[KarthikK]

Ownership update at 4 years, 9 months (57 months) - Tyres changed to Michelin Road 6

Back to ownership updates on the Ninja, as I had detailed in the earlier post, there was a sudden puncture on the rear tyre earlier this month, but I decided not to do any puncture repair just to extract another 500-600km from an already ageing tyre. Nonetheless, the old set of the Metzeler Sportec M9RRs did a fantastic job over almost 2 years of use/abuse on all kinds of roads and extremes of weather, with full load of luggage and 2-up riding.

The twin punctures on the Metzeler Sportec M9RRs, as detailed in the previous post



As mentioned earlier I had already stashed away a set of Michelin Road 6 tyres in advance, so I just needed to visit the service centre to disconnect the wheels, and then had to go to Madhus tyre centre to get the new tyres fitted and balanced.

The Michelin Road 6 pair stashed away earlier. I went for 190/55-17 size in the rear once again, due to slightly enhanced ground clearance and cornering eagerness



I am somehow wary of wheel attachment / detachment methods at tyre shops after reading some horror stories, hence decided to get the removal and fitting (on the bike) work done at the Kawasaki service centre, while the tyre replacement on the rims was done at Madhus tyre centre.
Reaching Rideventur service early in the morning and getting the wheels detached



The old worn-out set of the Metzeler Sportec M9RRs - thank you for the service!



The old tyres with the new set, waiting for their turn at Madhus tyre centre, which is fantastic and trusted for any tyre fitting work



Michelin Road 6s go on to the rims, signalling set 3 of tyres on the Ninja



Wheel balancing at Madhus



Reaching Rideventur service to get the new shoes fitted onto the bike. Kawasaki service chief Unni was insistent on getting the wheels manually balanced and sure enough - the weights added were more accurately matched after he did a manual balancing thoroughly



A look at the tread pattern of the new Michelin Road 6



These tyres look like they will last really long - fingers crossed for a wonderful and long riding experience with these



The invoice at Rideventur Kawasaki service centre for the labour of removal and fitting of tyres with manual balancing. They charged INR 885 per wheel including manual balancing.



Back at home - this is how the rear looks now with the new pattern



The German Shepherd gal at home wants to know what the new tyre fuss is all about



Here is a summary and breakup of the tyre usage statistics on both the sets of tyres used on the Ninja so far, category-wise mileage on trips listed - split into breakfast rides, full-day trips (longer distances but return home the same day), overnight trips with friends/group rides and 2-up overnight trips with the better half



Breaking down the data further into distribution piecharts, it is clear the usage pattern has remained more or less same over ~5 years - our own personal exploration trips (The better half and me) contribute to 60-70% of the total miles put on the bike, and group rides account for around 30%. While Covid and lockdowns played havoc with the usage during the 2020-21 era, the second set of tyres did more than the first set (~12000km in 3 years) in half the amount of time (~14300km in 1 year and 9 months) and I only see this trend picking up more in the days to come.

Owing to the increased cost of imported tyres and the fact that there are other bikes in the garage to share the load of usage, one notable observation is that the Ninja is not used for timepass breakfast rides much nowadays, and I tend to use (valuable) tyre life for more significant overnight trips instead .





Before I end this post, here is the updated overall maintenance timeline over 5 years. I have now included the tyre costs into this table because after all, tyre replacements also come under maintenance and help to arrive at the overall picture accurately.



That's all for now! The Ninja will be back to trips from September on this new set of shoes, so more ride reports to come as usual. Thanks for reading!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

Great choice of destination saar, as usual and great travelogue.

Thanks for the kind words 100Kmphormore!

That seems quite a spirited pace of riding saar! 200 km in 1.5 hours is amazing. I did it yesterday evening in around 3.5 hours on my Himmy, could have been faster if I was confident about it's brakes, which is crap. Anything more than 80 kmph is risking it, not to forget those careless pedestrians who wander onto the road and the "video game heroes" :-D.

Actually more like 2 hours door to door - something like 4.45am to 6.45am types. I stay very close to the Hosur road exit anyway so distance is much lesser than 200km also from my place .

Again, this 2 hours pace is only possible in the wee hours of the early morning when there is little to no interference from villagers + animals, and there is minimal traffic on the highway. We cannot compare that to evening return traffic which will easily take 3+ hours due to the volume of vehicles you have to make your way through, regardless of the vehicle I use. This is also why for very long return journeys on that route on long weekends (~500km), recently I have started to prefer staying back sometimes in Salem and leaving early morning the next day to reach home in 2 hours again, rather than do that Salem-Blr stretch at the fag end of a tiring day with people driving/riding like maniacs on the road.

Astounding! This fact is proving to be a great upgrade choice for me apart from the VStrom 800DE which I'm considering. Its irritating to keep stopping at every 250 km for a top-up on such great highways.

All the very best for your upgrade plans, hope you end up with a nice tourer very soon!

[Kashief]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Ownership update at 4 years, 9 months (57 months) - Tyres changed to Michelin Road 6

These tyres look like they will last really long - fingers crossed for a wonderful and long riding experience with these
Attachment 2497864

Thread pattern looks deep and I believe it will offer superior grip. Pls keep us posted about its grip and comfort after running in. Thanks!

[rawdeal]

Enjoyed reading every bit of your travelogue. Just went through a tire change myself recently. Switched from Battlax to our very own Apollo Vredestien's. Initially wanted to try the NS, but made more sense to get the ST.

Out of curiosity, did the change to 55 over stock 50 need a recalibration of the KRTC? No errors on the instrument cluster?

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by rawdeal

Enjoyed reading every bit of your travelogue. Just went through a tire change myself recently. Switched from Battlax to our very own Apollo Vredestien's. Initially wanted to try the NS, but made more sense to get the ST.

Thanks for the kind words rawdeal!
Glad to know you went for the Vredestein Centauro ST. Do let us know your feedback with it after you pile on more miles on it.

Out of curiosity, did the change to 55 over stock 50 need a recalibration of the KRTC? No errors on the instrument cluster?

No errors on the instrument console . Theoretically this difference should be updated on the ECU, but the variation is quite less and won’t affect the feature in the real world. I believe KTRC works by measuring the wheel speed rpm ratio of front to rear wheels. The difference in circumference is just around 2.9% with 190/55 size. A 2.9% variation may make the sensor read a slightly slower speed with the larger tyre than earlier, but this minor difference will not alter the traction detection threshold by much.

Coming to my own experience, I have been using these tyres in many mild offroad / wet conditions when travelling. Everything works the same way as before, KTRC kicks in the same way as before based on the intervention settings (modes 1-3).

[KarthikK]

Monsoon Ride to Kudremukh national park (September 2023)

Monsoon in 2023 has largely turned out to be a damp squib in Karnataka, most of our July and August monsoon ride plans turned into unexpected summer rides due to the surprising El-Nino weather phenomenon this year. September however, has seen some bits and pieces of July-like rainfall during certain weeks. Regardless of the weather, the better half and I wanted to do a monsoon trek to one of Karnataka's treasured trekking destinations - the famed Kudremukh range of mountains nestled in the Shola evergreen rainforests of Karnataka's western ghats. The Kudremukh zone is a protected national park (comes under very strict control from the Forest department) for many years now. Trekking in this forest is thoroughly controlled and regulated by the forest department, with only a few limited permits issued for trekking enthusiasts everyday and only for certain routes. Trekkers have to mandatorily be assisted by govt-authorized guides, due to the many risks which can occur here. There is also a strict restriction with regard to plastics, disposable articles, adherence to timings, etc.

Jungle lodges and resorts, set up and managed by Karnataka government's tourism department, run a rustic jungle camp inside Kudremukh forest called Bhagavathi Nature Camp, and they manage all the permits, guides, etc required for any treks to hills in the Kudremukh national park zone. We decided to choose this place for our stay this time. Another nice USP of this property - absolutely no network of any kind here - so those who need some kind of connectivity to the outside world - just a word of caution, lol! Our phones were nothing more than cameras during those 3 days spent here. In all other aspects, this camp just like other JLR properties in general, was very no-nonsense and while JLR properties are mostly basic in terms of amenities, they never disappoint in terms of rich experiences and memories to take back home.

We were casually discussing this trip with my cousin sister and her better half (who also happens to be BHPian DAART), they being trekking enthusiasts and avid travellers immediately jumped in to join this trip with us. They were joining with their well-travelled Ciaz, and were very kind to offer to carry our biker+trekking luggage for us this time. That meant we didn't need to carry the Ninja's panniers for this trip . Special thanks to DAART and my cousin for also sharing some of the snaps that form this trip report.

As luck would have it, on the days that we were travelling, there was some kind of cyclonic activity going on from the Arabian sea and there was widespread heavy rainfall and monsoon-like rain for days together in coastal Karnataka and the western ghats regions where we were headed. That meant having to carry all the rain gear and be prepared for torrential downpours en route (and at the destination too).

This trip was originally meant for the CB500X, but that bike is awaiting tyre replacement stocks of its peculiar sizes, and anyway it stole the Chettinad trip from the Ninja (refer to previous trip report), so it was only fair that this ride went to the Ninja to settle the usage scores. The rainy weather and wet roads meant I got a chance to test out the Michelin Road 6s thoroughly too, so Ninja it was!

On D-day, we decided to leave early and start together (DAART's Ciaz and us) at the Hassan expressway. Taking a break somewhere halfway on the route to Hassan



We stopped for a sumptuous breakfast at Hoysala village resort, Hassan for their traditional Malnad-styled breakfast spread as usual - one of our favourite places on this route. This pic is showing probably just 40% of the total spread



After we crossed Hassan and Belur towards Mudigere, there was a mild and steady drizzle as expected, because we were heading westwards towards the rain-hit areas. We had a short stop at Ibbani Cafe, Banakal just before the ghat sections began.



Relishing some Neer Dosa and signature cold coffee at Ibbani Cafe, Banakal





The rain intensified after Kottigehara as we took the turning towards Kudremukh via Kalasa. From Kottigehara, we experienced what must have been one of the heaviest and fiercest torrential downpours I have ever seen in my life in these regions. The rain was so heavy that I had to drop speeds to 25-30kmph in some sections just to be able to see through the deluge, which by the way showed no signs of letting up (so stopping and waiting it out wouldn't have helped). The rain was so heavy that even the otherwise-secure rain gear started to let a few drops in here and there, lol!



After around 40 minutes of fierce heavy rains, it finally reduced to a drizzle. I managed to get some random shots of the bike in the twisties before Kudremukh road started. This was with some random waterfall next to the Kottigegara - Kalasa stretch



The Ninja with some paddy fields, when the rain gods showed some temporary mercy



At the Kudremukh forest checkpost there was a mandatory stop for all vehicles for attendance check, and to get a permit letter to head to Bhagavathi nature camp (which we had to get signed and stamped at the JLR camp and show that here on checkout-day when returning, to prove that we indeed went to JLR). Told ya - the forest authorities here were very strict on checking the entry-exit checkpoints into the reserve forest areas. The road quality inside the park fluctuated between extremely smooth, and suddenly patchy and potholed. Here is a random picture inside Kudremukh national park.



One final break with the Ciaz along a swollen Bhadra river bridge inside Kudremukh reserve.







Soon it became very misty, dark and rainy even at noon. This was how the last patch of 10km inside the dense jungle appeared before Bhagavathi nature camp



Finally we reached Bhagavathi nature camp just a few minutes before 1pm, this was the entrance arch to the jungle camp. The other vehicles seen in the picture were actually not JLR guests but in fact trekkers who (were staying elsewhere and) wanted to get permits issued for their treks.



There was a 1.5km offroad pathway going downhill from the entrance arch (in the previous picture) to the actual JLR camp location. There was heavy rain again, so the pathway had a lot of puddles and slushy patches. The Road 6 tyres were very confidence inspiring on these mild 'offroad' patches



This restaurant (where we would have all our meals over the next couple of days) was the first building we saw at the camp, and the staff there soon guided us to the office, where the other staff members helped us to complete the check-in formalities and get settled into our rooms.



The passage leading to the office. This entire pathway was a deadly trap with blood-hungry leeches if we stopped for a second!



The other side of the passage led to the car parking area and the trail which brought us here from the main forest road. This entire region and pathway was infested with leeches of different sizes.



There was no designated parking space for bikes (they had one for cars though), so they offered me a spot for the Ninja just outside the main office building directly in the open. The heat of the engine immediately became a magnet for leeches and some of them started clambering onto me while i got off the bike and gathered my belongings (phone/tankbag/key), lol!



The same thing became a boon for me in terms of security. There were a hundred leeches which had come near and settled around the bike due to the heat after I parked it there, and they became my Z-category protection for the Ninja over the next 2 days. Some other guest at the property who tried to check out the bike closely later that day, apparently got 8-10 bites just by hovering around the bike!



The cottages here were simple wooden cottages spread out in the jungle-scape setting of this nature camp. There were totally just 6-8 cottages if I remember correctly



The interiors of the cottage were basic and rustic, yet very clean and spacious. The cottage had basic amenities which were more than sufficient for a trekking trip in this kind of jungle region.





A board proclaiming some common trekking routes managed by authorities in this camp. We had our sights set on the Kudremukh route on the top of that list, but we had some surprises due to the weather - more on that later.



After freshening up and treating ourselves to a sumptuous lunch at the restaurant, we were casually walking around the camp with some basic leech protection - odomos and pain relief ointments such as Volini are good deterrents for bites on the feet, although they will still clamber up the footwear looking for a suitable place to hide and bite later - and we might end up carrying them back to the cottage, so checking footwear everytime we entered the cottage was a must. Most of the times, it was sufficient to just flick the leeches off rather than killing them. We had anyway even carried small spray can bottles with diluted dettol for the persistent critters.

This was a small sitout area which we nicknamed the 'Hell-Bench', owing to the massive leech density prevalent there. Anyone brave enough to sit there will contribute to voluntary blood donation to the leech population of Kudremukh forest!



A fantastic, unspoilt natural lake formed by a portion of Bhadra river flowing through this property. We were pleasantly surprised by how clear the water was - almost rivalling the transparency of the famous Dawki river in Meghalaya.











Post this, we had a very light supper and crashed early, to get a good night's rest for the next day's trek to Kudremukh peak.

[KarthikK]

Monsoon Ride to Kudremukh national park (September 2023) continued ...

We woke up to a heavily foggy and rainy morning the next day. We were now almost assured that no matter what trek route we would do, there would be no view anywhere from the top, owing to the cloud and rain cover all around Kudremukh that day. Nonetheless, trekking on a misty and rainy day had its own set of enjoyable challenges and we were up for it.

Misty morning in JLR Bhagavathi nature camp



The JLR coordinator for the trek permits advised us against the 22km Kudremukh trek (which was already supposed to be a 6am to 6pm schedule) due to the persistent rains there which would cause significant delays and perhaps even cancellation of permits if we turned up at the forest office, which by the way, was 5km away from the JLR camp. He instead advised us to try the Kurinjal peak trek, rated moderate on the difficulty scale, which apparently went through some dense jungles, viewpoints and then a steep climb to the summit. It had a 7km one way distance from the start point to the peak. The start point was roughly 1.5km from our cottages, so the total distance up and down from the camp was something like 8.5 x 2 = 17 km, which was cross-verified later with my GPS watch.

The JLR authorities took our signatures on a disclaimer form, and then assigned a trek guide for us who was already waiting at the entrance of the camp. The time estimate for the entire trek + return to the camp was around 7 hours considering the heavy rains. DAART and my cousin skipped the trek and decided to explore some other trails around Kudremukh on this day.



We had a light breakfast at around 8AM, and started from the camp entrance by foot along with our friendly guide. The rain drenched pathway from the camp to the start point



Our guide was an avid trekker himself, having completed even some Himalaya treks and was a fitness buff. It was a wonderful experience to learn many things from him while conversing through the duration of the trek / hike about this region (he was a localite there) and trekking tips in general.

The better half and me in front of the Trek start point.


We had to equip ourselves with rain gear, hiking shoes, a tiny backpack each, containing drinking water, some dry fruits, dettol spray (for ferocious leeches throughout the journey to the top). Seen in the picture is also us wearing something called anti-leech socks from Wild-Roar, which we picked up on Amazon thanks to the suggestions by BHPian friends robimahanta and Graaja who used these on their Agumbe snake photography expedition recently. These are worn on top of the pants and socks, are water-repellent and then shoes are worn over these. So leeches can clamber onto the these socks, get into shoes too but cannot penetrate the thick raincoat-like material to bite the feet. Also another advantage is because the entire length of these socks is waterproof until the knees, wading through streams in the jungle does not wet the legs and feet.


The entire route had four sections - the first part was a pathway running from the start point along the foot of the hill till the entrance of the jungle, the second part was a hardcore path through terribly-leech-infested dense jungles full of streams and puddles, the third part was a 'ghat-section' style of pathways winding around the top of the mountain and the fourth and final section was a steep climb along the mountain which involved climbing over rocks to reach the absolute summit. This is a picture of the first section of the climb, in rather extreme weather conditions. There was persistent rain through the entire duration of our trek that day, sometimes light but most of the times very heavy rains.



The leech infestation was present on this (starting stretch) part too, but it was bearable. If we stopped anywhere for pictures, 2-3 would climb on to the shoes. After the first hundred metres, we eventually got used to it and stopped fussing over them climbing on. They climbed onto the leech socks and we soon started flicking them off our clothes whenever we spotted any.



Crossing Bhadra river bridge inside the jungle entrance, in a misty setting



Soon, we entered the second part of the journey - the dense jungle section. The terrain changed to largely puddles and slush in the path with tons of dead leaves, reduced diffused sunlight permeating through the trees and in general a foggy and eerie feeling but it was mesmerizing at the same time, walking through an evergreen rainforest. The leech density in this section was extremely high - if we stopped walking for a second, there would be 8-10 climbing up both the legs. Even if we kept walking, there were leeches climbing on anyway. They were even falling off tree barks, tree leaves on the top on to our raincoat, getting into our clothing and attacking us on the face, neck and back wherever there was human skin. Eventually both of us got bitten in 6-8 places on the upper part of the body, and there was no way we could help it anyway. Part and parcel of the entire experience I guess!

Some pictures of the dense jungle sections, forming part 2 of our trail







We had to cross many beautiful streams such as these, inside the rainforest. They were fantastic to admire and just spend time there (if not for our main goal of reaching the top)





Soon it started raining heavily in bursts. We were halfway up anyway and with partial rain gear, there was no choice but to be humbled by the raw force of nature. We had to keep moving on despite the rain and ferocious leeches. If we covered ourselves with raincoats, leeches would settle inside and start biting. If we didn't cover ourselves with raincoats, the rain would drench us totally, soon we made peace with the fact that there was no defeating the devil or the deep blue sea , so we kept cracking jokes and marched on.

Inside the deepest parts of the rainforest leading to Kurinjal peak - it was so dark in some places that we needed a torch to find our way despite it being noon!







At a clearing after finishing the jungle section - completely drenched from head to toe, with rainwater and some blood, but smiling nonetheless for a wonderful experience in the raw jungle, lol!



The third section had around 2 kilometres of a 'ghat-section' pathway winding around the mountain, it wasn't very steep but it was very windy and misty, with cold and cloud-laden winds threatening to blow our heads off every now and then. This was supposed to be a wayside viewpoint by the way, but due to the extreme weather that day we just got a blanket of grey clouds in all directions.



The end of the 'ghat-section' part was at this now-abandoned wireless communication office of the erstwhile KIOCL (Iron ore mining company now defunct) before the era of mobiles and while Iron-ore mining was still in progress here in the 1970s upto the early 2000s.



The fourth and final section was the climb to the summit over large rocks, crevices and boulders. This turned out to be a challenge due to the rain, slippery moss on the rocks, leeches waiting to get onto the hands if we used rocks for support, and low visibility due to the rainy weather. We finally managed to reach the summit to catch this view.



Very disappointing after all the effort, considering this is what we should have actually been seeing from that point (pic from google just for reference)



Apparently this is the real mountain on a clear day (pic from google just for reference), Alas it was not our lucky day for views, nevertheless we had our own share of adventure with the extreme rainy weather and the blood-thirsty leeches.



Hope to return here in some other season to catch this magnificent set of views in fair weather too, to round off our experience!


Anyway, after a short break to hydrate ourselves and eating some dry fruits, we were hit by another spell of heavy rains so we decided to cut short the break and started our return journey. The guide took us through another route which encompassed some more dense jungle paths. The descent was a challenge due to the slippery terrain although it wasn't physically exerting (compared to the ascent). The rain was persistently heavy and the leech-infestation was extremely heavy as expected, out came the dettol spray bottles to handle the pesky ones we could locate and remove, stopping once every 100 metres to flick off the eager diners. The sunlight penetration was incredibly poor in some stretches, torches to the rescue.







By the time we finished the jungle stretch again, it had stopped raining and the skies started to brighten up while we made our way back to the start point, with a bit clearer weather than when we started. It was a long day and a fantastic trek, but an enjoyable one with all the sights and experiences on the way to the top. We will surely be back for the Kudremukh peak trek too, perhaps again in monsoon to re-live these moments all over again!





After we returned to the camp, freshened up and cleaned all our trekking gear of all the rain and leech mess through the day, the rest of the evening was rather uneventful and we just spent time chit-chatting and gorging on all the delicious food prepared by the JLR staff, until it was time to call it a day.

The next morning we were in for a surprise. We woke up to clear and sunny skies, what a total contrast from the heavy and persistently rainy previous day! The JLR staff arranged for a Jeep safari to drive up some nearby hillocks for us. This wasn't a wildlife safari as such, because wildlife here is very hard to spot with all the thick foliage. It was more to admire the landscapes and the green carpet mountains of the Shola forests of Kudremukh from a 4x4 trail leading up to the hill tops of some small hills near the JLR camp site.

Lovely landscape views of the shola forests of Kudremukh





Gangadikal peak as seen from the top of a hillock we were driven up to



The skeletal remains of a watch tower, perhaps half-blown away due to the strong winds

[KarthikK]

Monsoon Ride to Kudremukh national park (September 2023) continued ...

This "I Love XXXXXXX" template for photo-ops is getting a bit tiring now - so beaten up and abused in every destination, lol!



Close-up of Gangadikal peak (another mountain in Kudremukh region)



Panoramic views of the captivating and mesmerizing Shola green carpets of Kudremukh national park







Spending a few lazy moments amidst the grass and admiring the cool breeze atop the mountain









The JLR / Forest department MM540 which brought us up this trail



This trip was so enjoyable for all the raw moments with nature, and for savouring the simpler pleasures of trekking and hiking, all to admire some eye-candy sights of the wonderful world we live in!



Post the safari, we were back in the camp for a sumptuous breakfast at the cafeteria. The food at JLR Bhagavathi nature camp was simple, wholesome and delicious on all the three days we were at the camp.



It was a sunny morning, post-breakfast I put some riding gear out in the sun in the last few hours (at the camp) to get it to dry up from all the moisture and humidity of the last three days.



We headed to the faux Dawki-lake-river in the camp to catch some more sights of it before packing up and embarking on the return journey.







It was transparent as ever, in the still sections



So transparent, that I could spot some tiny Kudremukh Barbs in the water (that's the fish species name), endemic to these water bodies.



This bull was also basking in the sun and enjoying the relief from the last few rainy days



Soon it was time to check-out and depart for the return journey homewards, not without a goodbye picture though as usual.



My Z-Category security (leeches) around the bike parking had disappeared when the sun came out that morning . The pathway leading to the main road was now dry and the rain had cleared up. The Ninja on the way out on this trail - rider's view with the green mountains in the background



One last departing picture in front of JLR Bhagavathi nature camp - thanks for the wonderful experiences! Hope to be back soon for another trek sometime!



Taking a break with DAART's Ciaz and our Ninja from the return route via Kudremukh - Kalasa - Banakal stretch









Stopping at a popular viewpoint near Samse, which I have nicknamed as 'Sujai Point', discovered by CrAzY_dRiVeR during one of our 2018 monsoon rides.



Sujai point is a spot where a stream flows through a valley of tea estates, lovely for shooting pictures of vehicles if monsoon is in full bloom. Here is the original discoverer of the spot from Monsoon of 2018



After a quick lunch stop at Fresh bean cafe, Banakal, we continued our homeward journey to reach by nightfall.



This trip piled on 700 km to close the account for September for the Ninja.



Until my next trip report, that's all I had for now. Thanks for reading!

[DAART]

Beautiful travelogue and perfect account of our trip @KarthikK. We had an amazing time with you and Aparna. You guys are great company as always! The trip planning was spot on, and the lack of mobile network truly allowed us to disconnect and immerse ourselves in nature. Experiencing the rain up close and personal was truly magical. It brought us closer to nature and allowed us to appreciate its beauty in a whole new way. And, oh, the leeches! Our encounter with them was an unforgettable experience that we'll cherish forever.

While Karthik & Aparna went on their Kurinjal peak trek, my wife and I decided to stay back and rest in jungle lodge. It turned out to be a perfect digital detox for us. We spent our day with our own version of 'nature walk' within the property carefully navigating the leeches. We marveled at the formation and release of rain clouds from our room window. We were served delicious meals and hot tea and coffee which allowed us to simply relax and unwind in its true sense.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

[b][i]Monsoon Ride to Kudremukh national park
..
Until my next trip report, that's all I had for now. Thanks for reading!

Beautiful pictures Karthik! Amazing colours. Monsoons are always special in the western ghats!

[Shaileshkumar]

Wonderful write up . Planning a Kudremukh trek next week or so. Very helpful. Thanks

[abhi_tjet]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

[b][i]Monsoon Ride to Kudremukh national park…
…
Until my next trip report, that's all I had for now. Thanks for reading!

Beautiful captures Karthik!
Man, you and your never ending mini travelogues on the Ninja are such a delight to read always. Kudos to your better half as well for joining in most of them.

The property chosen is also very beautiful but rustic and raw at the same time, complimenting the weather perfectly. Happy touring and keep them coming.

[rawdeal]

The travelogue that keeps on giving

Karthik, do you get a sense of more intense vibration at higher speeds? Despite very flat patches of roads with no undulations, I have been feeling a sense of vibration when I've on occasion opened up the throttle beyond the mentioned speed.

Can't be certain if it was after the tyre change

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by ampere

Beautiful pictures Karthik! Amazing colours. Monsoons are always special in the western ghats!

Thanks a lot ampere! Indeed the colours are magical.

Originally Posted by Shaileshkumar

Wonderful write up . Planning a Kudremukh trek next week or so. Very helpful. Thanks

Thank you Shaileshkumar! Hope you have a wonderful trip and trek

Originally Posted by abhi_tjet

Beautiful captures Karthik!
Man, you and your never ending mini travelogues on the Ninja are such a delight to read always. Kudos to your better half as well for joining in most of them.

The property chosen is also very beautiful but rustic and raw at the same time, complimenting the weather perfectly. Happy touring and keep them coming.

Thanks a lot for the kind words abhi_tjet! Glad you enjoyed these mini travelogues

Originally Posted by rawdeal

The travelogue that keeps on giving

Karthik, do you get a sense of more intense vibration at higher speeds? Despite very flat patches of roads with no undulations, I have been feeling a sense of vibration when I've on occasion opened up the throttle beyond the mentioned speed.

Can't be certain if it was after the tyre change

Thanks a lot rawdeal!
No, I have not found any vibration at higher speeds like you mentioned. Do you mean vibrations related to the engine/exhaust which happen due to higher RPMs? Or do you mean the entire bike itself, which might be felt on the handlebars, etc?

If it is the former, can you try and replicate the same problem at lower speeds by using lower gears at those high RPMs? What happens if you clutch in while the problem is happening? Does it sudddenly disappear?

If you're sure this problem happened after the tyre change, then probably re-check the wheel balancing weights if you can visit a good service centre.

[KarthikK]

Secondary Helmet Upgrade - Shoei RF1200 / NXR / Z7 changed to Shoei RF1400 / NXR2 /Z8

This is just a minor update on procuring the replacement for the ageing but still-serving secondary helmet for the Ninja's trips - the Shoei RF1200 / NXR / Z7. The same model is called RF1200 in USA, NXR in the UK and EU, and Z7 in Asian countries. This compact helmet has been one of the lightest Snell approved helmets from the Shoei stable and it has been an absolute delight to use this helmet across varied conditions. It is so comfortable and silent that I used to even use it on the CB500X for longer multi-day trips too.

Speaking about the replacement choice, I anyway don't prefer helmets with an inner visor, because:
1 - I am not comfortable with the distortion introduced in my vision by the second layer of plastic (make that three if i choose to wear anti-glare glasses). I prefer a tinted outer visor instead of using an inner visor.
2 - The whole inner visor mechanism adds unnecessary weight and makes the helmet heavier when I anyway don't use the feature.

Fast forward to the present, I was looking for a capable replacement for this helmet because the RF1200 was nearing the 5-year mark. I zeroed in on the Arai Quantic and Shoei's own successor to the RF1200 - the RF1400! After going through many reviews, I finally opted for the lighter and more modern RF1400 (also called Z8 or NXR2 depending on where you buy the helmet) in a similar black and red paint scheme to the one I had.

This one is called Shoei RF1400 / NXR2 / Z8 Prologue. It comes in a few other colors as well, but I chose the red and black scheme.



A good friend of mine hand carried it from Japan, and it came at a mouth-watering price compared to the numbers these helmets command when bought locally from Indian importers



The outer helmet carrying bag looks exactly similar to my older RF1200's helmet bag



Old vs New - Shoei RF1200 on the left vs Shoei RF1400 on the right. Not getting into the technical nitty gritties or comparison aspects of either - there are tons of online resources for that anyway.



Side by side - the overall shape is very very similar on both models. Hoping this one will live up to the expectations set by the predecessor



The previous RF1200 itself was perhaps my favourite ever helmet - it was a benchmark (for me) in terms of silence at high speeds, all day touring comfort, ease of fitting comms unit and overall fit and finish. Hoping that its successor RF1400 will only up the game further from here and join the Arai RX7V for combined touring duties over the next five years. This is the side profile of the RF1400 / Z8. I got the dark smoke visor and pinlock along with the helmet.



Another angle of the two models - RF1200 on the left vs RF1400 on the right - both have a similar spoiler at the rear



The cushions feel very similar but slightly more plush than the older model. The chin curtain came separately in the box - yet to fit that on the helmet, will do it once I move the Sena 20S Evo clamp kit from the older Shoei helmet to this one



The rear has a bit more grey than red, but I would excuse that



This one now has a glossy finish compared to the old one's matt finish



That's all for now. Back to trip reports from my next update. Thanks for reading!