[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Riding Gear Update: Rynox Bastion Bionic Knee Guards



Picked up these beauties from @TheHelix0202 today as he had barely used them. Helix is the Riding Pant kinda dude, I like knee guards a bit more because of their versatility.

These knee guards are supremely comfortable imo and would make a great adddition to one's riding gear arsenal. The entire knee guard is CE certified to standard EN1621-1:2012 (knee and shin), and is infinitely adjustable to fit over your pant. The inner lining is detachable as well and can be washed. The knee joint on the guard pivots, making it pretty snug as it moves with your knees naturally.

10/10 would recommend

Cheers!

[100Kmphormore]

I agree with Helix, riding pants are more comfortable in the fact that on my Himmy, it sort of reduces the buttsores you get while on long rides, and your full leg is covered in case of a fall. I use the Raida Rover riding pants, very good for 7000 rupees. Wore them for around 4000 km plus and its great. It is initially a pain to adjust but now i feel alone without my riding gear and wouldnt go on one without them.

On the bike front did a speed run to the Penukonda Kia plant with a friend who got his Gixxer 250 SF last November, and he had to get some practice on highways. Himmy as usual was limited to 120 kmph, sometimes 130 ONLY if possible, got only 26 kmpl. The brakes were mediocre inspite of changing to NS200 brake pads.

Took the Gixxer after Bagepalli and what a change in bikes. I have been craving for more power since a year and riding the Ninja ZX10R once all but confirmed it that I need a second but more exciting bike for breakfast rides. It pulls from 4th gear cleanly from 30 kmph to a 110, quickly, and tops at 152 kmph in 6th at 10500 rpm, the 22.2 Nm is used so well to hold such speeds, and the 26.5 hp provides great acceleration from get-go. This sort of pull is not there even on the torquey Himmy, ofcourse understandeable considering it is a long stroke motor, and certainly proves that numbers arent everything. Covered the 55 km in 30 mins, without effort or being unsafe, just cruising at 130 kmph. Seating position is comfortable, firm seats that arent very uncomfortable.

Will need a better helmet than my Axor Apex. It shakes and a lot of wind noise, much more than the unavoidable. Heard most vloggers using the MT Thunder stating wind noise is very less, others please let me know of your experience.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Update: GPS Mount and Saddle Stays

Hey Folks!
Checked off two more boxes on the accessories list for Uno! Two big ones in my opinion, and extremely useful.

The first one is a GPS / Phone Mount. One can get something of the sort for two reasons, one being, that the handlebar does not have enough space to freely accomodate a Mobile Holder and other fittings such as a charger or aux light switches, which is the case with the stock handlebar of the Himmy, if you really plan to load it up. In this case, one can get a mount from Zana or the like.


Example of a Mount from Zana

However, since I have an Art of Motorcycles Handlebar, with plenty of space for switches and what not, my problem was more safety related. Whenever I would use Google Maps to navigate through unfamiliar territories - whether in the city or on the highway - I found myself constantly glancing down at the handlebar (where my phone was previously mounted) to make sure I was taking the right turns. As I don't have an intercom installed, I couldn't rely on audio prompts either. This was a huge distraction for me and I didn't want to take my eyes off the road for even a few seconds, given how unpredictable our roads can be. That's why I decided to get a mount that would keep my phone directly in my line of sight. With a small tilt of my head, I can now easily view the maps while also maintaining my focus on the road ahead.



Picked up this GPS Mount from a company called Milachin (Same Company I purchased my rear rack plate from, have posted about it on the same thread if interested)

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B09QYTL12F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pros:
1. Better Visibility
2. Good Ergonomics
3. Good Build Quality
4. Cost Effective

Cons:

1. Not a perfect fit. I'm not sure if this is an issue with the product or the Himalayan (Lost trust in RE's consistency after the viaterra headlight guard incident, also ennumerated upon on this thread for your reading pleasure). The mounting was not secure enough until I used some M Seal and got the job done.

2. I don't think the product is powder coated, same issue with the rear rack plate. However, credit where its due, there are hardly any scratches on the plate despite regular usage, so maybe this isn't really an issue.

Overall Rating - 7/10, Would Recommend this or similar alternatives


In my opinion, the Second Product is a crucial addition to the Himalayan and really rounds out its overall aesthetic. As an adventure touring bike, the Himalayan simply wouldn't feel complete without a set of Saddle Stays. After chatting with @Shyamg28, I came to understand just how critical it is to have exhaust shields and durable construction when it comes to these particular components. After careful consideration, I decided to go with @Shyamg28's recommendation and one of the most popular choices on the market: the Zana saddle stays. These will undoubtedly be responsible for carrying all of my luggage, so I knew I couldn't compromise on quality.

https://www.zanamotorcycles.com/prod...layan-bs6-2021

Slightly pricey but I'm certain that they're worth the money.



The Package inlcludes, 2x Stays, 2x Exhaust Shields, 1x Support Rod Bolts and Fasteners, and a small pack of locktite.

I was able to install the product myself in about half an hour using just a couple of wrenches and an Allen key set. The process itself is quite straightforward, so there's no need to worry if you're not an expert mechanic. With the right tools and a little bit of patience, anyone can easily handle the installation.





I'll attach the exhaust shields later, whenever I am mounting luggage. I absolutely love the industrial-esque aesthetic. (Inspired by a youtube channel by the name of Ontwowheelsben).

Pros:

1. Excellent Build Quality
2. Perfect Fitting

Cons:

None really

Overall Rating - 10/10. Would recommend to anyone looking for saddle stays.

That's all for today, Cheers!

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Pros:

1. Excellent Build Quality
2. Perfect Fitting

Cons:

None really

Overall Rating - 10/10. Would recommend to anyone looking for saddle stays.

That's all for today, Cheers!

The biggest cons of the Zana pannier set coupled with the top rack, is that your taillight and indicators will be hidden and not visible to others, especially trucks.

I would instead recommend Royal Enfield GMA accessory for a few hundred bucks extra (Rs 3800) that gives you everything you need including the rear fender, tail light/indicator bracket, the number plate mounting, all the bolts n nuts and I believe RE Warranty as well.

https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/g...rails-1990259/

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by Gordon

The biggest cons of the Zana pannier set coupled with the top rack, is that your taillight and indicators will be hidden and not visible to others, especially trucks.

True, however, the reason I didn't go with the ones from RE are specifically because they don't come with exhaust shields. The Indicators are visibile from most vehicles except for trucks of course, if they distance between vehicles is less (Because the Rack Plate will obstruct it.) Maybe more of an incentive for me to always maintain distance xD

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

True, however, the reason I didn't go with the ones from RE are specifically because they don't come with exhaust shields. The Indicators are visibile from most vehicles except for trucks of course, if they distance between vehicles is less (Because the Rack Plate will obstruct it.) Maybe more of an incentive for me to always maintain distance xD

Those don't look like heat shields, but yes it helps with soft luggage coming in direct contact with the exhaust.

Overall I find the Zana ones overpriced compared to the RE GMA one.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Trip to Yelagiri

Hey Folks!
Went on a short trip yesterday (19th) to Yelagiri Hills, with @TheHelix0202 and a few friends, which was originally supposed to be Yelagiri - Ambur and Back, but as the saying goes, no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, which I'll elaborate on, later in this post



This was the Original Route, Breakfast Stop at Hotel Surya Complex Krishnagiri, Directly to Yelagiir after that, and then to Ambur for Lunch after which, we'd head back to BLR.


The Mandatory Pre-Ride Picture

Uno hit the 7000 Km Mark right as the ride began, but unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture. The ride until Krishnagiri was absolutely divine, as the weather was perfect. It had rained the previous night and the morning was nice and cool.



I Tested out the GPS Mount today at higher speeds, was fairly stable for the most part, but it had slight vibrations on hard acceleration, and some weird noise kicking in after 4000 rpm,I'll figure it out where its coming from eventually. The Clifftop Charger was extremely useful and kept the phone topped up throughout.



We were able to get some good shots of the bikes throughout the trip, and my bike served as a part time tracking vehicle







We had quite a diverse lineup of bikes as usual, from the left, A GT650, Dominar 400, 390 ADV, Duke 200, Ronin 225, and my Himalayan.

After Krishnagiri, we were to head directly to Yelagiri. Due to the obvious discrepancy in comfortable cruising speeds that the bikes had, the 390 ADV and Dominar, cruised ahead at a higher speed while the rest of us (The Ronin, Duke and Himmy) rode at our own pace, cruising between 80-100kmph.



We all had our own Maps with the preset route so we thought we would make it to the same spot, however due to a communication error, the bikes that went ahead had their maps set to Yelagiri, while the rest of us had it set to Jalagamparai falls, which we thought was close by (How wrong we were).

In addition, I was the lead bike for the second group, and I happened to miss a turn on the highway and didn't realise it, my friends behind me did, but continued because well, there wasn't any feasible way to communicate it to me (We really need to get Intercoms ). Plus, GMaps had automatically rerouted, so decided to just go with it when I realised.

Although unplanned, this was a fun experience, moreso than the straight ride to Yelagiri IMO xD. We went on quite a few dirt roads, through villages, slush and the like. I had a small tip over on the slush as well, but was fine as the knee guards took the hit and the bike was barely moving anyway.


Slushy Area


Lovely Dirt Roads


Stunning Scenery

We reached the falls to discover two things:

1. There was no water at the waterfalls
2. The Dominar and 390 ADV weren't there

We called them up and realised our error in comms, and we sent them our location and discovered that they were at the top the the hills (1hr Away) and we were at the foothills.


My friends attempting to "kill" me because I missed the turn

So we hustled to the top and made it in about 40 mins.



Lovely Windy Roads with a few hairpin bends


At Yelagiri




Me, covered in dirt and slush. Its all part of the game


Bike, Also covered in dirt and slush xD


Got a nice picture with everyone at one of the Hairpins

Since we were already delayed, we decided not to continue to Ambur and find a Star Biryani on the way back


Stopped to stretch on the way back



You know you had a fun trip when you're covered in muck

Overall, an extremely eventful and fun trip, that's all for today folks, Cheers!

[KPR]

I just love the way Ronin looks. How did it keep up with big ones? Great that TVS has brought such a nice, compact bike.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by KPR

I just love the way Ronin looks. How did it keep up with big ones? Great that TVS has brought such a nice, compact bike.

Very true, the Ronin is indeed, contrary to popular opinion a pretty sensible vehicle. In terms of power, its not very far off the Himalayan. Without a pillion, the Himmy is slightly more powerful, but as I was riding with a pillion and my friend without, the Ronin easily kept up. It is a very feature loaded bike too, with a very nice exhaust note!

[//R]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Riding Gear Update: Rynox Bastion Bionic Knee Guards

I like knee guards a bit more because of their versatility.

The problem with most Knee Guards, having experienced a mix of RE knee guards, Scoyco and even the Rynox bionic ones, is that the trouser or jeans that you wear under them do not have any abrasion resistance.
The velcro fastenings on the knee guards would also fail to keep the guards in place in case of an unfortunate slide, in my opinion. Riding pants come with high abrasion resistance (often heat resistance from the engine too), a pair of hip guards to safeguard from sideway falls and in some cases a tailbone protector as well. An added bonus is that riding pants make you look good too
Just my two cents of advice for anyone considering knee guards to have a look at the insanely comfortable riding pant options. I own a pair of Rynox Airtex pants which cost me about 6k and came with a thermal inner liner and a rain outer liner as well!

[100Kmphormore]

Your tyres look really good for 7000 km of riding! looks like great braking practices.

Ghata is at 13800 km, thanks to a weekend 850 km Agumbe ride with my best buddy of 20 years who got a Gixxer 250SF(mentioned above in thread). One more accessory addition was the Viaterra Element tailbag - excellent alternative for a topbox without compromising on space and you can corner normally like you would do on an empty rear seat without the yaw - it can be placed and fastened like a backpack straps but takes too much time, clip on and clip off mechanism was sorely missed, also you will have to carry a small lock for the bag zip, no locking mechanism. else its value for money at Rs.2699, with a rain cover and strap that can also function like a duffel bag.

It was a little tiring of a trip due to the 35 degree heat above 9 am (I chose a wrong time to test whether the hype around a hydration backpack is real! *facepalm* regretted it thanks to my inherent ability to sweat more than the amount of fluids I consume, will get it in advance before my next trip) but one hell of a ride (850 km across 2 days - 370 km from Bengaluru one way with a deviation of 10 km to see the Sirimane falls near Sringeri while on the way to Agumbe. Very nice place to ride to but cars might have a problem due to the very small roads the last 4 km. Saw many bikers there.

Left Bengaluru at 615 am, met my friend at the Tumkur road NICE road exit at 645, reached Swathi delicacy at 745 am for breakfast. Tried the Gixxer too and she was a hoot to ride in the ghats from Belur to Ibbani. A hydration break at Ibbani Cafe at 12 pm next for the great Neer Dose and cold coffee and lunch at Hotel Kamath 10 km from Agumbe on SH167, reached our homestay - Manju mane homestay - at 445 pm. A newly built house, Spacious and clean rooms with an optional coffee service but no meals though. Had a quick tea and went to the sunset viewpoint, where the view was amazing, must visit place though crowded. Gave my iPhone to my friend to shoot pictures and enjoyed the sunset! Just shows how picture centric people have become - enjoy the sunset man!

Roamed around the town in the evening, trying some Gobi Manchuri and a cup of coffee at Hotel Shabari, was very good. Dinner was at Hotel Ganesh Grand, normal tasty North Indian fare. Called it a day at 11:30 pm after chatting for a while.

Woke up at 730 am, headed out for breakfast at the same Hotel Shabari and went to a recommended waterfalls called Jogigundi falls, 6 km from our homestay. Desolate place in the forest followed by a 1 km trek from the entrance made it an exciting but worth it place. Reminded me of the Samse - Didupe forest stretch, spent an hour simply watching around the area and getting a few snaps. Came back to the homestay and checked out at 1130 am.

We had a couple of places in mind to visit before we headed home, a Jain temple located on top of the Kundadri hills. Scenic location with a small temple of Parshwanath swami, one of the Jain saints. Next proceeded to Kuppalli, to visit the ancestral house of namma Rashtrakavi Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa - commonly known as Kuvempu, the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century, who also composed the Naadageethe "Jaya Bharatha Jananiya Tanujaate" and a memorial of his son, KP Purnachandra Tejaswi, another acclaimed author and photographer.

These 2 locations were at 17 and 70 km respectively and took upto 330 pm to finally start riding back home, after which just had a glance of the Bhadra Dam and took the Bhadravathi - Tarikere - Ajjampura - Hosadurga - Hiriyur - Tumkur - Bengaluru route. Be informed that this route is certainly not for enthusiastic riding with a heavy motorcycle - single lane roads with patches everywhere. The Sakleshpura - Hassan route is better and well tarred now. I took the Gixxer from Bhadra dam to Hosadurga, a distance of 78 km covered in barely an hour - whereas the Himalayan took around 20 mins more for the same due to repeated braking and gear shifting. Had a small problem with the rear tyre that took a couple of hours to fix at Hosadurga, and could only leave at 945 pm after having dinner there itself, and were home at around 1 am.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by //R

The problem with most Knee Guards, having experienced a mix of RE knee guards, Scoyco and even the Rynox bionic ones, is that the trouser or jeans that you wear under them do not have any abrasion resistance.

Agreed! However, I picked these up at a fair discount so it made sense to get them. I will however invest in riding pants in the future.

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Your tyres look really good for 7000 km of riding! looks like great braking practices.

Haha thank you! Probably because majority of my usage is on road.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Update: Waterproof Mobile Holder

Quick update on a new addition to the bike that I've wanted to get for a long time. Happened to get gift cards recently for accumulating card points so used some it on this

I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to stop while riding when it starts raining so most of what I invest in, be it gear or anything else for that matter is waterproof. Same goes for a mobile holder wherein I want the map to be running always irrespective of the weather. Hence the quest for a waterproof mobile holder.

In my recent post on this thread, I wrote about the GPS Mount I procured (If you'd like to read more about that, please scroll up xD) and I wasn't too sure about the safety aspect of the older setup.




As you can see from the images, the older mobile holder I purchased from Wecool (Replacement for the Bobo Grip Holder that I managed to break long ago) is a basic spring based holder. Although it is of fairly good quality for the price, at around 600Rs, it is confidence inspiring only if you mount your phone vertically. I like my map in a horizontal or landscape orientation when I have it on the bike so this wasn't ideal. Although it did do the job, I did't want to risk the phone sliding out. Another issue I faced was an annoying rattling sound coming from the phone holder (probably some small plastic or moving part inside)

Hence the safety of my phone being more important, decided to go ahead and get the Yellowfin Waterproof Mobile Holder. Link below.

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B0B...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

I realised that Bobo, Yellowfin, Grand pitstop, LGP and JB Racing rebadge and sell the same mobile holders so you can pick and choose depending on which one has the lowest price at the time. I picked up this holder for about 1800Rs, which is steep, but again the security it offers and the gift card smoothened that bump

The holder comes with both the mirror mount and the handlebar mount attachment so even scooter riders or even Clip On Handlebar users can opt for this product.


After Mounting


With Phone

The Unit is closed via three clamps that close securely. Even wind won't be affecting the phone (Which was a concern earlier). The holder also has a rubberised interior and a small spring loaded backrest that keeps the phone in place. My phone measures 6.7 inches diagonally and fits perfectly.


Sealed Charging Port

The Unit also has a sealed charging port that is covered by a little rubber flap . There is a small distance between the phone's port and the outside (i.e the little tunnel) which is good IMO as it will hold the cable in place. That solves another issue for me where the wind used to pull out the charging cable at speed.

Vibrations also seem well contained, they also sell something called a vibration controller, but I didn't opt for that. I just put a couple of rubber strips that I had from previous attachments between the clamping mechanism which seems to do the job. Although I've only gauged this revving it in neutral and am yet to ride the bike post installation.

The only Con however is the durability of the screen/plastic. It is extremely responsive to touch but I've heard from Bhpian Helix that it tends to get scratched easily. hence I've ordered a cheap screen protector (The soft film kind and not tempered glass) to help with that. Other than that, seems like a solid product, and I would recommend it.

[adrena]

Originally Posted by WhiskeyTangoFox

Update: Waterproof Mobile Holder

The only Con however is the durability of the screen/plastic. It is extremely responsive to touch but I've heard from Bhpian Helix that it tends to get scratched easily. hence I've ordered a cheap screen protector (The soft film kind and not tempered glass) to help with that. Other than that, seems like a solid product, and I would recommend it.

I think the bigger worry is heat. You may face thermal shut downs very frequently.

Why not keep the phone in the pocket and simply use RE's Tripper navigation? No worry of ruining expensive phones and no distractions.

[WhiskeyTangoFox]

Originally Posted by adrena

I think the bigger worry is heat. You may face thermal shutdowns very frequently.

Why not keep the phone in the pocket and simply use RE's Tripper navigation? No worry of ruining expensive phones and no distractions.

True, that is a possibility. I'll be sure to update the thread if that happens. As of right now, I've never really faced a thermal issue on my phone (touchwood).

The tripper, ironically, is guaranteed to cause your phone to heat because of the constant Bluetooth connection and didn't come standard with my bike (2022 variant). It was a 5000Rs Option and it didn't seem worth the money tbh. A thread on the same here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...l-enfield.html (About the Tripper Navigation of Royal Enfield)