Adventure Tourers – yonder blue mountain…

Enter Morini!

August 3, 2024November 12, 2024atullakraLeave a comment

*The MotoMorini XCape 650 and yours truly.*

*The XCape is built to savour tarmac like this at all manner of speeds!*

My foray into the middleweight adventure biking segment has been fraught with indecisive reflection. Every time a motorcycle caught my fancy, I would beeline to the showroom and take a test ride. Each one would fail to tick one box or the other. I realised that no single motorcycle would be absolutely perfect, but the near perfect choices, like the BMW GS 850 or the Triumph Tiger 850, were too dear a price to pay, and not very suited for everyday use in our traffic conditions.

Early on this year, to put a rest to this indecisive streak, I parked my money on the newly launched Honda NX500, a fairly capable machine that would have been excellent for everyday commuting or long haul touring. Alas, when the bike was due for delivery, Honda pulled off the stock from the country, with no certainty on future stock. This was extremely frustrating for buyers and quite typical of the manufacturer. I guess they are happy selling scooters in what’s probably one of their largest markets. Must make financial sense somewhere in their upper echelons in Minato!

While quite impressed with the Royal Enfield 650 twins, I never really saw them as a step up from the Himalayan. Now with the Honda out of the way, I started seriously considering buying a Continental GT, with the intent to continue keeping the Himmy for off-road use and touring when needed. I would have put this plan into action, had a tiny article on one corner of a motorcycle website not caught my eye. The tiny article claimed that Moto Morini, the resurrected Italian marque, had slashed prices for their flagship Adventure motorcycle, the XCape 650.

I swear I’d never heard of the brand before. But one look at the motorcycle immediately got me interested to dive deeper. The bike is just stunning to look at, no questions asked.

Deep dive and it gets revealed this is a long lived Italian brand which was established in 1937, and produced some interesting and powerful motorcycles through to the late 2010s. In the last three decades it changed ownership from Italian to the American owners of Cagiva and Ducati and finally the Chinese owners of Benelli and Keeway. I then scour the internet for reviews and fail to find any real negative feedback. All long term users are pretty thrilled with the motorcycle. It’s a good, value for money, no nonsense all rounder that comes with Marzocchi and KYB fully adjustable suspension, Brembo brakes and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tyres. That’s a lot of top end, high quality Italian hardware which I quite like the sound of, thank you very much.

It’s a windy day on Nice Road on the outskirts of Bengaluru, as I head out for a breakfast ride on my newly acquired XCape 650, in the company of friends. I’m cruising at around 60kph, taking it easy, unsure about how the bike will perform today, it’s first time on the highway. All of the indecision, all of the waiting, comes down to this moment. I gun the throttle as the road opens up. At running in, I’m supposed to top out in the 5500rpm whereabouts. The rev counter climbs slowly past 3000 rpm. I slot into 5th gear. I can hear a burble coming on. The bike has a super linear power band- it doesn’t like to hustle. I’m fine with that. What happens next surprises me. As I slot into 6th around 3200 rpm, I feel a strong midrange coming on. The burble has turned into a roar. 4000 rpm. The bike crosses 100kph. 5000 rpm. The bike crosses 120kph. Dare I push it to the running in limit? Not yet. There’s a lot of give to the throttle yet. I’m delirious. I wonder what 9000rpm will feel like. This here is a beautiful motorcycle.

I catch movement in the air above. A large graceful peacock sails by overhead, gliding down towards the Bannerghatta Forest Reserve, on the left. It’s a rare and beautiful sight to see this bird in the air. For me it’s a moment of epiphany! Here I am, saddled into my new Moto Morini, and a Mor (peacock) passes by in what I infer as divine acknowledgment. (Morni/ Morini is a Hindi term for the female peacock (peahen)). Wow, I say to myself.

*At Sabbanahalli lake outside Bangalore*

I’ve done a 1000 kms on the bike now. Here’s first impressions after a couple of highway rides and a good amount of 40km round commutes. If you are in search of a decent middleweight, I’d recommend this bike basis these differentiators that make it stand apart from the competition.

1. Design

The standout feature of the bike is its design. There’s nothing quite like this in the market. It’s edgy and graceful at the same time. The red and white colourways are striking to say the least! The grey is more muted, but holds its own when not in the company of the other two.

2. Tech Features

The bike has a well designed cockpit and a pretty decent screen with good information readout. Ride modes are limited to road and off road, with no electronic settings to either engine or suspension. The off road mode enables one to switch off the ABS. An app enabled feature allows Bluetooth connectivity for navigation, music and phone calls. Tyre pressure monitoring is standard. I haven’t explored all screen modes yet (there are some more), but all in all, feels like a well thought through package.

There are some very practical adjustments provided for the clutch and brake lever (distance to bars/ play), clutch cable pull, handlebar and windshield positions. The front inverted fork Marzocchi suspension and the rear KYB is fully adjustable for preload, rebound and compression.

3. Ergonomics and Comfort

The long travel adjustable front and rear suspension, firm seat, wide bars and an ‘in the bike’ seating position are the highlights of what I would call near perfect ergonomics. Standing ergonomics are very good too. Vertically challenged riders could opt for the lower 810mm high seat, if uncomfortable, as this is a tall motorcycle.

4. The Weight

213kgs of dry weight. This is no light adv. However, it’s the way the weight is balanced that is an absolute delight. You don’t feel it at all when riding. Parking the bike and moving it around with the motor off, takes some getting used to, but is manageable. I haven’t really tried handling it on trails, so that’s a discovery waiting to happen.

5. The Engine

The 649 cc twin cylinder ER6N based design is built by CF Moto. The engine has a peak torque of 54NM at 7000 rpm and peak power of 60bhp at around 8250 rpm. The state of tune makes this bike extremely likeable and friendly in the city. I’ll be able to talk more about its highway capabilities in a few months time. However, whatever I’ve experienced so far, guarantees this to be an unstressed engine, built for munching miles. The engine heats up to manageable levels in very congested traffic. Now with a thousand kms in, the heat is much less noticeable.

6. The Ride

Right, this is what it all comes down to. This is where I feel, the bike shines. This is an incredibly friendly bike. The power is very linear, to the extent that experienced riders may call it lazy. This suits me fine though, as after eight years on 411 Himmy, my riding style is less ambitious when it comes to throttle action. All that matters is that the punch is available when required. And loads of it. The bike outclasses many others in its price range when it comes to the ride quality, handling and braking. In the city, the bike is flickable. It took me a day or two to realise that while this is a big bike, it’s also a tall and quite slim bike. The overall width of the fairing is not more than some scooters or the KTM Adv390. This makes filtering through gaps in traffic relatively easy. None of that big bike clumsiness.

Gear shifts are an interesting thing. Slot into first gear, and it does so with a resounding clunk. So much so you wonder if it’s going to fall apart. I have noticed other two wheeler riders staring at me when hearing this clunk as traffic starts moving! From then on though you hardly feel the gears. Shifts are super smooth.

I’ve had limited experience on a section of fast twisties, and this machine was a hoot on them. The Pirelli Scorpion tyres are grippier than ever. The Brembo brakes are absolutely spot on. The body balance is very well defined with the bike never feeling top heavy. My only gripe at the moment is that I’m riding the bike with the optional touring handle bar which comes stock on the XCape 650 sold in India. The flat and more aggressive handlebar which is available on the XCape 650X model, would be the right tool to exploit this bike to its full potential. Hope to get that installed soon!

7. Service and Support

Come decision making time, the key factor which I looked at was the spares and service support available in the city and elsewhere. I found a good dealer on Richmond Road, where both the sales and Service team were extremely patient and helpful in answering all my questions and clearing my doubts. The elephant in the room, of course was quickly dealt with. I say this without an intent to start any debates, let’s face it. Something of Everything, is made in China. The bike is completely designed in Italy, as is evident. Assembly is in Italy and China. The Indian enterprise, Aadishwar Auto, has a ground up assembly plant in Hyderabad. This means that all inspections, pre assembly to pre delivery happens in India. The engine oil specifications and service intervals are changed to suit Indian riding conditions. Other brands like Benelli and Keeway (from Hungary) which have been brought into India by the same group have had moderate success, but are firmly established for the last ten years. All of this was extremely assuring. As I write this, I’m done with the first service and have faced no major niggles.

*This is a tall bike. It’s also a slim bike. A boon in the city*

*In the company of its Italian cousins.*

*The grey colour looks better at night.*

The bike does have some teething issues. There are sensors all over, some of which are over sensitive to moisture. Most of these are quick fixes at the service centre. Videos on You Tube claim the windshield to be an easy adjust. It isn’t.

One thing that I’m unsure of at this time are the lights. It may be a beam adjustment issue, which I need to check, but if isn’t, then it’s a case of the lights being ‘good from far, far from good’. What I mean is the bike looks terrific coming up in your rear view mirror, courtesy the sleek DRLs and powerful high beam. However come night time, the same high (and low) beams are a complete washout. This is worse if you are riding in the rain at night. I had to make my way through traffic relying solely on the headlights of other vehicles! This is one to check and confirm on.

The screen takes an enormous amount of time to start up, thereby delaying your finger itching to press ignition. I’m told this is something I’ll have to live with. Well this means you ought to always have a head start when you are on group rides. 😊

But like I said at the beginning, my years of waiting and trying out bikes proved to me that there’s no perfect motorcycle. The perfect motorcycle is the one you are riding at the moment. I’ll think of the XCape 650 as this in the moment bike. It’s certainly not spoiling the moment! Here’s for more to come!

Motorcycling in God’s Own Country

March 10, 2024April 12, 2024atullakraLeave a comment

Rolling through the Wayanad wilderness

A slow dance through the bends as we navigate this section of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, in Kerala, leading to the Kabini reservoir and wildlife reserve, in Karnataka. The traffic was minimal, the twisties unending, and we went carving through the jungle. Enroute we spotted barking deer, monkeys and the occasional peacock.

This was our second run through Wayanad, after 2017. You can read about the earlier ride here.

We took on this one as a three day ride in February this year, with our company’s offsite and a very pleasant stay at the newly opened Taj Wayanad thrown into the mix. Had the ride not been for our official event, it would have been the perfect recipe for an awesome motorcycle holiday- stay at breathtaking luxury resorts, take slow rides through the beautiful living culture that is Kerala, gorge on sumptuous food and drink and enjoy the all encompassing green scenery.

You’ve heard this before, but life does take its own slow pace in rural Kerala. And it has moments of beauty where time stands still. As we ride through village after village, we see homes with large verandahs, shaded from the morning sun. The menfolk use this space as their daily hangout, reading the morning newspaper, sipping on chai, catching up on gossip with the neighbours and watching the world go by. You can’t rush through scenes like this, and the ride is best enjoyed at the gentle pace that makes you appreciate the culture and character of the place.

Wayanad is the quintessential lazy motorcyclist’s paradise, with winding roads that snake through tea estates, banana plantations and an otherwise endless sea of green. If you are planning on visiting, keep a few days in store- there’s lots of lovely routes in the district which need to be savoured, one day at a time.

*Quaint cafes like this one with a greenhouse, add to the charm of Wayanad. This was the perfect chai stop.*

*Rivers in Wayanad are pictures of idyll.*

*The stunning Taj property overlooks the Banasura Sagar lake*

*The scenic setting of the property qualifies it as one of the most beautiful resorts in India.*

*You are never too far from Chai in Wayanad…*

*…or pretty, age worn houses by the wayside.*

*Western Ghats loom beyond the Banasura Sagar reservoir*.

A detour on our way home, to one of my favourite places in Karnataka, the enchanting Kabini reservoir and wildlife reserve was rewarding as ever.

Can’t wait to return to this gorgeous motorcycling country at the next opportunity.

*The Himmy, short of its 8th birthday, poses at Kabini.*

Date with Versys

September 12, 2017September 29, 2017atullakraLeave a comment

A few days ago, I got a cool birthday surprise from my dearest wife. She sent me a Wicked Ride reservation for a Kawasaki Versys 650. It was to be mine for a day!! Read on for some first impressions.

The model I got was from 2016, all black and missing the green livery and newer bits and bobs from the current model. The bike is tall and gangly, no matter how you look at it, with that rear overhang tad longer than it should be. Seat height at 840mm will be a struggle for short riders, and the screen on centre stand was higher than my Himalayan’s. The good thing though, is the incredibly rider friendly nature of the bike. It felt familiar within the first 20 minutes. Ergonomics are great, the seat has enough room for movement and tall ride height, a boon in traffic. I would have preferred a wider, taller handlebar, which would have helped maneuverability and standing on pegs while negotiating potholes.

The cockpit gets a rev counter and digital speedo. Tell tale lights for ABS, indicators, high beam and engine warning light. Miss the nifty bits from the Himalayan like the service reminder and gear indicator.

Rolling around in the city, on a public holiday, proved to be effortless. I was worried that the engine would start cooking my legs in stop and go traffic situations. When that failed to happen, I realised that the large tank, tall seat and rear set footpegs keep your legs away from the heat. The only thing to be careful with then, was the throttle. A slight rev on the throttle would pummel the motorcycle towards triple digit speeds, instantly. Ten odd kilometres later, with the art of throttle control mastered, I was flicking through traffic, having a ball. Later, trundling along at 60kph on a traffic free flyover, I decide to gun the throttle. The bike darts like a hooligan! Over the crest, in the next instant, I see the speedo flash 120kph, and know that I have crossed the speed limit set by the hiring agency. This transpired in a few seconds, without the need to down-shift. Ample torque figures of 64NM and 68/69 PS, from a refined twin cylinder, crafted out of the Ninja lineage, take credit for this performance. The bike measures the same as my Himalayan, length and breadth wise, so carving up traffic was all about getting used to the extra power on tap. The brakes, with ABS, were excellent.

Felt like a king, for a day, with two able stallions in the stable

As a commuter then, the bike is pretty desirable. But an entry level tourer is best tried outside the city. Next stop, the highway!

Too many sharp edges, if you ask me. (I’m still a sucker for curves)

Out on the freeway towards Krishnagiri, I’m constantly aware of one nagging reminder- stick to the 120kph speed limit. It seems impossible to do this, especially on straights. And on wide sweeping curves, I had some trouble understanding how to keep to the centreline. The front felt heavy and there was quite a lot of understeer. Now this may have been an issue with the rental bike- I don’t recall reading anything of the sort while going through reviews on the bike. Well, that was a downer, as a lot of the stretch from here till Krishnagiri has these long winding curves.

Everything else, was just dandy. The bike excels as a mile muncher. Covering large distances, at speeds around 120kph, all day long, with an unstressed engine, is this bike’s forte. The seat is gloriously comfortable. Hepco and Becker, in addition to Kawasaki, have a full range of luggage accessories for this bike in India, and mounted up, its a formidable tourer. I did not get much sense of the mileage, but I was told its in the range of 23-25kpl, which I thought was pretty decent.

One feature I really loved, was the hazard light switch (red) on the handlebar. I use this quite a lot on my Himalayan, both in the city and when on a ride. Its a pain to let go of the bars and reach towards the centre console. On the Versys, the switch is within easy reach of my thumb.

Rear and three quarters views of the bike are best, the front and side views are a bit awkward, IMHO.

So is this something, I’d like to lay my hands on in the near future? I won’t deny its a tempting proposition. The pros outweigh the cons- its got a super smooth, terrific engine, good torque and power figures, great brakes and ergonomics. Most importantly, its not ridiculously expensive, like say a Triumph or a Ducati. I’m not a hard corner hugging rider, nor have any experience on the race track, to comment on the bike’s track abilities. But I wouldn’t bat an eyelid about it’s excellent touring capability.

At the end of the day, however, I think I would look further for two reasons. For starters, I’m not entirely sure, how well this entire package handles off road. The bike’s weight tops 200+ kgs, which will be higher still when loaded with luggage. The tyres are not really dual purpose, and from the reviews I read, not very inspiring, even on flat dirt tracks. Suspension travel or the handlebars aren’t great for off road manoeuvres either. And I reckon, in real off the grid conditions, the bike will feel top heavy. I’d strike out the ‘adventure’ prefix from the bike’s ‘tourer’ moniker.

Reason number two, has simply to do with how ungainly the bike looks. I’ll get to the point- it does look like a pelican on two wheels. And I’d rather not be seen riding a pelican, don’t you think?

On the highway, this mid segment Kawasaki is nothing less than incredible.

Republic Day Ride

January 27, 2017January 27, 2017atullakraLeave a comment

Republic Day 2017, marked the beginning of rides for the year, with a short half day ride to Kolar and back. I was joined by my brother in law on a CBR 250R and my cousin on another Royal Enfield Himalayan.

The ride plan had been in the making for Kabini, with the idea of a wander round this beautiful body of water, as indicated in the map below. Now I’ve been to Kabini one too many times, but always in a car. On every visit, I have wanted to re-visit the place on a motorcycle. Unfortunately, the ride plan fizzled out as many of the riders in my riding group dropped out. We decided to make it a family affair, and head somewhere closer. Kabini, remains on the to-do list…for the next ride.

screen-shot-2017-01-23-at-12-11-23-am — Kabini Reservoir- ride around…

Sometimes, all you need to do, is get out of the city, take a beaten path into the hills and thank your stars for living in this moment.

From the Archives_Make life a ride_BMW Motorrad

January 8, 2017January 8, 2017atullakraLeave a comment

Digging around for a file in the back up from my old computer, I found these. My collection of brilliant BMW Motorrad advertisements, downloaded when just published at the time. To this day, I have not found any ads that capture the spirit of motorcycling in such a soul stirring way. One look might make you want to drop everything and head out on a ride! Enjoy!