[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I'm curious to know where he stands right now. He is a silent performer

He stands at the same place right now. 55430 as he mentioned yesterday. 186kms in the last 8 months. That is some sort of record for him looking at his heydays. He seems to be too occupied with the work but plans to be on road for something spectacular soon. Keep a tab on him on your WA group.

[Sheel]

Why is the thread silent? Rode today [being a Sunday]? I had the most boring Sunday today. Had planned a ride to the hills and be back by dusk, but plan didn't materialize thanks to riding mates, was recalling how I used to ride solo very actively for the entire decade and now I realize I should have taken off by myself, sorry for the rant, had come to see few riding pics, so this blabber

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Why is the thread silent?

To be frank - financial constraints. Thanks for checking.

But there's good and bad news. Good news first - I used up all of our savings in pre-closing the loan on the Versys. That paves the way for better days ahead, but the bad news is that I really had to postpone all riding plans for a couple of months - and will need to take it slow for the coming few months too. I was getting frustrated with seeing the bike parked under covers - that I stopped checking all Versys related threads and groups. Avinash had the honour of adding me back to the Versys India group every time I threw tantrums and quit.

There's some more good news though - Took a day off work yesterday and joined a fellow BHP'ian on a monsoon day ride. I absolutely love riding in the monsoon and this came as a much needed morale booster. Started by 4:15AM from home, and reached back around 11:30PM covering 662kms, of which atleast 500kms would have been in the rain.

Here's a teaser image, till i can manage to compile the report -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

A goodie just arrived from Amazon India -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Photologue - Kudremukh ride - Part 1.

Like I mentioned in the earlier post - this ride happened on a weekday and was not quite planned. Took a day off work as I was informed of this plan by a close friend and BHP'ian who wanted to take his Thar out for the drive. Keeping his identity secret for now as he is yet to announce this purchase on Team Bhp.

The plan was to meetup at 4:30 AM near to NICE road exit on Tumkur road and then proceed together. Waiting for the Thar to arrive -


Did not take any pics till the breakfast point, which was KAMAT Upachar, Hassan. Needed a cup of strong coffee in the system before I could get active as well. KAMAT turned out to be a decent option for a breakfast stop, with hot, fresh food - but could have done with cleaner restrooms! Hot Idli to start the day -


And Poori, which I did not order as I prefer eating less oily food during bike rides. Or so I thought!


But ended up ordering this! Jackfruit Holige - Was delicious.


Back on the road, off the four lane highway. This two lane stretch towards Belur and Hassan is really beautiful with fresh tarmac -


Kids going to school interested in the bike - A nice sight as always -


Most of the small lakes that were dry during my previous rides on this route, were full of water this time around. Very promising sight indeed.


As exciting as the sight of fresh tarmac leading to the horizon -


Catching the attention of kids again, during a small break somewhere post Belur -


Thar going off the road easily to avoid a herd of cows strolling on the road -


Rain picked up soon and it was pouring. Both the vehicles couldn't be more at home!


The next hour was pure bliss. Awesome weather, beautiful scenery and faultless roads -


The road was broken at some places due to the rains, but the scenery more than made up for it -


Lush green all around -


Taking the next coffee break at Ibbani Cafe, Mudigere. Versys all wet and muddy. And we were only 1/4th of the way done -


Thar doesn't look bothered. Even looked clean from a distance, even after all the rain -


Nice place for a small break -


Akki Roti was especially nice -


Neer dose -


Crazy combination for the chill weather. Ice cream.

To be continued...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Photologue - Kudremukh ride - Part 2.

Starting the rain soaked ride from Ibbani cafe. Seeing this pic later - I realized the seating position in the Versys is very much comparable to the Thar, may be even a bit higher too, considering the pic is taken from below my chin -



Heavy rain. Just what the doctor had prescribed for the season cheer -



Feels like twilight, but the time is actually around noon!



Good amount of waterlogging on the roads -



Thar with its brand new tyres was least affected with such water logged roads. On the other hand, I was taking it slow since I'm still on stock tyres - which are on the verge of giving up their grip -



Soon the rain decreased, but I was already soaking wet anyways. The normal Decathlon water-resistant jacket and Wildcraft waterproof pants did their job perfectly, but the gloves and shoes were not waterproof!



Soon we were greeted with fog, and a lot of it -



Small break for stretching the legs and taking a couple of pics -









Thats how I looked at this rain socked midway point -


Carrying on further towards Kudremukh, we noticed this beautiful spot near to the roadside which looked really nice in pictures. The place is just towards the left side of the Thar as seen in this picture -



Beautiful little clearing, with a natural stream out of the rainwater. Could see a small waterfall well above the cliff as well -



Versys poses for the camera -



Thar does an even better job at it -



A closer look (as much as the mobile camera would permit) at the waterfall on top -



Side angle of the Versys is the most photogenic IMO -



Photoshoot done, we continued further up towards Kudremukh.



Only to be stopped at this checkpost about 10kms before it. Seems the rains from the previous day had played havoc with their communication channel on the other end - and hence the officers were only planning to issue two hour passes for going and returning back to the station. Felt like a tricky situation given the weather, and we turned back, hoping to return another day -

To be continued...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Photologue - Kudremukh ride - Part 3.

Returning from Kudremukh check post. Streams flowing in full glory. Wanted to stop and take some more pictures, but did not have the mood to stop again.



Couple more pics from the action cam -





Late lunch at Ashirwad Comforts, Kalasa. Decent option in that region - however, please note that the restaurant serves north Indian food - and doesn't have any of the local dishes.



Beautiful green meadows post Kalasa. Wish I could spend more time here as well -



Came across this foggy section were we stopped for the last photo-session of the day. The fog was a lot more intense earlier than it appeared in the pictures. We didn't stop at that point due to safety concerns, and stopped a little ahead were visibility for vehicles was not a concern -







662 kms for the day. Reached home by 11:30 PM, with a 4:30 AM start early in the morning.



Overall odo mileage -



FE of a diesel hatchback -

Updated index of all places visited with the bike so far -

- Bangalore - Trivandrum - Bangalore. ~ 1600 kms
- Vaishali Maddur breakfast ride. ~ 150 kms.
- Markonahalli Dam. ~ 200 kms.

- Dandiganahalli Dam. ~ 200 kms.
- Davangere breakfast ride. ~ 550 kms.
- Chikmagalur. ~ 530 kms.

- VBR ride to Gauribidanur. ~ 200 kms.
- Krishnagiri Dam. . ~ 220 kms.
- Vani Vilas Sagar Dam. ~ 400kms.

- Bangalore - Hassan - Sakleshpur - Bisle and back to Bangalore. ~550kms.
- Bangalore - Preeti Canteen, Birur (breakfast) - Bhadra Dam, Koppalli (Kavyasala) - Balehonnur - Chikmagalur - Bangalore. ~750 kms.

- Yelagiri. ~ 320 kms.
- VBR ride to Dandiganahalli Dam.
- Team Bhp Ride to Kodachadri.. ~920 kms.

- Anchetty loop bikers circuit. . ~ 250 kms.
- Shettihalli Church. ~ 420 kms.
- Shoolagiri Breakfast Ride (Team Bhp group)

- Shettihalli Church (VBR anniversary ride). ~ 420 kms.
- Rameshwaram & Dhanushkodi (The Road - A Petrolhead group ride log - Rameswaram & Dhanushkodi). ~ 1300 kms. Overnighter.
- Ooty. 620 kms.

- Kudremukh. 662 kms.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

A goodie just arrived from Amazon India -

Pair is here as well -

Stuck to stock size itself, specially since there was a good deal available on these tyres. Wet weather performance was given weightage since I'm not an offroader and like touring in the rains. Good friend and BHPian 'rbp' is using these tyres on his Ninja 650 and he is very much impressed with the performance compared to his previous set of Pirelli AngelGTs.

So it's Metzeler Roadtec 01 tyres in 120/70-17 and 160/60-17 configuration.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Photologue - Kudremukh ride - Part 1.

[center]
Like I mentioned in the earlier post - this ride happened on a weekday and was not quite planned. Took a day off work as I was informed of this plan by a close friend and BHP'ian who wanted to take his Thar out for the drive. Keeping his identity secret for now as he is yet to announce this purchase on Team Bhp.

I know that fella-and-a-half!

Looks like you were riding drenched for the better part of the ride. How did those Dunlops hold up in the rain?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

I know that fella-and-a-half!

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

Looks like you were riding drenched for the better part of the ride. How did those Dunlops hold up in the rain?

Dunlops didn't do that bad - but honestly I didn't test them much during this ride. Was riding slow to maintain pace with the Thar. And the tyres were actually playing on my mind - so I was extra cautious in the corners as well.

In the last section from Kalasa to Kudremukh - there were multiple corners were water was flowing from one side of the road to the other - leaving a trail of gravel. Those were the only places were I could feel the tyre loosing grip - with one particularly careless corner giving me a scare of the front wheel slightly slipping over gravel as well.

Anyways, last ride to the mountains with this tyre. Metzelers will be on before the next major ride for sure.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Got a PM from a member regarding the purchase of a new Versys and his doubts regarding accessories. Posting the relevant (and non-personal) part here so it can help others who might visit the thread with similar doubts as well -

1. The test drive machine had done about 1500 kms and I found that the gear shifts were a bit notchy. Is this normal or was this unit abused? Does it improve over a period of time?
2. This bike already seems to have had a fall and the headlight fender had bad scratch marks. I noticed that there was no crash guard installed on the same. Per a few ownership threads, there are quite a few types of crash guards available. Which one would best protect in case of a fall?
3. I think atul.ktm had an issue with the radiator. Do we need the radiator grill?
4. There are a few fork sliders which are recommended in the threads. Which one should I get if at all?
5. I somehow don't like yellow headlight bulbs anymore. Can we change them to white? If yes, what is recommended?

1. No gearshift issues on my bike, though the shift action itself is a bit weighted. With hard shoes and rubber shift sock (to prevent the lever from eating the shoe) - it feels well and good.

2. Lots of choices available for crash guards. From international brands like Hepco Becker to locally produced ones like Zana

3. Yes. Absolutely. Get a radiator grill. Branded ones like Evotech or locally produced ones like Zana. I'm using the mesh one from Ali Express

4. IMO - Do not go into an accessory purchase spree already. Get the radiator guard mandatorily. Rest of the items can be purchased one by one after joining Versys India Groups and experiencing what 200+ members feel about each product.

I'm using a locally made fork slider - which was extreme value for money back then. But unfortunately - the person has stopped manufacturing these items now.

5. Same as 4. You have multiple choices available. From Ali Express ones like OSLAMP and TCX to branded ones like Cyclops. Most people just upgrade the headlamp for the sake of it, and invest in a good pair of aux-lights to provide the actual lighting. Again, lots of choices available. See here for some of the common choices.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Got the tyres changed this weekend. Was planning to go down to Madhus Enterprises for alignment tyre change including balancing as well, but couldn't manage the time. The Ravaglioli system that they use is earning quite a reputation for itself, even though its a bit expensive at 1000/- a tyre. But that will have to wait for longer -

Cleaning in progress post the removal of the rear wheel -


Rear wheel removed -


Front wheel removed -


Closer look at the rear pattern -


Closer look at the front pattern -


Ready to roll -




Maintenance expenses so far -

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Went for a short ride this weekend. Nothing great in terms of distance or destination - if not for the monsoons. The weather was so good that it could make a beautiful memory out of even the most boring rides.

As usual, the photologue of the ride -

Many groups riding out of Bangalore on this Sunday morning. Saw an Avengers group, a KTM group, couple of Royal Enfield groups and the usual suspects - HOG group.


But soon the roads opened up and the weather got beautiful as well -


My partner in crime for the weekend. Ebmrajesh with his Ninja 1000 -


I just love the Compass, but couldn't help the feeling that the Versys is more 'SUV' out of the two.


Rains! Batlax tyres on the Ninja seem to be excellent at picking up water from the road. It seems to have a spray trail even when the roads appear seeminly dry!


Drenched Rajesh! We missed the service road for the breakfast stop and were discussing whether to ride back or not -


The breakfast stop at Kamat Upahar, Sira -


Batlax made sure Rajesh is equally wet from both sides.


HOG group arrived when we finished breakfast and were heading out of the restaurant. Their destination is the same as well, so we were hoping to stay ahead of them to avoid the crowd. Here is Rajesh requesting them to leave space for us to drag our bikes out, before they block us in -


Finally he is out of the parking mess -


Beautiful two lane roads post Hiriyur -










The approach road towards Vani Vilas Sagar dam -


Thats the dam in all its glory. Rajesh wants to go on top -


We didnt park the bikes at the entrance due to the possibility of ending up selfie attractions. Took this small approach road to see where it leads, and it does go up to the top of the dam.


Beautiful scenery and roads all the way up -

Continued...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Vani Vilas Sagar Dam in all its glory -



The view up here was worth it!



The valley side was even more beautiful, specially in this weather -



Rajesh -



And me with the awkward camera pose.



It started to rain heavily in about 30 mins and so we slowly headed back down -



HOG just reached -



I spot this senior gentleman in the group and inform him not to park there, but to head further up on the by-lane. You can see why, in these pictures. Too many people here, and the bikes can't be left safe there -



However, the lead biker was someone else and he decided he has had enough with the crowd and leaves. The entire group came and went within a minute or two. Oh well! Their miss!



We take the beautiful SH24 further inwards, to reach a spot near the waterfront -


Beautiful roads -



As good as it gets -



Oops! This road should have taken us to a beautiful place (Had already visited once), but the road is blocked due to some ceremony happening at the temple -



No option but to explore where this small lane leads to -



Very promising indeed -



And the roads end -



Checking with Rajesh if he is game to proceed further. He doesn't mind, at all -



Nice little bad-road ride (Never said offroad, lol!)!



Doesn't lead to the waterfront and we are blocked at a gate. Had to turn back -



Not so powerful in reverse.

Continued...

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Time to head back home -



Beautiful two lane roads once again till Hiriyur -



And just as good weather too -



We enjoy an absolute free run on these roads -



Till we got stopped in heavy traffic -



Back on the four lane highways post Hiriyur -



With a nice rain for company -



Coffee break at the CCD, Sira -



Both the bikes taking a small breather while we drink cold coffee -



Back on the roads. Rajesh on the Versys!



Which means I have some catchup to do on the N1000!



Blast of a ride back home. What a brilliant engine this bike has!