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#1
I entered the showroom that is located near Uppal Ring road, Hyderabad I could see a good number of people in the showroom who either already booked a bike or came to book one of the ones on the display, of all the ones present there they were either Interested in Classic or the Electra, few in Standard & few in the new Thunderbird, however I could clearly gauge that many of whom some young lads included didn’t show much Interest in Continental GT, my perception might be incorrect as well....
After those quick observations I asked a guy that I would like to do a test ride of the Conti GT he said please wait & he disappeared to the workshop. I went around the showroom a bit although I saw the Conti GT is being showcased however did not venture to that area just yet, I was surprised to see the Bullet 500 (Carb) on sale since I previously had info that the model is not in sale in Hyderabad. I went to check out the Bullet 500 and then some of the merchandise in the showroom which are a bit on the expensive side.
I finally made my way to the Conti GT which is showcased on a stage kind of area and mounted on a rear wheel stand. My first impressions the motorcycle is definitely a looker & will turn heads where ever one goes. I hesitated to takes pics but then asked a fellow of the showroom if I could click some. I clicked the pics of the important areas of the motorcycle; I observed few things about the motorcycle which were unique only to this motorcycle & no other in the RE stable. I would illustrate with Pics below however first the let me start with the pic of the Motorcycle itself. I found the console is nicely done along with all the instruments placed nicely in the Tachometer. The speedometer is nicely showing both the KMPH & MPH numbers, it also has a small digital console that shows the mileage and also has the option to set trip meter along with a reset button in between the consoles.
To my utter disbelie RE has roped in the premium brand when it comes to tyres & who else better than Pirelli for a motorcycle that is being shipped to International markets as well.
Now this was somewhat expected however from my point of view I did not think RE would rope in Brembo the most trusted brand for motorcycle disc brakes to be the supplier for RE rather than the Indian version called “Bybre” which is the supplier for Pulsar 200NS. There is a catch here & it does seem to me that the disc brake from Brembo will fit to other motorcycles as well & that include my CI Electra 5S.
The rear disc is you guessed it Brembo as well & caliper mounted on the swing arm the whole set up looks pretty neat and clean
Now the chain sprocket is different setup all together than what we have been seeing although no comparison can be made here, however this is different and more like mounted on to the hub with bolts in place. This would mean easy to change the chain sprocket...
This beauty has a beasty engine sitting below with displacement of 535CC with power of 29.1 BHP & 44nm Torque at 4000RPM....
The Ride:
Finally I got hold of another person there and told him dude I came here to do test ride of Conti GT.. he asked for my licence and noted down the details & once that was done, he took out the keys & his helmet as well & took the bike out and parked it for me, I guess he however changed his mind & gave me the bike to ride by myself... (He never knew I ride an RE day in & day out although I went there on a Old gen Thunderbird with UCE) he took a pic of mine saying I need to send this to the company that we gave you this bike for test ride, I told him I’d be posting a kind of review on a forum.
So I put my helmet back on & get ready to ride out, sitting upright without holding the handlebar I felt good, however the comfort level somewhat dropped the minute I held the handle bar but the bike felt a little less heavier than others. I eased the gear into first gear, I tried to leave clutch like till half so that I could move the bike however it didn’t budge then leaving the clutch almost fully it finally moved & I felt again the comfort level dropping a little further more for me (please bear in mind I ride an Electra CI so I can be biased). It took me a minute to get used to the areas of brake and gear level. I could see the pickup was good at 20 then 30, 40 upto 4th gear however when I shifted to 5th gear at 40 the bike jerked a bit and couldn’t pull at the low RPM (didn’t observe the RPM meter was concentrating on Speedo). I came to a “U” turn and there I first encountered the first issue that might cause problems to the users, the rear brake level is too close to comfort to the Kick start rod & the bend pipe (silencer pipe) I was wearing sandals and I was struggling a bit to use the rear brake as my sandal was touching the kick rod nicely restricting movement & it also touched the bend pipe a few times (I could see the chrome worn off on it already).
I took the “U” turn and immediately gave it throttle and the bike roared however the thump of Bullet is definitely missing and there is no comparison here either to the Classic, however to describe it sounds like R15 on with Two Brothers. Pickup was excellent however there was very high sound coming from the engine might be that of rockers or the tappets that need to be set properly on the test ride bike, issue might be confined to the test bike. The bike stayed planted on the road than doing a wheelie of sorts at the sudden burst of power. As I said earlier the bike struggles to pull at lower RPM does alright till 4th gear at 40KMPH and changed the gear to 5th when on 40KMPH it jerked a bit and couldn’t gain speed there, I revved it up to 50KMPH and changed to 5th then the bike didn’t give the jerks and moved ahead smoothly. I tried adjusting myself on the seat by going back a bit to see how much of the seat I could occupy and still hold on to the handle bar. I felt moving back would need a change of stance & lean more on to the tank & a bit difficult for a person who not used to such kind of riding. However Conti GT can have a pillion along on a city ride and needs to be tested for that as well.
If you are someone who knows how to handle a bike well then Conti would be easy for that person, I was able to change lanes without much of a fuss from the bike however I did find the bike was kind of pulling to the right & felt a pressure on the hand. I checked it in a bit of a traffic it performed well in mild to dense traffic however it’s advisable to downshift in traffic to avoid stalling the bike. Saw a bit of open road ahead of me & gave it a good rev it was able to climb to 80 very quickly, even with the Sports gear shift given I did not face much of a problem with shifting gears the clutch play was smooth and to my liking as well. I only had to count once to make sure I was in the right gear in the traffic to check the low torque performance. The throttle of the bike is quite responsive to please you whatever way you may want to rev it.
Overall in terms of riding comfort I would say overtime it would put a lot of strain on the lower back, shoulders & the wrists. I could feel the weight of my upper body falling somewhat on my shoulders and a lot of it on my wrists. This bike was designed keeping in mind those who like to do racing and this is not at all for touring for long distances. For a city ride or on Race track this motorcycle would do a lot of good for those whose love to ride such motorcycles however this one would be difficult to ride on a highway for a longer period of time.
Pros:
Great Looks
Peppy Engine
Good for small cruise
Can be a very good competitor on a race track.
Cons:
Riding comfort is not great, ergonomic issues might crop up over time.
While using rear brake the shoe can get stuck under the kick rod and also touches the silencer.
Less pickup at low RPM
2nd Test ride - RE Bullet 500 (Carb)
Now this test ride is of the RE Bullet 500 with Carb, as soon as I got down from the GT I asked if there is Test ride of Bullet 500 is available? The sales rep quickly got the keys, I went to the bike and only then I observed that it has a bigger tank which looks to be 18 ltrs however it’s in fact 13.5 ltrs. The visible difference is the lumbar support provided for the pillion. I started the bike with the Self start since I know using the kick is easier on the new engines. Put in first gear and tried to move out once again I found that bike doesn’t move till I leave the clutch almost fully. I found the stance a lot relaxed & the handle is lot wider on this bike. Gear shifting is smooth maybe because the bike must have already run in, it was quite responsive to the acceleration I did at my whim.... overall I was impressed with this bike, I could easily relate to this motorcycle. Finally I would say this would need a getting used to a bit due to the wider handle and somewhat backward seating posture. If anyone is looking to buying a new bike from RE I would say it should be the Bullet 500 with Carb. Although I have no bias against the other, its only my personal preference with the carb & the option of customizing power delivery and mileage as you like.
A shoddy job done & not painting the chrome on the silencer after it was cut, this is on the display model and not on the final product.
This is my first review and I am not sure how many would get a good understanding about the GT, I apologize beforehand if any shortcomings on my part and not covering everything or this review not being up to the standards one would expect it to be. I have tried to be as genuine as possible with my views on the Continental GT.
After those quick observations I asked a guy that I would like to do a test ride of the Conti GT he said please wait & he disappeared to the workshop. I went around the showroom a bit although I saw the Conti GT is being showcased however did not venture to that area just yet, I was surprised to see the Bullet 500 (Carb) on sale since I previously had info that the model is not in sale in Hyderabad. I went to check out the Bullet 500 and then some of the merchandise in the showroom which are a bit on the expensive side.
I finally made my way to the Conti GT which is showcased on a stage kind of area and mounted on a rear wheel stand. My first impressions the motorcycle is definitely a looker & will turn heads where ever one goes. I hesitated to takes pics but then asked a fellow of the showroom if I could click some. I clicked the pics of the important areas of the motorcycle; I observed few things about the motorcycle which were unique only to this motorcycle & no other in the RE stable. I would illustrate with Pics below however first the let me start with the pic of the Motorcycle itself. I found the console is nicely done along with all the instruments placed nicely in the Tachometer. The speedometer is nicely showing both the KMPH & MPH numbers, it also has a small digital console that shows the mileage and also has the option to set trip meter along with a reset button in between the consoles.
To my utter disbelie RE has roped in the premium brand when it comes to tyres & who else better than Pirelli for a motorcycle that is being shipped to International markets as well.
Now this was somewhat expected however from my point of view I did not think RE would rope in Brembo the most trusted brand for motorcycle disc brakes to be the supplier for RE rather than the Indian version called “Bybre” which is the supplier for Pulsar 200NS. There is a catch here & it does seem to me that the disc brake from Brembo will fit to other motorcycles as well & that include my CI Electra 5S.
The rear disc is you guessed it Brembo as well & caliper mounted on the swing arm the whole set up looks pretty neat and clean
Now the chain sprocket is different setup all together than what we have been seeing although no comparison can be made here, however this is different and more like mounted on to the hub with bolts in place. This would mean easy to change the chain sprocket...
This beauty has a beasty engine sitting below with displacement of 535CC with power of 29.1 BHP & 44nm Torque at 4000RPM....
The Ride:
Finally I got hold of another person there and told him dude I came here to do test ride of Conti GT.. he asked for my licence and noted down the details & once that was done, he took out the keys & his helmet as well & took the bike out and parked it for me, I guess he however changed his mind & gave me the bike to ride by myself... (He never knew I ride an RE day in & day out although I went there on a Old gen Thunderbird with UCE) he took a pic of mine saying I need to send this to the company that we gave you this bike for test ride, I told him I’d be posting a kind of review on a forum.
So I put my helmet back on & get ready to ride out, sitting upright without holding the handlebar I felt good, however the comfort level somewhat dropped the minute I held the handle bar but the bike felt a little less heavier than others. I eased the gear into first gear, I tried to leave clutch like till half so that I could move the bike however it didn’t budge then leaving the clutch almost fully it finally moved & I felt again the comfort level dropping a little further more for me (please bear in mind I ride an Electra CI so I can be biased). It took me a minute to get used to the areas of brake and gear level. I could see the pickup was good at 20 then 30, 40 upto 4th gear however when I shifted to 5th gear at 40 the bike jerked a bit and couldn’t pull at the low RPM (didn’t observe the RPM meter was concentrating on Speedo). I came to a “U” turn and there I first encountered the first issue that might cause problems to the users, the rear brake level is too close to comfort to the Kick start rod & the bend pipe (silencer pipe) I was wearing sandals and I was struggling a bit to use the rear brake as my sandal was touching the kick rod nicely restricting movement & it also touched the bend pipe a few times (I could see the chrome worn off on it already).
I took the “U” turn and immediately gave it throttle and the bike roared however the thump of Bullet is definitely missing and there is no comparison here either to the Classic, however to describe it sounds like R15 on with Two Brothers. Pickup was excellent however there was very high sound coming from the engine might be that of rockers or the tappets that need to be set properly on the test ride bike, issue might be confined to the test bike. The bike stayed planted on the road than doing a wheelie of sorts at the sudden burst of power. As I said earlier the bike struggles to pull at lower RPM does alright till 4th gear at 40KMPH and changed the gear to 5th when on 40KMPH it jerked a bit and couldn’t gain speed there, I revved it up to 50KMPH and changed to 5th then the bike didn’t give the jerks and moved ahead smoothly. I tried adjusting myself on the seat by going back a bit to see how much of the seat I could occupy and still hold on to the handle bar. I felt moving back would need a change of stance & lean more on to the tank & a bit difficult for a person who not used to such kind of riding. However Conti GT can have a pillion along on a city ride and needs to be tested for that as well.
If you are someone who knows how to handle a bike well then Conti would be easy for that person, I was able to change lanes without much of a fuss from the bike however I did find the bike was kind of pulling to the right & felt a pressure on the hand. I checked it in a bit of a traffic it performed well in mild to dense traffic however it’s advisable to downshift in traffic to avoid stalling the bike. Saw a bit of open road ahead of me & gave it a good rev it was able to climb to 80 very quickly, even with the Sports gear shift given I did not face much of a problem with shifting gears the clutch play was smooth and to my liking as well. I only had to count once to make sure I was in the right gear in the traffic to check the low torque performance. The throttle of the bike is quite responsive to please you whatever way you may want to rev it.
Overall in terms of riding comfort I would say overtime it would put a lot of strain on the lower back, shoulders & the wrists. I could feel the weight of my upper body falling somewhat on my shoulders and a lot of it on my wrists. This bike was designed keeping in mind those who like to do racing and this is not at all for touring for long distances. For a city ride or on Race track this motorcycle would do a lot of good for those whose love to ride such motorcycles however this one would be difficult to ride on a highway for a longer period of time.
Pros:
Great Looks
Peppy Engine
Good for small cruise
Can be a very good competitor on a race track.
Cons:
Riding comfort is not great, ergonomic issues might crop up over time.
While using rear brake the shoe can get stuck under the kick rod and also touches the silencer.
Less pickup at low RPM
2nd Test ride - RE Bullet 500 (Carb)
Now this test ride is of the RE Bullet 500 with Carb, as soon as I got down from the GT I asked if there is Test ride of Bullet 500 is available? The sales rep quickly got the keys, I went to the bike and only then I observed that it has a bigger tank which looks to be 18 ltrs however it’s in fact 13.5 ltrs. The visible difference is the lumbar support provided for the pillion. I started the bike with the Self start since I know using the kick is easier on the new engines. Put in first gear and tried to move out once again I found that bike doesn’t move till I leave the clutch almost fully. I found the stance a lot relaxed & the handle is lot wider on this bike. Gear shifting is smooth maybe because the bike must have already run in, it was quite responsive to the acceleration I did at my whim.... overall I was impressed with this bike, I could easily relate to this motorcycle. Finally I would say this would need a getting used to a bit due to the wider handle and somewhat backward seating posture. If anyone is looking to buying a new bike from RE I would say it should be the Bullet 500 with Carb. Although I have no bias against the other, its only my personal preference with the carb & the option of customizing power delivery and mileage as you like.
A shoddy job done & not painting the chrome on the silencer after it was cut, this is on the display model and not on the final product.
This is my first review and I am not sure how many would get a good understanding about the GT, I apologize beforehand if any shortcomings on my part and not covering everything or this review not being up to the standards one would expect it to be. I have tried to be as genuine as possible with my views on the Continental GT.
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