Upgrade to the Ninja 650

I first rode my dad's Hero Honda CD 100 SS when I was barely 14 years old, and I had found in me - 'Bikes are Calling'.

This passion was growing ever since I bought my first bike Pulsar 150 when it was launched back in 2001 (good old college days !). It was an eye-catcher with muscular tank headlights, disc brakes and all at that time. It was an instant hit from Bajaj stable and I am glad I was one of the first buyers of that superb machinery. 

Periodic upgrades happened with the Pulsar family as I really loved the first generation. Pulsar 150 --> Pulsar 180 (when I started working!) ---> Pulsar 200 NS (when I started earning a decent salary !). This happened during a course of 12 years where each bike was used extensively. Usage was city commute with  office duties, weekend trips (200-500 KMS) with friends or family.

Why I wanted to Upgrade ?

I wanted to move away from occasional weekend rides, city errands and small touring to extreme Touring which my current bike was falling short off. You always think of what you want but the current gear was just not adequate, that was the feeling I had. 
Being already in midlife there was a creep however of putting in a significant amount in a bike rather than a family car with a cheaper Duke or a Dominar.

What were my options??

I went with a budget of 6 Lac with +1 Lac tops, in 2018 I considered few options in 600-800 CC segment. I was looking for an everyday superbike with touring, so shortlisted a body type as a "sport tourer", however did wanted to check out the naked's too for its easy in the urban conditions, so it was either a sport tourer or a naked.

First Stop Honda, the Inline 4 - CBR 650F :

- Very smooth coupled with Honda's refinement

- ASS is pocket friendly to what I have known with my 4 wheeler

- Almost 8+ Lac. on road was way over my budget

- looked a bit bulky with the excessive fairing

Ducati Monster 797/ Triumph Street Triple:

- Above the budget

- ASS is very high on the pocket as per the online reviews

- Showroom/Service was approximately 50 KM. from the place I stay. It would take a lot of time for routine maintenance

Harley:

- Cruisers don't excite me much

- Very comfortable saddle for long rides

- Entry level bikes (in my budget) had heating issues in stop and go traffic, which would make it unusable for office commute. Even the Sales Executive confirmed these issues.

Hence it was a Kawa. I already had some affinity towards a Kawa as I was so inlined to Bajaj with the previous wheels I have owned. There were options considered in Kawa too, here is the list:

Kawasaki:

N300 - Very appealing at 2.98 L after the price cut in 2018. But somewhere didn't excite me nor it felt like an upgrade. Bike was not available in the showroom and I was told for about 6 months in waiting. 

N650/ Z650 - Perfect for my liking and a very reliable engine. Exhaust sound was as per my liking too as I never wanted a loud exhaust. I would not be reviving the bike very hard  so that the exhaust note is very audible either (still a newbie, with 200NS, i never had the courage to go beyond 110. Maybe this changes with a SuperBike !)  

I considered both the bikes, as with the images I felt Ninja to be a bit bulky so I wanted to try both out before making a choice. In flesh Ninja was very intimidating and the twin headlights, the charisma and then it was a real heart call during the test ride.

Z900 - Thought about it, but with 100 + PS of Raw power, I let it go for any future upgrade !

Time for a Reality Check: 

Now, these bikes come with a big price tag they need to clock a lot of miles to get the most out of the money you have spent. They are meant to be ridden more than a regular commuter bike. Hence I also though of the usage of the bike so that later if I feel the need to upgrade and I have let this bike go, I should have clocked enough miles, be happy with the decision I made before moving on. 

This initial target was a mileage of ~14000 KM every year. That should be enough for a bike of this capacity to start with. This was also aligned with the regular maintenance of service intervals (6K-7K KM) every 6 months and a tyre change every 14K kMs or so. 

Touring - Start with small touring of 500 KM and slowly and steadily add 500+ in subsequent tours. This should happen at least once in 3 months. 

City Ride - Regular office commute, bike to be used for at least 2 days in a week. 

PROS !

1. Faster - Makes long distance touring easy.

2. Safer - ABS and fatter tyres you feel very confident.

3. Smoother - Bikes are heavy, better suspension, keeps the ride planted and plush.

4. Reliable - Global bikes, Foreign brands has superior R&D and Testing compared to Made in India

CONS !

1. Buying/ running/ Maintenance cost - 4X times a regular 200 cc commuter bike

2. Family support - Approvals and justifications

3. Midlife crisis - By the time you earn enough for a big bike (without loan !), is the car suddenly making more sense ??

PROS OR CONS (where you want to put it)

1. Stand out of Crowd, Attention seekers - Whether you like that fame or you like staying low!

2. Cop Favorite - Often considered as a racing gang when you ride with a group (ofcourse with a big bike, you will join a group), stop you for exhaust notes even when you have  OEM) - whether you are bothered about them or not !

3. Daily Commute - Heavy piece of machinery makes it difficult for daily commute, So only weekends, your choice !

4. Safety - Cannot leave it at any place in market just like a regular bike. Random people messing with the bike or worse, if it catches a tow truck fancy !

Showroom: MotoSaki Kawasaki Thane

There are two showrooms in Mumbai - Thane and Goregoan.  Not a lot of thought in selecting the showroom  as I had to buy a bike not the showroom itself !

Took distance from my home as the main factor where Thane showroom out-shined the one in Goregoan. This one in Goregoan is a bigger one, with branches in Goa too, but then the thane showroom was 3 months old, relatively new so did not even consider checking with the one in Goregoan. 

Called the Thane showroom and fixed an appointment for Saturday. They quoted a wait time of 1.5 to 2 months, and considering the monsoons were still on, I thought its better to get the bike after the monsoons. I was okay with that!

I went to the showroom on a Saturday afternoon, was relatively empty with one customer checking out the N400. The sales executive greeted me and I straightaway wanted the test ride as I knew and had pre-decided which bike I would be buying. Test Ride was given on the display bikes, I am not sure If they belonged to someone. My bad I should have asked them, but I was too caught in the sharp looks of the Ninja as I entered the showroom and how quick I wanted to hop onto a bike and take it for a spin. 

They provided a small 4-5 KM ride on both the bikes - N650/Z650. I started with N650, wanted to check how easy it is to ride in the city. Highway was fine as it had a decent windscreen and fairing to prevent wind blast. With a couple of rounds, I was certain this was the bike I wanted. Z650 test ride was a formality as the Sales Executive has brought down the bike as I had requested for a test ride. Even Z650 was as nimble and felt easy to maneuver in city, but I knew it would not serve my highway hauls.

Booking:

Showroom manager agreed on frame slider and a fork protectors as a freebie on the spot

booking and also agreed for a good concession on the accessories at the time of delivery. I was fine with that, took the plunge and paid a booking amount of 25K. They happily accepted credit card as the mode of payment. They promised a delivery around Dusshera. Approx. 40 days from the date of booking, I was fine with that and left the showroom. 

Finally Ninja 650 was booked and the wait started. Next blog on unboxing and delivery experience coming soon ......