[WalterWhite]

Originally Posted by sriniadk

Congratulations WalterWhite on your new bike . Ninja 300 in this shade is a stellar to look upon . I have a slight doubt about the vibration levels of the bike when driven at 90-100 in 6th gear. Are there any constant vibrations if so in which part of the bike , like handle or foot pegs ? My friend is looking to buy a motorcycle in the same segment , i had recommended him Apache RR310 (which I have personally driven all along the coastal areas of India). The only negative of RR310 is the vibrations which creep in the handlebar even when cruising at 90-100(But since i wear riding gloves it is bearable). Your suggestions would be very valuable .

Thanks sriniadk for your kind words. There is absolutely no vibration at those speeds. Be it 110 Kmph or 120Kmph it is very smooth and stable. Just that there is a slight vibration from 4K to 4.5K RPM. And all other RPM ranges till 10K are absolutely vibe-free and stress-free. I haven't taken her above 10K yet. So cannot really comment on the refinement levels above 10K. But above 10K should be for mad acceleration and adrenaline rush. So at that time, you will be more concentrated on the thrill you are having. So my suggestion would be to go for Ninja if your priorities are absolute refinement, reliability, and twin-cylinder performance.

[WalterWhite]

The very next day after the delivery took Akira Munnar Gap Road (The very scenic route with a lot of wide sweeping twisties). Tied the brief luggage on the pillion seat. The luggage included a jacket raincoat, raincoat bottom piece, a pair of extra gloves in case of rain, and a rain cover for the luggage bag. Since the monsoon is not over I had to take all these rain gear with me.

Route : Cochin -> Muvattupuzha-> Adimali-> Munnar-> Pooppara-> Shanthanpara.

Took the same route while returning also. Because the Gap road was like 'Yes come back and enjoy some more..!'

How did she fare in the ride?

Handling: Akira is super solid in twisties. She keeps the line and tips into corners effortlessly. The suspension feel is very good in corners. You won't get that wavy feeling with Ninja 300 on corners. Unlike other bikes with softer suspension. I must say, the suspension tuning is very well sorted.

Ride Quality: Very comfortable on slightly bumpy roads. Reasonably comfortable on moderately bad roads. But the situation suddenly changes on very bad roads. Low GC coupled with this kind of riding position is bad at tackling bad roads. I don't have the confidence to run over fast. Over bad roads, I get a very weird feeling from the front end. I must say Lex (Fazer 25) tackles bad roads way better than Akira. I am not sure if the front fork size has anything to do with this. 37mm(Akira) VS 41mm(Lex).

Mirrors: Mirrors have a decent view. At times, I had to slightly move my elbows slightly inwards to see what is behind me. But manageable. Are there any vibes on the mirror at any speed? Absolutely no. Folding and unfolding the mirrors requires some effort.

Heating: Only in dead traffic. Heat is felt at the thighs. Heat suddenly disappears on the move. So this is not your average daily commuter. This is a twin-cylinder mill and will heat up in dead-moving traffic. Even in idle she heats up a lot. But no worries. Nothing alarming.

Engine, Refinement: Super refined barring slights vibes from 4 to 4.5K RPM. There is a slight bump in power delivery from 5K RPM and very evident from 8K onwards. The exhaust note is very sweet in the lower RPMs and the sound completely changes from 8K onwards. The exhaust note and the power delivery are directly related. The more the exhaust screams the more performance it delivers. You really need to feel the manic performance of this cute beast on higher RPMs to understand what I am saying here. Pure refined performance. Most of the cases you won't get these 2 together(In this segment). Either you have the performance with a sacrifice in refinement. Or you have the refinement with less top-end punch.

Throttle response: Throttle On/Off response is slightly jerky in the 4K to 5K RPM range. It is not very smooth as you would expect. This is a thing that we will get used to. Response in lower RPMs is leaner. From 5K onwards the response gets strong. Once you cross 8K the response is crisp and even the slightest twist on the throttle translates into an adrenaline rush.

Seating comfort: Rider seat is decently comfortable. Since I took short breaks every 1 hour I didn't feel discomfort. The seats have a nice texture so you have a nice grip on the seats on the move.

Ergonomics: The seating position is slightly committed. With my height(169cm) my legs perfectly slot and have enough leg room. When I sit near the tank I can easily hug the tank with my thighs. But when I push back and lean towards the handlebar, I am not able to tightly hug the tank.

* Another aspect of owning a powerful and respected bike: I have to say this. When I do overtakes I always wait for a proper gap. I don't push my bike on the slightest of the gaps. This means crawling behind a car/bus/lorry for some time keeping a safe distance of course. So when I do this on my Lex(Fazer 25), there is a rush from behind and someone wants to overtake on the slightest of the gaps. I do give way for them. Otherwise, it's dangerous for me and the other person as well. Because the other person might overtake me in the slight gaps and may hit my bike or at least the mirrors. This may end up with Me and the other person falling on the road. Maybe I am too afraid to overtake on slight gaps or maybe I am doing the right thing. But this happens to me all the time. But when I take Akira out this situation occurs very rarely. Most of the guys won't rush behind me. No honking. So I have a peaceful overtake. But I always give way if someone honks and try to overtake me to overtake that car/bus/lorry very quickly. Another thing is guaranteed eyeballs everywhere you go. But this will have a negative impact when you park the bike somewhere and get unwanted attention in your absence. A gang of kids approached my bike when I parked it near the roadside. They immediately recognized the bike and came near it and started to touch here and there. Even one of the kids twisted the throttle. I was watching from a distance. I immediately got up and walked near the bike. They were all smiling. I smiled them back and rode away from there. I didn't give an angry face to them as they were doing unwanted things. One of them even recognized what helmet I am wearing and even guessed the cost. I wish all that passionate kids out there one day gets their dream fulfilled.

All set for the ride


Luggage mounted(mostly rain gear). Notice Lex(Fazer 25) in the background.


Suited Up


Somewhere in the gap road. All green.


Akira looking at the tasty twisties shes gonna feast


Blue Sky, Green Earth, and Green Machine...


Akira in her natural habitat

[WalterWhite]

Sharing some more pics of the ride. Gap Road is so scenic. You can't get wrong with any shot you take. I couldn't resist. I parked Akira here and there clicked a lot of pics.

Tollbooth in gap road. Yes, this is NH85 and the tollbooth is here.














On the return journey. This KSRTC bus driver decided to create an unnecessary traffic jam on the Neriamangalam bridge. He should have waited and given way for the mini lorry to completely get off the bridge. Instead, he decided to get onto the bridge and get jammed in between. There is a long queue on either side. This bridge is very narrow. 2 heavy vehicles cant go side by side at a time.

Winding up... Overall this was a joyful ride. The first ride on Akira was so awesome and so memorable.

[shiv4747]

Many Many congrats on your new ride Bro. It looks sexy. Wishing you a safe and happy miles ahead.

I love the way you narrate things about your bike and your riding style. Keep it up.

Cheers
Shiva

[dmaheshkumar]

Hi,
It was a good writeup. One of the Beautiful roads and with your new twin cylinder machine , it might have been a great ride.

Already marked this place for ride some time before, but could not able to do it till now.

[WalterWhite]

Originally Posted by shiv4747

Many Many congrats on your new ride Bro. It looks sexy. Wishing you a safe and happy miles ahead.

Thanks for your kind words shiv4747.

Originally Posted by shiv4747

I love the way you narrate things about your bike and your riding style. Keep it up.

Many thanks again. Happy to know you liked it.

Originally Posted by dmaheshkumar

Hi,
It was a good writeup. One of the Beautiful roads and with your new twin cylinder machine , it might have been a great ride.

Thanks for your kind words dmaheshkumar. Yes, it was a memorable ride. Riding Ninja to Munnar was a dream come true moment for me.

Originally Posted by dmaheshkumar

Already marked this place for a ride sometime before, but could not able to do it till now.

I wish you make the ride happen soon. Super wide road with a lot of sweeping twisties and the beauty of Munnar. This road is so addictive.

[Mr.Ogre]

Beautiful bike, beautiful colour and beautiful pictures. Brought back memories of my Ninja 300 when I was in India. I had the opportunity to own and ride almost all the bikes in Kawasaki stable. Some of the bikes that I owned are:

- Ninja 300 (India)
- Ninja 650 (India)
- Ninja 400 (Australia)
- Versys 650 (Australia)
- Versys 1000
- Ninja 1000

Of all these bikes Ninja 300, 650 twins and Ninja 1000 are my favorites, especially Ninja 300. The engine is fantastic and is always eager to revv to the moon no matter what gear you are in.

The front is just feedback overload. It's so good, it makes you feel like Jonathan Rhea. My only issue with the 300 was long distance comfort. My knees would hurt after 100 kilometers. But, having said that, I love the 300, and currently I am in the process of building a NInja 300 for the tracks.

[WalterWhite]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ogre

Beautiful bike, beautiful colour and beautiful pictures. Brought back memories of my Ninja 300 when I was in India. I had the opportunity to own and ride almost all the bikes in Kawasaki stable.

Thanks for your kind words Mr.Ogre

Originally Posted by Mr.Ogre

Of all these bikes Ninja 300, 650 twins and Ninja 1000 are my favorites, especially Ninja 300. The engine is fantastic and is always eager to revv to the moon no matter what gear you are in.

Yes true. Only when I hit the limiter then only I get to know I am redlining it. It's so smooth and effortless in higher RPMs.

Originally Posted by Mr.Ogre

My only issue with the 300 was long-distance comfort. My knees would hurt after 100 kilometers. But, having said that, I love the 300, and currently I am in the process of building a NInja 300 for the tracks.

What is your height? For me, I haven't faced any discomfort when I did 300KM+ on a single day. My height is 169cm. Maybe taller people could experience some discomfort as the rider's foot peg position is a bit high than normal. So, you are sitting low and placing your legs high, kind of a cramped-up feel. And all the very best for your Track endeavors.

[Thebugdoc]

Many congratulations on your ninja!
It's nice to see you ordered your safety gear before you even took delivery of your bike. The panel gap you mentioned is, in my opinion, unacceptable, and you should take it up with Kawasaki. Also, Kawasaki Service is hardly 500 metres from my home; do ping me when you bring in your bike for service, and I will join you with my Kawasaki as well, perhaps for a short ride.
Congrats again, and ride safe.

[WalterWhite]

Originally Posted by Thebugdoc

Many congratulations on your ninja!
It's nice to see you ordered your safety gear before you even took delivery of your bike.

Thank you Thebugdoc for your kind words.

Originally Posted by Thebugdoc

The panel gap you mentioned is, in my opinion, unacceptable, and you should take it up with Kawasaki.

I already discussed this with Kawasaki Cochin even before delivery. They are unable to fix it. And all of the Ninja 300 on display has this small gap.

Originally Posted by audioholic

Even in my CKD Ninja this issue arised after I replaced the side cowling. The ASC did not fit it right and later I ended up fixing this gap in the way I explained and no issues since then.

audioholic with his BS3 Ninja had the same problem after replacing the side panels. So I think this has something to do with the correct alignment and fitment of the fairing parts.

Originally Posted by Thebugdoc

Also, Kawasaki Service is hardly 500 metres from my home; do ping me when you bring in your bike for service, and I will join you with my Kawasaki as well, perhaps for a short ride.
Congrats again, and ride safe.

sure. I will definitely PM you upfront.

[WalterWhite]

Just after one week of the Munnar Gap Road trip, I took her to Valparai. I couldn't resist the temptation. On each ride I did, I couldn't get enough of her. There is always a temptation to ride more. Yes, she has the power to attract me to her. The attraction is so deep that I even go for night rides when I back from work. I am using Lex for office commutes and other daily runs. Lex served me well on touring as well. Now is the time for Lex to take a break from touring. So Akira is taking over that duty. Coming back to the ride. This was a 2-day trip.

Day1:
Cochin ->Angamaly-> Athirappilly-> Malakkappara-> Valparai

Day2 - return journey:
Valparai-> Pollachi-> Kollengode-> Vadakanchery-> Trichur-> Cochin

The road from Athirappilly to Malakkappara is through the Sholayar reserve forest. This is a dense forest famous for Bears, Elephants, Gaurs, Leopards, and more. These animals even sometimes come close to the road. So if you have a car you can enjoy it unless the animal near you is an elephant. Being a bike rider, I always worried about taking this route solo because of the fear of animals coming close to the road. I had covered this route once with Lex and my friend as a pillion almost 5 years back. So with that courage decided to bite the bullet. Apart from the animals, the route is pure bliss for bikers(apart from a really bad stretch of road just before reaching Malakkappara. About 10 km or so). The road is very narrow but the traffic is very less. Keep the speedo at 50 - 60kmph and enjoy the view. Both sides of the road are covered in greenery. Make sure you visit this place during the monsoon or just after the monsoon. You need to be very careful at bends and blind curves as the road is very narrow and the vehicle coming opposite can be a big KSRTC bus.

Day1:
Started a little late at 8.45 AM. Tied the luggage on the rear seat. Mounting and unmounting luggage is so easy. Thanks to the bungee cord hooks on both sides.

All set for the ride.


ODO reading before the ride. Recent Munnar - Gap road ride took her to this reading.


Athirappilly Water Falls. So scenic. This view is just from the roadside. You won't even need to get into the waterfall location.


Athirappilly Water Falls 3X


Athirappilly Water Falls 10X


Somewhere in the Athirappilly - Malakkappara road.


Lush green forest roads are always been a temptation for me to ride more


AKira posing for a side view




Another side view


Sholayar Hydro Electric Project Valve house. Huge Penstock pipes which go through under the bridge.


Penstock pipes










This was the really bad stretch of road I was talking about. About 10 km or so before reaching Malakkappara.


Potholes and uneven surfaces all over. In fact, this is no road, should call it off-road.




Entering Malakkappara




Roads got better after Malakkappara. Kudos to Tamilnadu PWD.


Sholayar flows through the right side of the road and it continues until it reaches Valparai.


This view elevated the whole experience to another level. Simply awesome

[WalterWhite]

Day 1 Contnd...

Valparai you beauty!! Riding through the super smooth road surrounded by the tea plantation is a feast to the eyes and therapy to the soul.


I spent some time here. The view and overall vibe were so addictive. I want to rate this place above Munnar. Munnar is so crowded but this place is calm and quite...


There is this small stream flowing just between the tea plantation hills


Short Tea break..


Green friend wanted to join the ride


It is all green around and within Akira


The view is amazing from the rider's POV


Trying a different angle. Pillion POV maybe








When I look back in this picture it tempts me to do another visit.


The stay was at Sabari Residency. Decent rooms and there is a restaurant within the hotel.


They have this nice basement parking area


They gave me a special slot to park Akira safely.


It's nap time for Akira

[WalterWhite]

Day 2

Woke up a little late at 7.30 AM. The view from the hotel was nice. Had a quick breakfast and started the return journey. The famous 40 hairpin bends were waiting for me.

Morning view form the hotel was nice.




Akira posing for some pics in front of the beautiful background










I missed to click Hairpin bend 40/40. So I clicked the 30/40. From Valparai the downhill bends start from 40 and end in 1. Actually, when you come from Pollachi you start from 1.


Ghat roads are always a joy to ride.




One of the viewpoints from the top








Aliyar Dam viewpoint.


The view is nothing short of amazing




See the road goes through the thick forest






10 more to go


Finally...

[WalterWhite]

Day 2 Contnd...

Once the downhill ride is completed you are welcomed by the hot Tamil Nadu roads. The roads are excellent barring frequent speed breakers and rumblers. Caused some discomfort as I had to come to almost stand still to tackle some huge speed bumps. The ride was getting a bit boring. But that suddenly changed when I reached Kollengod(Palakkad-Kerala). I am welcomed by the green open fields on both sides of the road. And a distant view of the mountains.

This view was so great that it made me forget the hot whether and click a lot of photos and spend some time there.


The distant view of mountains and the sight of waterfalls from this far is awesome.


Kollengode is totally blessed.


Coconut Palms are the official sign that you are in Kerala!





Spending some time here in the evening would be very cool. A cup of tea will be icing on the cake.


One of my favorite angles to look at her.


Wherever I take Akira it's always green.


Another favorite angle


Testing the wide angle lens









Another favorite angle and favorite pic of the ride.




Trying some random shots while taking a short break. This was on the NH544 near Thrichur




Reached home 7.30 PM. Total KM traveled in 2 days. This could be less if I took the same route while returning.


ODO has come close to the 1K mark.

Overall Experience
Akira fared well on this ride too. She is very comfortable to ride. The ride quality is good. That feeling you get while riding a Ninja 300 is priceless. On the highways, I kept her at 90 kmph in 6th gear @6K RPM. 100Kmph arrives at 6.5K RPM in 6th gear. One time I tried a quick burst in 3rd gear and went all the way up to the 13K RPM! The limiter kicked in. She was doing 126 kmph. She was screaming So was I inside the helmet with joy. Redlining her was effortless and she did it without breaking a sweat. In fact, it is the limiter who will tell you, hey you are redlining her. Otherwise no sign from her. No stress on the engine at all. Coupled with top-notch refinement will make you forget all your worries at least for a moment(yes of course if you love motorcycling). Thank god I didn't settle for CB300R. If I did I would be missing all the fun. CB300R is a very good motorcycle. But Ninja is way ahead. And it is something special. But this is strictly personal. In the city, CB300R will be a better bet any day. But since Akira is only for touring duties and weekend fun rides it doesn't matter for me. All my city needs and daily office commutes are taken care of by Lex. Overall another wonderful ride with Akira. I gave her for service on the next week. I will come up with the service details and post-service experience soon. Thank you all for bearing with me.

[dmaheshkumar]

Hi,
Valparai to Pollachi is one of the best ghat sections in Tamilnadu.
Roads were great with less traffic which is the main point what a rider look for.

Reading all this is really tempting to do long rides in motorcycle.