[sen2009]

This should be an initial ownership review of a motorcycle with an organized list of good things and bad things about it.

But it’s not even a real attempt at that. There is no objectivity of any kind here. The purchase of this thing has no logical basis whatsoever - it was never planned, except for a vague "I am going to get it sometime in this life or next life" sort of thing.
If you are reading this to make your mind up , not a good idea.

I understand very well that this is not a place for this kind of a write up. I am still going to give it a go as this is the only place where there are people who could feel me on this. I bunked on a Monday to compose and post this, so there goes the spirit behind this whole thing.

After first service, I will request the mods to consider doing a proper technical review of the motorcycle using my bike.

So, on with the story then...



Brief History of Longing

I have never properly seen a big bike in flesh other than one Suzuki Hayabusa and one Yamaha R1. I have never sat on one, never had a chance to be near a idling one. A few times I have seen group of super bike riders pass by, but they went too fast for me to understand even which bike those were. I once saw the monster 796 at atria mall showroom from outside the glass in 2011. Other than that I have never seen this bike in person.

I knew of only Ducati, Yamaha and Suzuki as makers of sport bikes until now. Its during the first Sunday morning ride I got to know that the hideously ugly triumph street triple 750 (everybody complaints about its breaks it seems) also is a super bike. And that's not the ugliest of them all.


That said, this isn’t my first act of automotive insanity. Back in the gloomy aftermath of 9/11, I graduated in Engineering in 2002. After failing to get any kind employment in my hometown Kolkata, I set out for Bangalore. My father handed me the princely sum of Rs. 12,000 to buy a second hand scooty should I find a job. I got a job there and paid that twelve thousand as down payment for a bullet. Till my first salary hike 8 months later, I lived off the conveyance reimbursement as the EMI was about the same as my take home salary. My dad wasn’t that happy to note that should I get fired, he will be paying EMI for a bullet for a out of job son.


Booking and Delivery

I set out for the Ducati showroom with my mind fully made up. I got my mind made up back on the Monster in '93, in eighth standard. I didn’t need test ride or any kind of sales pitch etc.

But, just to avoid the "panwati", I went to Suzuki showroom before. I took a 20 second test ride on the GSX-S1000 as the proverbial nimbu mirchi. The DSG showroom people were as apathetic as a ration shop. I went there with a prior appointment. Upon arriving there, I learnt that the keys of the test ride bike was inadvertently taken by some executive who went to bank for withdrawing cash (which was taking quite some time during those days in mid December). Upon asking they frankly said that they did not expect me to turn up for real. I waited an hour or so for the key guy to come back. Then I took the test ride from the showroom to the petrol pump on the opposite side of the road for filling air into the bike. The rear tire was flat. After filling air, I dumped it there with the pillion guy as my required 20 seconds were done.

So with that behind me and a reasonably upset wife, I arrived at the Ducati Showroom. My valiant resolve to go forward and my years of longing was not worth much without her approval.

They offered me a test ride and I took it. I would have gone forward if test ride wasn’t available or even if the test ride wasn't enjoyable.

The test ride made me happy, but more importantly it did an immensely helpful service to me by impressing my wife on the rock solid on road stability and safety of the motorcycle. Till before then she was under a completely different impression about sport bikes (so was I). Pillion seat is quite big and there are grab handles. She found this ride to be nearly as "peaceful" as on my 350cc 75 kmph top speed cast iron bullet.

The showroom folks at Ducati Mumbai are a cool and smart lot. They executed the test ride to the perfection. They gave me the monster to ride alone from showroom to Carter Road and a showroom rider took my wife on a scrambler along with. Soon after I realized that they already knew who to impress. They did that job super fine.

When I felt comfortable handling the monster, I took my wife on pillion on the Monster and took one loop on Carter Road in first gear. I made lots of sound with the clutch held in and convinced her that these bikes run exactly like bullet, except they make more sound.

After the test ride session, the Missus approved and also bargained a nice deal for me. The final price was something that was possible for me, albeit after shooting down a whole lot of plans for next five years at least. But that's perfectly cool.

We celebrated the booking at a nice seaside restaurant in Juhu.


The commercial details and test ride details are posted on the main Ducati Thread.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post4111827 (Ducati to re-enter India in 2015. EDIT: Bikes priced from Rs. 7.08 lakhs (page 6))




Over the next couple of days they sent people to get all paperwork done. I didn't really have any idea about how to do a PDI on this thing. I went to the Bhiwandi godown and matched chassis number and engine number with import data fetched from internet. Mostly I took photos with it and caressed it. I also made good use of my time there by thoroughly checking out the BMWs and Mini Coppers present at the godown.



They brought the bike to Thane RTO for registration paperwork after 2 days.



After doing RTO work, they scheduled delivery of the bike on the following Sunday. They handed over the the tax paid receipt, invoice etc along with a bunch of booklets. With a cake, chocolates, a dark satin cover and an alpha lion clearing his throat, the supermodel walked in with "Tashan"





First few Days

This section describes initial impression of first 200 KM riding, my impression will change over time.



The motorcycle is quite a bit bigger than what I expected based on photos and videos on the internet. The super aggressive stance enhances its imposing impression even more when viewed in person up close.
The seat height at default settings is just about right for me. Legs also fit in nicely. The apparent character and the impression of the bike continues exactly as you sit on it. After sitting on it, it feels a bit smaller though. The Bike almost disappears from the peripheral vision. The view of the road ahead is not obstructed by any part of the bike.

The switch gear feels very nice to fingers. There is no click or any kind of tactile feedback in the turn indicators. This was a little inconvenient in the beginning. I got used to the time lag after a while. The horn sound is lame. I am told that a little revving is what gets your way clear, nobody blows a superbike horn to make way. The bike will reach the target point before the sound from horn arrives there. After riding this bike for a while I felt that it is totally likely.

Often times in traffic other bikers come very close to my bike to see it properly. A little twist of the wrist gets them drift apart and give me a little space.

My temporary registration was to expire the very next Tuesday. I had to take full advantage of the little time I had before an impatient week of wait for main registration number. When I walked past the parked bike, I kind of felt the anxiousness of the machine. Even my bullet wasn’t too happy about the wait. For most of the time they sat together, they bitched about the utter pointlessness of curtailing the CRTM period from a month down to a week, when the number takes 15 days to come out of the online system. I pacified them when I could, but they don’t really take me much for my knowledge about motorcycling.





In our office building, lots of hot girls take post lunch walks in the car parking lot.
So, the very next day after bringing it home, I rode it to office. I stopped about 500 meters from office entrance, wiped the sweat off, drank a cutting and composed myself for a confident entry. I wouldn’t want “people” to witness how morbidly scared I was.
I parked the bike in the car parking area bang in the middle of the jaywalking space - squarely obstructing it. The naturally unfriendly and belligerent security people at our building said nothing at all. They just looked at it and left it be, just like that. It is just too beautiful to want it out of sight.



At lunch, I got a few other "cool" guys from the office and went down to the parking lot with pizza for giving treat "on" the bike, I mean for the bike of course. We took two extra pizzas along on cost shared basis. Quite a few nice visitors started to gather at our party soon as we opened for “business”. One of our guys is an expert in handling a situation where we give pizza to only a select few in a crowd and for rest of the lot just circulate a 2.5 litre big bottle of Pepsi - warm and flat. All other guys introduced themselves, collected phone numbers, promised long rides (those would eventually happen on their pulsars etc). In return, these guys would do the job of putting cover on my bike every day after it cools down and remove cover and put it away before I leave for home. They will do it from hereon after till the sun extinguishes or I would stop recognizing them in public.
On that note, I must mention that due to work stress and issues, I almost lost my alpha status in office area for last couple of years. I stand reinstated with all glory and privilege.




I have ridden it for just 200 Kilometres till the temp registration was valid. I am keeping my motorcycle in Urban mode, which is the most controlled of the three riding modes. I have to keep below 5000 RPM till first service.
So far, I have been mostly trying to figure out how to keep the motorcycle at a domesticated pace in city traffic. The forward torque and engine breaking are both extremely strong. The front breaks are so aggressive and sensitive that I have to be careful whenever using it. The test ride bike was a bit more supple and soft responding.


The key to ridding this bike in city highway traffic is to finely vary the accelerator to adjust the pace by 10-15kmph both ways around 50 kmph speed. Completely releasing the accelerator slows it down immediately. Maintaining an even gap around with dense traffic moving at around 50-60 kmph was pretty difficult for first 50-60 kilometres. However, the lateral movement is just too good. I just have to think how much I want to shift my line left or right, the motorcycle will magically disappear from its present spot and reappear at the new spot. It’s almost like instant teleportation. In brochures and all they call it handling, but in reality, its magic.


So far, I have ridden only a Bullet. Bullet thrives if kept at a steady pace and it is really simple to ride it on any kind of road and traffic up to 75 KM/h. That character is just absolutely opposite in the Ducati Monster. It will either prance or break, absolutely no intention of settling down to a speed.
The acceleration from 2000 rpm is strong and relentless. The run-in range is given at 5000 RPM. But I couldn’t go to or stay above 4000 for much of the time. The tempo of the throaty growl starts building up from 2500 rpm and makes me sad to let go at 5000.

I just got two or three seconds of Testa-orchestra at a time.



I have to keep looking down to check the speed and RPM. That is a problem with a super tight helmet and a very snug jacket zipped to the teeth. The rear-view mirrors show my hands and shoulder properly. I couldn't figure out about what's the use of that while riding. I think the idea is that nobody is going to catch up with a Ducati from behind, so no need to really bother about what's coming from behind. One needs to be actually more watchful of his shoulder and hand positions while riding.



The handlebar is wide and comfortable to hold. There is a little grip vibration though. I tend to put a fair bit of my weight on the hands, I need to get used to the lean forward posture while supporting my body weight with my back. The vibrations and continuous forward pressure due to slowing down every 300-400 meters makes it a little painful on the wrist. But the body is pushed behind and wrists get a stretch as soon as throttle is opened. Riding in city traffic for more than 1 hour without break is going to be hard work.



People on the internet complaint a lot that it does not have gear indicator and fuel gauge. I think much bigger feature omission is not having a neutral finder. With all the tech that is there in this motorcycle, how difficult can it be to give such a simple thing. (Non-bullet guys won’t get this, just like they don’t get the bullet itself).


The most remarkable thing about this bike is the way it influences the mind of the rider with its character. I have always been termed a slow man by anyone who has traveled with me in car or motorcycle. Bullet gives higher average speed, mileage and confidence if kept around 50-60 kmph. That's my speed range most of the time. The Monster has totally destroyed it. I can't say if I do it to hear the sound or to feel like the absolute boss of the road, I just cannot keep myself from accelerating at every opportunity. It needs very little space to cut down speed. Both the acceleration and deceleration are precise and linear. After getting a little used to the controls, it is getting easier to confidently zig zag in traffic and ride at 80-90 in a 40 kmph traffic. I sincerely hope that I come out of this daze soon. Or maybe not.

[Cyborg]

Hey Sen,

Congratulations on the bike (again) as I had wished you on the general Ducati thread.

I must say the Ducati suits you with your super cool attitude. Loved your plonking down a down payment with your Dad's money for the Bullet with an EMI close to your take home.

Enjoy your Monster and ride safe.

Cheers

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by sen2009

This should be an initial ownership review of a motorcycle with an organized list of good things and bad things about it.

The best thing in this review is that pic of the scrumptious looking fish & chips. Sluurrp! Also, the review isn't bad either!

Congratulations & wish you a million miles of safe and happy riding

Cheers,
Vikram

[Doc_nikhil]

Nice review, enjoyed reading it! congratulations on your new steed. The bullet sure does look grumpy standing behind the new hottie in town. Please make sure you shower some TLC on her too. And we definitely need more pics. Cmon. The motorcycle deserves it. And lastly, those fish and chips tho. Mm, I just had my lunch but am hungry for some fish and chips right now! Loved your laid back writing, happy miles ahead.

Cheers!

[MDED]

Sen Dada,

Phew! What a review! Sorry it ain't a review. It's a mega story of a man whose love for his dream machine didn't taper off as his "Alpha Male" status in his office owing to work pressure. There are two types of bike riders in India, one who rides just because he has to ride and the other one who rides just because riding is his forte and the smell of rubber on the road keeps him high. The sort of a man who paid EMI equal to his take home salary is definitely no ordinary Bangali babu.

I am no expert in Ducati or for that matter any superbike or normal bike, but after going through your thread, couldn't resist the temptation of rating it a fully deserved 5 stars. Here's wishing you numerous safe ensuing miles with boudi and please do have a cup of Mishti Doi on my behalf, if available in Mumbai.
Best regards,
Mrinal

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by sen2009

This should be an initial ownership review of a motorcycle with an organized list of good things and bad things about it.

I came here to read your buying experience solely based on my memory of your previous blockbuster thread of buying the Safari 4x4 . Boy, what a celebration that was!

I can sense the same amount of joy and "dream-come-true" feel here as well. Wish you all the best for the ownership, and, congratulations for the bike.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sen2009

I set out for the Ducati showroom with my mind fully made up. I got my mind made up back on the Monster in '93, in eighth standard.

This is the one single line that defines the entire review IMO. Extremely lucky of you to finally be able to live a dream, one that you have been seeing for so many years. Congratulations.

I wish I had such a definite dream of what I wanted to own. I was a totally confused soul, and had to go through all the available choices to find out the one that would keep me happy.

That said, ever since I visited the Ducati showroom to see the Scrambler, my mind has been set on the Multistrada. But that's way beyond my affordability now, even the Monster for that matter. Someday...

[v12]

Amazing writeup Sen-Da always love to hear the story of someone's first superbike. It's really a very emotional one. Congrats on your Ducati and ride safe!

Would love to see more detailed pics of the bike whenever you have the time. Would suggest to get rid of the rear number plate and go for a smaller and sleeker one. This one really spoils the look of the Duc.

[sen2009]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Hey Sen,
...
Enjoy your Monster and ride safe.

Cheers

Thanks Man. I am really happy to have the motorcycle. Hope to catch with you soon on the level.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

The best thing in this review is that pic of the scrumptious looking fish & chips. Sluurrp!

That Fish and chips were awesome. So was the view of the sea from where we sat. But, I must say that I didnt quite realize how did that taste actually. Even if you would have given me cow dung that day, I would have been smiling as wide.

Originally Posted by Doc_nikhil

Nice review, enjoyed reading it! congratulations on your new steed. The bullet sure does look grumpy standing behind the new hottie in town.
....

All said and done, a Bullet is a Bullet.

I made up my mind on the Ducati in 1993, when I was about 13 or 14 years old. But I made up my mind on the Bullet even before I understood what a motorcycle was or what did it do. Bullet has been my there by side ever since the day it came in. To get it, I put in everything I got. And I have not regretted for a moment ever since.

Originally Posted by MDED

Sen Dada,
...
couldn't resist the temptation of rating it a fully deserved 5 star. Here's wishing you numerous safe ensuing miles with boudi and please do have a cup of Mishti Doi on my behalf, if available in Mumbai.
Best regards,
Mrinal

Oh sure I will devour some misti doi. Its hard to find superior quality in Mumbai, but the celebration totally deserves it.
And, if and when you come down to Mumbai (or if I ride down to Chennai), we will ride together and hunt down some fine Rasogolla.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

I came here to read your buying experience solely based on my memory of your previous blockbuster thread of buying the Safari 4x4 . Boy, what a celebration that was!

I can sense the same amount of joy and "dream-come-true" feel here as well. Wish you all the best for the ownership, and, congratulations for the bike.

Thanks man. That was 6 years ago. This time around I didn't gather up that many people. That does not mean that I didn't freak out and dance though.
I kept it relatively low key at the time of delivery. But the party started the very next day and can't say if it has quite ended.

Originally Posted by v12

Amazing writeup Sen-Da always love to hear the story of someone's first superbike. It's really a very emotional one. Congrats on your Ducati and ride safe!

Would love to see more detailed pics of the bike whenever you have the time. Would suggest to get rid of the rear number plate and go for a smaller and sleeker one. This one really spoils the look of the Duc.

Thanks V12.
I will get someone to ride with me to some good location and get some good photos taken by weekend.


I remember that back in 1993, I saw the Ducati Monster on a magazine center spread. I think it was Sportstar.

I couldn't buy it during the current month. After new issue comes to stand, the vendors used to sell old issues - Rs. 1 for 3 mags. I waited for next month bought it then. The center spread found its way on our house main door, and got taken down by parents after 3 or 4 days. From then on wards, I kept a small photo sourced from the same magazine in my school bag and later in my purse. For about 6 years, that photo stayed with me. Then I got a girlfriend and the photo had to be replaced.

It was indeed an emotional journey waiting almost quarter of a century for the red monster.

Pretty much that's why my wife (the then girlfriend) agreed on buying this. To take it out of my heart.

I hope I can train myself to become worthy the sheer marvel of engineering this machine is.

[mobike008]

Congratulations on getting the Ducati Monster

The RED of Ducati is as synonymous as GREEN of Kawasaki or the BLUE of Yamaha. Good that you got the bike in this color (not sure if you get it in other colors as well)

Like everyone, I too lust after Ducati and BMW as they are brands to lust after since we all have grown up on a staple diet of these legendary brands and I too think of upgrading to a Multistrada (I was never a naked bike kind of a guy even though I have owned a many commuter motorcycles as well as Bullet in the past) but, the thought of plonking 20 lakhs on a motorcycle just holds be back as I am dreamer but, practical at the same time too....Rare combination

Like V12 mentioned, get rid of the rear number plate as it's looking hideous

I assume you got the bike for ~12 lakhs OTR Mumbai, were there any discounts offered? Also, I see there is a rear cowl is that removable for a pillion to sit? If yes, did you try and how comfortable is your wife on it?

Keep the thread updated reguarly and Wish you many happy miles on it !!!

[hitender10]

One of the best write-ups in Team BHP, there might be many with more organized sections, finer details and drool worthy pics but the Passion, DESI-ness of this article is incomparable. The epic one-liners are a treat to read...

Many congratulations Mr. Sen and wishing loads of riding fun

[amitg79]

Very lovely write up, Sen. Congratulations! This is one dream machine.

Would love to keep coming back to this thread for more of your passionate (and humorous) updates.

[Zeal4Cars@Micky]

Congratulations Sen sir for your Red monster! Like you i too had a poster of a monster on my wall.

I have few personal favorite stories from fellow BHPians... Sir your writeUp made it to the TOP. Reason being i could connect to it & your way of penning it down

We all get lost or likely loose the teenager dreams of ours in this Aam Aadmi Zindagi but you reminded me of_

"Dream it,
Wish it...
Do it! "

Special thanks to your wife for supporting you!

I got encouraged after reading your experience & i better start saving money for my own monster. Damn this Home Loan !!! it's gonna take a while.

Just 1 ques: Does the engine bay heat a lot in normal traffic conditions?
& few pics of the red beauty.

Warm Regards,
Mayank

[manson]

Originally Posted by sen2009

This should be an initial ownership review of a motorcycle with an organized list of good things and bad things about it.

Heartiest congratulations on getting yourself the most gorgeous street motorcycle currently available in India. Factoring the premium Ducati branding and design, the 821 can almost pass off as a value for money import, if there a category by that name

Ducati's 2nd innings in India with its constant update of offerings shows a lot of resolve on their part. Thanks to their rather high and niche market positioning they have not had to work really hard either to get prospective buyers back to the showrooms either. Waiting to see how the service operations pan out over the next year or two when the fresh bikes start to show their share of slight niggles.

[sen2009]

Originally Posted by manson

Ducati's 2nd innings in India with its constant update of offerings shows a lot of resolve on their part. Thanks to their rather high and niche market positioning they have not had to work really hard either to get prospective buyers back to the showrooms either. Waiting to see how the service operations pan out over the next year or two when the fresh bikes start to show their share of slight niggles.

Yes, this has been my concern also for a very long time. I didn't have the money either, so it didn't matter much to me so far.
But since last year, things seem to be improving a great deal. I visited the Atria mall show room during the earlier stint of ducati india. The staff knew nothing about motorcycles and were really not interested in selling anything. They asked me to come around from the outside and see the motorcycles from outside the glass. Things have changed much from there.

Now it seems that they are focusing on raising the level of customer satisfaction. I will take my bike for first service in a few days time. Lets see if the improvement is only in the sales front or have they tidied up their back end support also.

I spoke to a few other people who have purchased xdiavel or scrambler in last 3 or 4 months. So far, nobody seems to have faced any huge problems with maintaining the motorcycles.

Originally Posted by Zeal4Cars@Micky

Special thanks to your wife for supporting you!

I got encouraged after reading your experience & i better start saving money for my own monster. Damn this Home Loan !!! it's gonna take a while.

Just 1 ques: Does the engine bay heat a lot in normal traffic conditions?
& few pics of the red beauty.

Warm Regards,
Mayank

Thanks Mayank for your kind words. I will convey your thoughts to my wife and also see to it that she never gets a chance to speak to yoru wife.

Now a days HDFC bank and Yes bank art offering hassle free big bike loans. From what I figured, they are putting great deal of weight on the CIBIL score. So, your home loan might actually work to your advantage.


The engine heats up in stop and go traffic. In traffic signals I switch off the engine to avoid the heat from the engine. But couple of times I had to leg drag the bike in first gear for more than 15-20 minutes. That made it heat up significantly. The bigger problem is the exhaust pipes. There is a plastic heat shield which keeps my right leg from outright burning, but surely cooks it well.

However the radiator is really efficient and once the bike runs at 50 kmph for 10 minutes or so, the engine cools down.

Originally Posted by amitg79

Very lovely write up, Sen. Congratulations! This is one dream machine.

Would love to keep coming back to this thread for more of your passionate (and humorous) updates.

Thanks amitg. I will keep the thread updated for sure with service experience and riding impressions. Slowly slowly I am becoming more confident and started to understand the behavior of the bike at different speed ranges.

So far I have ridden about 800 KM. I am keeping it in urban mode with both ABS abd DTC cranked all the way up and power restricted to 75 Bhp.

Now I can keep it stabilized at the required speed above 35 kmph. Below 35 it is still extremely snatchy. Especially the engine breaking on 1st and 2nd gear below 35 is really sharp. Especially below 25, releasing the throttle all at one go will pretty much make the bike jerk to a crawl.
As the break light wont turn on if I release the throttle, vehicles behind get no reaction time. I am hoping that after riding another 1000 km, my throttle modulation will improve so that I can ride in traffic with more poise.

Originally Posted by hitender10

One of the best write-ups in Team BHP, there might be many with more organized sections, finer details and drool worthy pics but the Passion, DESI-ness of this article is incomparable. The epic one-liners are a treat to read...

Many congratulations Mr. Sen and wishing loads of riding fun

Thanks man and Welcome to this wonderful community of automotive enthusiasts. We are all eager to read about your exploits also.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Congratulations on getting the Ducati Monster

The RED of Ducati is as synonymous as GREEN of Kawasaki or the BLUE of Yamaha. Good that you got the bike in this color (not sure if you get it in other colors as well)

Like V12 mentioned, get rid of the rear number plate as it's looking hideous

I assume you got the bike for ~12 lakhs OTR Mumbai, were there any discounts offered? Also, I see there is a rear cowl is that removable for a pillion to sit? If yes, did you try and how comfortable is your wife on it?

Keep the thread updated reguarly and Wish you many happy miles on it !!!

There is a Dark version (matt black in color) of Monster 821, which is 50K cheaper. The red one has nothing extra above the dark model other than the red color. I did not opt for the dark as I have always lusted after the Ducati Red and also for the welfare of my friends in the office. I am a selfless person you see.

But for many riders who does not like the over the top flamboyance of the Ducati red, the dark model is actually good value for money. It does not draw as much attention and that will help greatly in riding, in city traffic at least.

I will get the number plate changed with a high security plate. Or maybe if I can afford, I will get a tail tidy kit altogether. This free number plate is really of sad quality.

The final pricing worked out like this -
· Ex-showroom Thane Rs. 10,15,050/- (No Octroi)
· Registration Rs. 2,32,070/-
· Insurance Rs. 25,000/-
· Depot Charges Rs. 10,000/-
· CRTM Rs. 2,000/-
· Tcs@1% Rs. 10,658/-
· Total Rs. 12,94,778/- (Gross)

· Support Rs. -1,01,505/-
· Total Rs. 11,93,273/- (After Discount)


The support is the discount actually. They are giving discounts for celebrating the 90 years of Ducati. The TCS amount can be claimed back during IT return filing, so that another 10K less.

The rear seat cowl is removable. The pillion seat is quite wide and comfortable to seat upon. My wife feels at home and relaxed on it at city speeds, below 70-80 kmph. Her only gripe is the lack of a back rest. That's not gonna happen though.

I am not really confident to take a pillion if I am going to ride above 100 kmph. The acceleration and deceleration both are strong and my wife will need several long sessions of practice to avoid putting a big sack of potatoes on my back every time I break. It is especially so because she kinds of zones out after a while and don't really look at the road ahead. This is a problem if I have to break hard or lean into a corner. If and when I compliant about this, she reminds me of the biking nirvana which she has interpreted in her very own way.

So, sum total, the pillion seat is pretty good for a bike like this. But its better not to take a pillion who does not know riding him/herself, at least if the plan is to ride hard.

I seriously need to find someone with a DSLR who I could coerce into doing a photo shoot for my bike. Any readers of this thread, if interested, please give me a shout. In exchange of photography, I will let you come within 1 meter of the motorcycle. If photos turn out good then I might even allow a one time look at the motorcycle with the camera view finder out of your face.

Got to check out if Rudra Da (Rudra Sen) is in town these days. For him of course the proximity restrictions will be relaxed further.