[qreoct]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Should you buy the Ninja 1000? Thought process and a logical breakdown of whom this bike might make sense to

You mention about not going ahead with the Triumph. I have read through similar stories here. Is the after sales of Triumph really that bad in Bangalore? I also heard new dealerships coming up. In fact, one I can see on my way to work, right next to Kawasaki in Whitefield (still under construction, I mean both the Triumph showroom & Whitefield ). You think it would make the service any better & possible give a nod to that last prohibiting, pinching issue?

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[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Attachment 2479483

Ah! Being a Ooty-ite myself, such a relish this, it's as if I'm going through a picturesque deja vu. Being a regular on these routes. This picture you posted, those bajjis in their signature green plates, is exactly where I stop every time for a quick bite, before the 36 pins beckon. Can't believe how similar a photo I took a month or so back!!
Wonderful pictures. A regular at Earl's Secret and Open Kitchen Coonoor, their signature Oh Susanna and Salted Caramel, umm-hmm, my mouth waters! Though I feel, off late, their quality has taken a mild beating.. Yoikes! Am I even allowed to say that!! Let me know next time you head to Ooty, would love to catch for cup of cuppa.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks a lot for the kind words VijayAnand1!
I keep coming frequently there to pick up cheese or veggies or sometimes even randomly to just have nice food and get back. I'll definitely PM you when I am heading there next and we can catch up at a place convenient for you

Originally Posted by AKSO

Your "record" keeping is superb. Looking forward to your feedback on the Michelin Road 6 tyres. As an aside, Kawasaki charges a bomb for labour! I recently had changed my front brake pads to Goldfren which is pretty good in terms of feel and bite. The pair cost me around Rs.5000/- including fitting. Took about 200 kms of riding to fully bed in the brake pads.

Thanks a lot AKSO sir!
Kawasaki's labour costs are really high nowadays as you said. The only silver lining is the Bangalore service centre guys do a fantastic job nowadays and I continue to go there only because of that reason. Otherwise anyway the bike is out of warranty and there are a lot of nice third party service centres here in Bangalore that other owners go to.

Originally Posted by qreoct

You mention about not going ahead with the Triumph.

Yes, when I wrote that back in 2018 it wasn't all that great. I feel Keerthi Triumph still has a lot of negative reputation here in Bangalore. Of course, my reason for not buying wasn't service support alone, but because the Ninja 1000 better satisfied my requirements when I bought this bike - I was looking for a sport bike which could be usable for weekend touring, and Triumph didn't have anything like that back then.

I have read through similar stories here. Is the after sales of Triumph really that bad in Bangalore? I also heard new dealerships coming up. In fact, one I can see on my way to work, right next to Kawasaki in Whitefield (still under construction, I mean both the Triumph showroom & Whitefield ). You think it would make the service any better & possible give a nod to that last prohibiting, pinching issue?

I'm afraid I won't be very helpful with regards to information on Triumph's service support woes . As an enthusiast, one can only hope that as their network reach improves in the days ahead (with the Bajaj collaboration), and customers are able to slowly ride with more peace of mind about service support.

You can keep an eye on this thread and a few others (run a thread search with Triumph or Keerthi as keywords):
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ing-brand.html (Triumph Motorcycles India : Is after-sales service killing this brand?)

[FarazS]

Do share on your experience of night riding with the Stock headlamps. Does the bike require Aux lights. Planning to switch to N1000 from my Busa.

[Dhruv Shetty]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Sixth Annual Service / 57 months Maintenance Update (~25,000 km up)

This time of the year is usually when I get the Ninja's annual service done. Well, usually I get it serviced in August every year, but considering there were a few monsoon rides coming up, I thought it is best to get the bike serviced a bit in advance.

.
Attachment 2479193


Signing off with a picture of the Ninja doing what it does best - putting a smile on the face of the rider
Attachment 2479189


That's all for now! Back to trip updates from the next post, thanks for reading!

Damm, the ninja does not look 5 year's, more like 1 year. On the fork oil, how did the oil look like? i recently did the forks on my bike, the oil had done 12k and 2 year's the oil looked like a healthy drink one of those dark green one. For the fork and brake oil I follow the 2 year's interval. Looks like you have mastered the art of braking, brake pads lasting for 25k or maybe it is the dual disc setup.

I am looking forward to the Road 6 review because i have the Road 5 installed and they are excellent and I have clocked close to 10k and they have plenty of life to last another 4 year's.

If i want to visit places in south part of India, this is the perfect thread for it

Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by FarazS

Do share on your experience of night riding with the Stock headlamps. Does the bike require Aux lights. Planning to switch to N1000 from my Busa.

The stock headlights are decent in throw and spread, one can easily cruise at triple digit speeds with the stock headlights' visibility. While I avoid riding at night as much as possible, almost all of my trips I mandatorily leave home early by 4-4.30AM to get an early head start into the journey with minimal traffic, fewer interruptions (no villagers or animals awake) and to be able to reach the destination early. So on almost all my trips I end up using the headlights for 2 hours in pitch dark, quite satisfied with the throw for stock lights. Of course, aux lights may be better but will totally ruin the aesthetics on a sportbike design and stick out like a sore thumb.

I had written more about the stock headlights throw and spread with pictures here in page 1 of this thread - do check it out for a visual answer to your query
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/super...ml#post4842201

Originally Posted by Dhruv Shetty

Damm, the ninja does not look 5 year's, more like 1 year. On the fork oil, how did the oil look like? i recently did the forks on my bike, the oil had done 12k and 2 year's the oil looked like a healthy drink one of those dark green one. For the fork and brake oil I follow the 2 year's interval. Looks like you have mastered the art of braking, brake pads lasting for 25k or maybe it is the dual disc setup.

Thank you Dhruv Shetty. I did not get to check the fork oil color that day because I had returned home and only collected the bike the next day. As you rightly mentioned, 25k km is good brake pad life. Not sure if I did something specific, because most owners of the N1k do get similar life it seems .

I am looking forward to the Road 6 review because i have the Road 5 installed and they are excellent and I have clocked close to 10k and they have plenty of life to last another 4 year's.

Wow that is nice to hear, hopefully I can get some similar juice out of these tyres for the next few years

If i want to visit places in south part of India, this is the perfect thread for it
Cheers,
Dhruv Shetty.

Haha, thank you for the kind words, glad to know if it helps with that information.

[Prashant1286]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

New Shoes for the Ninja 1000

picked up a pair of Michelin Road 6 tyres for the third set of shoes on the Ninja

Hi Karthik!

Well written account of ownership of the N1K. Do you mind sharing the cost of the new rubber?

I am picking up a N1k SX from Hyderabad today. Will have to change the tyres pretty soon. Your inputs will help. Also let me know about the feedback on Road 6. I am currently using Road 5 on my KTM and will anyday pick them up over Metzelers for my kind of riding.

I will be riding down from Hyderabad to Chennai tomorrow or day after. I am planning to route via bangalore. Let me know if you are free and can have a look at the bike I have picked up. A TBhpian owner's assessment will be the last word for me.

Thanks,
Prashant

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Prashant1286

Hi Karthik!

Well written account of ownership of the N1K. Do you mind sharing the cost of the new rubber?

Hello Prashant1286! Thank you for your kind words. The Road 6 tyres costed slightly north of INR 46k for front + rear. Since they are higher life tyres, most vendors seem to be milking this aspect and pricing them higher than other sport pattern tyres. For eg., the Metzeler Sportec M9RR was retailing at around 39k.

I am picking up a N1k SX from Hyderabad today. Will have to change the tyres pretty soon. Your inputs will help. Also let me know about the feedback on Road 6. I am currently using Road 5 on my KTM and will anyday pick them up over Metzelers for my kind of riding.

If you are already comfortable with road 5, you might as well just get the newer Road 6 series and enjoy riding. Of course if you want alternatives in the same sport-touring range (with higher life) there are other similar patterns such as Metzeler Roadtec 01SE or Pirelli Angel GT2.

I will be riding down from Hyderabad to Chennai tomorrow or day after. I am planning to route via bangalore. Let me know if you are free and can have a look at the bike I have picked up. A TBhpian owner's assessment will be the last word for me.

Thanks,
Prashant

Apologies for the late reply, been busy the last couple of days so I didn’t check this message earlier. You are very kind sir . I am not sure if I am so well qualified or technically well versed to evaluate another bike accurately . What I suggest you to do instead is to get it checked and inspected at any authorised Kawasaki service centre in your city and get their final word on any immediate work that is needed on the bike (and use that to negotiate further on the asking price). You haven’t mentioned the age of the vehicle in kilometres, but things you should definitely check are: the tyre condition, brake pads’ life, chain and sprocket condition and battery life, but battery should be fine since you mentioned SX model so assuming it isn’t more than 3 years old. Also try to check that the alloy wheels have no visible bends in them - these alloys cost a bomb to replace and in many cases insurance companies don’t approve the replacement. Apart from the wear and tear items, this bike is generally bulletproof and shouldn’t have anything much to bother about.

[Prashant1286]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

If you are already comfortable with road 5, you might as well just get the newer Road 6 series.

Thanks for the heads up brother. Spoke to those guys. They are giving me a set in the same ballpark. Only issue I see is that they have 190/55 section tyre instead of 190/50 which is the default size. I saw that you have picked up same size. I hope that's not an issue.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I am not sure if I am so well qualified or technically well versed to evaluate another bike accurately .

Now you are being humble brother. You have ridden the bike for this much miles for four years and have maintained it in pristine condition. I am sure your feedback counts.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

What I suggest you to do instead is to get it checked and inspected at any authorised Kawasaki service centre in your city and get their final word on any immediate work that is needed on the bike.

Thanks for all the pointers brother. Have bought the bike. Stuck in Hyderabad for a day due to rains. Will be riding back tomorrow. Will be in Bangalore tomorrow and then Chennai.

I am dropping you a DM for the comedy that happened at Kawasaki Hyderabad. Will share it in a while on the forum titled how not to buy a used bike once I get it re-checked at Kawasaki Chennai.

Hope my ownership experience is as smooth as yours.

Happy miles!
Prashant

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Prashant1286

Thanks for the heads up brother. Spoke to those guys. They are giving me a set in the same ballpark. Only issue I see is that they have 190/55 section tyre instead of 190/50 which is the default size. I saw that you have picked up same size. I hope that's not an issue.

I use the 190/55 size too, you're right - the stock 190/50 size is a bit rare to find stocks of. Most people use the 190/55 size nowadays. I personally prefer the 55 section because the bike is a bit more eager to tackle corners and the ground clearance is also increased by a bit, so even with full load and pillion I don't have to worry much about tall speedbreakers.

Now you are being humble brother. You have ridden the bike for this much miles for four years and have maintained it in pristine condition. I am sure your feedback counts.

Thanks for all the pointers brother. Have bought the bike. Stuck in Hyderabad for a day due to rains. Will be riding back tomorrow. Will be in Bangalore tomorrow and then Chennai.

I am dropping you a DM for the comedy that happened at Kawasaki Hyderabad. Will share it in a while on the forum titled how not to buy a used bike once I get it re-checked at Kawasaki Chennai.

Hope my ownership experience is as smooth as yours.

Wishing you many happy miles on the Ninja 1000. It is a fantastic bike and I am sure you will have a lot of fun touring with it! Eagerly looking forward to your write-ups on both the used bike purchase experience and the ensuing ownership report thread .

[KarthikK]

Monsoon Ride to Coffee Valley Homestay, Chikmagalur with BHPian friends (July 2023)

After July's ride to the Nilgiris and the subsequent annual service for the Ninja, there was another ride planned in July. This was just a casual and short ride to a familiar homestay in Chikmagalur and an occasion for a few BHPian friends to catch up for a weekend of good food and chit-chat sessions amidst pleasant monsoon rains. There were 7 of us in total, and the homestay we visited was Coffee valley homestay, 15 km off Chikmagalur and hardly 270 km in total from Bangalore. This was my umpteenth visit there, and I fondly call this place Masterchef homestay for the amazing food the hostess cooks there . The food was largely consisting of traditional cuisine native to this region, and food was perhaps the main USP there apart from the clean rooms and wonderful hospitality. Aside from that there were no scenic views or anything as such in this place. Anyway we were just going for a relaxing weekend with food and lazing around, so everyone had fun nonetheless. Some of the pictures were shared by deepfreak15 and CrAzY_dRiVeR, thanks to them for that!

Waking up the grumpy petrol bunk staff in the early morning for XP100 refuel at Bowring institute



We met each other at the beginning of the Hassan expressway toll plaza and then stopped for an early breakfast at Food Culture, roughly 60km into the ride.





Piping hot Idli Vada Sambar at Food Culture



Stopping at a lake just before Chikmagalur town









It started drizzling after Chikmagalur as we approached the hills and twisties. We decided to take a short coffee break at a roadside cafe called KA18 Cafe.





We reached the homestay around noon. There were 4 cottages in all. This was the main bungalow which belonged to the owner.



There was a narrow passage through the garden leading to the cottages



This was the main set of 3 cottages, while another one was located behind the main house





Clean, no-nonsense rooms with plenty of room for biker luggage and riding gear.



There was a dining room opposite to the cottages with an adjoining Bonfire area



The dining room had a simple dining table and a small sitout area with indoor games, etc.





A small swing and bench in the garden sitout area



Sipping on hot coffee in the rains, while waiting for delicious lunch to get prepared



Lunch was an elaborate spread with tons of items in vegetarian and non-veg. I am a vegetarian though, so this was my veg-spread plate, lol!



Lovely hot Bajjis for the monsoon rains



Fresh Mango Souffle for dessert was the icing on the cake, literally!



After lunch and some chit-chat sessions, we spent some time doing timepass photoshoot sessions in the front porch area of the bungalow where we had parked our bikes.

The 3 KTMs - Duke 390, RC 390 and Adventure 390



CrAzY_dRiVeR's Triumph Tiger 660 head to head with my Ninja 1000





The Ninja 1000 with the KTM 390 gang

[KarthikK]

Monsoon Ride to Coffee Valley Homestay, Chikmagalur with BHPian friends (July 2023) continued...

The entire gang lined up together. From left-right: shaikhmimran's Suzuki V-Strom 650, CrAzY_dRiVeR's Triumph Tiger 660, ebmrajesh's KTM Adventure 390, my Ninja 1000, deepfreak15's KTM RC 390, rbp's KTM Duke 390 and neil.jericho's Triumph Street Triple 675











Rear view



All the bikes parked back in place



My Ninja 1000 in front of the property



A close-up of the rain-drenched black bike



Glimpses of the coffee estate surrounding the property, as seen from the bonfire area sit-out



A lotus pond in the garden



Some random captures when strolling around in the garden









In between the chit-chat sessions in the evening, we were served delicious hot Pakoras with Chai.



Dinner was again an elaborate affair, and this is an attempt to capture probably 70% of the whole (veg) spread in one frame. Non-veggie friends enjoyed their share of stuff too.



Chilled fruit custard for dessert



We retired a bit early that day, after this sumptuous dinner and various discussions related to cars, bikes and travel. The next morning was a leisurely morning in the cool and rainy weather. We were served a lovely breakfast with many traditional items



And then this amazing dessert made of Tender coconut to end the third heavy meal here



Post-breakfast we checked out from the homestay by around 11AM and made our way homewards. Here is a departing picture in front of the homestay as always



The entire gang in front of the homstay before departing



Because breakfast was very heavy, we decided to skip lunch and instead stopped for a short rehydration break at Empire Kunigal



The Rev'it Sand 4 team - yours truly with neil.jericho



After this break everyone dispersed their separate ways for the last ~100 km of the ride. There were brief spells of thundershowers on the way and I finally reached home around 4PM after a short but memorable weekend trip with friends, enjoying some good company, riding, food and weather in that order. This ride clocked a simple ~540 km to add to July's tripping account



The Ninja 1000 - Ninja 400 tag team is sure to keep putting more smiles per mile in future .



There is one more Ninja ride planned for August and the N1000 will then take a brief pause after that. The unsung hero in the background - the Honda CB500X has silently piled on 13,000+ km of roadtrips in the past year and a half, and is awaiting a tyre change. That bike will get new shoes soon and take over travel from mid-August till November as we explore some fantastic trails deeper in monsoon-drenched territories. More trip reports to come from occasional weekend rides nonetheless. Thanks for reading!

[100Kmphormore]

the Honda CB500X has silently piled on 13,000+ km of roadtrips in the past year and a half, and is awaiting a tyre change.

Nammel swalpa karune irli (please have some mercy on us), we are waiting for the ownership review since a year and a half!
Not to forget that MH-GJ trip you undertook, will be a wealth of information for those like us who have been predominantly settled in the south in our touring :P

Great updates on the bike service and maintenance. Your record keeping is phenomenal! The labour of Kawasaki indeed has gone up to eye watering prices, not to forget the tyres. I have been through the thread on the requisites of owning a middle/liter class bike and does require a lot of moolah than before.

[Tuisha110HP]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Monsoon Ride to Coffee Valley Homestay, Chikmagalur with BHPian friends (July 2023) continued...

The entire gang lined up together. From left-right: shaikhmimran's Suzuki V-Strom 650, CrAzY_dRiVeR's Triumph Tiger 660, ebmrajesh's KTM Adventure 390, my Ninja 1000, deepfreak15's KTM RC 390, rbp's KTM Duke 390 and neil.jericho's Triumph Street Triple 675

Do you need another KTM 390 2015 in the gang

I moved to Bangalore and would love to ride with you guys! Please DM me whenever you guys plan next.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

... we are waiting for the ownership review since a year and a half!
Not to forget that MH-GJ trip you undertook, will be a wealth of information for those like us who have been predominantly settled in the south in our touring :P

Both those threads have been pending for quite a while now. Will try to complete them in the next few weeks.

Great updates on the bike service and maintenance. Your record keeping is phenomenal! The labour of Kawasaki indeed has gone up to eye watering prices, not to forget the tyres. I have been through the thread on the requisites of owning a middle/liter class bike and does require a lot of moolah than before.

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, indeed as you said the labour costs are very expensive nowadays. Also in general the upkeep of a big bike with respect to even tyre prices has been going up after the post-covid era and the tyre imports restrictions in 2020. It is not good for us enthusiasts, but there is no other way out, lol!

Originally Posted by Tuisha110HP

Do you need another KTM 390 2015 in the gang

I moved to Bangalore and would love to ride with you guys! Please DM me whenever you guys plan next.

I'll let you know when we do any group rides, thanks!

[Prashant1286]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I personally prefer the 55 section because the bike is a bit more eager to tackle corners and the ground clearance is also increased by a bit, so even with full load and pillion I don't have to worry much about tall speedbreakers.

Thanks for the feedback Karthikk.

Seeing your message, I have also ordered the same tyres from Torque Block. Awaiting delivery now.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

It is a fantastic bike and I am sure you will have a lot of fun touring with it! Eagerly looking forward to your write-ups on both the used bike purchase experience and the ensuing ownership report thread .

Thanks again brother . All the best with the N400!