I’ve had my fair share of reservations getting a tank bag, the primary one being the tank ring placement on the CB
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Riding Gear and Motorcycle Update:
Blame monsoons, parenting and adulting for the lack of time!
The motorcycle went through a 6 month inspection at Bigwing Topline (Mysuru road) in September and set me back INR 1475/- (including taxes).
Since starting this thread in April, I had not had a chance to take it out on tour till October. An overlap of Diwali and Halloween opened up chances of time off from work, so I did not hesitate. Plan was to cover Kochi and Madikeri in ~4 days.
Before the ride, I wanted to replace my terribly uncomfortable RE riding boots. To be fair, the boots are quite well made, CE rated and affordable. My decision to go with a UK10 (same size as sneakers) at the time of purchase, thinking they would break in was a big mistake. Every ride since August 2023 in these boots has been an uncomfortable experience. Lesson learnt, I started looking at options online, called stores in Bangalore – only yo find out imported boots are difficult to find. BIS standards (similar to ISI for helmets) has put a pretty tight regulation on international brands, which may soon not be available at all.
Since online stores weren’t of much help, I called up Keerti Triumph who had the Alpinestars Belize in stock. I’m unsure if Triumph is allowed to stock these as they’re an OEM or if they had leftover stock, but I was happy to find something that would be a good investment for years to come. Before reaching Keerti, I stopped by 6kiom, who had the same boot in US12/UK11. Tried them on, preferred them over the Falco Tourer range, so I took the plunge. This the most expensive piece of riding I’ve bought to date, but I have no regrets since they fit like a dream, are supremely comfortable for long days and feel built to last.
Along with riding boots, I bought a much needed tank bag for the motorcycle. After much deliberation, I went with Givi Sport-T with the CB’s specific tank lock. I’ve had my fair share of reservations getting a tank bag, the primary one being the tank ring placement on the CB – it’s not as clean as on other motorcycles (reference image below). However, having completed a few thousand kms with the tank bag, I am pretty happy with the utility it adds to the motorcycle. Also, the bag, lock mechanism are all top notch quality that will last 4-5 years if used well.
Now the ride:
Kochi is ~500km from Bangalore, so I was keen on covering it in the shortest time, with the least amount of effort. With a 6am start in mind on Saturday, Nov 2, I decided to RIDE via Palakkad. A distance of 520km on day 1 was covered in less than 10 hours thanks to excellent roads and weather (although it started to drizzle a bit as I approached Kochi).
The next morning (Sunday), I stepped out to explore Fort Kochi, only to notice the motorcycle’s chain that had become loose. The Scottoiler system must’ve delivered additional oil during the high speed ride on day 1. Honda Bigwing service in Kochi is not functional on Sundays, so I ended up finding a local mechanic courtesy Google and got the chain adjusted. I must add here that Honda Bigwing team members in Bangalore were super helpful in helping me to the best of their abilities on a Sunday morning.
After getting the chain issue sorted, I still noticed a noise from the rear wheel. Further investigation revealed a bent rear disc rotor! The new riding boots I mentioned earlier have a thicker sole than what I’m used to. Turns out I was riding the brake over long periods of time, so constant rubbing between the brake pads and rotor resulted in this issue. Honda’s recommended mechanic and the mechanic who saw my motorcycle personally assured me I could safely make it back to Bangalore. Thanks to these boosts of confidence, I decided to stick to my plan and head towards Madikeri on Monday, Nov 4.
NH66 from Kochi is in a very bad state, so a 350km ride took me ~11 tiring hours. Also, there was heavy rainfall as I approached Madikeri, which meant putting on rain gear, covering up the tank bag and slowing down on hilly sections. From my assessment, don’t travel on this road for another couple of years unless absolutely necessary. I took a few detours suggested by my friends staying in Kochi, but overall, this is a pretty bad travel experience at this point.
Madikeri to Bangalore was a breeze and once I settled in for the week, called up Honda for the rotor change. As promised by the service advisor, the replacement rotor reached them in ~7 working days and it was a day’s work at the Bigwing Topline service centre. New brake rotor, brake pad and a general inspection cost me INR 5,300 – very reasonable IMO. Honda’s service for big bikes is very promising in terms of efficiency, service quality delivery and cost. I really hope they launch more motorcycles soon and show commitment to the growing Indian motorcycle market.
Sharing some pictures of the new gear and ride:
6kiom had stocked the same Triumph-Alpinestars collab Belize boots in US12
I’m not a fan of the tank ring when there’s no bag, but this is a very useful addition to the motorcycle
Fort Kochi has a very vibrant culture at the moment
As someone who does not eat meat, food options in Fort Kochi are limited. However, this avocado toast on sourdough bread with poached eggs were very good. Iced coffee made from coconut milk and sweetened with honey was average at best.
Kochi to Madikeri was a 5am start after listening to all the horrifying stories about NH66. They’re not wrong though.
Somewhere on NH66. The tank bag + 30L Givi dry bag are good enough for a 3-4 day ride as long as I pack light and don’t over shop during the travel.
Madikeri was absolutely great in terms of weather and hospitality. Since I reached after holiday rush (always my preferred time), they bumped me up to a suite – zero regrets booking the Marriott here.
P.S: A ride to Koppa, Udupi in Karnataka is planned in December along with a few friends. I should have more photos of me on the motorcycle during that ride!
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