Biker's Lounge

[nair]

The 2 new bikes got launched last month........

 

[Peace for Humanity]

One of my good riding buddies has one. Great bike, no doubt. The newer models have very good electronics upgrades added to an already good basic platform. They make a great all-around bike even better.

Infact they are working on 800cc and that would be great ..

New kid in the market by Mahindra by our own local manufacturer.
Displacement (cc): 295
Fuel tank capacity (litre): 21
Engine type: Liquid Cooled, 4 Stroke, SI Engine, 1 Cylinder, DOHC
Starting method: Self start
Kerb weight (kg): 165 (dry weight)
Dimensions (mm): 2100 x 800 x 1165.5
Price 1,65,000 INR

 

[Peace for Humanity]

Royal Enfield Himalyan launched in india at price of 1,55,000 INR
I must say very competitive price..

 

[@RV]

Royal Enfield Himalyan launched in india at price of 1,55,000 INR
I must say very competitive price..

Earlier predictions of price were between 1.82-1.85 Lacs but 1.55 Lacs is really very competitive price. I hope it will capture a good share in market despite being a bit under powered.

 

[VCheng]

@Icarus and others might enjoy this article:

http://www.economist.com/news/busin...-winning-not-always-about-being-best-approved

Royal Enfield
Approved by mothers-in-law
A popular motorbike-maker shows that winning is not always about being best
From the print edition

Gul Panag: biker chic

ITS motorbikes may not be the best that India produces, in terms of performance or reliability, and they are certainly not the cheapest, but no other brand comes close to matching Royal Enfield’s cult following. Gul Panag, a Bollywood star-turned-politician, is often seen, as pictured, riding her Enfield. When she got married in 2011, her groom swept her off to their honeymoon in a Royal Enfield with sidecar.

Indeed, it is said that owning one of the bikes can improve a young Indian man’s marriage prospects. They tend to be driven by sensible types, in contrast with those who get their kicks by showing off on flashy sports bikes, such as the KTM Duke 390. Owners of Enfields lavish care and attention on them, diligently polishing each spoke on their wheels. Prospective mothers-in-law find this reassuring.

Royal Enfield claims to be the world’s oldest motorbike-maker in continuous production. Its history goes back to colonial times, when it was the Indian offshoot of a British firm. Indian-owned since the 1950s, it has long outlived its parent.

In its early days of independence it was kept going with orders from the Indian army and police, which used it to patrol rough border terrain. Now consumers drive sales: in February more than 49,000 Enfields were sold, up by 63% on a year earlier. That month there was a frisson of excitement in India’s business press when the market capitalisation of the manufacturer’s parent company, Eicher Motors, briefly overtook that of Harley-Davidson, an equally admired American bike brand, having already surpassed it by sales volume. In Delhi, enthusiasts from across the world flock to rent Enfields for rides through the Himalayas. Other bikes may be speedier on the highways and sip less fuel, but only an Enfield can survive such rugged terrain, “not your Harley-Davidsons,” sniffs one fan.

Yet as recently as 2000 the parent company was planning to close Royal Enfield down. Frequent breakdowns, oil leaks, engine seizures, electrical failures and poor service had dented the bikes’ reputation and burned much of the company’s cash. Sales were down to just 2,000 a month. A third-generation member of the family that controls the group, Siddhartha Lal—who had ridden to his own wedding on an Enfield instead of the traditional horse—persuaded his father to give him a chance to revive the brand.

Over the years Mr Lal made a number of changes to the bike without compromising on what had made it so popular. The gold piping on their petrol tanks is still painted by hand. But mechanical carburettors have been replaced with electronic fuel-injection on most models, to improve mileage and prevent breakdowns, especially at high altitudes. The cast-iron engine was replaced by an aluminium one to reduce oil leaks. When this affected the sound of the bike’s legendary “thump”, foreign consultants were called in to fix things. The thump is one of the bikes’ biggest selling-points: some buyers pay workshops to tinker with their new bikes to make it even louder.

Investment in increasing production capacity, in the firm’s southern home city of Chennai, has helped it meet surging demand, though there is a waiting-list of up to four months on some models. When their bike finally arrives, buyers sometimes hand out sweets in their workplace, as if celebrating the arrival of their first-born. K. Krishnamani, a forty-something manager at a logistics firm in Mumbai, now on his second Enfield, describes how riding his bike makes him feel as royal as the maker’s name. “On the road, anybody will stop and give way to you. That is the liberty you have when you ride Enfield.”

From the print edition: Business

 

[Icarus]

The thump is one of the bikes’ biggest selling-points: some buyers pay workshops to tinker with their new bikes to make it even louder.

That is so typical of the subcontinent, even in Pakistan, the biggest concern I have heard when people are considering parting with their beloved Honda 125s in favour of a better model is that the newer bikes just don't have that right noise. Even Yamaha's facebook page is littered with terrible reviews where people cite the lack of a pulsating, thumping sound as the reason they are unhappy with their bikes. Mechanics have come up with a solution for this and now after-sales add on exhaust pipes with a shorter snout and a wider mouth are being sold in the market which can amplify the bike's sound.

 

[VCheng]

That is so typical of the subcontinent, even in Pakistan, the biggest concern I have heard when people are considering parting with their beloved Honda 125s in favour of a better model is that the newer bikes just don't have that right noise. Even Yamaha's facebook page is littered with terrible reviews where people cite the lack of a pulsating, thumping sound as the reason they are unhappy with their bikes. Mechanics have come up with a solution for this and now after-sales add on exhaust pipes with a shorter snout and a wider mouth are being sold in the market which can amplify the bike's sound.

True. May be we are just a noisy people? Witness what happens when silencers are taken off motorbikes to "celebrate" Independence Day.

 

[Icarus]

True. May be we are just a noisy people? Witness what happens when silencers are taken off motorbikes to "celebrate" Independence Day.

I can appreciate one's desire to hear the romantic whispers of their two-wheeler from time to time but taking the silencer off and then gunning it full throttle in low gear is just torture to the ears.

 

[@RV]

That is so typical of the subcontinent, even in Pakistan, the biggest concern I have heard when people are considering parting with their beloved Honda 125s in favour of a better model is that the newer bikes just don't have that right noise. Even Yamaha's facebook page is littered with terrible reviews where people cite the lack of a pulsating, thumping sound as the reason they are unhappy with their bikes. Mechanics have come up with a solution for this and now after-sales add on exhaust pipes with a shorter snout and a wider mouth are being sold in the market which can amplify the bike's sound.

The thump of old bikes from Royal Enfield was unique and like music to ears. The new Royal Enfields comes with a bit less thump sound but it is still great to hear.

 

[VCheng]

 

[VCheng]

I was hoping to put the FJR on the road this weekend, but a pre-ride check reveled a leaking front fork seal. So I spent the weekend pulling off the front end to take to the shop for repair. It will take a few days before the bike is put back together.

 

[VCheng]

Happiness is an open road and a full tank of gas:

 

[VCheng]

I was hoping to put the FJR on the road this weekend, but a pre-ride check reveled a leaking front fork seal. So I spent the weekend pulling off the front end to take to the shop for repair. It will take a few days before the bike is put back together.

$330 and 10 days later, the forks are back after rebuilding, all new seals, bushings and oil. Now just waiting to find the time to put it back together.

 

[VCheng]

The damaged spaceship in Death Star Repair Bay:

The dual front energy absorption suspendinators:

Suspendinators installed:

Aligning the anti-warp drive diskuspinators and front gyroscopic assembly:

All set for the next space adventure:

 

[VCheng]

Third new rear tire in 5000 miles. Offroad riding is hard on tires.