[anshumandun]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I regularly do these 600-800kms in a day kind of rides and guess what? I always have the company of BHP'ian IDPSharma who rides a Z800.

He complains, cribs about it's uncomfortable seat, of bad roads we take, gets more exhausted than me but, still is the first person to plan the next ride and want to ride longer than previous ride on his Z800 and surprisingly, enjoys every moment of such day-long rides and astonishingly has done ~ 20,000kms on it in less than 2 years...That's what IMO, is true motorcycle passion-above the type/category of bike you ride

Rightly said, if you like riding, you'll ride irrespective of anything! I've read several posts of your rides with IDPSharma and they inspire me to ride even more.

I've found a few people in Bangalore who like to do long rides on the Z800 so I too have company most of the time. BHPian Ironwolf is one such fellow rider.

I feel that one thing that the Z800 finds difficult to handle is bad roads. Its becomes really exhausting if the roads are not good so I intentionally avoid bad roads during rides. Apart from that, the bike is fairly comfortable for long rides.

Actually I had posted an ad to sell off the Z800 and was planning to get a touring bike. I still have some inquiries from people looking to buy my bike but I plan to sell it only if I get my expected price.

Another option that I am considering is to make this bike more touring friendly. That would mean getting a bigger windscreen, softening the seats and getting rid of the Akra. Lets see if I can find a buyer for the Akra exhaust.

That said, I and Ironwolf are doing a day ride to Mullayanagiri tomorrow. If anyone from Bangalore wants to join, please message me

[anshumandun]

Did a mild off road last month with Ironwolf and his friend who was riding a new D390 at Mullayanagiri. It wasn't very difficult but a lighter bike would be so much easier to handle on such terrain.











It was again a day ride. We started from Bangalore at 6 am and reached back at 3 pm. The only 3 stops were for breakfast, photos and then lunch on the way back. Planning a day ride to Ooty next month but it's just too hot nowadays to ride in the daytime. Hopefully it will start to rain and the temperatures will come down.

I've completed 20k kms on the odo now.

[anshumandun]

Got my bike servicing done at 22k kms. The last service was done at 16k kms around 7 months back.

This time I got the service done at Bikesmith. It is a new service center for superbikes near HSR layout. The interesting thing about this place is that the owner (Vishwas) had a Z800 before (now has an F3) and the chief technician(Yassar) owns a Z800. Yassar has done around 50k kms on his Z and has almost always serviced/repaired his bike himself. He is a Guru of DIY and maintenance of bikes. He left his job recently to live his dream of working on bikes. It’s almost impossible to get a person who is as knowledgeable and passionate about working on bikes as Yassar is and I experienced it first hand during my bike’s service.

Work done:

Engine oil change – I had bought online from Amazon. Motul 7100 10w40.

Oil filter change – Got K&N filter.

Air filter cleaned – It was last changed at 12k kms but since all my riding is on highways, it was still in good condition. Had I gone to Kawasaki ASC, they would have definitely replaced the air filter which means an additional expense of around 5k.

Hard clutch issue fixed – Had lot of dust and gunk. Had to be cleaned thoroughly.

LED lamps aligned for proper focus – The LED lamps have a fan and it was not sitting properly. These were re-fixed for proper focus and to avoid blinding oncoming traffic.

Chain clean/lube/adjust.

Front and rear sprocket deep cleaning. Rear sprocket cush drive was cleaned thoroughly. Bearing housing was cleaned, old grease was removed and replaced with SKF water resistance grease.





Front number plate custom clamps installed – I had a sticker on the windscreen for front number. I was fined by traffic police for that on the day I was taking the bike to Bikesmith. So decided to get a proper number plate. A custom plate and clamps were made for this.

Clamps with welded nuts.


Brake pads cleaned and scuffed. They were glazed.



Idling adjusted. – The idling had gone down. Adjusting it has improved the throttle response.

Mobile mount refixed. Had broken. – The mounting plate had broken. It was fixed with some jugaad for now. I’ll have to buy a new mobile mount.

Spark plugs changed. – I had purchased Iridium ones from Amazon. These were installed. Kawasaki actually recommends changing plugs at 12k kms. But almost everyone I know has used the stock ones for 20k+ kms before going for the change so I followed the same as the old ones were not giving any problem.

New iridium plugs replacing the old stock ones.


Rusting nuts of aliexpress windscreen were cleaned with WD40 and spray painted to avoid rusting.

Rusted nuts of the puig copy windscreen from Aliexpress.


Bike wash and wax.


Overall I am very satisfied with the service. The attention to detail and the near obsession that I saw in Yassar about getting everything done to near perfection, is commendable. I plan to keep my Z for several years and I’m glad that Bikesmith is there to help me maintain the bike as it ages.

The labour charges are Rs 1070 per hour plus 18% GST and I was charged for 4 hours labour for the service. Charges for wash and chain cleaning were additional. It is a bit steep but then it is worth the amount of work that was done on the bike so I can’t complain. Kawasaki ASC probably charges more than this and the quality of work is not even close.

[GoBlue]

Originally Posted by anshumandun

The Experience

September 2017, its Saturday morning 5 am. I take the elevator to the lower basement of my apartment. As I approach my parking, I am greeted by a mean predator face. I get close and the predator exposes its sheer brute muscular body that is tightly fit into a closed package. The adrenaline has already started pumping. I slot the key and the cluster wakes up.

The digital meter dances and I wake up the engine. It’s LOUD! The Akra is singing and echoing in its deep bass tone in the closed basement. It’s enough to wake up the alert security guards, a proof of their ability to wake up and save us from “Dhoom” style robbers who would arrive in superbikes to loot us. While the engine warms up, I take time to admire the handsome rear of the bike. The Z pattern LED rear light looks smashing. The rear 180 section tyre is ready to put down 111 horses on the road.

Hello, anshumandun. I enjoyed reading your from-the-heart report.

I could relate to this as I have the exact same feelings when I see my bike in the parking lot every time I go for a ride.

Originally Posted by anshumandun

I am sure that fellow riders will be able to relate to this. These big bikes are addictive. Once you get the hang of them, you are hooked to them for life. They take you places and make every place feel special. They give you like minded friends with whom you can discuss anything and everything bikes for 2 hours straight without the fear of them punching you in the face. They convince you that riding 200 kms and burning fuel worth Rs 1000 to have a Rs 20 dosa makes perfect sense. And finally they take you back to childhood when going out in the rain and deliberately going through that water puddle was fun!

Agree with every word.

It's about a dream coming true and nothing else. Thinking about how much the bike costs to buy, use and maintain is absolutely irrelevant, once one enters this world. Because the exhilaration one experiences when one is astride a machine of this caliber makes matters of the head seem insignificant.

[anshumandun]

Originally Posted by GoBlue

Hello, anshumandun. I enjoyed reading your from-the-heart report.

I could relate to this as I have the exact same feelings when I see my bike in the parking lot every time I go for a ride.

Hey GoBlue, thanks for reviving this thread. Been a long time since I updated it. Your post has motivated me to update this thread now. Will update here with the recent developments and rides on my bike

If you ride down to Bangalore sometime, do get in touch.

[anshumandun]

I got the bike home in Jan 2017 with 6k kms on the odo. I recently completed 30k kms on the odo and the bike is now just above 3 years old (April 2016 model).

The bike has been a joy to ride. I’ve had thoughts of upgrading a lot of times but that’s always due to some exciting new product being launched in the market. I have never felt bored of the excitement the Z offers. So I have dropped all plans of upgrading until this bikes starts feel boring or it starts asking for repairs. Till now, touchwood, the bike has been running really good.

Let me start the 30k kms review with the most important aspect of keeping a superbike: Maintenance.

The maintenance of the bike has been on the costly side (as expected) but it does not break your bank. Let me list down the major expenses till now.

1. Tyres: Michelin Pilot Power changed at 12k kms. Both front and rear. INR 25k. Rear changed again at 26k kms to Pirelli Angel ST. 9k only (Amazon sale day). Front will need replacement very soon.

2. Brake pads: Both front and rear changed to EBC at 16k kms. INR 8.5k. Front needs replacement again within 1k kms more.

3. Air Filter: Changed twice till now. Costs around 5k per piece.

4. Spark plugs: Changed once. NGK Iridium. Costed me around 2.5k.

5. Clutch cable: Changed recently. 1.7k.

6. Battery is still stock.

7. Chain and sprockets are also still stock although they need more frequent lubrication now. These will cost around INR 20k when I have to change them in next 5k kms I think.

8. General servicing is being done at a trusted FNG. The engine oil alone costs close to 3k and the oil filter is around 1.2k. Total service bill hovers close to 7k to 8k.

Reliability: The build quality is impeccable. The bike has been super reliable till now. No problem whatsoever. There are no fancy electronics on the bike which helps in making it a simple mechanical reliable machine. The only feature I can boast of is ABS . It does not even have a slipper clutch.

Riding: The bike is super fun to ride. It accelerates like mad. It is as stable as it can get on the highways. It handles really well even though it’s quite a heavy bike. My skills don’t allow me to test the limit of the bike but I know from riding with many experienced riders that the bike can do much more than what I am capable of.

The inline 4 is super smooth and with the stock exhaust it is super silent at highway speeds. As long as the roads are good, the Z is an excellent tourer (contrary to popular opinion). It might be that I haven’t ridden real tourers on long rides so I don’t understand the comfort they offer but for my needs, I like to think of this bike as my perfect touring machine.

It’s not a good city bike though. In the traffic, it gets tiring to maneuver the heavy bike. It’s also not any good when you go off road. It wears you out quickly on bad roads. That’s why I like to ride it 90% of the time on good highways.

To make the Z more touring friendly, I’ve removed and added a few things.
I had the Akrapovic Slip-on till 25k kms but then I wanted the bike to be silent to be more comfortable as a tourer so I sold it off and put back the stock exhaust back.

Here is a video of the Akra making a sweet accelerating sound. Yes, I miss the Akra!

Headphones recommended

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHspPt0Z8bE

I used to have a Puig replica windscreen from Aliexpress. I recently got a real Puig Rafale windscreen that helps reducing the windblast considerably.

I also got Rigid lights LED aux setup which makes early morning rides easier and makes me more visible on the highways in the daytime. I switch them off in the city as they are really blinding to oncoming traffic.

The bike has 20mm handle bar risers from the beginning so the seating is more touring friendly.

I have the Extenda Fenda from Pyramid Plastics that avoid too much slush hitting the radiator (which I’ve protected with a radiator guard from Evotech). This helps in rainy rides.

Rides: I’ve not gone too long on the bike but covered a lot of places around Bangalore. Here are some pictures of the rides.

On a dried lake bed near Chikmagaluru


With the exotic F3 and World Trotter GSA1200 in Goa


Dusk near Devanahalli


In the interiors of Chikaballapur


Near Kumily in Kerala


Sunrise in Kerala


Kerala


Chorla Ghat on the way to Goa


Near Gokarna


Isle of Man style


Foggy Hassan highway


Top of Yelagiri (with the Teambhp keychain)


Nilgiris near Ooty


Sunrise on Pune Highway

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by anshumandun

I’ve had thoughts of upgrading a lot of times but that’s always due to some exciting new product being launched in the market. I have never felt bored of the excitement the Z offers. So I have dropped all plans of upgrading until this bikes starts feel boring or it starts asking for repairs.

I really need to ride with you more to tempt you into that upgrade

Originally Posted by anshumandun

My skills don’t allow me to test the limit of the bike but I know from riding with many experienced riders that the bike can do much more than what I am capable of.

You are being modest !

Jokes aside - may congrats on the 30k mark. May you upgrade soon to an Italian

[wolfy]

Excellent post man. The z800 is a beauty.. nice to see you piling miles on the bike!
Cheers!

[anshumandun]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Jokes aside - may congrats on the 30k mark. May you upgrade soon to an Italian

Thanks Mihir.

At the rate that you are changing Kawasaki fans to 'Ducatists', I've got to be careful riding with you

[Neo18]

Nice writeup Anshuman! Am glad you are doing Justice to the Z...I have owned a Z800 for about a year now(it's a pre-owned one, had about 6k on the odo when i picked her up) and it's been a pleasure to own and maintain so far. I have been able to put only about 5k kms in the last year owing to hectic work schedule. Planning to do some longer trips before the end of this year. Some of the observations in this writeup that ran a bell with my own experience with the Z:-

1.On good to decent roads, the Z is a pleasure to drive but bad roads really upset the bike's composure. Given that the bike is a street naked and a corner carver by design, this is not the Bike's shortcoming but rather a fact of our country's infrastructure and a painful one that is only evident during the ownership.

2.This bike shreds tires. Even though the previous owner had done only close to 6k kilometers the tires were not in good shape. Since I did not have any track days in mind, I changed the tires to Metzeler Roadtecs and have done 5k km till date. No issues so far and looks like they might last another 10k kms easily.

3. Windblast has been an issue with longer rides and have not been able to sort this with any kind of fairings.In fact with the Puig replica, the wind blast was redirected to my head and I was far more comfortable with the wind blast on my chest. Am back to the stock fairing.

4.The upgrade itch was also on to me since a few riders in my group have upgraded to ADVs. But the Z800 is a hoot to ride and I have not done any justice to the motorcycle itself. Also, given the fact that I have to take a huge depreciation with this sale and spend a bomb on the next acquisition, keeping the Z as a long termer is a no brainer to me.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by Neo18

3. Windblast has been an issue with longer rides and have not been able to sort this with any kind of fairings.In fact with the Puig replica, the wind blast was redirected to my head and I was far more comfortable with the wind blast on my chest. Am back to the stock fairing.

Get the original PUIG Rafale screen - you can easily adjust it to make sure you dont get wind blast till insane speeds. Totally worth the money over Aliexpress replicas.

[anshumandun]

Originally Posted by Neo18

This bike shreds tires. Even though the previous owner had done only close to 6k kilometers the tires were not in good shape. Since I did not have any track days in mind, I changed the tires to Metzeler Roadtecs and have done 5k km till date. No issues so far and looks like they might last another 10k kms easily.

Yes the stock Dunlops wear out in 6k to 8k kms depending on riding style. Rodtecs are a good choice. Will last 12k to 15k kms easily. Other touring tyre options are Pirelli Angel GT and Michelin Pilot Road 4/5.

Windblast has been an issue with longer rides and have not been able to sort this with any kind of fairings

You can try the Puig Rafale windscreen. It does help in reducing the windblast.

[anshumandun]

It was October 2019 when I was trying to make up my mind to ride to IBW Goa or not. Some people advised against riding to IBW since it is more of a rev fest than anything else but a few friends were willing to ride. I had never attended IBW before so decided to attend it in December 2019.

That’s when a friend told me that Ullas from Plastidip was looking for a bike to coat and display in his stall at IBW. So I got in touch with Ullas and we agreed that he would Plastidip my bike free of cost and I would ride my bike to Goa and leave it at his stall for 2 days on display. This was followed by a discussion on choosing a colour. I was drawn towards the chameleon shades since they look really good and have a mix of different colours blend into a single shade. We agreed on ‘white chameleon’ since it would look elegant while displaying the multiple shade effect of the chameleon plastidip. So I visited his workshop and it took us about 30 minutes to finalize on the panels we wanted to plastidip which would give a good contrast with the rest of the black panels. The work was completed within a couple of days and Ullas kept me updated with the progress through photos. The panels were taken off the bike for coating and then re-fitted after the paint dried off. Some temporary stickers were also put on the bike for Plastidip promotion. I was quite impressed with the workmanship! No doubt that many bhpians go to Ullas (I saw Nikhil’s VRS at their workshop for some detailing work). The coating was perfect and the white chameleon shade made the bike look so special.

I rode to IBW Goa and the bike was displayed at the stall for 2 days while I rented an Activa to roam around Goa

The white colour looks good on the Z and it reflects the colours around it so the bike would look greenish white under trees and reddish white while marked next to a red Ducati. It’s been more than 8 months now since I got the plastidip and the coating is holding on well. The only point it’s starting to peel off is near the back side panels which is due to constant rubbing of my saddle bag. I’ll have to be extra careful while mounting the saddle bag and need to keep a cloth underneath to avoid direct abrasion. What’s best is that it is keeping safe the actual paint on the bike so when I decide to peel it off after a couple of years, the bike will look brand new with its original paint!

If you’ve read it so far, you must be wondering what will it actually cost to do this job. Ullas has confirmed that it will cost around Rs 24k. Now some photos to show how the new shade looks on the bike.

On the way to IBW


Delivered to Plastidip Stall at IBW


This stickers look good on white


Somewhere in western ghats


Western ghats again


With the big ADVs


Charmadi ghats


With Z brothers

[anshumandun]

Finally I've decided to sell my bike. Don't know yet what I am going to buy next but I know that I will not be able to save for the next bike as long as I own this one

Please let me know if anyone has any leads.