Overall, I loved the experience and I can’t wait to travel more with this insane machine. I think I am feeling the opposite of buyer’s remorse. Buyer’s delight?
BHPian vishal.jayakuma recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Had some unavoidable work-related tasks to be completed in Bangalore, so I had to leave on Saturday morning to Bangalore. The original plan was to take the Sonet, but hey, this was the perfect opportunity to test out the newest acquisition. I was ecstatic and slept only for 2 hours before the journey, also because I was on a call with a friend from the US. This was my first highway ride on a motorcycle, so there was a bit of fear/lack of confidence.
Left from my place near Maduravoyal at 5:45am. Until Sriperumbudur, I was not really confident as the bike had only run 200-odd kilometers and my inexperience in highway riding. After the toll gate, I secured the bungee cords because the bag almost fell off. Post this, the bike felt supremely confidence-inspiring thanks to the chassis and that powerful engine.
I reached Bangalore around 11:45-12:00pm because I missed the Electronic City flyover and had to go through traffic. Spent the day completing my work and visiting different clinics of our brand across Bangalore. Reached Whitefield at 9:30pm and called it a night at my friend’s place with some drinks and home-cooked food.
The next day, I had to meet a few more friends and visit a few more clinics near the Jayanagar side. Final stop at Electronic city and headed to Chennai at around 5pm. I did not want to ride in the night, but I didn’t really have an option and had to report to work today. Took multiple breaks and reached my place in Chennai at 10:30pm. Here are a few points about the journey and the bike:
- The highways until Vellore are pretty dreadful with diversions and undulating roads.
- The roads before and around Ambur are absolutely stunning with great views. I didn’t stop to take many pictures as I was on a time-sensitive journey.
- The bike is absolutely fantastic. I had set the front forks to the hardest setting throughout the journey as I wanted more front-end feel. Maybe a mid-setting would make it more comfortable.
- The seat was the only letdown. I ended up having saddle sores on my buttocks and wished that I had invested in a pair of Solace padded shorts, or a Ride-on-Air gel seat.
- My wrists, near the thumb area, were still sore because of my lack of experience and I needed to get used to riding again. Apart from this and the saddle soreness, I had a blast riding this machine.
- With the revs limited at 7.5K rpm, I managed to steadily cruise at 100-110 kmph all day. I pushed to see the highest speed I could reach at this rpm and ended up seeing 129 on the console. Felt a bit bad for the baby engine and decided to reel back my impulsive thoughts. Post first service, let us see what this is really capable of.
- I had unknowingly bought the basic navigation from the KTM app and realised that this gets unlocked only at first service. I could not fit the mobile mount given by KTM as the cables got in the way. It is partly because of this and partly because of my impatience and inexperience. Regardless, I want to get a good quality mobile mount with a vibration dampener, as this bike does vibrate a lot.
- The short wheelbase can be felt over uneven sections of road. The bike does move a fair bit, but it definitely does better than you can imagine. The Adv390 will fare much better and be more comfortable on these roads, but hey, I am doing my best with my little beast.
- Got an average fuel economy of ~26-28kmpl. This is insane considering that the bike had not even completed the first service. The approximate range was 340-370km for 13 litres. I could’ve pushed it, but the owner’s manual clearly states that one should maintain atleast 3 litres of fuel to avoid fuel pump issues.
Overall, I had a wonderful time. The bike has already done 1000kms within one week of buying the bike
It is time to get that first service done and unlock the other features. I am taking the week off from riding and savour the lovely weekend experience before giving it for service. I also received the call that the number plates were ready, when I was already in Bangalore. Need to get that fitted soon.
Overall, I loved the experience and I can’t wait to travel more with this insane machine. I think I am feeling the opposite of buyer’s remorse. Buyer’s delight?
Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.
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