Quote:
Originally Posted by quicksilver101 I was due for my fourth free service at the one-year mark, but the service center did not call to remind me, so I missed the mark.
I still wanted to get the bike serviced since I needed a reason to visit one of the sellers I had previously bought stuff from (the repair parts mentioned above). He just opened his Aerox-specific service garage in Jogeshware West, Mumbai (near Lotus Petrol Pump), and I really wanted to get a seat upgrade and headlight upgrade done.
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The headlight and seat upgrade was pending, so I got that done earlier this month from BG Customs in Jogeshwari, Mumbai. I also got new mirrors. I've lived with these mods for more than two weeks, and honestly, the mirrors make the biggest difference, followed by the headlights and then the seat.
Seat:
Starting with the seat, there is a new "v2" seat floating around in the market, which is presumably the second iteration of the same-looking seat. From what I know, this is "waterproof," but I have no experience with the previous version.
Anyway, this seat doesn't get its foam soaked and doesn't wet your pants instantly as if you sat on a sponge, so it is "waterproof" in that context. It looks very stylish and well-made, and it adds a slight bit of comfort. Only slight, though — it's better than before, but your behind is still going to be sore after a ride. It slightly improves pillion comfort but adds some height too.
Another con is that something is amiss with the rubber fittings underneath (they don't come with the seat, so you have to add them from your old seat), so the seat no longer 'pops' open when you unlock the boot.
This cost me Rs. 6,500, and you can get it if you want a plug-and-play type seat, but I can't readily recommend it as a "comfort" upgrade because it doesn't upgrade comfort enough. Getting a seat custom-tailored to my needs would have cost time which I could not afford, so this works for me.
Headlights:
I needed a headlight upgrade because street lamps are not working in the approach roads near my house and in various spots on the highway near me. Aerox's stock lights and high beam are insufficient.
I got these (presumably) HJG fog lights installed for Rs. 3,500, including relevant brackets and installation. And these are installed in a way that makes them hidden and virtually invisible if you're not looking for them.
The button is installed near the right handle (you can see the red button in one of the seat pics). It toggles yellow light in the up position, off in the middle resting position, and cycles through various patterns of white light in the down position.
I've tried these at night, and they make a world of a difference. Obviously, you need to exercise common sense and not blind oncoming traffic. These are specifically angled downwards, and I use them sparingly, only when my stock high beams aren't enough, and I am at risk of a bad road patch. I can recommend them for their price.
Mirrors:
I've been unsatisfied with the mirrors too. The stock mirrors do just an okay job with visibility. These Nemo mirrors were in stock and for relatively cheap at Rs. 1,600, so I went why not install them too.
To my surprise, this was the biggest upgrade on the list. The visibility through them is very good. I can clearly see a lot more of the world behind me, which is such a boon in city riding. This is the mod that I regret not doing sooner, as it makes a lot more functional difference in the overall riding experience at a lot less cost.
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At this point, I've spent a lot of money on mods on this bike, and I still have some pain points to address. I need to do something to fix the seat "pop-up" when trying to open the underseat storage (it's very inconvenient now with this aftermarket seat since you have to get half a finger in and kinda push it up, whereas the pop-up made unlocking the underseat very effortless). Then there's the rather shoddy front suspension. Unfortunately, the suspension doesn't seem like there is a cheap fix that everyone agrees upon, so I will wait it out a bit more as I am out of budget for now. I do love how the bike performs now (aside from front suspension) so I am content.