Bit by the Bike Bug (again)

TLDR : I have booked the above bike, A Duke Adventure 390. Yes, at this age going to ride a bike which is typically a bike the post teen’s ride. How I convinced wifey - if not now when will I dance? Works all the time :) 

Sometime in September Honda Highness was launched. I am a fan of Honda. I started reading and watching reviews in YouTube. Now that’s a good bike. No vibrations at 80+, a good looking bike nevertheless and is going to challenge the current King of the market - Royal Enfield.

I love the looks of this chrome laden bikes which look like what the Terminator robot rode years ago. The Honda had the same retro look.  But it was not chrome - its plastic. Now that’s a bummer. Also Highness is being launched by Honda as a new brand - with brand new showrooms and service centre’s etc. and there are no showrooms nearby - I have to go to Bangalore for this ( I live in Whitefield ). Anyway didn’t bother 

There are some movie shots that are still etched in my memory - just like I saw it yesterday. The scene where Arnold Schwarzenegger gets on the bike he stole from the thug who played billiards and attacked him. 

The closest that came to this look was the Thunderbird. I had it since 2014 and loved the riding posture and the feeling only a bullet can give. It was always a love hate relationship. There are lot of niggles and I will keep getting angry with the bike. But when I ride the Thunderbird all the frustrations will be forgotten and forgiven. 

I don’t know who this guy is. Snapped this photo on a wall to wall poster in the bike workshop in Mumbai. 

The recent niggle was the key got stuck in the Petrol tank lock. It used to give trouble but somehow I will wiggle it out. This time it refused to come out. It was a frustrating moment. Then I had to get help of the petrol shop guy, he put oil and somehow wiggled it out. God bless him.

That is just one instance. 

Yes it is old. Perhaps it is rusting. The tank lock, bike lock and key were changed just 2 years back. It was done in an authorised service center. 

And then the answer came in the form of Meteor. RE opened an office / test track in UK, close to Triumph - so the Triumph engineers could easily switch to RE without moving their pots and pans and changing children’s school.

RE says this one is built with the latest technologies and they had quietened the vibrations. 

Both Meteor and Highness had good feature set. Meteor had the navigation display which is super cool. 

I started following reviews of Meteor. Now this is a winner in the hands of RE. Absolutely no vibrations at 80-90 and has ABS, Tubeless tyres. Wow. I was tempted. 

It was 2 weeks back. San had got out of quarantine after her trip and was ready for riding her FLG. The bike refused to start. It does not have a kick start - so one of us has to push, on 1st gear and the rider has to release the clutch after the bike picks up some momentum. The bike will start. 

San was very frustrated - we had serviced it from the local AECS Layout mechanic a couple of months back and was working fine till suddenly the battery stopped cooperating.

We went to checkout the Meteor one Sunday evening. 

The bike was still tall. The shop guy told just a day back an Avenger lady had come and tried this bike. It was taller. San wasn’t happy. She said I will fix my FLG and ride it. She did not like the ergonomics. And she couldn’t flat foot. She could have managed if she wears her riding boots, but it is not practical for the AECS layout shopping trips.

Monday morning we went to the Bajaj service center and dropped the bike for service. We changed the battery and signed up for the yearly AMC - so we will keep the bike in prim shape. Return we stopped at the Showroom. KTM is adjacent to the Bajaj Showroom and checked out the bikes. I had a meeting so did not take the test ride.

Between the time Honda Highness had launched and till now - I have been reading and watching lot of bike related stuff. I had made a mental model of the what a bike should have.

Non negotiables : 

ABS. 

Tubeless Tyres

Pillion Comfort 

ABS

We had switched from 2006 Honda City to BRV last year. The old Honda city did not have ABS nor air bags. BRV had ABS. We experienced ABS first hand in the last trip. On a wet road, on Chennai Bangalore Highway a lorry swerved to our lane. San was driving and was over taking  it. San slammed on the brake. The car did a thud thud but stayed on the same lane and slowed down. It did not swerve a bit. I was impressed. 

Had it been the 2006 Honda City it might have swerved to the left or just kept moving with the wheels locking and car skidding on the wet tarmac. 

Imagine similar technology on a bike. 

Adventure 390 has ABS and in addition cornering ABS. Even while slamming the brakes while turning the ABS keeps the bike stable. The videos were pretty impressive. 

Tubeless Tyres

Again in October, during Diwali - we loaded the car and when I moved the car felt it was tilting to the left. We had lot of luggage on the rooftop, thought it was because of that. We went out of AECS Layout and went to fill the tank. When I stepped out to tell the petrol attendant to not top it ( They typically round it to the nearest whole number by squeezing in more ). I noticed the rear wheel tyre fully flat. Filled air and went to the nearest puncture shop. With tubeless tyres we can still ride it fully flat. It does not damage the tyre.

For the bikes - tubeless tyres are the best. I did read about the advantages of the spoked wheels - for adventure bikes when you are in a trail it matters a lot. Alloy wheels will just break when it takes a hit, but in the spoked wheels the impact gets distributed and only a few spokes will break - so the bike can still run and can be fixed later. In a trail - where no help is going to come it makes sense. 

But for my use - mainly city + touring - tubeless tyres make total sense. 

Pillion Comfort

In 2006, the week we got back from US we walked into Honda showroom next to Diamond District where I used to work, and we purchased an Unicorn. It was the first mono suspension commuter bike and it had superb suspension. It used to glide on the roads and the pillion got superb comfort.

On the left is the mono shock suspension. To the right is the traditional twin-shock. 

 

When we switched to Thunderbird found the suspension was very poor. When I put it in potholes it will send jerks through the spine for both rider and pillion. Since I can see the road and anticipate it, it will not bother me much. But for the pillion it will be too random and San hated it. She loved the raw power and the and sound of the engine - it sounds like how a bike should sound she will say, but hated the suspension. 

When we did the Adventure 390 Test ride, I dropped it into a few pot holes harshly ( Sorry Test Ride vehicle, this is not how I ride a bike ). San gave a thumbs up. 

This is another non-negotiable. 

Nice to haves

Traction Control

Digital display with Turn by Turn

Mileage

Traction Control

One should have good riding skill. Know how to ride on gravel, loose sand, oil, snow, wet roads. It comes from years of practise. Traction control definitely assists in this regard for an occasional rider like me. It detects the wheel spinning speed, and the bike’s velocity and controls the petrol being sent to the engine ( hence it has to be ride by wire - not the cable for throttle ) . So when the wheel spins on loose gravel or wet road, it will slow down the spin - even if I am accelerating the throttle - by mistake or on panic. 

Adventure 390 is the only bike less than 4 Lakhs which has this feature. Even the BMW GS 310 -another good adventure bike - does not have Traction Control. This safety feature is present in the high end bikes. 

Digital display with Turn by Turn Navigation

Google has spoiled us all. Those days of stopping at shops and auto wallahs asking for the route is long gone. In cars we can mount the phone anywhere, or just stop the car, pick the phone and check. But on bike - it is a pain. One has to stop the bike, remove the glove, pull the phone out, consult and do it in reverse. The phone mounts are a good alternative - but if it is integrated into the bike’s display it will be God Awesome.

This one is in Adventure.

The one in Meteor. This is really good stuff. 

Mileage

When people were upset with the rise in petrol prices, our Sardar said - I always put Rs.100 petrol, so it does not affect me. I am like the Sardarji in the Sardarji joke - I always put Rs.300. Honestly I have never calculated how much the Thunderbird gives. However a bike which can go from Bangalore to Coimbatore/Chennai on full tank will give good confidence.  On highways, like Murphy’s law - when we want a petrol bunk it will not be available for miles and miles. The adventure 390 has 14.5 Liters and gives 30+ Kms on highways when ridden < 100 Kmph - the speed I typically drive on cars even. The mileage on Meteor and Highness are more than 40kms. Even more impressive. 

The Adventure 390 ticks all the boxes and much more. 

I was concerned about the height of the bike. Once I sit, with good shoes I could plant my feet - almost flat footed. I can also walk the bike. I should be careful how I park the bike - should not be face in as I don’t think I can easily reverse walk it. I do the same with Thunderbird so will not be a problem.

Other bikes I considered.

Meteor

Well they did not have a test drive vehicle. The sales guy took my number and said he will call when the bike comes. But no call came. Perhaps a test ride might have sealed the deal. Also the wait time was 2 or 3 months. Sorry RE.

Himalayan

This is the closest contender to Adventure 390. The day I went for a test ride of the Duke, I met a guy outside on Himalayan. He had come to check out the Husqvarna bikes - it is a subsidiary of KTM and has an odd looking city bike.

This one - Husvarna by a Swedish company.

The Himalayan guy said - if the Adventure was there when he got the Himalayan he might have got it. He owns an estate in Wayanad and Himalayan is perfect for the non-roads. 

This one - Himalayan. The BS6 one is really good. No vibrations, ABS, Wonderful Highway tourer, Mono suspension. great on dirt. But has spoke wheels. I saw a few videos of Himalayan on Ladakh. They have named it aptly - it is made for the Himalayas. 

But doesnt have traction control and turn by turn display. Not major but having been with RE and all the niggles - decided not to pursue Himalayan. 

Highness

Highness is the Bike of the Year in Team BHP.  But there is no showroom nearby and it did not have mono suspension. And does not have Turn by turn display.

Duke Adventure 250

This is a Trojan, to make Adventure 390 sell more. This one is 50 less, but has a black and white display, and no traction control. Otherwise similar specs. This bike is to make everyone stretch a little bit more and get the Adventure 390. 

After losing sleep over a few nights, decided to make the plunge. 

I am not too concerned on what the world will think. Someone in mid-40s riding what the 20s kids are riding. Why should the boys have all the fun! 

I have booked the Adventure 390 now, last Saturday, and I am in the impatient waiting phase every biker goes through. The sales person said it should be ready for delivery by Wednesday. 

I am reading forums on how to break in the bike and how to ride safely. 

Very excited to get on it and face the wind.

Thump Thump to Vroooom.