[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

The Desire

Having been a commuter, short distance tourer on KB125 that I had during college days, motorcycling was given up due to back ache and change of continents. The sense of freedom, being part of the elements and ability to reach remote places is what biking is all about for me.

Very true Sir.
Riding a motorcycle gives you a true sense of freedom. The scenario in my case was to move out of depression for which i picked up motorcycling. My story here: (My exit route from depression - Royal Enfield Himalayan).

Congratulations on your purchase. Honda's reliability will definetely give your GREEN BUG, a bug free experience

[Quad47]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

The Desire

But talking to BHPians, Meteor owners (including an orthopaedic surgeon) and a 40 minutes ride on Bangalore Mysore Highway during last Bikeathon taught me that upright position with all the stress and force impacting an erect spine was the last thing advisable for a vertebral frame with multiple prolapses (including the neck!)

Good to hear your opinion on biomechanics , would like know what is your body stance while riding H'ness , hope it is better than meteor's . I am 40 yrs old and like most office goers, am locked into my chair most of the time - and am looking for a ride that wont damage my back further ..hope 350 will be the answer.

btw great review , my father also had KB125 and was one beautiful bike that could tough competition to RX100 !

[Sebring]

Great review. Keep those posts coming in furiously How is PUIG extender compared to Carbon Racing?

[ram1kv]

Originally Posted by Quad47

Good to hear your opinion on biomechanics , would like know what is your body stance while riding H'ness , hope it is better than meteor's . my father also had KB125 and was one beautiful bike that could tough competition to RX100 !

Hi Quad,

Good question, I got the answer from our fellow BHPians regarding the better stance and position for back problems. My love for Meteor held forth till the issues with extended riding proved that the straight up sitting position is going to be trouble long term for the spine.

In the CB, it's a slightly forward lean and the feet are placed a tad back wards. This brings in the tripod effect which takes away some of the weight from the back. As long as one is not crouching, this position protects the back from the vertical stress to some extent. I find the CB's riding position a lot more comfortable for the back. Longest ride has been 90 minutes straight and there is no major stiffness issues.

Tried a cartoonish diagram to explain the above. Hope it helps



And yes, the fireball red was my favourite Meteor colour
KB125 was not my first choice due to low mileage but it won me over soon enough. Brings a big smile back reminiscing about those days when you could leave most behind effortlessly!

Originally Posted by Sebring

Great review. Keep those posts coming in furiously How is PUIG extender compared to Carbon Racing?

PUIG is good and fit for purpose mate Thank you for all the guidance in this journey! Bet your enjoying your Yalla big time (OTT).

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

In the CB, it's a slightly forward lean and the feet are placed a tad back wards. This brings in the tripod effect which takes away some of the weight from the back. As long as one is not crouching, this position protects the back from the vertical stress to some extent. I find the CB's riding position a lot more comfortable for the back. Longest ride has been 90 minutes straight and there is no major stiffness issues.

Spot on ram1kv! This is exactly what I feel too.

Guys, check out this site, it’s pretty self explanatory, gives seat height, forward lean, knee angle and hip angle in degrees. You can play with the various portions to see what happens when riding position changes.

https://cycle-ergo.com/

Cheers

[rideon74]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

There is nothing better than getting fit/getting up to get back on a bike again! So, there is always that sweet spot for Himalayan in my heart

Spot on there! I got back into motorcycle touring with the BS4 Himalayan in 2018 - an enjoyable but an almost industrial machine. After selling off the REH last year, the bug to get back to motorcycling has been biting every now and then. This time around I'm looking for more refinement and less strain. While the Interceptor 650 is high on the list, the CB350 seems more of a practical investment.

Your wonderful ownership review has given me a good insight into the CB350. And the considerations about the strain on our backs (I'm touching 50 in earth years soon) was very helpful. Thanks so much for that.

Here's wishing you safe rides and loads of memories with your BUG. Cheers!

[Quad47]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

The Desire

Originally Posted by ram1kv

Hi Quad,

Good question, I got the answer from our fellow BHPians regarding the better stance and position for back problems. My love for Meteor held forth till the issues with extended riding proved that the straight up sitting position is going to be trouble long term for the spine.

In the CB, it's a slightly forward lean and the feet are placed a tad back wards. This brings in the tripod effect which takes away some of the weight from the back. As long as one is not crouching, this position protects the back from the vertical stress to some extent. I find the CB's riding position a lot more comfortable for the back. Longest ride has been 90 minutes straight and there is no major stiffness issues.

Tried a cartoonish diagram to explain the above. Hope it helps

Attachment 2322073

Thanks for the quick illustration ! 350 is next on my test ride now.
I had KB 100 4s champion during my college days which had a comfortable stance for my height , post that first gen CBZ which had amazing handling and more inclined stance...enjoyed them both .

For the last 2 years i had HD iron 883 , which gave the stance shown below...did not rreally enjoy the ride quality...but was quite a headturner!

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Spot on ram1kv! This is exactly what I feel too.

Guys, check out this site, it’s pretty self explanatory, gives seat height, forward lean, knee angle and hip angle in degrees. You can play with the various portions to see what happens when riding position changes.

https://cycle-ergo.com/

Cheers

This is brilliant , thanks for sharing , the site has almost all the bikes running in India.

[NFS]

Congratulations on the anniversary edition, excellent review, observation etc. I too own one the black anniversary.

KB125 IMHO was a competitor of Suzuki.... It came from the Bajaj stable. Correct me if I am wrong.

[ram1kv]

Hi folks,
It has been more than a year since I posted anything on this thread! The Bug and I were enjoying some 'apna time'. We have done more than 5000 kilometers over multiple rides albeit south of the Vindhyas. My hectic schedule with hardly any Sundays off (forget Saturdays!) has kept me away from the regular rides organised by Bigwing Centres in Bangalore, which is really a shame as meeting other owners is definitely a bonus when you are in a 'limited Bigwing company' geographically isolated as per Honda Bigwing's expansion plans.

The reason for this post is to give a perspective after 18 months of ownership.
So here goes:

Pros:

• My back pain is actually better when I ride the bike often! (I had analysed this surprising benefit and will elaborate in a separate post, if there are any keen audience)
  
• The confidence to ride even in dense city traffic has been achieved
  
• Decent mileage of 36-37kmpl
  
• Low service costs
  
• Engine refinement and low/no heat
  
• Excellent Bigwing Staff and their DIY workshops
  
• New Service Centres in Bangalore
  
• Comfortable Ride if you are in a serene mood
  
• I don't care what the other reviewers say about it, the thumping SOUND is music to my ears
  
• LOOKS! She still takes my breath away at every glance
  
• Pillion riders love the bug and compare positively about it (even with CB 350RS)
  
• Accessories becoming so useful that I cannot think of riding her stock.

Cons:

• Wobbling anecdotes: Even though I have been lucky, many other owners have had issues with wobbling above 60kmp and the response from the company has been less than professional going by the discussions in the forum. the dealers seem to be sadly caught in the middle.
  
• City rides in Bumpy Bengaluru: You get fed up with the frequent gear changes
  
• Lack of power after 110kmph

As mentioned in the previous post, it was a long term ambition to take the bug out for our annual Road Safety Bikeathon. So last year, the route was from Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru to Madikeri, Kodagu and back through 3days. We had 100+ 2 wheelers, one vintage car and many modern four wheelers in this campaign. We went via Mysuru, Gonikoppa, Virajpet on the onward journey and Kushalnagara on our return journey. There were flash mobs, street plays and short speeches by local police and medics about road safety throughout the ride. The interaction with a few hundred school children at Rotary school in virajpet was the high point, especially when they pledged to wear helmets and seatbelts as well as enforce the same on the adults in the family!

Attaching few photos below:

It's the rural population who needs to be encouraged more to adopt road safety behaviour as there are many more deaths in the remote regions.







Brands united to convey the bigger message








Driving the message home using local language and local police







At the Kote Anjaneya Gate in Mysore Palace







Every Rider was assigned an identifiable sticker and we rode in groups of ten to reduce disruption to other road users.







Somewhere in the Mysore Bangalore Expressway!





The Bug completed the nearly 700km of this Bikeathon admirably. Most importantly, I could go to work the very next day to discuss the impact of the campaign with very little back stiffness!

Hope you enjoyed this brief write up and the photos. Will try and pen some more ride updates shortly.

[HowDifferent?]

Good to hear, keep the posts coming please.. And coming from a medic about riding helping back pain, defenitly interested..!

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ram1kv

My back pain is actually better when I ride the bike often! (I had analysed this surprising benefit and will elaborate in a separate post, if there are any keen audience)

Very interested to hear your thoughts/experience regarding back pain being better when you ride the bike often. Please explain in as much detail as you can.

Thank you.

[ram1kv]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Very interested to hear your thoughts/experience regarding back pain being better when you ride the bike often. Please explain in as much detail as you can.

Thank you.

Thank you for the interest. The article explaining the same is ready. Got it vetted by an orthopaedic surgeon and neurologist too. Wanted to provide some photographs to explain the stretches. Once they are done, will be posting it here. Sorry for the delay.

[Aditya]

The highly informative post on Back Pain and Bike Rides by ram1kv has been moved to a new thread.