30000 clicks done.. looking forward to a whole lot more of everything we have done so far!

BHPian wolfy recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

30000 clicks on the odo now. After all these years and kms, I am more in awe of this green thing than I was on the day I rolled her out of the showroom floor.

I am in an age bracket which I think are the lucky generation that lived their childhood and beyond among motorcycles that just evoked emotion and passion, an age group that probably is the last generation who as adults could buy these fire breathing monsters and made memories on them.

Miss.Isle has, over the years, hung out with some awesome motorcycles. Some celeb status SBKs.

Some BIG bad ADVs that just dwarfed her in size!

Some of em rare imports from far far away

and they all hung out in places where their humans just stared and took it all in!

Funnily enough, I still think she is the best tool in my toolkit for spending a couple of days on the road! Since the last post full of pictures where we went from Bangalore to Malvan in Maharashtra, we did do a couple of tours and a few track days in between adding miles and smiles to our lives..

We did some mods too!
Some small mods:

and some, not so small:

Then we went all out and did some BIG mods too! Essentially scaring ourselves silly and giggling away with the end result!

Miss.Isle is no longer the shy girl next door.

30000clicks done.. looking forward to a whole lot more of everything we have done so far!

Cheers!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

We went to our usual spot near Nandi Hills and soon another friend of mine joined in on the action on his Triumph Street Triple 765 RS.

BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Photoshoot ride with KarthikK's Kawasaki ZX-10R

Feels like not too long ago (but actually it was a similar time last year) that we did a photoshoot ride to Markonahalli Hills for KarthikK's lime green Kawasaki Ninja 400.

From last year -

As many of you who follow his updates would know by now - the Ninja 400 ownership report never came out and the bike has been replaced by a proper liter class supersport - the Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Although it's been more than a month since the upgrade happened - we finally did a short photoshoot ride today to Nandi back hills, one of my usual spots. The place was not as usual today though - due to a lot of grass growth post the rains and some construction activity on the other side, but we made the best of the situation as much as we could.

Back for a photo shoot with the lime green monster-

"19-20 ka farak" - The 400 last year with the 10R this year.

Soon my friend joined with the Street Triple 765RS-

All three bikes together -

Two of your friendly neighbourhood mods -

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Ninja ZX-10R is powered by a screaming 998cc, inline 4-cylinder engine that makes 200 BHP and 114.9 Nm.

According to a media report, Kawasaki is likely to launch the latest iteration of the Ninja ZX-10R around this festive season.

The Ninja ZX-10R is available in 'Standard' and 'KRT' variants, with the latter featuring the striking Kawasaki Racing Team livery. The superbike is based around a twin-spar, cast aluminium frame, suspended by a fully-adjustable Showa USD fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear.

Powering the Ninja ZX-10R is a screaming 998cc, inline 4-cylinder engine paired with a 6-speed gearbox. The engine puts out 200 BHP and 114.9 Nm. An additional 10 BHP can be achieved courtesy of the ram air duct. 

The Ninja ZX-10R comes with features such as riding modes, traction control, engine brake control, and cruise control. The superbike is equipped with twin 330 mm discs at the front and a 220 mm disc at the rear, supported by ABS.

Source: Bikewale

Kawasaki could launch the 2024 ZX-10R in India by the end of this year.

Kawasaki has revealed the 2024 edition of its litre-class superbike, the Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR.

The 2024 Ninja ZX-10R comes in two colour schemes: Metallic Flat Spark Black with Ebony and Lime Green with Ebony, while the ZX-10RR is available in a single Lime Green with Ebony colour scheme.

Both the ZX-10R and its performance version - the ZX-10RR, carry forward the same 998cc, inline-4, liquid-cooled engine. However, the latter gets an Akrapovic exhaust, forged Marchesini wheels and a smoked windscreen.

In India, Kawasaki currently offers the ZX-10R, which could be replaced with the 2024 model by the end of this year. The ZX-10RR is unlikely to arrive at our shores.

Customers can return the bike within 12 months and get 50% of the down payment back.

Mumbai’s Anzen Kawasaki is offering a guaranteed buyback offer on the ZX-10R. As part of this limited-period offer, customers can return the bike within 12 months and get 50% of the down payment back.

The Kawasaki ZX-10R costs Rs 16.15 lakh (ex-showroom). The down payment is Rs 1,98,500, while the EMI works out to Rs 37,750 for 5 years. The dealer will bear the EMI and will refund 50% of the down payment if the bike is returned within 12 months.

That being said, the dealership has set a few conditions to avail of this offer. The bike shouldn’t have run more than 5,000 km and must be in “good condition”. It should be serviced regularly at an authorized Kawasaki dealer and should not be modified in any way, which would impact its warranty. Finally, the bike must be accident-free throughout its ownership.

Source: Autocar India

The latest iteration of the litre-class sportbike is Rs 15,000 costlier than the 2021 model.

Kawasaki has launched the 2022 Ninja ZX-10R in India. The latest iteration of the litre-class sportbike has been priced at Rs 15.14 lakh (ex-showroom). It is Rs 15,000 costlier than the 2021 model.

The 2022 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is available in two colours - Lime Green and Metallic Diablo Black. The deliveries are slated to commence from January next year.

Powering the Ninja ZX-10R is a 998cc, inline 4-cylinder engine that is capable of producing 200 BHP which is increased to 210 BHP with RAM Air. The motor features a DOHC setup, 16 valves, electronic throttle valves and makes 114.9 Nm of peak torque.

Some of the other features of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R include an aerodynamic design, integrated winglets in the upper cowl, TFT instrument cluster, electronic cruise control, Ohlins steering damper and Brembo brakes.

The motorcycle offers smartphone connectivity via Kawasaki's Rideology app. It also has traction control, launch control, power modes, riding modes and engine brake control.

I had done about 300kms on day 1 of ownership. My lower back hurt so did my neck, but I had an un-wipable grin.

BHPian wolfy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

WHEN DO DREAMS EXPIRE?

Dreams.

An interesting topic. All of us dream when we sleep, well, I guess most of us do. And some of us dream when we are most wide awake, defining what we think and do every moment of our days.

One of my dreams dates back to way back when. A short, curly-haired schoolboy in the early ’90s. My school bag covered my shorts, a lunch basket in one hand, a football in another. I used to take the school’s back gate on the way back home just to get a glimpse of a fancy Green Superbike parked inside a house. Every day I used to be excited to see that bike. Then one fine day, I did not. and that made me sad. I guess the owner moved out. Who knows!

A few years later, all of us kids were loaded up in the back seat of Pappa’s Fiat. Amma is in the front seat, listening to some old Hindi songs. We were driving down Bangalore’s famous Brigade road when I saw a Blue Superbike parked on the side. It’s a long-haired owner sitting on the bike speaking to a friend. Amma asked me to tell him that it’s a nice bike, so I put my head out, gathered the courage and screamed!!

“NICE BIKE!!”

I remember the guy smiling and saying “Thank you!” when Pappa drove off.

A few more years later, now a pimple-faced teenager in Pre Uni, my brother’s friend had imported a Honda CBR 600 F4i. The year was 1999 (22 years ago!). I had gone with my brother to have a look at this fancy new bike. It had come in a box. from Dubai! Black in colour with a splash of orange. My jaw dropped. I ended up writing a letter to myself, mentioning how I had fallen in love with this new “babe” in town. ha! Teenage! This friend ended up dropping me to my tuition class once on that bike and then a few years later insisted I ride that bike around the block too. Those two events happened a few years apart.

I remember every superbike I ever encountered in my life. The ones that blew past me when I was riding my Royal Enfield. The ones that came into the same garage where I took my RD350. The ones that were parked outside coffee shops on weekends. Every single moment reminded me of the schoolboy staring at the green bike parked inside that house.

These bikes were SO out of reach, that it didn’t make any sense to aspire. But dreams are strange.

In November 2013, Triumph made an entry to India. Of course, I went to the showroom to see the British beauties. And there she was. My new obsession.

Now an earning adult. 30 years old. Married. I could afford it if I wanted to (Bank loan and all) but, priorities. So the next few years, this was the target. A seemingly achievable dream. A superbike of my own. I sat on my hands and continued finding excuses as to why I should wait. I gifted myself a test ride of this bike for one of my birthdays. The dream was almost real. Almost.

In 2015, I decided that the financial burden of a new Triumph Daytona was not something I was ready for. I was sitting on my hands for way too long. So the Ninja 650 came in to my life. Life was good. I loved that bike and used her every day. But I still wanted a Daytona. So 2 years later after about 20000kms on this Ninja, I sold her to a friend. I had to save and buy the Daytona. I was getting too old for riding a super committed Motorcycle and it was about damn time! And then, Triumph decided to pull the plug on the Daytonas. Yeah, Life is like that.

So here I was, No Ninja, No Daytona. But I had some money, so I hoped, that one day, the Daytonas will be back and I will be ready.

2 years went by, that money was spent and I started saving again. Time was ticking.

Fast forward... 36 years old. The last two years were spent thinking and overthinking about what next. I had a few friends I would call when on my way to work and just have these long conversations about what I would buy next. “Maybe I should forget about the superbike and just buy a tourer dude!” “Maybe the 790 Duke, it’s going to come right?” “How about a used superbike da? But the way these fools rev at standstill, fried valves. No?” I was beginning to lose it.

One evening, speaking to a friend on my drive back, we were speaking about a new bike that was open for Pre-launch booking. It was a motorcycle I had put on my list but in the back of my mind had thought I’d never buy because of the price. Then while speaking to this friend, while he was egging me on to “Jesssst book it man!”, the same bike from a previous model year, went past me. Was it a sign?

I slept very little that night. I had to take my hands off from under me. It was finally time to take some action.

The next day, I made a few calls, asked about their cancellation policy (because I had no clue how much the final on-road price would be and if I could afford it), was reassured that there was no charge if I cancel within 10 days of the launch and I made the booking. Just like that. I hadn’t sat on one, let alone ride one to know if this bike even fit me. It fit right in these past decades of dreaming, so reality should be close, right?

Then it began. A month of overthinking. How the… what the… why the... I played and replayed all the scenarios. Here, I must say, I am super blessed to have a very supportive wife. Frankly, I know she thinks I am a fool (I am), but she is fine with it. On more than one occasion, she has pushed me to “Jessst do it!” and I am thankful. This time was no different. She thought of me as a fool, was fine with it and said “do it!”

On June 8th 2019. Probably 25+ years from the time that a schoolboy started a dream of owning a Superbike, a dream came true.

I finally, finally bought a Green Superbike. 2019/20 Model year Kawasaki ZX10R.

So, when do dreams expire? My decades-old dream didn’t. For decades, I kept it alive. Dreams expire when you stop dreaming.

Don’t!

Day 1 and Initial Impressions!

June 8th 2019

Scheduled delivery day. I obviously had no sleep the previous month. My excitement had rubbed onto my little daughter and wife. My brother and his son picked us up, and off we went to Kawasaki. A friend joined in for the event.

The delivery experience was smooth. I had to sign a few documents, the bike was kept ready under covers, a cake was arranged, the electronics were explained and off I went, followed by my fan club of little munchkins in the car.

And immediately, I was in traffic.

I had mentally prepared myself for this though. This litre bike was destined to live here. So, like the humans who live here, she can choose to moan, or just get used to it. So we sat there, being stared at by other motorists.

Flash news: my zx10r is the first zx10r I have ever sat on. Ever. But it wasn’t my first bike, naturally. It wasn’t the first-litre bike I have ever ridden either. Back in 2007, I had ridden a 2003 Yamaha R1, in Thailand. My brother and I had rented 2 polar opposite motorcycles to ride around in Thailand. A Suzuki intruder 1800 and a Yamaha R1. That was some experience. In 2018, I had the opportunity to ride the 2018 BMW S1000rr around a race track for 5 sessions. Phew! Talk about getting hooked! Now I had my own. She was going to be touring and heading to the track. She wasn’t going to be commuting to the office though. Would definitely be needing a commuter bike in the garage. More on that later.

So the first stop was the fuel bunk. Filled her up and waited for the car to catch up. Had two, young enthusiastic boys with cameras, requesting me if they could photograph the bike. I better start getting used to this, I thought.

Once my fan club in the car arrived, we headed home!

Pappa’s first reaction was “Looks like your 250.” Hmm, she is a compact motorcycle, that’s for sure. It’s tightly put together. Unlike my 250, this one announces her arrival, both in colour and sound. Less Ninja-like.

The next morning, brother, friend and I took off for a breakfast ride. Put her on Low power mode, traction control in the mid setting, my rain gear and some random TShirts in a Kreiga (don’t ask me why. Ok I’ll tell you why. I wanted to test the Kreiga tail bag on this bike. And I’m crazy. The test was positive though.) and we were off. I was finally giving her some room to breathe free. Left the traction control on the mid setting, since it apparently doesn’t allow the front wheel to lift. Switched from Low power to Mid and then Full. The Low power mode is 70percent of the power. That’s about 140horses. I was comfortable with the power in all modes though. Errr because I didn’t really cross 7k rpm.

Prior to picking up the 10, I had spent months, watching every single video on the tube, including those from Thailand, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Ulambator, Tonga islands etc. Many of those videos complained that the zx10r is a little baby below 8k rpm. Maybe these guys live on the race track. Or have villas by the autobahn. The zx10r does 150kmph on the top gear at 7k rpm. That’s barely awake for the bike. BUT, that’s already way too fast relatively speaking. Relative to everything else on the road.

She isn’t growling and yanking her chain from 2k rpm and (as I learnt eventually) becomes this big beast with purple eyes, breathing fire and spitting venom after 8k rpm. This is, in my view, a good thing. She is rideable when you want to chill and ride sedately. Very very friendly if you treat her well.

I had done about 300kms on day 1 of ownership. My lower back hurt, my neck hurt but I had an un-wipable grin. I needed to get fitter. And spend more time on the seat.

So mid-week, I took off alone to a close-by hill. Some twisties. But there was too much traffic and my fun was restricted. Funny changing times. On a weekday, at 6 am, the place was full of self-drive rental cars with noob drivers and young college kids doing a photo shoot. Decided to just head back home. Nevertheless, that un-wipable grin was back. The back pain, not so much.

The following weekend, a friend and I took off again. This time the target was to do 400kms. Charted out a small route and left home really early. But my friend had forgotten his wallet at home and we ended up leaving the city at 5 am. It was a fantastic ride. Some beautiful roads and the 10 was getting more and more comfortable for me.

The 10 was surprising me with her mileage. I was getting 17-19kmpl depending on how much throttle I was using. And how I was using that throttle. With a 17ltr tank, I was looking at a fuel range of about 230-250kms. Not bad at all. While the range wasn’t a problem, the quality of fuel was. She was picky about her go-go juice.

Post this ride, I was about 240kms from the first service. Completed that the following weekend on a solo morning run. The body pain was diminishing. That un-wipable grin though...

Belly full of fresh oil, a new radiator guard later, it was time for a trip.. will cover that in the next post though.

We were bonding big time. I name all my bikes, this one was no different. After every ride on the 10, I kept saying ‘bloody missile!’ and then on the way back from my solo ride, It dawned on me. “I’m gonna take care of you, Miss.Isle!”

TLDR. Bought 10r, completed 1000kms in 2 weeks, service done, super happy, named 10r Miss.Isle, going for a trip next.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

They are proposing to make an agreement on stamp paper detailing all the liabilities / responsibilities.

BHPian kryogesh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Over the last many years I’ve been using 600cc bikes and now want to upgrade to litre class. My liking has always been over the ZX10R. When I almost decided to buy the honeycomb edition, I learnt that 2021 would bring in an updated ZX10R. I waited and I was thoroughly disappointed with its rather ugly face and not to forget the lame TFT screen. Other useful updates on the bike didn’t impress me enough to ignore it’s face!

Now, after lot of deliberation, I’m thinking of buying a used honeycomb edition. There are a few in the market with few 000’s on the odo, albeit a bit steeply priced. Many of these are registered in HR, WB, HP.

Dealers/ individuals are suggesting not to register in Karnataka (where I belong) to avoid re-registration charges. They are proposing to make an agreement on stamp paper detailing all the liabilities / responsibilities. All though no one is insisting on this, and are ready to provide NOC.

My questions

Option 1: retain the existing number (say WB registration)

1. Does retaining old registration make sense? What risks am I looking at?

2. Do I then need to get some address in WB for ownership transfer?

3. In this case, NOC isn’t needed I suppose. So if the previous owner has done some offence, will I be impacted?

4. Any hassles related to insurance renewal and claims?

5. Will I not find it difficult in case I decide to sell the bike in the future?

Option 2: re-registering in KA

1. When I transfer to KA, I assume I pay ~20% tax. Will I get back (part or full) tax from the state where the bike is currently registered? How difficult is the process?

2. On what value will the tax be calculated? Based on the ex-showroom price of the bike in 2020?

3. Will the “number of owners” be 1 or +1 over the previous value?

4. Will I be able to choose a fancy number?

These are the questions that I have. Please add any additional relevant info regarding the same. Appreciate your advice in this.

Here's what BHPian Shubhendra had to say on the matter:

Would not suggest not registering. In case of accident/theft, things will go haywire.

Option 1:

1. There are 2 ways:

• papers remain on original owner's name:
• Bike gets transferred to your name in WB address

2. Yes

3. NOC is needed in case of change in RTO within state. If its within same RTO, then also they check outstanding fines/cases etc. Remember data is online and accessible to them now.

4. No until something happens to the bike.

5. Yes, its going to be difficult to provide NOC to new buyer sitting remotely.

Option 2:

1. Yes, you get existing tax paid. Agent should be able to manage it.

2. Yes with depreciation of one year.

3. Yes, it will be 1+1.

4. Yes. you have 2 options. Either to retain WB number or to opt for a new number

I would suggest to get the NOC and get it registered to KA for peace of mind.

Here's what BHPian neil.jericho had to say on the matter:

Option 1

Shubhendra has answered these well. I will only reply to the last question. Years from now, being in Bangalore, you will find it much easier to sell a KA registered ZX10R than a WB registered ZX10R.

Option 2:

Questions 1 and 2 - You will have to pay the road tax for the years remaining on the RC. So if it is 5 year old bike and the fitness certificate is valid for 15 years, you will have to pay the road tax for 15 - 5 = 10 years on the invoice price of the bike. Once you get the payment formalities completed in your Karnataka RTO, you (or an agent) will have to approach the original RTO, submit these documents and claim a refund for the remaining 15 - 5 = 10 years of the road tax paid while purchasing the bike. Be prepared to wait and chase these agents.

Now coming to the crux of your post. There are so many KA registered ZX10R bikes. Since you seem to be part of the riding community and own a 600cc bike, just ask around in your riding circles and garages etc to find a KA registered 10R in decent condition. By the time you pay the road tax for Karnataka, any financial benefits of buying an out of state bike will be easily nullified. And you arent looking at a super exotic litre class bike. The ZX10R is a great bike that has sold so well.

Overall, there really is no compelling reason to consider an out of state ZX10R in Karnataka.

Here's what BHPian hserus had to say on the matter:

Agreement on stamp paper and all are entirely waste as in the Supreme Court has decided if your name is on the RC, you are liable for any hit and run or other accident that any future owner carries out if he hasn't bothered to transfer to his name.

Out of state superbikes are Bangalore cop magnets even if you pay local road tax. Change to a KA number when you register the bike.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The K-Care package includes extended warranty and AMC.

Kawasaki has introduced a new K-Care service package for the 2021 Ninja ZX-10R.

The K-Care package includes an Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC). It offers 8 preventive services including oil and oil filter change, brake calliper cleaning, wheel bearing check, washing, etc. over a period of 4 years.

The Ninja ZX-10R comes with a standard warranty of 2 years / 30,000 km. By opting for the K-Care package customers get an extended warranty of up to 4 years / 50,000 km. The extended warranty is transferable.

While the extended warranty and AMC can be purchased as part of the service package, Kawasaki is offering them as separate packages as well.

The K-Care package costs Rs. 73,263. Customers can purchase an extended warranty separately at Rs. 53,065, while the cost of the AMC is Rs. 47,461.

The ZX-10R gets a revised chassis among a host of other updates for the 2021 model year,

Kawasaki has launched the 2021 Ninja ZX-10R in India. The superbike is priced at Rs. 14.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

The ZX-10R gets a revised chassis for the 2021 model year. The swingarm pivot point has been lowered by 1 mm and the swingarm itself is 8 mm longer. These modifications are said to improve handling and cornering performance of the bike.

The bike gets redesigned bodywork, which is claimed to increase downforce and reduce drag. It also has a taller windscreen and twin LED headlights.

The ZX-10R is powered by a 998cc, liquid-cooled, 4-cylinder engine that produces 200 BHP @ 13,200 rpm and 115 Nm @ 11,400 rpm. The engine features redesigned intake ports and valvetrain, titanium intake and exhaust valves and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) coating on finger-followers.

The ZX-10R is fitted with a Showa Balance Free fork at the front and a monoshock at the rear. It also gets an electronic Ohlins steering damper and a quick-shifter. Other features include traction control with 5 settings, cornering ABS, launch control, 3 power modes, engine braking control, Bosch six-axis IMU, Kawasaki Cornering Management Function (KCMF), Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), 4.3-inch digital instrument cluster with Bluetooth connectivity and Rideology App support.