[Vasuki]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

It has been over 4 weeks since I booked a Ninja 1000 (paid 1L) at the RideVentur Kawasaki in Bangalore.

I haven't had ONE call with update on availability of the Green color. (They had one black one and tried initially to sell that one).

Secondly, they don't pick up call (a guy called Chetan) and never ever ever return the call. (Like EVER)

I don't feel like calling them again. I should probably just go and cancel my booking, and pick something else which gives a better ownership experience.

If pre-sales is like this, I wonder how horrible after-sales / service will be

There was literally a fight, that broke out between three customers to get their hand on Ninja 1000, here at Kochi. One guy was so pissed that he went to Ducati and got hyperrmotard.

Lucky Ducati.

Here they say new stock of Ninja 1000 will take 2+ months time, as it is getting ready in their new plant. Only 20 bikes were alloted for the initial batch.

Now slightly OT : Kawasaki is planing something big. New strategy of Kawasaki is to get all bikes in SKD (Semi Knocked Down). They are going to bring whole range in SKD routes.

They'll be launching Versys 1000, same way. It would be a cool 3 lakhs off, say around 13 lakhs. Triumph Tiger & Ducati Multistrada watch out.

Just imagine the deal we can get on SKD's of 10R & 14R.

Thought CBU and CKD were the only option, now comes SKD jargon.

Also imagine W800 is on the line.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by sriramv.iyer

It has been over 4 weeks since I booked a Ninja 1000 (paid 1L) at the RideVentur Kawasaki in Bangalore.

I haven't had ONE call with update on availability of the Green color. (They had one black one and tried initially to sell that one).

Secondly, they don't pick up call (a guy called Chetan) and never ever ever return the call. (Like EVER)

I don't feel like calling them again. I should probably just go and cancel my booking, and pick something else which gives a better ownership experience.

If pre-sales is like this, I wonder how horrible after-sales / service will be

sriramv.iyer, while your situation is unfortunate, given Rideventur's less than stellar reputation, I think most of us here are not at all surprised by your experience. Ive visited the same showroom a few times and the arrogance oozing out of some of the sales staff is quite incredible. They also refuse to sell spares over the counter which I believe (and I could be wrong here) is illegal.

There's no doubting that Kawasaki's motorcycles are very good products and some of them are priced very attractively. There's equally no doubting that the presales and after sales service provided by Kawasaki in Bangalore (and as I understand Cochin and Madras) is equally poor. It is what it is. If you're willing to put up with them, stick with your booking. If, like me and some other forum members, you demand premium service for a premium product, cancel your booking and look at other options or keep the 1 lac in a FD till Kawasaki pulls its socks up.

It wasnt that long ago that Kawasaki was at the bottom of the Indian biker's wish list after the debacle of the Bombay showroom bookings done by the dealer who went rogue. Now the new showroom in Bombay is Kawasaki's best in terms of customer experience. Im hopeful that the old dog can learn the same new tricks in all its other dealerships.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Lol sriram, i suggest you cancel your booking and run far far away. Service is atrocious to say the least, parts take over a month to arrive if you call them every day of the week.

I dont know, these bikes are not meant to run. They are meant to be kept in your driveway and ogled at. Alone.

Atleast that is what kawasaki expects its customers to do.

If you go by the videos being churned out by a popular youtube channel, you would think that all Kawasaki's are born for the race track ! When Kawasaki service centres dont have spares, the reality is slightly different as you have pointed out.

[Haroon]

Its sad buyers have to go thru all this crap for buying a bike of our choice. Well everything in India from washing machines to TVs to water filters, somewhere we are bound to encounter this carefree attitude of dealers, more so once they have sold you the product.

Coming to the Kawasaki story, presently almost every Kawasaki available in India has buyers (literally standing in line) waiting to buy them for a variety of reasons:

-The bikes are relatively well priced (continued in the next 2 points)
-The novice who wants an inline-4 experience has one for him
-The expert who wants a performance bike has one for him
-The Tourer who wants a good steed without breaking the bank has one
-The bikes may not look as sharp as an Italian, but still are very good looking
-Japanese reliability
-Relatively cheaper parts & labor for long term maintenance
-Relatively easier to sell on the used market

On the other hand, the other 'reliable Japanese alternatives', Honda is very conservative in the Indian market and brings an occasional new bike and as long as that sells, please dont trouble them asking more. Yamaha is more into selling mass volume commuter bikes/scooters and harping in the glory of the past heroics of bringing the R1 into India. While Suzuki believes the last man alive on this planet before humans become extinct, will be riding a Hayabusa and other bikes are not too relevant for India.

The Kawasaki dealers very well know this and have the we-are-out-for-lunch attitude with customers. On the other side, I recently called the Triumph Bangalore showroom for accessories/gear pricing and they patiently checked everything and gave me all the details on the phone, even called me back for some correction. For gear sizing the guy gave me the price and even politely told me to come over and check them out and if you need you can also test ride any of our bikes. Similarly for some technical query I called the Service and although he knew I didnt yet own a Triumph he was very patient and gave me all the information. Now these can be just individuals who are motivated in their jobs or it could be the culture at the dealership to just be good to all as you never know when a sale can happen.

Now going up the Kawasaki supply chain, given my own experience of dealing with Japanese companies for many years in the past, they have a very different approach to selling- They feel their responsibility is to make a great & reliable product at a good price, but the selling and support is purely the dealers job. So most of the 'good marketing' of these companies are handled by their European or North American arm, as Japan hardly involves in that. They expect the dealer to achieve his yearly forecast and beyond that whether the dealer throws the bikes into the sea or not, they dont care. They ensure their distribution agreement is also free of any third party liability and hence its all up to the dealer to do what he desires as long as he achieves/exceeds his sales targets. On a side note, many times when I have tried negotiating prices with Japanese, they have given me that look as if I asked them for their kidneys! Their attitude is I am giving you this good product at X price and you go out & sell it. So in general they normally give their best price and when we try to negotiate they take it that we consider them dishonest and hence we are asking for a discount or whatever and that can cheese him off. Any direct enquiry or complaint from the end user is just forwarded to the dealer and they dont care beyond that cos partly their philosophy is when they get involved with customers, its infringing into the dealers operations and thats not ethical to them. So IKM will merely act as a postman between Kawasaki-Japan and the Indian dealer network.

So given the above scenario, most Kawasaki dealers know that there is enough demand in their respective segments and with the explosion of the SBK market in India, enough people are waiting with their chips to buy the bikes. Its pathetic but thats the reality till there is some drastic shift in demand or competition!

[nitninja]

I was seriously considering z650 and even went to the showroom to book one. Thank god, the sales guy didn't even ask us to sit down. I'm richer by 3 lakhs now and don't have to go to Bangalore for every niggle or service. I have done Kawasaki a favour by not buying one because my rant wouldn't be so sweet.

I laugh at people demeaning duke without even owning one. Look at it, Duke can do 80% of what a versys can do and not to mention that fun to ride factor. Almost every big town has a KTM service center, a crash or even a total engine failure, the bike can be repaired in a few days whereas if the same happened with a Kawasaki, i'm sure it will take months or a year maybe.

[Vignesh_N/A]

Originally Posted by nitninja

I laugh at people demeaning duke without even owning one. Look at it, Duke can do 80% of what a versys can do and not to mention that fun to ride factor. Almost every big town has a KTM service centre, a crash or even a total engine failure, the bike can be repaired in a few days whereas if the same happened with a kawasaki, i'm sure it will take months or a year maybe.

And with a big price tag. IIRC, even N300 shares the same labour and ludicrous spares parts cost with its own higher displacement siblings. In the pretext of Jap quality and reliability, the pricing is at least 3 times the competition.

[julyone_modi]

Originally Posted by nitninja

I laugh at people demeaning duke without even owning one. Look at it, Duke can do 80% of what a versys can do and not to mention that fun to ride factor. Almost every big town has a KTM service centre, a crash or even a total engine failure, the bike can be repaired in a few days whereas if the same happened with a kawasaki, i'm sure it will take months or a year maybe.

True this. Just because Kawa is selling a motorcycle, and a good motorcycle it is, does NOT WASH OFF the experience of owning a premium brand. If I was to buy a 10 Lakh motorcycle, I definitely expect a more human treatment, If not King treatment. Seems the forum mood here is that since the machine is brilliant ( that is with a pinch of salt) one SHOULD forget the buying-owning experience and take whatever shit is thrown at us, because, Hey is Japnese..its Best..rest is Shit.

Personally, I would own a decent machine with brilliant ownership experience over latter. And Trust me, I OWN BOTH Royal Enfield and Kawasaki. (and no ownership thread, though only constructive inputs to owners maintaining the thread, due kudos/credits to them)

In my experience, the pleasure of owning a RE was been more rewarding over Kawa, though Kawa has been limited to pre-sales-delivery and 1st service, hence its Pre-Mature statement. I know this statement is difficult to fathom to most members, and my close buddies, that old rattling oil-leaking machine is more rewarding over suave parallel twin, but hey this is for individual to experience.

Coming back to N1000, yes the production/assembly is limited to 1 batch every 2 months, so 1 batch was August, next in Sept-Oct, next directly in January, with each batch having limited dozen assembly, distributed across India. The dealership bids for number of bikes and then gets allotted machines. Hence, the dealership will bid only if they have certain degree of confirmed orders. Don't expect dealership push for this particular model, until the assembly stabilizes. If you are keen on picking up N1000, this is the only way out at least till January 2018.

[dkaile]

24-08-2017 - So I ordered the Ninja 1000 MY17 in Kawasaki Green today. My 'Classic' needs are already fulfilled by the Heritage. I don't like doing much off-roading (so put the Versys off the radar) and have already crossed Leh/Tso Moriri/Pangong/Nubra from my bucket list which I did on my Himalayan (now sold). Now I needed a comfortable and extremely reliable Sports Cruiser with a four cylinder 100+ bhp engine and the works that (least amount of) money could buy in India and that is what hopefully I have ordered.

Anyways the demand being so high, the Delhi dealership says they already have 7 confirmed bookings for the same, they did not even honor the reduction of Handling Charges that they had earlier (sort of) committed (sounds familiar eh... lolz). I will still keep pressing for it. Waiting period is 3 months, though I hope to get my bike before Diwali. Rest as far as service backup goes, I am more than capable of servicing it myself in case of any eventuality (read my previous Harley and Enfield threads). Fingers crossed. And after the 1st service it will anyways be difficult for me to take the bike 100kms for servicing to Delhi, so I am mentally prepared. It is the engineerng of Kawasaki that I am laying my trust upon. And comparing this bike with the likes of Dukes and Enfields is really stretching your imagination a bit. No disrespect meant to any owner. I have owned 2 Enfields and recently the Himalayan, so I know the woes attached to that brand.

Also for general information, Vehicle Loan rates from Bank of India are just fantastic. They gave me a rate of 9.25% on this Superbike Loan for 5 years when all the rest like SBI and HDFC were hovering around the 11.5% mark. Also the processing charges are just 500 bucks and there is no loan prepayment charges, so I can payback the entire/part loan even earlier as per my convenience without feeling trapped.

Cheers...

[dkaile]

So I ordered 3 items from AliExpress today for the Ninja 1000 as a sale is going on for 5 days, after duly ensuring the product quality from the respective sellers. Let's see how it turns out -

2017 New BLACK Frosted Style Motorcycle Radiator Guard For Kawasaki Z750 Z800 ZR800 Z1000 Z1000SX Z 750/800/1000 Free shipping
http://s.aliexpress.com/FVVziEje
(The seller assured heavy quality and high quality black coating for life)




8mm CNC M8 Motorcycle Green Swingarm Sliders Spools For KAWASAKI Z800 2012-2015 Ninja ZX6R 2013-2015 ZX-10R 2011-2015
http://s.aliexpress.com/uQJFz6vM

Universal Fishbone Carbon Fiber 3D Motorcycle Fuel Gas Oil Tank Pad Protector Decal Sticker Bike For Kawasaki Ninja Honda Harley
http://s.aliexpress.com/r6fa2Mv6

Cheers...

[v12]

Some of the stuff available on AliExpress are really good quality. For a moment I though you had ordered the frame sliders and was going to suggest you to go for branded / tested ones. Some of the stuff I had ordered for my Z online (eBay) were probably the same as the ones available on AE but we're good quality - Rear Seat cowl, radiator guard and frame sliders (which were not branded).

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Also for general information, Vehicle Loan rates from Bank of India are just fantastic. They gave me a rate of 9.25% on this Superbike Loan for 5 years when all the rest like SBI and HDFC were hovering around the 11.5% mark.
Cheers...

Please double check on the rates. I was making some general inquiries some time ago and got separate quotes from HDFC (both directly and via Triumph) and they quoted me 9% for Superbike loans. This is less than a month ago.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Please double check on the rates.

Absolutely double checked. Triumph is running a campaign along with HDFC where they are footing a part of the interest rates to push their sluggish sales. For the rest it's hovering above 11%. And HDFC have lots of hidden charges like pre-payment charges and heavy file charges. No such issues with Bank of India, where my deal is already done and dusted. Also the interest rates are 0.25-0.5% lower for the metros for most banks and I don't live in one. Also always cross check that the rate is on reducing balance and also floating, as interest rates are going only one way in the near future, down.

Cheers...

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Absolutely double checked. Triumph is running a campaign along with HDFC where they are footing a part of the interest rates to push their sluggish sales. For the rest it's hovering above 11%. And HDFC have lots of hidden charges like pre-payment charges and heavy file charges. No such issues with Bank of India, where my deal is already done and dusted. Also the interest rates are 0.25-0.5% lower for the metros for most banks and I don't live in one. Also always cross check that the rate is on reducing balance and also floating, as interest rates are going only one way in the near future, down.

Cheers...

Sound like all completely valid points. Also, BOI and other PSUs are most inclined to offer zero prepayment terms which I understand HDFC types don't provide. I didn't realise they offer differential rates in metros. Strange.

[rashreddy]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Absolutely double checked. Triumph is running a campaign along with HDFC where they are footing a part of the interest rates to push their sluggish sales. For the rest it's hovering above 11%. And HDFC have lots of hidden charges like pre-payment charges and heavy file charges. No such issues with Bank of India, where my deal is already done and dusted. Also the interest rates are 0.25-0.5% lower for the metros for most banks and I don't live in one. Also always cross check that the rate is on reducing balance and also floating, as interest rates are going only one way in the near future, down.

Cheers...

Originally Posted by Axe77

Sound like all completely valid points. Also, BOI and other PSUs are most inclined to offer zero prepayment terms which I understand HDFC types don't provide. I didn't realise they offer differential rates in metros. Strange.

Yes I have taken loan from HDFC for my z900 and it is almost daylight robbery. They have a clause that says in the initial 6 months even if I want to I cannot foreclose the loan and after six months till 24months the foreclosure charges are 6% of the principal amount (which obviously will be almost full loan amount since initially most of the emi amount will go only against the interest portion and not the principal) and after 24 months foreclosure charges are 4%. Absolutely ridiculous. I simply cannot understand how there are no standard rules or law regarding this and how they can fleece the customers as per their whims and fancies and what favors/benefits them the most.and this is apart from a host of other hidden charges.ultimately customers are the only people to suffer/bear the brunt for everything in our country. Sad

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by rashreddy

Yes I have taken loan from HDFC for my z900 and it is almost daylight robbery. They have a clause that says in the initial 6 months even if I want to I cannot foreclose the loan and after six months till 24months the foreclosure charges are 6% of the principal amount (which obviously will be almost full loan amount since initially most of the emi amount will go only against the interest portion and not the principal) and after 24 months foreclosure charges are 4%. Absolutely ridiculous. I simply cannot understand how there are no standard rules or law regarding this and how they can fleece the customers as per their whims and fancies and what favors/benefits them the most.and this is apart from a host of other hidden charges.ultimately customers are the only people to suffer/bear the brunt for everything in our country. Sad

Have been banking with HDFC bank for a decade or more now and that is exactly how it has been always. They confuse you with flat rate of interest/step based interest payments and many other such jargon.

My simple thumb rule is how much is the EMI/lakh and then subtract it from the total cost of vehicle to get the difference of total amount I pay extra

I had a bullet loan with HDFC and when I foreclosed it, I had to pay through my nose and realized these private banks will fleece you at drop of a hat.

Hence, I have taken by Bonnie and Versys loanfrom Vijaya Bank which due to our relationship gave us dirt cheap interest rates, insurance is at an unbelievable price and also there are no foreclosure charges after 6 months

In short, stick to state/central government run banks to take your loan, you will save tons of money

[dkaile]

A 12V DC power socket reached me from AliExpress which is waterproof marine grade -



The rubber closure seems to be of very good quality and should seal the socket completely.




It is CE rated


Prepared a wire harness at home which should fit the OE supply wire without any cutting


A 7k part (picture posted a few posts back here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4243216 ) replaced by a 100 bucks one and which looks to fit perfectly.

Cheers...