[gaurav_3000ad]

My Superbike Story

A very warm and happy hello to everyone. This post represents a culmination of a lifelong dream for me i.e. purchasing and owning my own superbike. I would like to share my experiences of buying and purchasing this beautiful machine with all you like minded individuals. This might be a very long post because it has taken a lot of deliberation, procrastination, self doubt, hard work for me to reach this point. For ease of reading I will divide my experience into small segments which will make it a bit easier to read. People short on time can skip to the more important stuff while if you are someone like me who wants to know the mindset of a person prior to making a life changing decision then please keep a warm cup of steaming brew and continue reading.

The beginning.

As with all stories, this one too started with a wee old me. As soon as I was exposed to the sight of a two wheeler it stirred something deep and primal within me. I was crazy about motorcycles, and cars too albeit to a lesser extent. I would spend all my time drawing and sketching them, reading articles in old auto magazines and when I became old enough to access the internet, browse and read about them in all international auto websites.
My first exposure to riding a two wheeler was my mom’s kinetic luna. The one which you would have to mount on a stand and pedal away to glory just to whirr it to life. The freedom experienced on a motorbike still remains unrivalled in my mind. The next upgrade was to dad’s bajaj chetak which just seemed too fast to me initially. Wring the accelerator and the scooter would whizz away to speeds which neither the brakes or the tyres were meant to handle.

Time went on. I joined college in Bangalore and used to commute using the bus. Being quite tall (6’5”), buses would be very cumbersome for me so after a lot of cajoling and whining, dad finally relented to buy me my first motorcycle. 15 days later and I was with my first bike – a brand new pulsar 180 (the UGIII phantom, if anyone is aware). The first lot of pulsars with the LED tail lights and the digital speedo. I was on cloud no 9. The pulsar was everything I wanted and more. Fast, a looker, reliable and a hoot to ride. It still serves me faithfully 9 years after purchase. Leave it for a couple of months, come back, kick it to life and ride it like nothing happened. Extremely reliable and my first love.

Bangalore was also the first place where I was exposed to the culture of superbikes. After reading about them so much it was actually overwhelming to see them in the flesh. I would go gaga everytime I would see them going by either on brigade road or on cubbon road. What a sight. And the glorious exhaust notes, which no amount of reading can prepare you for. I was hooked, line and stinker and I knew I would also own one of these beauties someday. But that always remained a wistful dream which one knows, in his mind, is quite impractical and unfeasable.

After college when I started working I was bitten by the bullet bug. This was the time that bullet launched the classic 500. I went and took a test ride and was blown away by the torque. The machine pulled like a locomotive. Unlike any previous perceptions of being slow and cumbersome. I booked the classic 500. During the long waiting period I managed to interact with few bulleteers in and around and I was again bitten by the bullet bug – the cast iron one. So after much searching I landed myself with a 1989 cast iron std. The bike was a bit dilapidated but it was a pleasure to watch her come to life under the care of my trusted mechanic.

Now I had my share of problems with the bullet – the accelerator cable would break, the kicker would fall out while kick starting, the carburetor would start leaking, the electricals would go all haywire if left in the rains, the speedometer would work if it wanted to and I’ve been left lugging the beast on more than one occasion. But even with its share of problems there is still something about that bike which tugs at your heartstrings. Maybe it’s the level of involvement it requires out of you, the pampering and TLC it needs or its just maybe that feeling you get when you walk up to your bullet, turn the ignition, decompress it and kickstart it to life with that glorious sound. It truly raises your testosterone levels a notch or two.

So that’s the story of the two loves of my life. The journey took a twist with my transfer to Delhi.

The middle

I got transferred to delhi somewhere in the latter half of 2014. With a lot of commuting involved and the lack of time with a busy appointment I had to send the bullet to my folks house with a heavy heart. With a daily 40km commute I needed something a bit more reliable and easy to maintain. So the pulsar again was my primary mode of transport.

Now without doubt delhi has the maximum number of superbikes in the country. Regular sightings on delhi roads plus regular vists to malls where I would lust at the Harley Davidson or the ducati showroom again rekindled the superbike dream which had been dormant for a while.

So I went ahead and took a test drive of the Harley 883, the ducati 795, triumph street triple, Kawasaki z800. A few thoughts on the short time I had with each of them.

Iron 883

I went on a longish td of the iron 883. First thing you notice when you start is how magnificent it sounds especially with the SE exhaust system. First thing you notice when you ride is the torque wave. Gets to 100 in quite a jiffy. The vibrations were never a problem for me having come from the bullet. Gets a check on the noise, the attitude and the experience. However I found it a bit iffy around corners and while braking. Lack of ABS was also a major drawback. Biggest nail in the coffin was that I rode the other 3 bikes.

Ducati monster 795

I got a good test drive of the 795 as well. The v twin sounds a bit industrial but has definitely got character. 85ps power and loads of torque meant that this bike was way too fast for anything that Indian traffic conditions have to offer. But I knew that ducati was phasing out the 795 and additionally the lack of ABS was also a major drawback. So out went the ducati.

Triumph street triple

I had amazing fun riding the street triple. The bike was nice, agile and light. Loads of power to boot. The added arrow exhaust was eargasmic to say the least. I would purposefully drop off the revs and then rev her again and again just to listen to that whine and roar. I had read that the longish first gear led to some amount of clutch slippage and clutch riding in b2b traffic conditions but I never found that so. Maybe I needed a bit more time with it.

Kawasaki z800

The biggest and the most substantial of the lot. The z800 takes your breath away the first time you look at it. Its big, bold and beautiful. The bike definitely feels heavier than the striple but is still a breeze to ride once you get going. Tremendous amount of punch straight from 2000rpm onwards. The exhaust note is also to die for once you cross 5000rpm.

Honestly I was blown away by both the striple and the z800 but what tipped the scale in favour of the z800 was not the additional 20 odd bhp but the substantial price saving over the striple. I was given a quote of 8,34,000. Applied for a loan of 4,50,000 from IDBI bank and would put the rest down from my own. Once the loan formalities were over from my end I settled down to wait for the loan to be processed. In the meantime I watched anything there was to watch about the z800 and read anything there was to read about the z800.

The end

While I was pleasantly day dreaming about the z800, a sudden and unexpected change happened in my personal life – I got engaged. Along with my engagement came certain impending financial requirements. I had to cancel my loan and my post pone my purchasing plans also. IDBI was gracious enough not to charge me anything for the loan cancellation.

So, I was back to square one. In the meanwhile I made another discovery on facebook – superbike classifieds. They had some great deals on used superbikes however I was a bit skeptical about putting so much of hard earned money on a used product. Not because of the fact that it was used but because I was scared of getting a lemon. Still, there were some moth watering deals. Anyways one fine day I was browsing through facebook when I saw an ad for a jan 2015 street triple with just 400 kms on the odo. The bike was kitted with the arrow exhaust, fly screen and belly pan. Red and black color combo. I spoke with the dealer and went to check out the bike in person. I took the bike for a short td, spoke with the previous owner, checked the service history and fell in love with the bike. I immediately paid Rs 50,000 as the holding amount and then went about managing the rest. That’s when the Indian banking system took me on a roller coster ride.

The bike was costing me 7.5L. I paid 50,000 as a token holding amount. I was planning to pay 3,00,000 from my own pocket and take a loan of 4,00,000.I approached HDFC bank, as I already have an account with them, where I was told that they process loans for used superbikes also. I submitted all the loan documents to HDFC. After around 10 days, in which they carried out the surveying of the bike also, I was told that I had to get the RC and insurance transferred to my name before they can disimburse the loan. When I told them that it is not possible for me to get the RC transferred without making the payment, the bank told me to arrange for the payment by myself, pay the money, get the RC transferred and after that the bank will loan me the money! In case I could arrange payment by myself why the hell would I require a loan from them! Absurd!

Anyways, after this I thought I’ll apply for a personal loan only. But after all enquiries I was getting a best interest rate of 14.5% whereas the superbike loan was costing me 12.5%. At this time I was getting extremely demoralized. I was angry that I have all the loan documents and the paying capacity so why the hell am I not able to get a loan. A month passed by with all these shenanigans. I thought I would have to forego with 10% of my holding amount and let go of the bike.

Finally HDFC bank again came to the rescue and gave me an interest rate of 13% on the personal loan and I went through with it. After making the payment I finally got the bike home on 21st of nov. As soon as I got the bike home, I had to go out of station for 20 days for some work. Those 20 days were the longest days of my life. I would actually yearn and pine for the motorcycle and cross out days on my calendar to go back to delhi and start riding the bike.

The epilogue

I have ridden the bike for around 100kms since I have gotten it. I have not taken it out for longer distances as I am still waiting for the insurance transfer to take place. I have a few observations which I would like to share with you.

- The bike is extremely easy to ride. Within 2 kms I was at home on the bike. It is extremely light and flickable and makes short work of traffic.

- During b2b city traffic also, the bike is very manageable. Clutch slippage and clutch riding is not an issue. The temperature gauge still had 3 bars left in stop and go traffic conditions. However I’m sure the cold weather conditions are helping matters. Things might be a bit more difficult during summer months.

- Ground clearance is LOW. I have scraped the bottom on a couple of speed breakers an now I slow to almost zero before taking even a small breaker.

- Other than the low ground clearance, ride quality over broken roads is good. Small undulations are dealt with without any fuss. Though the the foot pegs are rear set you can still stand over them to glide over broken stretches to avoid jerks to your back.

- The power is mind blowingly awesome. I’m coming from a pulsar and a bullet and the bike is just a fanatic. Any gear, any rpm it just pulls relentlessly. I’m still in the running in phase so 6th gear around 4000rpm sees me at a comfortable 90-95 kmph.

- The rear view mirrors, as pointed out in other reviews, are absolutely useless. One shows me my foot and the other shows me my elbow. Maybe bar ends or mirror extendors would help.

- As the insurance has not yet been transferred I haven’t gone on any of the triumph organized rides. I’m quite looking forward to those.

- The fly screen is more of an esthetic tool than anything else. I did feel the wind blast as you increase the speeds.

- As of now I’m still a novice when It comes to superbikes. Both on the riding aspect as well as the care and maintenance part. Though I am learning slowly. I’m sure this is a long journey which me and the striple will take together.

- I have planned for a few accessories like engine protector, radiator guard, frame protectors and a paddock stand. Any heads up on this would be much appreciated. Thanks.

That’s all folks. I’ll keep updating this thread with my experiences and pictures. Your feedback and inputs would be very appreciated. Thanks for reading my story. Cheers.

I have not taken a lot of pictures as yet. I'll just post a couple which i have. Rest, be assured, i'll keep adding from time to time.





P.S. - I still sometimes look at the bike and have difficulty realising that it is actually mine. I think this will wean off after a while but its good while it lasts.

[danlalan]

Welcome to the club.

The first thing i did before getting a liter bike was good riding gear.And thats the first thing you need to do too. Protect yourself first then your bike.
1) Helmet, Jacket, gloves, knee pads, shoes.

Good write up. Join a couple of riding groups. It will be fun to ride along with them.

[gaurav_3000ad]

Originally Posted by danlalan

The first thing i did before getting a liter bike was good riding gear.And thats the first thing you need to do too. Protect yourself first then your bike.
1) Helmet, Jacket, gloves, knee pads, shoes.

Good write up. Join a couple of riding groups. It will be fun to ride along with them.

Thanks danlalan. I've got the basic riding gear - DSG jacket, riding gloves, KYT helmet and standard army issue combat boots. I'll upgrade the gear once i'm out of bankruptcy.

I'm just waiting for the transfer of insurance before joining a riding group.

[Venku2015]

Congratulations Gaurav 3000ad for acquiring the most fun to ride super bike. Wish you thousands of worry free, hassle free, memorable(in a positive way) ownership.

I quite enjoyed reading your story and feel sorry for the hiccups you had to face. You are not alone, but when it comes to getting loans approved things do turn against us sometimes even after you have all the eligibility and documents.

I would say, you have got the best deal with just 400kms in its belly at 7.5Lakhs and added to that its a 2015 make which is as good as new.

At the moment, I am into the same dilemma and waiting to finalize between Street Triple, Z800, Daytona 675R and the Ninja 1000. I love the Street triple to the core but concerned with the wind blast above 140kmph. I know a good quality wind screen will do the job, but still need to check other options. Will finally decide after visiting Auto Expo in Feb 2016.

Please do post a lot of pics of your Striple beauty. Ride safe and enjoy

[v12]

First of all Congrats on the Street Triple Gaurav and sorry to hear about the Z800. 400 kms is as good as half of your run in dkne on a brand new bike. And that too and 2 lakhs off the price of a brand new one. It's definitely a better deal than the Z800.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by gaurav_3000ad

Anyways one fine day I was browsing through facebook when I saw an ad for a jan 2015 street triple with just 400 kms on the odo. The bike was kitted with the arrow exhaust, fly screen and belly pan. Red and black color combo. I spoke with the dealer and went to check out the bike in person. I took the bike for a short td, spoke with the previous owner, checked the service history and fell in love with the bike.

Congratulations Gaurav, super happy you realized your dream!

Since you spoke with the first owner did he say why he was selling his Jan 2015 bike with only 400 kms? He must have spent close to INR 10 lacs with all the additional kit. Was the bike re-sold to the Triumph dealer by the original owner?

Ride safe.

Cheers

[VellVector]

Congrats on your purchase. The bike looks really good, especially in that color. Definitely a better deal the Z800 at that price, and on the plus side the initial run in is half done for you in advance.

One thing I saw missing in your gear is shin and knee guards, I saw some good deals online.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Wow!! Awesome deal you got there in my opinion..

Street triple is a very good bike and with that Arrow and Remap makes up for the power deficit with respect to the competitors. Although I personally feel even without it, its no slouch. Also I feel this is one bike that comes loaded with handling, grip and brakes that will help you use and harness all that power.

Please check with other users and the dealer about the need of 97 Octane once you get the Arrow. When I was inquiring about the daytona, he said after the Arrow and remap you should only get the 97 Octane.

This is one of my favorite bikes in this segment.

Hearty congratulations!!

CHEERS!!
Rachit

[hifisharu]

Hey gaurav_3000ad, congratulations and welcome to the club (though I'm on my way out of the club :( ) The Striple is truly a fantastic bike, more like a do it all: touring, track days, city rides. I wish you many many happy miles and smiles. Remember, keep the rubber side down. Nothing to worry about the fuel, since the Arrow map is designed even for 87 Octane. The 97 octane is only for Daytona with Arrow, as it runs a higher compression. Do get in contact with your local Striple guys to join the Whatsapp group, for ride info, quick references etc.

[invincible7]

Congratulations for realizing your dream, I would say lucky you for landing with a sweet bike and a sweet deal. Enjoy the rides and get some riding gear to ride safe.

[mikon]

Congratulations on the bike & your engagement.
Do upload more & better pictures of the bike.

Even I had also booked Z800.
Even after lots of follow up they did not deliver the bike on the promised date. I cancelled the booking, went through similar bank process as yours and finally bought a mother-ship
(it was a better decision)

Ride safe!

[gaurav_3000ad]

Originally Posted by Venku2015

At the moment, I am into the same dilemma and waiting to finalize between Street Triple, Z800, Daytona 675R and the Ninja 1000. I love the Street triple to the core but concerned with the wind blast above 140kmph. I know a good quality wind screen will do the job, but still need to check other options. Will finally decide after visiting Auto Expo in Feb 2016.

Please do post a lot of pics of your Striple beauty. Ride safe and enjoy

Thanks a lot for your wishes venku. That's indeed a sweet dilemma that you're in. Definitely check out the expo and take all the test drives you can. That's the most fun part. I had a riot going to all showrooms and test riding these beasts.

Originally Posted by v12

First of all Congrats on the Street Triple Gaurav and sorry to hear about the Z800. 400 kms is as good as half of your run in dkne on a brand new bike. And that too and 2 lakhs off the price of a brand new one. It's definitely a better deal than the Z800.

Thanks a lot v12. I've read about your experiences on the z800. It's a wonderful bike and well it was almost in my garage.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Congratulations Gaurav, super happy you realized your dream!

Since you spoke with the first owner did he say why he was selling his Jan 2015 bike with only 400 kms? He must have spent close to INR 10 lacs with all the additional kit. Was the bike re-sold to the Triumph dealer by the original owner?

Ride safe.

Cheers

Thanks cyborg. I spoke with the owner. He was not happy with the sporty seating position and wanted something more upright so sold it early. The bike was given to an independent dealer who then brokered the deal.

Originally Posted by VellVector

Congrats on your purchase. The bike looks really good, especially in that color. Definitely a better deal the Z800 at that price, and on the plus side the initial run in is half done for you in advance.

One thing I saw missing in your gear is shin and knee guards, I saw some good deals online.

Thanks vellvector. I agree with your points on the riding gear. I've just tried to scrape the best helmet, gloves and jacket that I could. Rest I'll upgrade once I'm out of bankruptcy.

Originally Posted by Rachit.K.Dogra

Wow!! Awesome deal you got there in my opinion..

Please check with other users and the dealer about the need of 97 Octane once you get the Arrow. When I was inquiring about the daytona, he said after the Arrow and remap you should only get the 97 Octane.

This is one of my favorite bikes in this segment.

Hearty congratulations!!

CHEERS!!
Rachit

Thanks a lot rachit. I've been following your thread on the cb650f as well. Congratulations on that.
The arrow remap does not require 97 octane AFAIK. I think hifisharu has also confirmed that.
Thank God otherwise it's a pain to hunt for 97 octane.

Originally Posted by hifisharu

Hey gaurav_3000ad, congratulations and welcome to the club (though I'm on my way out of the club :( ) The Striple is truly a fantastic bike, more like a do it all: touring, track days, city rides. I wish you many many happy miles and smiles. Remember, keep the rubber side down. Nothing to worry about the fuel, since the Arrow map is designed even for 87 Octane. The 97 octane is only for Daytona with Arrow, as it runs a higher compression. Do get in contact with your local Striple guys to join the Whatsapp group, for ride info, quick references etc.

Thanks a lot hifisharu. I've been following your thread on the stripe. Fantastic.
Have you sold the beauty as yet or is it still with you? I saw your post on superbikes-imports classifieds as well. Anyways I'll ping you if I get stuck on a stripe query...

Originally Posted by invincible7

Congratulations for realizing your dream, I would say lucky you for landing with a sweet bike and a sweet deal. Enjoy the rides and get some riding gear to ride safe.

Thanks for your wishes invincible. It is indeed a dream come true.

Originally Posted by mikon

Congratulations on the bike & your engagement.
Do upload more & better pictures of the bike.

Even I had also booked Z800.
Even after lots of follow up they did not deliver the bike on the promised date. I cancelled the booking, went through similar bank process as yours and finally bought a mother-ship
(it was a better decision)

Ride safe!

Thanks mikon. The kawasaki dealership experience here was quite good when I had booked the z800 but I never went through with it so can't comment on it.
Mothership is the busa right? Damn good. That's another level altogether.

[Rachit.K.Dogra]

Originally Posted by gaurav_3000ad

Thanks a lot rachit. I've been following your thread on the cb650f as well. Congratulations on that.
The arrow remap does not require 97 octane AFAIK. I think hifisharu has also confirmed that.
Thank God otherwise it's a pain to hunt for 97 octane.

Thank you for the wishes mate.

Well, than the Arrow and the Remap makes even more sense.

CHEERS!!

Rachit

[quickdraw]

Hey Gaurav!

Congratulations on the Street Triple, I can completely understand what you went through wrt the Loan, I had the same issues when I tried securing a loan for my BMW. I will talk about it in my ownership thread, luckily I was buying directly from a BMW Showroom so it was relatively easier. Loans for used cars/bikes is very difficult in the country.

The ST3 is an amazing machine marred by bad management of Triumph India, the Delhi dealer is a bit dicey with spare parts, so plan in advance if you'll be needing anything.

Are you on the ST3 whatsapp group? Do get on, its a wealth of knowledge with owners from around the country.

[gaurav_3000ad]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Hey Gaurav!

Congratulations on the Street Triple, I can completely understand what you went through wrt the Loan, I had the same issues when I tried securing a loan for my BMW. I will talk about it in my ownership thread, luckily I was buying directly from a BMW Showroom so it was relatively easier. Loans for used cars/bikes is very difficult in the country.

The ST3 is an amazing machine marred by bad management of Triumph India, the Delhi dealer is a bit dicey with spare parts, so plan in advance if you'll be needing anything.

Are you on the ST3 whatsapp group? Do get on, its a wealth of knowledge with owners from around the country.

Hey quickdraw. I'd gone through your blue lightning thread quite religiously and i'm sorry for all the hardships you had to go through with the triumph management. It definitely cuts a sorry figure.

I'm not part of the st3 whatsapp group. How do i do that? Is there any number i can get in touch with?