Ghat road ride

Royal Enfield Always the Best--

Driving a bike has an indescribable eternal connection between the vehicle, the rider and the          nature; all these three entities go hand-in-hand, and are quite inseparable from one another.

• While bikes have been looked on two main aspects of aesthetics and ergonomics, there is one other important characteristic that makes the rider feel proud – majesty. Got the drift? Yes, it is  the Royal Enfield

• Right from the gigantic kerb weight (weight of the motorcycle when no external load like a person or some baggage is being placed in the body of the vehicle) to the mere appearance of the front axle, everything about the Royal Enfield series thrills the riders with infinite goosebumps. It is not an understatement to reiterate that the noise emanating from the silencer is just enough to express the sheer audacity of the bike, sending chills to the human body.

King of the Road--

• So is it all just about the physical nature that creates a lustful feeling towards the bike? No. There is always more to Royal Enfield. The sturdiness of the two-wheeler and its adaptability to all kinds of terrains from the flat highways to the rocky surfaces in the steep slopes of the hilly regions with utmost ease is one aspect that needs to be underlined with a dark lead.

• With two disc brakes for a 350 cc or a 500 cc before, But Now we got it in 650 cc INTERCEPTOR & CONTINENTAL GT (that Incredible) vehicle, it looks like a dangerous asking but the rigid tyres make the vehicle highly stable despite sudden braking. Moreover, the fork braces in the front axle provides a well-balanced front suspension in addition to the coil suspension for the rear wheel.

What is it that makes the Royal Enfield special?

Many Different kinds of stylish race bikes and sporty beasts may come in but there are certain unique aspects that make the Royal Enfield series to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Some of them may be trivial yet tantalizing, while some others might really be mind-blowing and overwhelming.

The Army's P(ride):

Next time when a Kollywood or a Bollywood movie shows the protagonist cop riding a Royal Enfield, feel that sense of pride because those are not just reel scenes; the inspiration behind this “Police and Enfield” saga dates back to 1949. Confused?

• Has any company been endowed with the privilege being asked by the Indian army to manufacture its bikes to suit their needs? Oh wait. There is one manufacturer, and only one. And, it is none other than the Royal Enfield. Probably, the question can be reframed as “Has any other company been endowed with the privilege of…. ?” 

• In 1949, the military personnel had asked for a set of vehicles to be utilized by them for patrolling purposes on the borderline and also difficult terrains that could not be scaled by any other vehicle. This pride vests only with the Enfield and no other brand. Fist pump, Enfield owners!....

Ghat road ride

RIDE with TIGER

It’s been a long pause. I’m struggling to know what to say. The question was simple; after getting to the office and babbling for fifteen minutes about what an amazing motorcycle Triumph’s Street Triple RS is, some wisecrack asks what I don’t like about it.

Er… I’m not too keen on the colour – it’s a bit too restrained for me. And why are the fat parts of the mirrors on the inside, not the outside. I love looking at my elbows, but not while slicing through Oxford’s rush hour with a 150bhp Ducati up my pipe. Oh, er, and the sidestand is hard to operate with chunky boots on and there’s a slight fluff in the fuelling as you let the clutch out needing a few extra revs, making you look like a novice as said Ducati almost rear-ends you.

But that’s it. Everything else about the Street Triple RS is as good as everyone else says it is. But weirdly, it’s the brakes that really stand out and I don’t remember ever wanting to own a bike because of the way it slows down before.

Something about the Triumph’s controlled front suspension, carefully set-up Brembo system and wide, flat bars make pushing the limits of deceleration more rewarding than anything else I’ve ridden. There’s so much feel both at the lever and from the forks as they compress and there’s so much power when you need it too. Is it just me, does anyone else care about how quickly you can make a bike go slowly?

I did a little over 500 miles on the Triple in a couple of days. Half of that was a 300 mile trip almost all in heavy April showers; roads running with teeny rivers, but weirdly the sun is out. The bright light triggers some kind of happy-juice in my head and, despite the standing (and running) water I can’t help pushing the Street Triple harder than I should. We’ve all been there.

Give Trekker 52L Top Box

Well it’s been far too long since my last post.  I have all the excuses in the World including buying a new house etc etc but bottom line is I’ve neglected my blog…….the one thing I vowed not to do!

Anyway, I’m back on it and I plan to do them weekly if possible.

• What I want to continue is my theme of reviewing the bike and bits I have bought for it.  Now, because this bike has been bought using PCP finance, I won’t be laden it with lots of extra goodies like I may have done had it been my own.  However, I will be adding some bits just to make my riding experience that little bit easier or richer.

• The one major addition to the functionality and appearance of the bike is a the Givi Trekker 52l Top Box.  Now this is very much a trade off in terms of looks v functionality.  Panniers in my opinion look ok.  top boxes however look ugly.  Especially huge 52l ones.  However, the functionality a 52l top box offers is incredible.

• To start off with, when choosing what box I was going to use, it was pretty important I got something good looking that fitted the look of the bike.  The Trekker, with it’s mix of hard plastic and aluminium works just fine.  Givi have a good name and so far it’s lived up to my expectations of it.

• The size was important.  I wanted something that could hold 2 helmets or 1 helmet and a jacket.  I have ridden places with spare trainers and jeans, got off my bike, stored my jacket, boots and helmet in the box and walked freely like any other member of the public.  That to me is fantastic.  Nobody likes walking around in bike gear so already it’s fulfilled it’s job.

• Secondly, I have gone for weekends away camping with this box and it’s held my tent, table and chair along with a load of other essentials like stove, food etc.  Only my roll mat had to be tied to the pillion seat but there was tons of room for loads more stuff.  In fact, I did purchase the side pannier racks with the view of buying either 2 x 33L or 1 x 46L and 1 x 33L Trekker boxes but it’s hard to justify their expense when I simply have now need for them.  If I was taking a pillion camping they would probably be welcome but so far so good.

• The box itself has stayed dry, it holds what I want, I can carry huge locks when I go places I don’t trust and I can also go to the shops safe in the knowledge I can carry quite a bit of shopping back.  I also opted for the Givi inner bag.  This did come in handy when camping as I imply removed the bag and carried my gear to the tent which we had to pitch some distance from the parking area.  The downside to the inner bag is I cannot fit my helmet in the box even hen the inner bag is empty.  Therefore, you have to make a conscious decision to take the bag or leave it behind.  The bag though will save you 5p when shopping so remember that!

• So, all in all I’m over the moon with my purchase.  I can keep this even when the bike goes back as I can fit it to other bikes with a new fixing plate so the investment was worth it.  I probably will try and pick up some second hand matching panniers.  So yes, highly rated, recommended and I would buy it again given the what I know now.