[rahul4321]

Loved the review. I am a Himalayan owner and I would part with a lot to get the front brake intensity of the Yezdi and also a bit of the top end.

Your analysis of the strong points of the bike is just perfect. It matches with the points of my test ride many months ago. Congratulations and wish you many happy miles ahead.

Fully agreed on the SMK helmet. I own one too. That helmet is absolutely noise-proof at speeds of 80-90 kilometers on the Himalayan. Deathly silent especially when paired up with a soft balaclava. I use the same helmet on my KTM and i have found the helmet to be silent even when the speed exceeds 120 / 130 kilometers on long multi day tours.

[berserk]

@Boringrider i could feel the enthusiasm behind your review! Really well written and reminded me of a test drive i did many months ago. At 6'2" this was one of the few bikes which did not feel under-sized. I liked the revvy nature of the engine and addictive pick-up as the revs kept rising. The brakes on the test drive bike felt sharp and responsive too.

Where I didn't like it was the vibrations, especially for pillion. These, coupled with the disappointing low-end torque, were the reasons i dropped with a heavy heart. To be fair, i was craving the RE torque which this didn't have. Compared to the Mojo also the torque was lower and vibes were more. Perhaps vibes would be reduced after run in. That 2.5k mark for gear upshifts is an improvement I'd say, considering that it's around 3.5k for the mojo.

Compared to the Himalayan which I rode 1000km during a recent roadtrip, the yezdi was much much more nimble. The bike rental guy summed it up nicely when he said Himalayan for hills, yezdi for plains 🙂

[AulusGabinius]

Excellently written review in the true spirit of Team BHP. Really the sort of review that sets the standards. While I appreciate the fact that at the time you got this there weren't any real alternatives except the KTM Adv 250, BMW GS 310, Himalayan, and the V-Strom SX, now there seems to be some excellent competition this month from Triumph & HD. You can still consider these if you sell the Yezdi.

[Boringrider]

Originally Posted by berserk

At 6'2" this was one of the few bikes which did not feel under-sized.

Perhaps vibes would be reduced after run in. That 2.5k mark for gear upshifts is an improvement I'd say, considering that it's around 3.5k for the mojo.

Thanks, yes even with me seated on it, the bike never looks or feels small which is a great aesthetic plus for me.

Spot on, vibes did get settled in only after around 2.5-3k kms. It is surprising to hear about the mojo's gearbox being even higher set up than this.

The performance though is simply addictive. Every time I open the throttle wide, it just leaves me smiling and wanting more nonstop. Especially after riding a friend's RE Classic 350, which I now understand why is called a "vibrator".

[Boringrider]

Originally Posted by AulusGabinius

the KTM Adv 250, BMW GS 310, Himalayan, and the V-Strom SX, now there seems to be some excellent competition this month from Triumph & HD. You can still consider these if you sell the Yezdi.

I do not consider the current KTM Adventure lineup being sold in the country, or the BMW GS 310 or the V-Strom to be actual true core products of their respective brands. All 3 suffer from the same issue - they're carrying brand names of legendary lineups but not being a true part of it. They're using their monikers to sell products which although is a valid decision, didn't appeal to me personally.

Triumph collaborating with Bajaj doesn't excite me a single bit, it does exactly the opposite. So not gonna look into that either. Harley seems interesting so gotta give credit to that. But yes, I will admit, the question of thinking about what could be a potential upgrade from Yezdi has the potential to be answered in 10 different ways and that is a nice way to daydream/motivate oneself.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Boringrider

I do not consider the current KTM Adventure lineup being sold in the country, or the BMW GS 310 or the V-Strom to be actual true core products of their respective brands. All 3 suffer from the same issue - they're carrying brand names of legendary lineups but not being a true part of it.

Isn't it ironic that you bought the iconic yezdi brand adventure bike and say this?

Well, I am curious to know why you don't think KTM adv or GS310 or V Strom aren't being a true part of their respective brands?

Congratulations on the purchase! Wishing you safe riding!

[Boringrider]

Hi everyone,

I am posting a small update on my bike as I am well past the 1-year mark and the odo reading is now around 7k kms.

Did I make the right purchase or do I regret my decision and Jawa/Yezdi are the most cursed bike brand in the world? The answer to that varies wildly with most warriors trusting the latter however I don't regret it though it's not very popular online or offline and that is something you have to learn to live with.

The Engine - As mentioned in my previous 5k km update, the vibes and the unsettled nature of the engine have smoothened out and is now comfortably in place. The rev range can be explained as follows - start with 2000rpm or else you will stall, 2-4000rpm moving along with the initial torque delivery, 4000-6000 rpm the sweet spot where the engine comes alive and the grunt is on display, 6000rpm and above - peak surge and aggressive pushing with the vibes kicking in. There are no indications of a redline on the tacho with the numbers going all the way upto 12,000 rpm. Did that explain anything in detail about the ride to you? Definitely not to me.

First, let's get the touring part out of the way as I believe this is what you should be ideally doing on this bike. It can maintain triple digit speeds effortlessly, without any hesitation or strain. It needs to be put into 6th gear for it, you can do it in 5th as well but then you'll be deep into 7-8k rpm territory and the engine will resonate so much with your entire body that your left hand and leg will instinctively reach out for the next gear. Like I said, there is no indication of any "redline" on the display. It's just one white colour all the way to 12,000 rpm. However, I am not taking this as an invitation to go there.

The peak delivery feels to kick in somewhere around 6-6500 rpm and anything beyond that is flat out hard which is quite an adrenaline-filled experience to have but those situations will occur rarely as you need the emptiest of roads to have that. The max I've revved up to was 8k rpm and honestly, that experience left me speechless quite literally. It was so much to take in and I was loving every moment of it. So, the main question you have? If you want to but it for touring, you sure can sit at speeds of 100-110kmph for hours at a stretch at 6000rpm. There are some minor vibes creeping in at that point but that's just a matter of time to get accustomed to. It really is not the end of the world as online reviews would have you believe. It's standard fare and I got used to it even without gloves. I bought the Viaterra Grid now and I expect it to be ironed out a bit further. The vibes are felt at the pegs, underneath the tank and a tiny amount on the handlebars. However, nothing unsettling or deal-breaking about it. For those of you wanting an even smoother experience, you would have to reduce your speed a little, because at 90-100kmph in 6th gear, it just glides past everything, but the tradeoff is longer time taken to get to your destination. Or just buy a twin-cylinder if you're not satisfied. There's really not much else to do. And before you have this myth that other brands have it all figured out with single cylinder engines and Yezdi is this yesteryear brand stuck in the Stone Age, I did get a chance to ride some of the apparently sorted out single cylinder machines, including some Japanese engines. Trust me, when it gets to the top end, almost all of them are the same, with rev ranges being the difference. Even the gearbox on the Yezdi feels much more engaging and firmer than most others. I'm not taking names here because there are more keyboard warriors, fanboys and trolls than what I would like to see.

Bonus points for the Himalayan - I couldn't be happier with my decision here. It felt out of it's place in nearly every single thing I experienced. The worst offenders being the gearshifts and the refinement gives up even sooner than the Yezdi. Gearshifts on the Himalayan need a thorough sequence of planning, engagement, wait time and final execution. On the Yezdi, it's just the blink of an eye.

Riding in the city, of course it can do it but you will need a lot of clutching, de-clutching, Revving up to keep it moving. The radiator fan stays on almost the entire length of your ride. Not sure if this is normal but it is what it is. Tight squeezing in gaps is not always possible due to the wide handlebars. Turning radius is excellent. You can make quick U-turns without hopping over to the other lane. Overall, city commutes are best enjoyed during late night rides or early mornings. Will I pick this for my daily office commute? No way. I tried hard but no, there are other ways for me to get by so No.

I know I just made it sound like the worst bike in the world after just praising it in the previous paragraphs, it's not even that bad honestly but just to give you a realistic sense of what you would be getting yourself into if your primary use case involves lot of city riding. In fact, I look forward to riding my bike at least once a week even in the busiest of traffic.

Handling - As previously mentioned, nimble and easily changes directions for it's size. One thing I would like to add is that the handlebars are stable at high speeds due to their heft. They never seem to lose their composure. I've noticed this most during city rides, even if you take both your hands off the handle, they stay pointed straight without tilting to any side much. Not that you should be doing it often anyway, but another neat little observation I had.

Corner carving is not my thing so I cannot really tell you if the tyres are ten times grippier or they're the worst known tyres to mankind. To me, they're great and that's about it. I do take corners but boringly and sedately, without tipping much and not at high speeds either. It's just not my type of riding. Same with wet conditions, I always assume all tyres are risky on the wet so I become extra slow anyway so no comments there either.

Braking & Suspension - Ticks off the right boxes here again. I have never bottomed out the suspension so far, not even once. Braking is good, however the feel from the lever is a bit vague, especially the rear one. It does work but without any feel and then it seems to slow down a lot faster than you want, leaving you confused. I did have a minor fall, in which the rear brake lever got bent and now points upwards a bit towards your foot which needs to be straightened out. I pointed this out during service and they did fix it but it still seems a little out of place. Apart from this, no major complaints. The brakes work well, it's just that the feeling of squeezing the lever a bit more than you are comfortable with takes getting used to.

I have already sung high praises about the suspension and it continues to deliver so nothing to add there.

Fuel efficiency is constant at around 26-27kmpl, whether you ride it hard or not. Is this a good or bad number, I leave it to you.

Servicing costs and experience - Again, well in line for a bike of this class, no big surprises on that front either. Service centre staff are helpful and do help in solving most of the issues.

The one issue I faced was with the battery replacement. The bike would refuse to start when cold unless I put it in 2nd gear and jump started it. Once the engine was warmed up, it would start cranking normally and everything was fine. The service interval was coming up soon so I left it as it is for a few days and when I took it for service, explained and demonstrated it to them. They checked and apparently there was some fault with the battery and it needed a replacement. I was ok with this as I had still had warranty on everything and the bike was not even 1 year old. Also, batteries do not give out so early so I was relying on the battery warranty.

Here is where things take a stupid turn. The service centre calls me up and they tell me that it's a Tata Green-Yuasa battery which has a warranty of only 6 months for OEM parts. I checked the Tata battery website and showed them clearly that it had a 12 month warranty for that specific model and I was well within the time period to claim it. But they said, that's only for batteries which you purchase at your own expense, for the battery which comes fitted out of the factory, it's only 6 months. I refused to believe it and suspected the dealership was trying to avoid this whole ordeal that's why they were making this story up. So, I called the customer care number on Tata Green's website and they confirmed the same. It makes no sense to me how this can be justified when it's the same model and spec but it is what it is, I guess.

I've never seen a battery give up so early, especially when it's from a renowned brand like Yuasa which is found on even higher class bikes. The replacement model costs Rs.8,000 out-of-pocket which I was not ready to spend that much on. Went ahead with an Amaron battery instead after asking for recommendations in the owner's group and the service centre also suggested the same. This incident did shoot up the service bill by a bit but there was no other choice.

Another failed experience which I would like to highlight is the so-called Roadside Assistance which didn't actually assist me at all. I had a puncture in the front tyre which I noticed mid-way during a commute in the city. I had to push the bike with the flat tyre to the nearest puncture shop which was at least a km or two away. For added context, all this is happening during peak Chennai summer with a pillion who now has to walk along with me and actually has some place to get to.

Fortunately, we get to the nearest shop who is also confident enough to work on removing the front tyre and getting to the tube but the bike does not have a centre stand so he's trying to balance it on an old bucket kept under the radiator, which slowly gives way and I luckily spot it just in time and prevent this giant from falling completely. Then it's balanced soley on a heavy duty ring spanner, inserted in to the front suspension. The tube has a hole, so it needs to be replaced but he doesn't have the right size tube. It's Sunday evening, so the tyre shops are not open and they're kilometres away from where we are. The puncture shop offered to patch the tube with a piece of rubber and sealing it with the tube through a heating machine which he had but this would take some time and I didn't want to trust this jugaad repair when I could easily get a new tube in and forget it.

I told him to hold off on this as I was calling the roadside assistance and explaining the situation to them. At first, they asked for my location and told me they'll call back in 15 minutes. 15-20 minutes later, they called back and asked me if the bike had a centre stand to which I said No. So they told me they can't work on it. Instead they would send a tow-truck and have it towed to the service centre. This seemed pointless as it was Sunday evening and I wouldn't get my bike back. I explained to him that the front wheel was already off the bike, all they had to do was bring a brand new tube to me, it could be quickly replaced and we fix the front wheel back in and off we are but they flat-out refused to do this as "there is no centre stand." They were fine with towing and the huge effort it would take to do all that but not bring a simple tube and fix it when the front wheel is already out.

The sheer stupidity of this exchange left me not wanting to deal with them anymore and I went ahead with the patch repair job which seemed to be done quite evenly. And I'm still riding with that to this day, with no issues. All this happened right near Marina Beach. If this is the experience inside the city in a well populated area, I don't know what to expect when you're really stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Just pray for the tow-truck to arrive soon. My pillion rider had to take a cab separately to his destination as this took nearly 2 hours to fully resolve.

Keeping new spare tubes for too long is also not an option as they tend to degrade over time. Just buy some before a long ride, maybe.

Accessories Purchased - Viaterra Grid full gauntlet gloves and Viaterra Claw tailbag for touring.

Coming to the conclusion of my long-winded rambling, I don't think I really have much to complain with my ownership. The rusting, fit and finish levels have been talked about. It's a good first-gen product but if it shows no improvements on these missed areas, it won't last long enough to capture the market which it aims to do.

Every time I look at the Dominar, I can only feel the failure of Bajaj but no point in dwelling on it. Every time I look at the Interceptor, there have been times where I think what if but I know eventually I made the right pick because when I break down the Interceptor as a bike, the only part RE nailed was the engine and the pricing. Yes, some will argue that the engine is what makes a bike what it is but I would not agree with that. The other parts also need to come together with the engine to provide the right experience. A bike cannot function in isolation with the engine alone. You need the seats, the suspension and various other things in combination. I am sure at some point, RE is going to take the 650 engine in an ADV/Scrambler format, and I'll revisit the RE showroom at that point probably. But first I need to do enough riding to justify upgrades.

I did plan on going the entire distance of being a "biker" and purchasing a riding jacket, riding pants, boots, the centre stand after the puncture ordeal but so far I only have gloves and the luggage. The truth is I haven't been doing enough riding, nowhere close to what I thought I would be doing and not even close enough to justify spending all that money. My gloves are sitting brand-new unused from the last 2 months. And the straight answer is, my mental health is not in the best of shape. That, coupled with transitioning to a new workplace. Well, the work is just a convenient excuse because I have had 2 opportunities in the past where I had a week or two off (like 5-10 days off from work) with lots of riding and mega tours planned, but all I did was stay at home.

I don't want to go into too much personal details here so I won't bore you with my life story. And this is an automotive forum, there are other forums to discuss these things. For people who don't suffer from these conditions, it's just weird to explain because most of them can't relate to it. I don't blame them either because I used to be on the other side earlier. It's just very weird because when I didn't have the time and/or money to afford all this, all I could think of was how much I'm going to do it and how enjoyable it is all going to be. And now when I'm actually at a stage where I can somewhat afford these passions, they're just standing there in the parking, in their packaging. Am I giving up? Not really, not yet.

No worthwhile pictures to add.

Take care of your health, both physical and mental. These things are important. Ride safe and invest in quality products. Your life is worth more than some riding gear costs, fuel efficiency figures, service costs which you claim to save. This is aimed at both car & bike buyers. You do have to go a little out of your budget range but the benefits which you will reap intangibly and tangibly should things go wrong, will be well worth it. This is the least controversial way of sharing my opinion so take it lightly.

To the fanboys and trolls, keep being yourself so I know who to steer clear of.

Unrelated Side Note: I did see a bobber-style version of the Classic 350 being tested on Chennai roads while on an office commute on a regular weekday. I am not even sure I can call it a bobber because it did have a rear seat but the seat height was lowered quite a bit from the Classic and it didn't have any grab rail at the rear end. The front speedo was from the Classic 350 and the engine looked and sounded like the new J-Series engines. It was not the 650 (before you get too excited).

[Boringrider]

11k kms update and Rameswaram ride

I had always wanted to ride to Dhanushkodi on my bike but kept pushing the ride due to various reasons such as not having the gear, the money or the mental strength to push through. However, I knew at some point I had to get serious about my riding or what was the point in buying a strong touring bike at all? Could have just used any regular commuter/everyday bike and get done with it. Funnily enough, I had the full gauntlet gloves and the tailbag at home which were gathering dust from the last 6-8 months or so. The only thing left to kickstart a proper long-distance ride was a riding jacket. I had ridden without a riding jacket to Pondicherry and even Bangalore and felt exhausted after reaching the destination to the point where I felt like I needed an entire day to recover. I was aware that it was risky from a safety standpoint but an equally major yet unspoken must is a proper jacket to protect you from the high fatigue you will experience due to constant windblast. Experienced tourers reading this will find it obvious to say the least but for riders wanting to do serious distances (myself included), this is the tool you will need to unlock the distances. Try searching for advantages of riding jackets and even directly asking this question in Google, all articles will talk about safety, but nowhere will they mention about the fatigue protection. I started wondering about this aspect specifically because safety was obvious and I did not need any convincing on that front. I thought about 2 different things which started connecting the dots for me. First, being the need to have your helmet visor down after a certain speed. Secondly, I remember wearing a ZEEL full rain suit (jacket + pants) during one of my office commutes in the rain. The interesting part is I felt less tired after reaching the destination and started to wonder why. These two thoughts started to connect and made sense. So much so, that I thought why not take a short ride with the rain jacket on a dry day at highway speeds and test out my hypothesis. Maybe even use it for small rides as a temporary solution till I get a jacket. Just the things you try to do when you want to save money lol. But I understood that even if it did work, I would at some point have to buy a riding jacket anyway for the safety part so there was not really much to be gained and I decided to take the plunge with a good jacket itself.

Note - I am not related to ZEEL brand in any way. They do make good rain jackets though. So thick, that if you're caught in heavy traffic, they'll make you sweat. Some water does seep in sometimes during heavy downpours but still great quality rain gear if you are looking for it.

The Riding Gear Buying Drama
With all the above thoughts and having decided to jump in, I started researching riding jackets online, reading tbhp thread on riding gear etc but was still confused. At first, I decided to go with Solace brand because they're the only ones claiming 700D material construction on almost all their jackets whereas brands like Rynox, Viaterra are 600D only. DSG claims 900D material on one of their jackets but since it was more racing oriented, I decided not to go for it as I wanted a more touring friendly usage in mind.

And this is where the actual frustration and helplessness begins. I cannot stress this enough to anyone buying riding gear - 99% of the times you cannot buy these things without trying them on. You have to experience it for yourself and go with what suits you best. I faced the same thing when buying gloves and jacket too. You would think that, living in a major city like Chennai, one would surely have access to most of the Indian brands such as Rynox, Viaterra, Solace, Raida, DSG etc. It is honestly pathetic that you have almost no or limited access to most of these products for trying out in person except Rynox with a dedicated store. Yes, they'll deliver to Chennai without hassle once you order them but good luck trying to find ones to try out before buying. For gloves, I wanted to go with the Raida AeroPrix but as usual, only one store had stock and even they had other models, not the one I wanted and not even in the size I wanted. The brand is practically non-existent. Same with Viaterra, good luck asking for anything other than the Grid gloves or Claw Mini tailbags. Jackets - what are those? Even the gloves, good luck with the sizing and color options. The stores which are listed as official distributors had no stock of anything and weren't even interested in having a conversation upon calling them. I thought no stock meant that it will eventually be restocked in a few days but nope. The one store which had some options didn't have the sizing and/or colour. Moreover, I didn't like their attitude towards customers. Initially, they seemed friendly however became pushy and wanted to force a sale even ridiculing my preferences. Leaving a glove for a colour preference might be a non-issue for some people however I told them upfront if I am going to buy this and it's not going to be cheap, I am damn well going to demand whatever colour I please from the list of options. I left the store disappointed in how they were trying to push a sale by making me feel guilty for even checking out their gear, but all this was just more proof to me I did the right thing by walking away. Went home and ordered Grid gloves going by their size chart and in the colour I wanted which promptly got delivered.

For jackets, it was mostly the same story again with no shop to try out stuff. I had decided for Solace brand with certainty because 700D > 600D from most other brands. Went to a store and they had some jackets in stock at least which was a breath of relief. Weirdly they didn't have the size I wanted as per the size chart on their own website, so I tried one size bigger and even that was a tight fit which didn't inspire confidence at all and the staff also suggested against it. They suggested for 2 sizes bigger which didn't really seem like a positive for the product itself. Here's where we had an eye-opening conversation. The guys at this store were helpful and I was talking to them a lot about various Solace jackets, comparing them with other brands etc. to which he asked me - "Why are you so certain that you should buy only a Solace jacket and not any other brand?" I gave him my reasoning and he showed me 3 different jackets - priced at 7k, 10k and 17k and asked me to go through the material feel. Since all 3 are claiming to be 700D, they should all feel similar. I checked them out and just by touch itself, the jackets felt different. He wasn't telling me to avoid Solace directly, but he did suggest trying out other brands too. It was late that day and the Rynox store was about to close so I just went home and decided to check them out the next day.

I had Rynox Tornado Pro 4, Stealth Air Pro in mind. Went to the store, they had Stealth Air Pro in stock, in the size and colour I wanted. Even if not, they suggested it would be easily available upon order. Within 30 seconds of putting on the Stealth Air Pro jacket, I knew this was going to be the one for me. The fit was just perfect, we also had a small chat on the differences between this and Tornado. Stealth Evo 3, which is their top-of-the-line jacket would have been overkill for me. I knew this was it and went ahead with my gut feeling and bought it for 10k. Although some suggest that this is an overpriced jacket, I am thoroughly satisfied with it and don't mind the price I paid. Looked at Viaterra jackets too but you'll find a reasonably priced used Toyota faster than trying out their jacket at a store in Chennai. Since Rynox fit the bill perfectly, I was too happy with it and didn't want to spend more time being frustrated.

Finally, the ride begins
Before plastering more walls of text, I would like to post some photos from the ride to the one of the last lands of India!



Crossing the 10k mark!


Just 100 kms away from Rameswaram at a petrol pump




Achievement Unlocked!


Entering Pamban at night


After checking in to a hotel, just went around for a small walk nearby at night after dinner


Group of 4 Triumph Speed 400s from Kerala


Just after entering Dhanushkodi. They do charge a small fee for waste cleanup/maintenance but only from cars apparently. They did not stop me nor did I notice them stopping other bikers




At Arichal Munai, the last road of India. Saw many bikes and cars from other states as far as West Bengal, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana and Chattisgarh. Spotted multiple GSAs on the route!




Such a scenic place for photoshoots no less than an international destination






Inside the temple


Pamban during daytime. Although there were no parking on the bridge signs, the cops on duty didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, they were even helping a group of people in clicking photos


Post-ride cleanup the next day after reaching home


Back in glistening form! Picked up some chain lube and applied it to the chain. Next time, will carry it with me on rides and apply it during the ride itself as the chain had become quite dry.


Excuse the potato quality. My phone got damaged by the recent rains in Chennai and this is the aftermath. The camera is basically destroyed beyond hope. Have ordered a new phone!


Trip Details
Route Taken - Chennai - Chengalpattu - Tindivanam - Ulundurpet - Trichy - Pudukottai - Devakottai - Devipattinam - Ramanathapuram - Rameswaram

Upto Ulundurpet, couldn't build up the pace because of traffic however post that, the roads were smooth highways all the way. There were heavy crosswinds at points though, so much so that I had to slow down considerably as I was finding my riding posture and the bike itself a bit tilted fighting against the winds.

Saturday morning - started around 8:30 am reached Rameshwaram around 8:30 pm. Same trip back the next day, started around 10:30 am. Met our forum's senior member PrassanaDhana (aka Prassy) and then continued on the way back home.

Since I didn't have much time and other places didn't seem all that interesting to me, I focused only on the riding and Arichal Munai.

The bike is a cruise missile built specifically for touring. I was sustaining triple digit speeds all day long and it did the entire journey without any stress. It does get vibey being a single cylinder when cruising at 120kmph and my hands were feeling that tingly sensation from the vibrations. However, 100-110 kmph all day long, feels like a locomotive at full speed. Simply amazing performance. I did not track the fuel economy as usual lol, I guess I should document more of that. In total, I filled somewhere around 45 -50 litres for a distance of 1190 km which comes out to somewhere between 24-26 kmpl. but to be fair, not all of that fuel was used. I still had around half a tank left after reaching home.

Riding Gear Review
Viaterra Claw Tailbag - 10/10. Stayed in place no matter what speed you did and how many ever hours you did. Worth the money!

Viaterra Grid Gloves - 6/10. Honestly, felt very uncomfortable to use with the sliders on. I was not able to get the accelerator and clutch action smoothly. It was going either too little or too much. So much so, that at one point, I removed the gloves and rode without them for a few hours. I was told that it will get better with break-in. I rode for around 1000 kms eain total wearing it and it did open up a bit which I think is a good enough distance but it is still uncomfortable. I wear it out of necessity more than preference. Maybe it's the wrong size but I don't want to go through the whole riding gear purchase saga again so I'll live with it for now.

Rynox Stealth Air Pro - 10/10 Perfect fit jacket though on the heavier side. While buying it, the Cerros armours felt very soft and lightweight unlike the Knox ones but upon wearing it the entire day, it was actually pretty heavy with soreness on the shoulders and back from the weight of it all. It didn't make me feel exhausted, does an excellent job at protecting from windblast and keeping the rider cool. It has Level 2 armours all around which checks off the safety aspect.

Next on the list would be riding pants and boots which are also required for safety but lower on the priority list for me. I am more inclined towards Rynox for pants but boots I am not so sure because I have gigantic feet at size 14/15. I checked some out and it seems like would have to go for some international brands only. However, buying footwear that too expensive ones without trying is even more of a recipe for trouble. Will have to figure this one out later.

Overall, had a tiring but satisfying fun trip with great memories. This trip was my new personal best at being the longest. Also, the bike does meet my reliability test of just getting up and start riding for days without fuss. I also learned a lot about ride prep which I will implement in my future trips. Looking forward to post more such experiences! Ride safe and ride long!

[Boringrider]

Some photos from a ride to Sriharikota 3 months ago. The ride itself was pretty boring as it was just long straight highways. Even the road to enter Sriharikota was just a narrow two-lane village road. The lake had been dried out and the landscape felt barren. Had a small accident on the way back home where I couldn't brake on time and ended up ramming the rear of a share auto. Luckily, there were no passengers in it, and it was carrying some goods. The damage to the auto was a slight dent in the auto's body, it had a metal protection bar which took most of the hit. And my bike's front lower mudguard was broken, only the front half of it. +1 for solid build quality of my bike. I had some relatively minor injuries. Post that, I haven't been riding as much barring the occasional ECR trips to some far away beaches. Even ECR these days has become crowded, and you need quite some distance away to enjoy the ride.



There are 4 rockets in this picture





The bike recently had it's 5th service done, costing around Rs.3k. However, the service centres and the whole ordeal of dealing with them is disappointing. No proper follow-ups, no call backs. You have to repeatedly check with them for everything. Add to that, some dealers shutting shop which has just exacerbated the crowding in the other existing service centres. You won't get the bike back on the same day, even if it's just the usual filter and oil changes. You'll have to repeatedly call them and keep yourself updated about the status or you can forget your bike for weeks. I finally found one decent dealership but the hassle of travelling distances outside your city just to get basic service done is a big letdown. And this in a major city like Chennai.

I was optimistic about Classic Legends as a brand, but it saddens me to turn the other way now. It seemed in between like they're turning around their image, but the ground reality is the same. As long as your bike has the usual service requirements, you will most probably be just fine, but not without hassle though. The entire customer experience is lame. You can't keep your existing customers satisfied. You cannot even arrange test rides for your BSA, which is supposed to be your most premium product, that takes away the prospective customers. In the end, who are you keeping happy? You keep speedo disconnected bikes as test ride models which you will later sell to unsuspecting buyers. I know they're probably reading this, but they don't care. They'll send out the usual corporate cliche response to any grievances you have.

The centre stand saga is another interesting story. For those not in the know, apparently Yezdi took customer feedback seriously and launched the updated Adventure in which, a major chunk of the exhaust is routed underneath the bike which solves the heating issues and also launched the centre stand as an accessory, along with upgrading the engine refinement. In my opinion, they could compete with RE and launch tubeless spokes also to make a perfect small capacity ADV tourer. Anyway, the centre stand is also designed to be retrofitted on the older Adventure models, which is also a smart move. Naturally, I started enquiring about the centre stand at the service centre and they were clueless. I thought, okay maybe this particular dealer doesn't know about it. I opened up Yezdi's website and literally called up every dealer in Chennai, even the Pondicherry one. All of them were dumbfounded and outright denied it. On one such call with a dealer, I was fed up and literally guided them to the official launch pictures which clearly displayed a big black bike with a centre stand. Also, some owners posted videos on YouTube about getting it fixed at an official service centre, not some third-party shop. In response, the guy at the other end spoke with an attitude of "I work here with the company so I would know more about it than you do" which just pissed me off. I just gave up after that and was seriously considering buying a paddock stand.

By sheer luck, one fine day as I was going through some rabbit hole on the Internet, I came across a WhatsApp group for Yezdi owners. I immediately joined it, thinking at least if there were some third-party fixes to this and other issues, it would be a good resource to discuss directly with owners. I left the group I was added to by the dealer from where I bought my bike due to lack of responses to any issues raised. Turns out, one of the members is the service manager of a dealership from Hyderabad which I don't want to name as I am not sure I want to put them in trouble as Yezdi doesn't sell spares over the counter. They said, they have a batch of 5 centre stands coming in the following week and interested members could make a booking in advance. I jumped on the offer and confirmed mine. The stand itself costs Rs. 2,499 but I paid Rs. 1,400 on top for shipping via DTDC, as it had to be delivered to me in Chennai. It's not the dealer's fault as they have no role in the shipping part. In fact, I am thankful to them for solving a big miss on the bike. What annoys me is the fact that I had to shell out almost 50% extra cost for the incompetence of Classic Legends distribution network as a brand.
Even after receiving it, when I tried calling up dealers to get it fixed on the bike, half the time they don't pick up the calls, they have no time to service your bike, or they are still clueless and think you're a weirdo speaking an alien language.

Finally, I decided to just call the service centre from where I recently got the service done as that was a somewhat decent experience. Even he was in disbelief initially and asked me to send photos and videos that something like this even exists. After doing so, he agreed and said I could bring it in on any weekday and get it done. Again, I have to go all the way outside the city just to get this done. Every time I do anything which is routine bike related stuff, I have to nearly waste half a day's time and energy. I am not self-employed to have such luxuries.

The broken front mudguard? "We don't have stock saar. It has to be ordered specifically and will take 15 days time. Pay some advance amount for it saar."

The bike itself is quite capable and has proven itself to be a reliable companion. I honestly don't have much of an issue with it and will do my best to keep it in good running order. I am holding off on the upgrade plan for now as I feel I still have a lot of kms to cover with it and lots of memories to make. I have no other choice but to go through these hassles and will do. If some major issue were to happen, I would still try to get it sorted and move on with the upgrade. Not much regret or pain will be felt in letting go, despite being my first actual bike. Also, I would not be looking forward to Classic Legends in my upgrade choices.

[Boringrider]

Finally, all set up with the true blue ADV stance!




Will need some getting used to lifting the bike for the centre stand as the heft is real. Overall, I have gotten much more comfortable with the bike and can even tolerate some commuting on it. Have been noticing the jerky fueling which reviewers kept mentioning, especially in extended slow traffic crawls, sometimes the engine just abruptly cuts off. I'm gonna label it "character" and move on.

Some introspection on my riding mindset - touring is an entirely different mindset than commuting. I remember during the Rameshwaram ride, I was always feeling rushed, short of time and felt like I had to blaze my way through the highways. Despite my best efforts, I didn't reach any sooner nor was I able to enjoy the ride. Of course, I enjoyed the performance of the engine in top gear but not the ride itself. It actually turned out to be counter productive. I couldn't figure it out then but later it clicked me on one of those random office commutes. I was treating touring like commuting.

You have a destination and you should get there reasonably quickly. The shorter the commute the better. It simply becomes a matter of getting from A to B. However, touring like that is a disaster. Yes, you still need to maintain some decent time and distance targets but that's not the entire goal of the trip. The goal is to soak in the ride and enjoy your time spent. After having this realisation, everything became less stressful. Even my commuting, I am able to do it now at a much more relaxed mindset and enjoy it. What's the point in obsessing with time taken? That's racing.

Have planned some more long tours for the future. Will keep this thread updated from time to time.

[abhinav.s]

Very nice trip log peppered with some beautiful pics of the bike and landscape!

The below part of your post piqued my interest. Please do not ignore the pants and boots. Specially the boots. Your ankles and legs are more prone to injury in the event of a small fall such as a dog coming in the way or going over an obscure obstacle on the road etc. So please do the due diligence even if it takes some extra effort since you really do take your bike on some very long rides and pants and boots will give you the added safety and peace of mind on such rides. All the best and keep on riding!!

Originally Posted by Boringrider

Next on the list would be riding pants and boots which are also required for safety but lower on the priority list for me. ....but boots I am not so sure because I have gigantic feet at size 14/15.