[Axe77]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

I had registered for a test ride on Kawasaki India website and got an email from them with the contact details of the sales person, so I called that number to check the availability of test rides.

Ninja 1000SX is a CKD so it's readily available and they also have a test ride bike. So visited the showroom and took a good long test ride (in the city, not on highway).

Thanks for that lovely test ride report. It’s virtually impossible to get a meaningful test ride here in Mumbai. Can you please share by DM or otherwise the details of the sales person you connected with for a test ride of the N 1000?

How many kms approx did they allow you to ride it (important to know since I’ll make a trip from Mumbai for this if I do, combining with other work of course). I assume this is from the Wakadewadi showroom so old Bbay Pune highway is actually quite a nice stretch to ride on even though its no highway.

Thanks in advance.

[niranjanrvce]

What a supremely detailed writeup Karthik!

The Ninja1000 is such a well balanced do-it-all bike that I ended up buying one last year after riding a friend's bike to Goa and back. Covid has kept the mileage low so far but I am hoping to make up for it the coming months too.

Couldn't agree more on Kawasaki service being a top notch experience now. I was pleasantly surprised when they let me stand next to the bike for the whole service - polar opposite of Triumph SVC.

Wishing you many happy miles!

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

P.S - If you are approaching tyre change in a few months, better get a good replacement set and stash it away. Don't make the mistake I made, the situation seems to be getting worse, and there is no end in sight for some more months.

Splendid move to buy and stock tyres in time. With the tyre ban, there is pretty much no stock available for a reasonable price.

If you don't mind sharing, what's the contact for your vendor? And would he have any stock for a Ninja 1000? Asking for a bhpian friend who owns the same version as yours.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by Axe77

How many kms approx did they allow you to ride it (important to know since I’ll make a trip from Mumbai for this if I do, combining with other work of course). I assume this is from the Wakadewadi showroom so old Bbay Pune highway is actually quite a nice stretch to ride on even though its no highway.

Thanks in advance.

Mine was around the showroom in Kalyani Nagar but I did multiple rounds in the lanes, tried many U turns, etc and then asked the sales guy to take me around as pillion to check the comfort as well as the quick shifter (which I didn't try myself as I was very new to it back then). But they were ok for an even longer, 2nd ride. So you can tell them you are coming all the way from Mumbai and they should give you a longer ride. Also, now the showroom is at Wakdewadi so access to highway is much easier.

Will DM you the number.
Cheers!

[Herschey]

That splendid looking machine dressed in black with the rider to match it every bit, it all so wonderfully reminds me of a television series I used to love watching during my childhood, 'The Man... The Machine...STREET HAWK'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c_-KvMTOOc

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

What a supremely detailed writeup Karthik!

The Ninja1000 is such a well balanced do-it-all bike that I ended up buying one last year after riding a friend's bike to Goa and back. Covid has kept the mileage low so far but I am hoping to make up for it the coming months too.

Couldn't agree more on Kawasaki service being a top notch experience now. I was pleasantly surprised when they let me stand next to the bike for the whole service - polar opposite of Triumph SVC.

Wishing you many happy miles!

Thanks a lot for your kind words niranjanrvce, and long time no see . Indeed it is a very balanced bike and helps to tick many boxes despite retaining the practicality factor

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Splendid move to buy and stock tyres in time. With the tyre ban, there is pretty much no stock available for a reasonable price.

If you don't mind sharing, what's the contact for your vendor? And would he have any stock for a Ninja 1000? Asking for a bhpian friend who owns the same version as yours.

You're right, the shortage issue is aggravating now, and the prices are getting inflated. I got mine for under 40k a set, and today just 7 months later the same thing is selling for around 46-47k! A friend was joking that tyres are a better investment option today than mutual funds, lol!

I picked up my tyres from a person called Vikram Simha, who runs a bike accessories venture called Moto Car't. His number is +91-9886478963.

There is another dealer here in Bangalore called Torque Block who also stocks big bike tyres in many sizes. Their number is +91-6366069666

Both of them are popular options in Bangalore I guess, a lot of friends in biker circles have procured their tyres from these two.

Originally Posted by Herschey

That splendid looking machine dressed in black with the rider to match it every bit, it all so wonderfully reminds me of a television series I used to love watching during my childhood, 'The Man... The Machine...STREET HAWK'.

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=6c_-KvMTOOc

Thanks for the kind words, brought back a lot of childhood memories Around the same time as this one, I remember another series on a talking car called Knight Rider, even that was very nice.

[Herschey]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Thanks for the kind words, brought back a lot of childhood memories Around the same time as this one, I remember another series on a talking car called Knight Rider, even that was very nice.

Oh Yes! That talking car was such fun, especially after looking at Bond's car in the movie 'Goldfinger'. The series 'Knight Rider' was also recently aired on 'Tata Sky Hits' channel on Tata Sky.

[aneesh2M]

Hi, K1000 is one of the best bike to own and I am looking to pick one up by the end of this year. I was just looking at a good offer to come up from a dealer from my city (and of course for these lock down restrictions to ease as no point in spending for bike and keeping it idle in parking). I can get a good deal from a dealer but the bike he is offering is sitting on showroom floor for 5+ months, I am absolutely paranoid on getting a bike sitting in the showroom though it’s still in factory mode and no battery connected but as visitors freely sits on it and fiddle with it is making me nervous. What do you think guys is it ok to get such a bike or I should insist the dealer to order one for me from factory? (mods please redirect the query if found irrelevant to this post)

[EshanS]

Originally Posted by aneesh2M

Hi, K1000 is one of the best bike to own and I am looking to pick one up by the end of this year. I was just looking at a good offer to come up from a dealer from my city (and of course for these lock down restrictions to ease as no point in spending for bike and keeping it idle in parking). I can get a good deal from a dealer but the bike he is offering is sitting on showroom floor for 5+ months, I am absolutely paranoid on getting a bike sitting in the showroom though it’s still in factory mode and no battery connected but as visitors freely sits on it and fiddle with it is making me nervous. What do you think guys is it ok to get such a bike or I should insist the dealer to order one for me from factory? (mods please redirect the query if found irrelevant to this post)

I tried doing the same with the KP Kawasaki (Now Wakdewadi) for the N650 which was in the showroom from Apr to Nov, they didn't order a new one. This specific black was way dusty and already with belt scratches.

However, later on I dropped the idea of owning one and went back to buying another Duke 390. But I still remember this particular Black N650 was there for months with a huge tyre sag on the left side as it was on the side stand all the time.

[aneesh2M]

Originally Posted by EshanS

I tried doing the same with the KP Kawasaki (Now Wakdewadi) for the N650 which was in the showroom from Apr to Nov, they didn't order a new one. This specific black was way dusty and already with belt scratches.

However, later on I dropped the idea of owning one and went back to buying another Duke 390. But I still remember this particular Black N650 was there for months with a huge tyre sag on the left side as it was on the side stand all the time.

exactly where i am stuck right now. though they have moved to new showroom now and bikes standing there are much more taken care for then earlier showroom, i still have a doubt. lets see how it goes forward as i haven reconnected with the dealer since last month.

[aditya.kapur]

Hi KarthikK, Sorry for hijacking your thread. It was your review that motivated me to go for Ninja 1000. Extremely crisp and detailed review with great writing style as well!

Mods please merge/change with another thread if necessary.

I’m from Chandigarh and was looking to buy a Ninja 1000, couldn’t find a used one anywhere near. Finally found one in Kolkata on Olx - http://www.olx.in/item/kawasaki-ninj...iid-1619777639. Getting it at 8 Lacs and the condition seems mint. Done 850kms.

I want to get it transferred and registered in Chandigarh. Had a talk with the owner and everything was discussed, now when I asked him about the Road Tax Refund from Kolkata RTO, he said he won’t be able to help me in that as he doesn’t want to get into that hassle.

According to my knowledge one gets a Road tax refund from the RTO after it has been registered in the other state, will the refund cheque be generated in my name or the original owners name moreover how much time would it take and is the hassle worth it?

Saving quite a significant amount if the refund happens. If anyone from Kolkata can guide/help, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by aditya.kapur

Hi KarthikK, Sorry for hijacking your thread. It was your review that motivated me to go for Ninja 1000. Extremely crisp and detailed review with great writing style as well!

Thank you for your kind words aditya.kapur, glad to hear the thread helped you

I’m from Chandigarh and was looking to buy a Ninja 1000, couldn’t find a used one anywhere near. Finally found one in Kolkata on Olx - http://www.olx.in/item/kawasaki-ninj...iid-1619777639. Getting it at 8 Lacs and the condition seems mint. Done 850kms.

I want to get it transferred and registered in Chandigarh. Had a talk with the owner and everything was discussed, now when I asked him about the Road Tax Refund from Kolkata RTO, he said he won’t be able to help me in that as he doesn’t want to get into that hassle.

According to my knowledge one gets a Road tax refund from the RTO after it has been registered in the other state, will the refund cheque be generated in my name or the original owners name moreover how much time would it take and is the hassle worth it?

Saving quite a significant amount if the refund happens. If anyone from Kolkata can guide/help, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

As far as I am aware, trying to procure an out-of-state vehicle and getting an interstate transfer done (with new state road tax paid on prorata basis and registration + old state road tax refund) is a long drawn and futile exercise, sometimes the refund will never come too. It is also incredibly difficult to get this done properly even with the help of touts and bribes.

I would suggest you to stick to something from your own home state for ease of ownership transfer, or at least stick to some neighbouring states (HR or DL maybe?) so that if you need to visit the registration RTO in person many times, at least it won’t be a hassle to travel up and down.

[KarthikK]

Weekend Ride to Strelitzia Paradise Villa, Aldur (off Chikmagalur)

It had been a while since we had done a weekend overnight trip on the Ninja for a while now, after travel plans restarted. While the other vehicles at home have been getting their share of exercise over the past few weekends, it was the Ninja's turn this time around. Continuing with the trend, apart from breakfast rides which are insignificant, I shall add overnight trip reports and higher distance trip reports as posts on this thread instead of creating travelogues for every trip.

Since my better half and I are on the road almost every or at least every alternate weekend with some vehicle or other, we are constantly on the lookout for new properties or BnBs to try out and experience, across both ends of the budget spectrum. This time we wanted to try out something different from the usual run-of-the-mill homestays, and so my better half was looking up recently launched properties (she is usually the one who does the pre-trip research work and bookings, while I do most of the post-trip book-keeping)

While scouting google maps, she bumped into a new luxury homestay property listing called Strelitzia Paradise Villa. It is started and run by a passionate coffee planter family who tried creating a new luxury homestay concept, almost competing with star resorts on the amenities and service levels fronts, yet offering the exclusivity and foliage levels of an estate homestay. Their USP - they ensure exclusivity and as a policy do not mix unrelated guest groups. That means although they have 3 rooms and could host 6+ people, we were just 1 couple, but the property would still be exclusive to just us, and no other (unrelated) guests would be taken in on those dates. We loved the idea of having the entire place to ourselves in these times, and decided to book the place for a long weekend here.

After a tankful of IOC's XP100, the missile was ready to hit the tarmac and we departed early by around 5 AM. The plan was to avoid the usual run-of-the-mill breakfast eateries on the Bangalore-Hassan expressway (been going there way too frequently nowadays + too much crowd) and cross Hassan to stop at Hoysala Village Resort for a change, on the Hassan - Belur road.

Taking a breather after entering Nelamangala - Hassan expressway toll



Stopping for a quick chai break somewhere before Channarayapatna





Stopping at Hoysala Village Resort, Hassan



The cons of riding gear , a table for 4 is needed for 2



Although they call the breakfast spread as a buffet, they had a unique breakfast menu of local delicacies from around the region, served on a banana leaf the traditional way. Of course there was also a live counter for additional requests. It was a good change from the usual idli-vada-dosa breakfast at the usual highway eateries



It was a warm September morning and the sun was fully up in the sky by the time we finished breakfast and left from Hoysala resort. There were no rains at all anywhere on the way, in fact there were not even any clouds in the sky! Curtains down on 2021 Southwest monsoons in the Malnad region I guess, lol!

Sunny day as we enter coffee territory!



Our destination was beyond Chikmagalur and we could either take the Chikmagalur - Aldur road or the Belur - Aldur road to reach here. I opted for the former and regretted, quite a few muddy patches between Chikmagalur and Aldur due to road repair work on that highway, hopefully should be done in a few weeks time.

Beautiful narrow and picturesque roads as we approached Aldur



We reached the property by 11 AM. Since we were the only ones in the property that day, they had no issues with early check-in too.

After entering the property from the main road, there was a 100 metre offroad track to reach the villa. Nothing overly difficult, but the soil can be slippery if it is wet and it is important to just keep a bit of momentum in such terrain, especially with tyres like those on sportbikes which are tricky on wet soil, and chug along steadily at a low pace.



Reaching the main villa inside the plantation and parking the bike



There was no dedicated parking space as such since the property is still being developed, so parking was right in front of the villa itself. Since no one else was around, the vehicle was quite safe



Since the plan for this weekend was just to relax and do nothing at all, we just spent the rest of the day lazing around in the property and shooting some timepass snaps in and around the villas.

Passage leading to the rooms



Our villa was a 2 room-unit, with the main bedroom on the ground floor







All nitty gritties of the interiors and decor were very tastefully put together to gel well with the overall theme.





All our riding gear was comfortably accommodated and stashed away in the luggage area for the next 2 days, lol!



The flight of wooden steps led to a loft above our room



That loft had another queen bed here, not useful for us but maybe it would make sense for families with kids. It did have a great view from the windows though.



Even the bathrooms were large, airy, had a high ceiling and were equipped with a couple jacuzzi, plus a sauna and a separate shower cubicle







Common corridor area where we could just chill



After a welcome drink and a subsequent early lunch spread, we spent the early afternoon just lazing around the villa and in the front porch and lawn

Lunch spread



The main villa viewed from the garden



A small amphitheatre type setup in the garden





I was wondering what is the meaning of Strelitzia, the name of this property. I googled and found out it is the name of the plant/flower called 'Bird of Paradise' which is quite a common decorative flower used by florists. That plant grows aplenty here, and hence the name.



Lazing around in the garden

[KarthikK]

Weekend Ride to Strelitzia Paradise Villa, Aldur (off Chikmagalur) (continued...)

Since we didn't really go sightseeing anywhere and spent the entire long weekend lazing around, I'll just spam a few more images from within the property and end the mini travelogue

Garden space





The main villa where the rooms were located



Lots of these plants from hanging pots adorned the property



Passage leading to the dining area



They had a dining area designed for a small group







Dining table with a view



A somewhat different looking wash basin at the dining area



The food was exemplary and almost everything they served us was lip smackingly delicious. My only regret - I had only 1 stomach, lol!





The black missile getting some rest before the return journey



Good move to counter the cold weather, the location was quite cold especially in the nights



Getting fully fed-up with great food and great coffee, quite literally



The monsoons have recharged the green in these areas





Morning dew build up on the Ninja



Hiking trails through the surrounding coffee plantations



Some of the best vacations are those spent doing nothing



The sun created some magical twilight moments in the evenings, my better half was jokingly referring to this as 'Southern Lights'



Some random sights at night time







And how can the Ninja not be a subject during a trip?





On Day 3, it was time to bid adieu and head back to the concrete jungle after the lovely and short holiday



The return journey was largely uneventful and we didn't make any stops barring one quick break at CCD Kunigal.



After departing Strelitzia by 12 noon we made it home by 5pm. A good ~600 km weekend trip



The bike was quite dirty, so I headed to my friendly neighbourhood detailer, CarzSpa in HSR layout, to give the Ninja a quick wash and wax session before the next trip.



There should be another couple of trips happening with the Ninja in the next month or so. Until then, ciao! Thanks for reading!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Their USP - they ensure exclusivity and as a policy do not mix unrelated guest groups.

With the darn virus still around and far from going away, this is a good thing. This means you're in your own bubble and even if there is someone else tagging along with you, you stay within your bubble. If the guest was another party, that bubble is broken which adds risk.

Beautiful property.