The suspension on the Yezdi Adventure is outstanding, can eat bad roads without thinking twice. Both rider and pillion will be having a great time with this suspension even though it’s slightly on the stiffer end.
BHPian Boringrider recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
About me:
I am a 25 year old guy just like any other 25 year old out there so let’s not bore you with a long drawn personal introduction. Instead, let’s get to the biking story about me. I have been riding a Honda Aviator since 2014 right after completing my school. I wanted to get a bike always but had to get a scooter because the pillion seat accessibility for my mother was one of the major deciding factors in that decision and also being the only vehicle of the household, it had to help me out in the grocery runs and other random household tasks. Which it did and still does to this day without any fuss. There are times where I still catch myself appreciating the curvy design language of the Aviator especially the rear, somehow feels timeless to me.
This will always be special to me no matter how many big bikes I buy in life as this was my start into the biking world and it has given me countless smiles riding it. Yes, there were times where I got frustrated with it being under powered, being just a scooter and not a real bike, not giving me any social standing whatsoever but then within a day or two, it reminded me again of what wonders it can do for my mental health. Two wheels really do something in my brain which can solve the hardest stuff which no other substances can even try to get done. This humble 8bhp scoot was there for me in some of my biggest moments – both positive and negative. All this time, I had only one thing in mind. If riding such a tiny little motor can literally change my life and clear my head up then I can only imagine what riding an actual bike will do to me.
Finally, circumstances in my life somehow shaped in a good way making me able to finally get my first real bike and hence the story begins. I am getting this in 2022 which means roughly 8 years, co-inciding with the 7-year itch? I had recently read about this concept on Team BHP and for a moment wondered, if it was the 7-year itch or life finally shaping up after some dark times. But I have to give it to life and there was no itch of any sorts. Maybe it begins from here on.
Bikes considered & buying decision:
Haha, this was an excruciating time in my life with many sleepless nights thinking over bikes. I honestly felt ridiculous having troubled sleep over buying a bike. Here I was lucky enough to be experiencing bikes on big scales and instead of feeling grateful about having my pick of the choices, instead I was turning it into a problem and complaining about everything. I guess this showed me how we as humans turn even the happiest things about our lives into a mess. Anyway, coming to the list of potential choices:
Bajaj Dominar 400:
I knew I was going to buy this as soon as I put out the excel sheet, noted down all the power figures, pricing, fuel efficiency, maintenance costs etc. It just blew everything on the list away by a considerable margin when it came to VFM. Started reading ownership reviews on Team BHP, Youtube etc. for almost a month. Even started visualizing it in my building parking. But guess what eventually turned me away? The manufacturer itself. Bajaj’s sales strategies and the ideology with which they operate are costing them money instead of translating the apparent value into money. I called up at least 10 different showrooms – big name ones and smaller ones. Not one person could give me a decent enough response which would convince someone to put down their money. Seriously, this is not an exaggeration. NOT A SINGLE SHOWROOM.
These guys expect you to buy the bike with full payment and a 1 month waiting period with no test ride giving you no clue about the bike’s ergonomics, feel, fit and finish etc. They don’t even have the basic etiquette/skill in answering a customer’s call/queries, what can someone expect from them really? First, they told me to come back in 10-15 days as there was no stock at the moment. I gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited. When I went again, I was told to wait for 10 more days. Here I understood that I’m never going to test ride it. At some point, I was getting frustrated with this whole ordeal and just to be done with the decision making, I even considered just blindly finalizing it without even having ridden it once. Luckily, better sense prevailed and I did not. One statement helped me be rational during this time – “If you buy any bike without even experiencing it at least briefly, then you deserve everything that comes with the bike – good or bad and will be responsible for it. Are you okay with this?” If your answer to this is anything other than a strong, resounding YES, then you shouldn’t go for it.
There was a Dominar 250 in my office parking. I decided to sit on it just to see how is the posture and it felt good. But I wasn’t getting a test ride anywhere. Finally, I decided to respond to some ads on OLX and pretend to be interested and test ride it using that as an excuse. I felt bad doing it because I was knowingly wasting someone’s time but Bajaj didn’t leave me with any other option really. Rental bikes also are not easily available in Chennai. If you want your regular RE’s, Pulsars sure but Dominar, nope. That guy from OLX was a middle aged man who had bought it but wasn’t using it. A fitting choice for someone like me who also has less usage. The pricing was reasonable and the kms were low, showroom serviced with all records but that test ride turned me off with the vibes and the overall refinement. Maybe it was that particular bike but it didn’t really inspire much confidence or happiness. I still considered it but eventually gave up since I didn’t want my first bike to be a “used one.” It was a special moment for me and I wanted to keep it special. Yeah, I understand depreciation, finances etc. being an ex-CA student, I do understand all that but we don’t always make decisions rationally and that was fine with me.
Other factors which decided against it were seeing the same lacklustre experience regarding both sales and service pan India both on Youtube and Team BHP reviews. It is one thing to tolerate a horrendous sales experience but an equally painful service experience simply seemed too much to live with. I spoke to one other guy on Instagram who owns a 2019 model and the overall vibe I got from him also helped in deciding against it even though he seems delighted with his bike.
Off-Topic – In between all this, I got too frustrated and decided not to think about bikes for a day or two and read a book instead – The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. A good book if you want to understand how our psychology works around money.
KTM Duke 390:
I had exchanged my Aviator with a friend’s mad BS3 Duke 390 for a day, few years back and I was left absolutely speechless by the sheer aggression of the engine. Decided that day that I was going to get this only whenever I have the chance but somehow was not feeling so strongly motivated about it now. I didn’t even want a test ride for this as I knew how the ergonomics would be. The main thing keeping me away was the crazy low fuel efficiency, possibly bad service experiences since KTM is tied up with Bajaj and the fact that this was not a touring machine. The initial cost was also high at Rs. 3.5L on road. I thought I wouldn’t be able to live comfortably with the fuel expenses so I had to let this pass as well. The new 2022 RC also interested me but with my height and it’s riding position, I decided not to go for that. The cost was even higher at close to Rs.4L.
RE Interceptor 650:
The test ride of this was surprisingly unplanned. At first I discarded the twins because they were RE’s and getting old (somewhat?) now with no updates. I had already booked the Yezdi but hadn’t made the payment yet so one evening after work, I randomly decided to check it out as I had nothing better to do at home. I went with very little pre-conceived ideas about the bike and asked for a test ride. One showroom denied it so went to another one and there they gave me the bike with as much time and liberty to ride the nearby roads. And so I did. Being a RE, I generally expected it to be heavy and lazy. I don’t mind it being heavy. The first time I opened throttle at an empty stretch of road, all notions of it being lazy were shattered. The pull was immense, felt like superbike levels of torque. I literally had to hold on to the handle for dear life as it was shooting past like a missile. Inside the helmet, I was grinning & smiling like a mad man. I slowed down and was just riding it around casually to check the drivability on the low-mid range and it did ride splendidly. In fact, this is the perfect bike one can dream of. Usually, bikes broadly fall into 2 categories – excellent low and mid end, lacking top end or the opposite. But RE has done some real magic with this machine because this can do both. Want to ride it around lazily like a RE Classic 350? Sure. But when you twist your right hand, instant ballistic performance.
Enquired about the price and came back home. I let the sales guy knew I had already booked the Yezdi and he immediately started trashing it which honestly just felt funny & childish to me. I just nodded, thanked him and came back. This machine was the only other serious contender. I was even willing to stretch my budget for it but decided not to mainly because of the other costs associated with it in making the bike practically comfortable. I don’t understand why RE couldn’t design a proper seat. They were in no hurry to develop this so what went wrong there, I don’t know. They could have taken their time and designed an actually functional, usable seat. The best way I can explain this to you is to think of a sports car which in theory has 4 seats but the rear 2 seats are best suited to kids or to use it as a 2 seater car only. This is the bike version of that.
Also, same concerns with fuel efficiency. The heat was fine with me but I didn’t want to burn my mother/sister/whoever’s legs should they ever decide to sit back even though I ride alone 80-90% of the time. In my opinion, you can get this as a “lifestyle bike” if you already have other bikes but as your main, not the perfect choice.
Others:
- The other bikes in the list were the usual suspects like RE models, Apache RR310, Honda CB350, even considered the Gixxer 250, FZ25 at one point but didn’t go for it as I wanted something bigger. I didn’t take a test ride of these bikes.
- V-Strom 250 was not selected as it felt plastic-ky and the idea of the Gixxer 250 engine in it was not appealing to me. Felt like a parts-bin bike and wasn’t really a V-Strom.
- Royal Enfields didn’t pull at the heart strings simply because they’re under powered for their pricing and just too common nowadays. It’s like the Activa of bikes. Yamaha lineup was disappointing in every way with just small capacity engines all the way.
- Honda CB350 – great torque figures but top end performance felt slow. Also, didn’t want another Honda because of their service experience.
- Supersport types like the KTM RC, RR310 were rejected due to the committed riding stance. The prospect of riding them sounds thrilling but living with them is not my cup of tea at the moment. The BMW 310 counterparts were rejected simply due to the service costs. I didn’t want to experience heart attacks every time something went wrong or just in general maintenance, snob value be damned.
Final decision & buying experience:
A significant amount of the deciding time went away in waiting and getting frustrated with the prospect of getting the Dominar 400. So instead of going by excel sheet calculations and rankings, I decided to switch it up and go by the Latest Launch Approach. This meant I would look at the latest bike launches in the current year and past 1 year. This approach ended up with the following list of options which were much more easy to decide through:
RE Scram 411 – No, due to basically being a Himalayan underneath. I didn’t like the Himalayan as it had lot of issues as per long term ownership reviews on Youtube and the general sentiment about it on Team BHP. PD pointed it out that it’s an “end of its life cycle” bike. Also, the top end was simply not there. Again, no test ride as I didn’t want it.
TVS Ronin – Size would be uncomfortable for me as I read Indraneel Bhat’s review on Team BHP. Also, 225cc engine.
Bajaj 250 twins – YouTube reviews itself were disappointing. The whole Dominar experience made me never want to step into a Bajaj showroom ever again.
Jawa Classic Special Editions and Jawa 42 2.1 – Let me start off by saying I would have probably bought the Special Edition Midnight Grey simply because of the paint scheme. It looks classy and fabulous in that matte grey with the blacked out elements. Jawa 42 2.1 could also have been my pick as I felt it was an amazing alternative to the Classic 350. However, my attraction for the Yezdi Adventure was stronger. Something in my subconscious mind was telling me this was it for me even though I had some initial hesitation post the test ride. Yezdi Scrambler is a nice option if you want the scrambler style in this price range as there are simply no others in this style except superbikes. Yezdi Roadster felt too low-slung but it is one hell of a looker.
The willingness of the showroom sales people at Jawa & Yezdi is something to be appreciated. They give out test rides happily compared to other brands where it is a bit of a hassle. The first test ride I got for the Adventure was top notch – the guy just handed the keys to us and went back to his work. I asked him if he was going to sit behind me as pillion and he smiled and said No. I took my mom along & went. I was too nervous at that time as the reviews online about the Yezdi models were highly mixed and blurry. Some loved it, some absolutely thought this was a disaster. Even on this forum. I went out straight on one road for maybe like a km or two and came back, returned it. After coming back home, I was kicking myself as I had the golden chance of spending some decent amount of time with it.
Anyway, the ride was good. Gears were slotting nice and firm, no confusion there. Clutch was good. Had enough power on tap to keep me satisfied. Vibrations were there under the seat and at the bottom of the tank as you went higher up the rev range but were mostly manageable, not a deal-breaker type situation. Suspension was good, not too soft, not too hard. A very pleasant and impressive experience overall. However, me coming from the Aviator felt like the vibes were a bit too much. I read online about how single cylinder engines with high compression ratios usually have some amount of vibes, are not that refined compared to multi-cylinder engines. Second, the fact that this wasn’t a Honda which is known for its refinement. Also, the negative posts about the Yezdis online were making me reconsider my decision. I was too confused again as I was overthinking everything. So I made up my mind to go for a second test-ride and focus exclusively on the one fact that whether it was uncomfortably vibey even at low speeds and how does it feel overall? This time the guy I had earlier dealt with in the Yezdi showroom had gone out somewhere but still I informed him before going and he assured me that he will get it arranged. He did get the bike arranged but some other guy who was there came as a pillion with me and the test ride was very short. I didn’t mind it. I made sure to clear my mind about everything I had read/seen online and just observe how it made me feel. The ride was smooth and I didn’t feel anything that bad about it so I smiled again within my helmet and decided to go for it.
The good points about the initial test ride helped me in deciding positively as if it was such a bad bike or a complete disaster, then it would be apparent in almost every other aspect. Also, I don’t know much about bikes but when someone like Sagar Sheldekar says it’s a good one – I trust him. I don’t mean to say that I have to take his words as gospel but when someone of his knowledge and experience with bikes says something, I can put some weight onto it. Finally, last but not the least, team bhp forum member’s opinions do matter in making my bike buying decisions and so, credit goes to bj96 for posting his positive experiences which pushed me to confidently go for it.
The Ducati Multistrada is one of my top dream bikes. It’s the one bike I would blindly buy without any test rides, even if the sales people gave me a horrible attitude in the entire experience simply because of the marvel it is. I thought to myself, I may or may not be wealthy enough to experience something like that in this life so this Yezdi Adventure was somewhere a tiny version of that, even if just the body style. ADV’s appeal to me after falling in love with the Multistrada. The funny thing is I used to dislike the Multi because I thought it looked ugly until I watched one of Schaaf’s videos on YouTube. For those of you who don’t know who this is, immediately stop reading, get your best pair of headphones, go to Youtube, and find the channel named Schaaf. Click on anything which interests you, listen to it and thank me later.
Pricing:
Alright, so here’s where the actual review starts after that long wall of text. Let’s get done with the pricing first, the likes/dislikes list second and then the entire review:
- Colour – Slick Silver
- Ex-Showroom Price – 2,15,900
- Insurance – 11,008 (1 year own damage + 4 years third party)
- Road Tax & RTO Charges – 24,472
- Accessories – Cage – 4,203
- Extended Warranty 2 years – 2,749
Total On-Road Price – 2,58,332
Black Colour costs Rs.2,000 extra and there is also a Ranger Camo colour option costing a whole Rs.10,000 extra with a 2 month delivery timeline. The cage accessory was presented to me as an option and I took it unlike some who reported that it was a mandatory purchase. I feel like it complements the visual appeal and enhances it, also serves as a crash protection for the tank as it is made of solid metal.
Quick Yin & Yang (Yin = The Good, Yang = The Bad):
Yin:
- Massive Road Presence & Commanding Driving Position. Full Points for Big Bike feel.
- Punchy Engine with loads of grunt. Rev-happy motor always ready to dart forward.
- Exceptional handling. Can easily flick around and close gaps in traffic.
- All metal built. No plastic/minimal plastic.
- Braking & ABS Modes. These are ABS modes only and do not alter engine characteristics. It gets 3 modes – Road – default setting, Rain – ABS kicks in early and is more sensitive & Off-Road – turns off rear wheel ABS.
- Hazard Lights.
- Suspension – being an ADV, this is kind of a no-brainer to list here but hey, I am in love.
Yang:
- Rear view mirrors are oddly shaped and visibility is limited. It is usable but could do better.
- At 210 kgs, this isn’t light. Could be a deterrent for some. I cannot for the life of me move around this hunk without being seated on it.
- Speedo console utilisation could have been better. Lots of empty spaces are found. While it doesn’t look bad, it could have been properly used. The connecting app is also not the smoothest and/or polished.
- Some vibrations do creep in at the top end. Overall refinement levels could be a notch higher.
- The infamous paint quality issues. More on this down below.
Delivery experience & initial rides:
The bike was delivered within 2 days of making the full payment. It was a simple & straightforward affair. We reached the showroom at the specified time. They had not kept the bike under wraps for delivery so they did it after we arrived which defeats the presentation element but I still appreciated it as the effort matters. We took a small video of me and my mother unveiling the bike, lifting the cloth off, a picture with the showroom manager giving us the helmet and congratulations, and that was it along with a brief explanation of the controls to change the ABS modes. I would like to take this opportunity to specially mention Mr. Manikandan from Sri Kothari Bikes, Old Washermanpet, Chennai for the seamless, hassle free experience right from test rides to delivery.
During the delivery he gave me the chance to ride the bike from the showroom floor down to the ground which had a decent sized slope. Since I wasn’t comfortable in my ability to safely handle this, I requested him to do it for me. With 2.5 litres of fuel filled in and 21 kms on the odo, we left the showroom and had initially planned to take a small ride on the beach road and then home. However, the first ride I took was in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic which spoiled any mood of riding anywhere other than getting home at the earliest. The radiator fan kicked in and stayed on almost the entire duration of the ride. The engine was heating up like crazy, made me almost want to take a break somewhere as there was a constant flow of hot air from the engine to my right leg. I persisted as we were already in heavy traffic and stopping somewhere would only prolong the heat blast I was getting plus I didn’t feel comfortable stopping with a new bike somewhere on the road, just wanted to park her safe at home and let her cool off.
The engine rode very smooth though and eventually we made it home. Took a set of pics in the parking:
The headlight has a special plastic moulded shape to accommodate this sticker:
The full length of the bike:
Side profile. All blacked out for most of the part looks sinister:
This is my current phone wallpaper. Yes, those infamous slightly misaligned rubber bits:
Side by side shots with my friend’s RE Classic 350:
The free helmet given on delivery. Not useful to me since I prefer full face helmets and am going to buy a proper one soon but my mom loves it and she uses this:
Design:
I don’t know what trickery is at play here but the overall design although it looks very much Himalayan-ish, the size feels almost one size bigger than the Himalayan in terms of looks. Himalayan feels compact when I see it on the roads. I liked this part about the bike as I wanted my first bike to be a big heavy bike coming from the plastic feels of my Aviator. I wanted a tough looking and feeling bike and it delivers that effortlessly. The bike is pretty tall and I cannot see my front tire so have to drive it like a car and stop a little bit early in traffic, standard stuff being an ADV.
The tank is sculpted brilliantly, both in terms of looks as well as functionality. While riding, my knees hug those rubber paddings/strips on the tank perfectly giving me a snugly slotted-in feel. The seat height is at 815mm which is not an issue for me at all with my height of 6’3. I can easily flat-foot on it. It was interesting to note that my friend who rides a Classic 350 found the seat to be positioned slightly lower than his bike. At first, I was in disbelief and thought no way was this possible. But on careful inspection, this observation was indeed true. The handlebar is wide and the overall seating position is upright. I can’t form an opinion on the seat comfort yet as I haven’t found the time to go on long rides but you can move around on the seat as they’re sufficiently wide. Yes, they are firm though but whether this is a good or bad thing, only time can tell.
No accessories planned as the bike already gets a radiator guard and bash plate right off the bat:
I did find myself running to the RE showroom the next day as Yezdi do not have a bike cover for sale at present. Seriously? The RE cover swallows the bike up nicely from head to toe and it costs Rs. 1,100/-
The accessories available at the showroom are the knuckle guards, saddle stays, panniers, top box, grill design headlight cover. You have guaranteed exclusivity with this bike as it is still relatively uncommon wherever you go. I have noticed people admiring it and looking at it, turning their heads as you go. The exhaust note along with the visual heft are enough to turn people over. The exhaust is also placed sufficiently high enough to avoid getting caught riding in water logged roads and foot peg placement is comfortable for pillion. They may feel a bit warm on their footwear but nowhere close to the leg burns type situation on the Interceptor 650.
The welds are not the best at some places and could have been executed with more finesse but they’re nowhere near bad enough to completely discount your riding experience. The paint quality definitely needs to be in line with the competition. I have not faced any major discoloration yet or seen badly painted lines/swirls but the black coloured paint on some bolts is already wearing off within less than a month of the ownership.
The one major flaw I would have to score it down on would be the rear end design. The brake lights and the indicators are tiny in comparison to the rest of the bike’s proportions. And the same setup is used on all 3 Yezdi models which indicates laziness in design thinking.
Another one which in my opinion is a major missed design aspect is there is absolutely no branding on the engine anywhere. Being the most crucial part of the bike, this is an easy point which I am amazed was somehow overlooked. Imagine how cool that iconic lowercase yezdi font would look on the engine. Even regular scooters and commuter bikes get this but not this big bulky machine. What’s ironic is when you go to the Yezdi website and go to the Adventure’s page the bike in the images there has some branding at least but the bikes in flesh do not get it?
Notice the lack of branding on the engine. The heat shield which goes under the exhaust makes me question its very presence itself. If it would have gone above and the exhaust below, the heating situation would have improved by that much. On the Classic 350, it goes above the exhaust:
Switchgear & speedo console:
The switchgear is pretty compact for a bike of this size. They work well but do not offer much tactile feedback. The buttons work but do not click and I miss that. For comparison, whenever I use the indicators or turn on/off the headlights on my Aviator, I can audibly hear and feel the buttons clicking. This is missing and the buttons feel lifeless in comparison. The controls aren’t backlit which isn’t a deal breaker but would have been a nice-to-have feature. There is a separate app titled “Yezdi Adventure” which can be downloaded from the Google Play Store to be used for turn-by-turn navigation on the smaller display on the right. The pairing process is a one-time setup after which the bike remembers your phone and easily connects the next time with a single click without repeating the entire process. In the initial process, you have to input your mobile number, get the OTP and create an account. On the first recognition, turn the engine on and switch on the bluetooth on your phone, open the app and follow the on-screen instructions to search for the bike. A 6-digit code will be shown on the small round display, input that in the app and the bike is set. Theoretically, this was supposed to happen just with the ignition on but for some reason, it worked only after I turned the engine on as well. The routing is provided by MapMyIndia and not Google Maps.
The controls are fairly simple to use and don’t have much fancy electronics which in my opinion is a good thing:
Press the M button to change the following modes – Odometer/Trip A/Trip B/Distance to Empty/Average Fuel Efficieny/Brightness Level. You can keep any one of these only on display at a time. Clock is always on display.
- To set the time, press and hold the up arrow button. The Hours will start blinking now and you can adjust the time with up/down button as required. Press and hold the up arrow button again to set the minutes. To save the desired time, do not press any button after setting the times and it will stop blinking.
- To switch between 12 & 24 hour clock formats, set the main mode to ODO first then press & hold the M & S button simultaneously.
- To change ABS modes, press and hold down arrow button, the mode will start blinking and cycle through the next mode. To set it, just don’t press anything and wait for it to stop blinking. It defaults to road mode every time you switch off the engine. ABS modes can be changed only when stationary.
- To change display brightness level – set the main mode to the small ‘b’ first and then press the S button to change brightness settings. You can set it at 25,50,75 or 100. I always keep it at 100 and haven’t experimented here.
- To reset trip meters, set the main modes as the respective trip meters then press and hold the S button to reset it.
The console in the pictures looks grainy but is sharp and clear in reality. The gear position indicator is crisp and sufficiently big in font size to have a quick glance on the move. But the selected ABS mode text is too small to be quickly glanced. You’ll anyway have to stop to change them.
USB Ports – Gets a regular USB as well as USB-C port. Will function only when the battery voltage is more than 13V and engine is running. Maximum load is 36W:
It also gets a side-stand cutoff sensor and will not crank if the side-stand is engaged. It doesn’t cut off the engine if you’re in N once the engine is running and you put down the side stand.
Engine & riding nature:
So, this is what most of you must have been waiting for. Here goes, to start the bike, you have to press the clutch in and only then will it start firing up. As soon as it does, the first thing which blows you away is the loud exhaust note. You can feel the big engine breathing and coming to life with every little rev. On deceleration, there are no pops, burbles but you can hear the breathing of the engine slow down which is a unique note. I haven’t seen this in other bikes. It’s a nice heavy sound and is sufficiently loud. No complaints there.
Slot it into first gear and this is where things are slightly different. The clutch has to be pulled all the way in and it really means that, even if you pull it 90% of the way in, the gear shifts are a bit stiff. I don’t know how to explain this, the first few times, there is a high probability you’ll end up stalling the bike while releasing the clutch, moving off from standstill. It’s not like the other bikes. I know the description I gave above may not be much useful but I don’t know how else to describe it as I’m new to geared bikes. It needs slightly higher revs to get it moving compared to others, just a tad bit more. While releasing the clutch, you’ll first have to leave it till the halfway point, build some revs and then leave the clutch gradually to get moving. Maybe all bikes are like this and I’m reading too much into things? Anyway, try to make some sense of it from whatever I wrote.
The engine is a rev-happy one and urges you to keep pushing it. The gears are very short and sensitive. You will have to keep working through the gearbox to extract the most out of it and have a smooth ride. To give you a perspective on how short the gears are, the first gear is practically useless, only needed to move from zero, cross 15-17 kmph and switch to second, go upto 28-30 and switch to third, goes up till around 40-45 and switch to fourth. Haven’t spent much time on the 5th and 6th gears so can’t comment on them yet. What this means is constant shifting in traffic which can become a pain to ride after a long day at work or if you just want a joyride. If I am in second and the speed falls to even 12 or 10 kmph, the engine makes that particular noise when you’re in too high a gear and too low speed. I don’t know what that’s called so it’s back to 1 again. Stuck in slow moving traffic which clears up for a bit? Shift to second immediately, slows down a bit again, go back to 1. This back and forth gets really tiring and borderline frustrating at times. It’s that sensitive. But it depends on your mood though. If you’re in a relaxed mood ready to ride, then it can be fun slotting the gears as it makes you that much more active throughout the ride. If you had a long day at work and just want to get home, then you’ll start dreading this nature.
This is not to say that the engine is under powered or lacks the power delivery. I am amazed at the power it has on tap to make those quick fun overtakes and close gaps. Want to overtake someone while climbing a flyover, sure thing. Just get shifting and you can do it. Things like these are impossible on my scooter. The only slightly annoying nature I found here is the gear shifting again. It has so much power to deliver instantly that I find myself upshifting mid-overtake. I don’t know why but this feels a bit unnerving. I wished it could at least require me to upshift after the overtake has been completed. Still it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience and the bike feels nimble enough. You won’t feel left behind.
The vibes? Yes, what you have read online is true. The engine is smooth all the way upto 4000 rpm after which the vibes creep in but are still manageable and by the time you’re touching 6000rpm or more, the vibes are highly uncomfortable and you would want to shift up. I couldn’t test the top speed run as the bike is still in run-in period. I did manage to take it out to ECR once on a Sunday late afternoon ride and hit a max speed of around 80-85kmph with a pillion. The bike has no problem at all in crossing all the way up to reach these numbers but there were significantly noticeable vibes at these speeds. Frankly, this has left me disappointed as I don’t understand why I paid Rs. 2.6 lakhs to do max speeds of 80kmph with vibes especially after reading reviews everywhere which mention this is a cruise comfortably at 100-110 kmph all day engine. I was already at 6th gear doing this so I cannot shift up further to reduce the vibes. However, I will concede some facts:
- The bike is still brand new having done just 300 odd kms and maybe the engine frees up after the first service.
- I was with a pillion. Will check once again when solo riding.
If the bike still cannot even do at least 100-105 kmph relatively vibe free after the above points are reconsidered, I will consider selling the bike and looking for something else even if I have to take the financial hit.
Regarding the run-in period, the owner’s manual doesn’t state any rpm/speed limits. It only says to avoid full throttle starts and “rapid acceleration” for the first 1000 kms. Terms like these are vague, highly subjective and feels like they were written just to cover themselves up from a legal standpoint. What is “rapid acceleration” to someone may not be to someone else. I asked my SA regarding any limits and he said there was nothing to be followed. So, after some reading online, coming across MotoMan run-in and my own personal knowledge, I decided to adopt my own approach.
Being a new engine, I understand that the internal parts have to set in place so I ride it sedately within the city trying to not let it cross 4000 rpm as that’s the smoothest point with occasional bursts of quick accelerations but still shifting up very early, trying to maintain the 4000 rpm as the point. Sometimes it does cross that band and revs higher at which the engine still feels stressed and a bit rough (kindof like a ripe fruit which hasn’t matured). I will keep note of these things and document my experiences as the kms climb. Hopefully, I am expecting the engine to free up a lot more with usage and an oil change.
I am trying to be as gentle as possible during the break-in but don’t want to be too gentle either as the parts need to set properly across the entire rev range ideally. Speed limits are automatically ensured within the city due to the traffic and lack of roads.
Final opinions – Despite what looks like all of my complaints above, I am satisfied so far. For example, despite what I wrote about the clutch, I am able to ride the bike comfortably now even in traffic without stalling. This is even more of a surprising personal achievement considering that I have never owned a geared bike ever in my life with only occasional rides of my friend’s bikes. If I can do it, experienced people can easily do it. Most of the gear shifting hassles (Example – if you want to maintain 2nd gear all the way in slow traffic) can be taken care of if you keep the engine revving and it won’t even be a problem with how rev-happy this is. Would you be shocked if I told you that I learnt how to balance & ride a bicycle without training wheels within 20 minutes in my childhood? Maybe something inside me was born with an innate attraction and the skills required for 2 wheels.
Some of my complaints may sound like noob talk so I welcome any constructive criticisms/reassurances from much more experienced riders. (Expecting more reassurance/guidance than criticism).
Engine update – The heat management has become a lot better now on its own and doesn’t feel as bad as the initial 100-150 kms. The fan still comes on in heavy traffic and is loud but the hot air flow is controlled now and goes away if you keep the bike moving. The engine runs cooler in the higher gears and the fan kicks in the lower gears
Suspension & handling:
The suspension is outstanding, can eat bad roads without thinking twice. Both rider and pillion will be having a great time with this suspension even though it’s slightly on the stiffer end. I still find myself wondering why do others slow down much more than I do on bad roads and potholes, speed breakers then I realize they don’t have the same suspension travel. I should get used to this and readjust myself haha. Trying to roll up fast ahead but see a sudden pothole/undulation/rough patch? No problem, just go for it. I still have the reflexes of dodging these situations from the muscle memory of riding the Aviator. Ground clearance is enormous, have never touched the ground and don’t think I ever will unless I go off-roading.
Handling is deceptively good for a tall heavy bike as this. Once you are aware of the length and width of the bike, you can easily change directions while filtering through traffic. The bike feels light and flickable on the move. Haven’t done any corner carving yet but that will be a enjoyable experience as well, I am sure of it.
Brakes have strong bite and inspire confidence. Both the front & rear discs do their job well. While moving around in traffic, you can use the rear brake alone to slow down once you get used to it. There is some noise from the front discs though on harder applications.
Fuel efficiency, maintenance Costs:
The tank capacity is 15.5 litres with 3.5 litres as reserve.
Calculating fuel efficiency on modern bikes is always a tricky affair since we are advised not to let it run down all the way to empty so this will involve a lot of estimate calculations and the initial estimates do give me a claimed figure in the 24-26 kmpl ballpark. The AFE on the speedo displays 27kmpl which is close. Seems low especially with my riding style for the time being but it is still very new with only 2 refills and am expecting it to improve after first service. I shall also update the first service costs within the upcoming days.
Closing thoughts:
I am mostly never gonna go off-roading in my life so why did I plonk my money on a full blown ADV meant to do that? I don’t fully know either except that I have a thing for ADVs, wanted exclusivity and wanted a “heavy” machine. I once did Chennai to Bangalore on my Aviator due to the completely rebellious youth inside me and also because I thought I shouldn’t limit myself due to my circumstances. Safe to say, all rebellion died after that trip as my back was experiencing levels of pain which required a complete day’s rest after coming back home. On that day, I decided to put all my “touring” and “biker” aspirations to sleep unless I got a capable enough machine and that lead to this.
Should you get this bike? Should you get something else? As I get older, I realise that trying to find answers to questions like these is pointless and futile as you will never really get the experience you want despite how much we as humans want a clear cut answer to burning questions like these. I will only document my experiences as I go along and if it appeals to you, go for it. If not, go for something else. The only takeaway I can give you is to disregard the online reviews and opinions about Jawa/Yezdi and experience them for yourself in real life. Yes, you will have to forgive them for the initial sales disaster with the Jawa bikes. This brand has the potential to be a worthy challenger to Royal Enfield. If only they bring back the Road King in modernized form for the nostalgia value and compete with RE in refinement levels, they are definitely capable of being wildly successful. Imagine seeing a twin-cylinder engine from this brand competing with RE twins.
People seem to underestimate that even with the cult like success that the RE enjoys, a part of the market exists that specifically doesn’t want a RE but still wants some competing alternative. I feel like the Jawas and Yezdis are the more brisk and fast-paced alternatives to the typically lazy RE’s. This is not to say that a lazy engine is inherently bad, but if you want something different this is your only bet. It still feels like they carry more exotic value/appeal compared to a RE. Sales success and exotic-ness will always be at opposing ends.
Side Topic – If someone wanted a purely road-biased ADV with mid capacity engine (300cc+) priced under 3 or 4 lakh rupees max, where are the products for that?
After re-reading my post, I do feel that somewhere I may have written a little too negatively about my bike but don’t get me wrong, it is always a pleasure to get on it and start riding. When I went down today to click some pictures of the bolts and the console, I wanted to turn it on just to hear that exhaust note and go for a short spin but I didn’t as riding for very small distances would hurt the bike and I didn’t really have time. Go out and experience the products for yourself as there is a new sheriff in town.
Bonus Section – A Few specifications for the Pros/Curious/Nerds:
- Engine – 334cc Single Cylinder, Liquid Cooled, DOHC
- Max Power & Torque – 29.5Bhp & 30Nm
- Bore & Stroke – 81×65 mm
- Compression Ratio – 11:1
- Front & Rear Sprocket – 13 & 45 Teeth
- Suspension Travel – Front 200mm, Rear Hydraulic Monoshock with linkage, 7 step adjustable 180mm wheel travel
- Braking – 340mm Disc on the front, 240mm on the rear, both with ABS
- Tyres – 90/90-21 Front and 130/80-17 Rear, both tube type tyres
- Tyre Pressures (F&R) – 29 & 32 psi Solo, 29 & 34 psi with pillion
- Weight – 210kg with fuel & cage
- Ground Clearance – 220mm
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
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