts and all but seems like the g310gs offers a better ride quality. Only if there was a clear indicator of what one should fish for.

There are indicators. And you have answered the question yourself. If you are not planning more than 4-5 long rides in a year, the 390Adv makes no sense. It is big, burly, heavy, expensive and needs modification to make it an all rounder.

The 310GS on the other hand, is built for you and needs no mods to go conquer a trail or make that daily office run. And don't discount the better fuel economy you will get from the GS. In this day and age, that has become more and more important.

My advice would be to go for the GS as KTM is not worth the premium considering your usage

[nitinkbhaskar]

So hopped on for a quick weekend ride to Gunjur lake.

Met with the folks opposite Esteem mall on the airport road. Does that place jostles with petrolheads or what !!
I could spot diverse riding groups from Bullets to Benellis to Harleys to Busas et all. Couple of modded gypsies all turned up and I was just amazed at the fraternity which stems from the love towards these machines

Anyhow, this simple ride led us to the edge of lake and we could then spot a trail. Had fun traversing through it but it lasted bit short. Took a U-turn from dead end and started exploring internal village roads. Unfortunately, a chicken hit one of our guys front tyre. I was tailing him and swerved to ensure that I don't cause further harm. Thankfully, could see the chicken still limp in my rear view mirror. We stopped a bit further and decided to not head back through the same road to avoid any possible commotion. Found another trail which led us to main road.

Return affair was a lip smacking breakfast and then sedate ride back to parting point. All in all, a refreshing ride.

Some pics below:

The GS Gang



Reyah back to where she belongs !!



Yours truly

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar

Meanwhile, have ordered 1 of the most important accessory for any adventure bike. More updates to follow soon !!

A quick follow up on this.

A couple of months ago, someone posted about the fork seal busting on local 310 GS whatsapp group. The guy had to spend a decent amount to get them fixed and it took approximately 2 weeks or so to get the bike back in shape.

This triggered me to resume my search for forkgaiters for Reyah. Though I had strong aversion to how they may alter the looks of the bike I was still willing to get them installed. Thankfully, there was nothing which I could find online

Then I came across the seals. Primarily, they are a neoprene cover which one can wrap around the forks thereby minimizing the chance of dust / mud cutting through the seals.

Stumbled across Kriega fork seal covers and found them to be perfect for my use case. The covers need to wrapped around the fork and then closed with the help of velcro + zip ties. Ordered them via Pathpavers and got the package in 5 days flat.

Even though it was a simple DIY, I got stuck as the nut on the RHS fork had to be replaced to accommodate additional width of fork cover. Went to a nearby mechanic and got it fixed.

The RHS fork has a factory fit clamp which holds the brake lines. In order to accommodate the seal cover, had to get a larger bolt.



After fixing the assembly with seal cover. The zip tie was not used on RHS fork as clamp does the job. Also, the cover looks really neat with Kreiga's logo popping out.



View of LHS fork where cover is held by zip tie.



Snap from a quick test ride

With this simple mod, fingers crossed that I never face the bust seals.

[nitinkbhaskar]

Last weekend was mighty fun.

I have this habit of scrolling through maps for unknown locations to find a destination to explore and came across this place -Mantapa Temple. The only review mentions that the place is essentially a ruin. I knew at that point that this is where I want to go

Tagged along with BHP'ian - TheHelix0202 and another friend to explore this place. Started from Esteem mall at 5 am and made a quick progress. Thankfully the weather was great all day and hence the whole ride until back home was quite enjoyable.

There are 2 trails which can be explored - ancient temple and a lakeside.
Both trails offered different things. Ancient temple - marked path with hairpin bends and offroad trail. Lakeside - unknown path with huge boulders and lot of bushes. Only thing common was great view at the end of road.

Some pics from the ride -

Just before the deadend on the way to temple.



The temple ruins.



Bikes which made it. The gixxer is a proof that its rider which matters and not the ride.



Baby GS gazing at the tough section ahead on the way to lake.



Exploring the lake trail.



The serene lakeview.

The only downside to this ride was that I took a fall on the boulders while coming back from lake. This time though I learnt from my previous mistake and didn't extend my hands while falling. Instead, I let the bike go. The exhaust protector took a huge dent and the guards protected the fairing. In the end all was well

[nitinkbhaskar]

Its been quite sometime since I updated this thread.
Blame goes to some personal situations due to which I couldn't ride much. However, I made sure to run my local errands alongside Reyah.

I usually waited for those rainy evenings, when missus or kiddo would crave for some samosas / bhajji etc. And before my wife could open the zomato / swiggy app, I used to pick up my helmet to convey that I am up for the job. And during such rides, I realized that what an amazing city bike can Reyah be (once you are comfortable with her size). The suspension and crisp pickup both work in tandem to ensure that you don't usually slow down during rough patches and even if you do you can quickly buzz out.

However during such rides, I found 1 niggle (which I will be requesting mods to add to opening post). The side stand protrudes way out and hence to pull out the parked bike one has to tilt the bike in opposite direction (right). And it becomes a challenge when someone parked on the close right after you did. You will have to tilt their bike or do some bike gymnast wizardry to get out of spot. And it becomes frustrating in situations when you want to get in and get out quick (else the samosas may get cold and any future chance of replacing delivery boys will be compromised )

However, there is only this much you can do in city and both Reyah and I were craving for a ride. And a great opportunity came up wherein my relatives were visiting us and we planned a trip to Mangalore. However, all of us couldn't fit in our humble Punto and I volunteered to ride on bike. And with that I completed the mangalore trip (~900 kms).

Some quick obervations:

+ Cruising on 90 - 100 kmph (~6k rpm) gave mileage of 32.4 kmpl.
+ There is lot of room for rider to move around.
+ Though the seat is well padded but bums were not happy after 4-5 hours of ride. However, once I reached the destination (after 10 - 11 hours of journey), I was not tired.
+ I had a notion that the bike would be top heavy and it would be task to handle her in ghats. But the experience was quite opposite and I was really enjoying the ghat sections with late braking, rev-matched downshifts and cornering. I always felt that I could push her more. I think I will do a track day with Reyah
+ On the return leg, I had to hurry and I could cruise at 110-115 comfortably (with no headwinds). Point to note is that I don't have any aftermarket windshield. The stock screen is comfortable for me without causing any buffeting and any riding discomfort.
- On above speeds the mileage reduced drastically (~27 kmpl).
- Missus joined me for 200 odd Kms and she quipped that she misses the aftermarket seat and huge backrest of our previous ride (C500).

All in all, I had a blast during this ride. Looking forward to resuming the weekend rides soon.

A quick stop somewhere in Charmady ghats.



Reyah's maiden visit to beach.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar

Thanks for bearing with me guys and I wish every motor head a safe & pleasurable ride / drive with their steed !!

Thank you for sharing this review. I am looking for a small ADV as a 2nd bike for myself too. Although my heart is set out for CB500, but I cant afford it at this price. I rode the 390 and loved it but it is a bit too tall for me. I will be test riding the GS soon. Really looking forward for more updates.

Wishing you many happy miles with her!!

Rachit

[nitinkbhaskar]

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Thank you for sharing this review. I am looking for a small ADV as a 2nd bike for myself too. Although my heart is set out for CB500, but I cant afford it at this price. I rode the 390 and loved it but it is a bit too tall for me. I will be test riding the GS soon. Really looking forward for more updates.

Wishing you many happy miles with her!!

Rachit

Hey Rachit,

Its great to see that superbike enthusiasts are willing to play around with ADVs. I am sure it will be a great addition to your mighty R1.

May I suggest getting an xpulse for your offroading needs and once you have a hang of things, you can definitely look around for a pre-owned CB500. I have ridden a lot with xpulse guys and I can vouch for its high fun/rupee quotient. The lower weight / height definitely makes the bike less intimidating in rough terrains. Do take a test ride !!

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar

Hey Rachit,

Its great to see that superbike enthusiasts are willing to play around with ADVs. I am sure it will be a great addition to your mighty R1.

May I suggest getting an xpulse for your offroading needs and once you have a hang of things, you can definitely look around for a pre-owned CB500. I have ridden a lot with xpulse guys and I can vouch for its high fun/rupee quotient. The lower weight / height definitely makes the bike less intimidating in rough terrains. Do take a test ride !!

Thank you so much. I have actually ridden the xpulse on the road and on a dirt track too. Rather most of my riding group is turning towards dirt and offroad riding and we have added 4 xpulses with Rally Kits in the last 1 year.

I cannot explain why, but personally I have not bitten the dirt riding bug as much as my friend have. I am mostly looking for a touring bike which can handle bad roads and maybe sometimes some easy trails. Also I am somebody who gets really bored on straight highways and I need something which is peppy enough to keep me engaged. This is weakest point for the Xpulse for me. As a highway machine, it lacks some power and that is the only reason for me to not consider it and consider something a bit more powerful.

I am looking for the bigger Xpulse sibling as well. Lets see when it gets launched. On the other hand, I really love the way G310GS looks.
Will surely test ride it one day.


CHEERS!!

Rachit

[shubhankar]

Thanks for your inputs guys. Helped me make my decision.