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Vnetphone V6 – A bang for your buck intercom!

don't waste your money on expensive intercoms. here's why vnetphone v6 long term review

It’s been more than year using the Vnetphone V6 intercom and here’s my review on it.

There are many popular intercom brands like Sena, Cardo and even cheaper ones like the Bluearmor. They start at a price of 10k INR. Till last year, I had never used intercoms and I was skeptical about it. So as a trial, I got the cheapest one available, the Vnetphone V6. I got a pair for just under 6k INR.

To my surprise, it held up so good that I ended up keeping it and using it for multiple trips. So before I get into the pros and cons, here are the features of this intercom.

Features of Vnetphone V6

Vnetphone V6 is a bluetooth intercom and it can connect up to 6 other Vnetphone intercoms or 6 other bluetooth devices. It comes with 2 speakers and a mic along with the main unit and an attachment for your helmet. It has 6 buttons to connect 6 different intercoms, a volume up and down button, buttons to answer and decline calls and a switch off button.

Pros of Vnetphone V6

1. Cost

The first pro is the cost. For less than 3k INR it’s a bang for the buck product. Sena and Cardo systems start at 30k INR while the Bluearmor starts at 10k. So for having almost 90% of the functionality of those systems and costing around 1/10th of the price, it’s totally worth the money.

2. Audio Quality

The audio and signal quality is really good. I use a pair of earplugs under the helmet to cut off the wind noise. Even with those, the voice clarity is really good at 90% of the volume of the intercom. The wind noise cancellation is also great up to a 100km/hr. The person on the other side of the phone call might not even notice that you’re riding a motorcycle.

3. Range

The range of the intercom is commendable. In straight highways, the range holds up good even up to 1km. It means if you can see your riding partner at the far end of the horizon on a long highway, you can probably hear them too. The only times the signal gets messy is when you are taking corners at hill stations and there’s a mountain side between you and your partner or if you have a large truck or bus blocking you.

4. Self Healing

Even though you can pair multiple devices, you can connect only one at a time. If your riding partner is out of the range it automatically connects to your phone. And once your partner is in the range, you don’t have to manually disconnect and connect to your partner. It automatically disconnects from your phone and connects to your partner. This is very handy while on the move.

5. Build Quality

I’ve used the Vnetphone V6 extensively in all weather conditions. Even in heavy monsoon, this intercom works just fine. It’s waterproof and dust proof.

6. Battery Life

The company boasts around 12-16 hours of battery life. Now the longest I’ve used it is when we were riding from Padum to Leh which was a 15 hour ride. It never ran out of charge. And it charges from 0-100 in less than an hour.

Cons of Vnetphone V6

1. No universal connectivity

Vnetphone V6 is not a mesh intercom and hence it doesn’t connect with intercoms of other companies. It connects to only Vnetphone intercoms.

2. One connection at a time

Even though it can connect up to 6 intercoms, you can use or talk to only 1 intercom in an instance. That means if you want to talk to another intercom, you have to disconnect the current one you’re connected to and connect with the other. You cannot connect your phone and your intercom simultaneously. So there’s no music sharing or call sharing.

3. Small Buttons on the Vnetphone V6

These buttons on the intercom are so small that using them with the gloves on makes it almost impossible. But most of the time you don’t need to use these buttons. Once connected, you can forget about it. And it auto answers calls after 3 seconds of ringing so again you don’t need to use these buttons that often.

4. Long Term Durability

One of the intercom developed a lose connection after a year of usage. I think one of the speaker wire developed a cut and we had to throw it off. I guess that can happen to any headset wire but I wish it didn’t happen because the intercom still worked perfect. We even tried to get just the wiring or just an extra pair of speakers but it wasn’t available anywhere.

Should you buy the Vnetphone V6?

If you’re a team of two or if you’re a couple then the Vnetphone V6 is a perfect choice. Intercoms make the ride a hell lot more fun. It makes communication a lot easier and having conversations during long hours of riding makes the whole experience memorable. It also gives a sense of safety when you’re on two separate bikes because you can be on the constant look out for each other.

Or if you ride solo, this intercom works great in enjoying music or a podcast while riding. It can also make calls with good clarity.

If you ride in larger group, you would want to look for a mesh intercom like Bluearmor where you can connect with multiple riders at once.

Buy it here – Vnetphone V6

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Easy Clutch Review – Make Your Himalayan Feel Like A Honda!

Make your Himalayan feel like a Honda! Easy Clutch from Pro Spec Long Term Review

Two years ago I purchased the Easy clutch from Pro Spec after seeing an ad. Even though it reduced the clutch action as they had advertised, it came with a lot of issues. The gear shifts were hard and the clutch was not engaging/disengaging fully. So after using for few weeks, I went back to the stock clutch.

When I posted on the accessories that I’ve put on my Himalayan, I had mentioned that it didn’t work for me. Seeing that post, Mr Madan from Pro spec reached out to me and said that they have a newer version which takes away all those issues and he welcomed me to try it out. So I went to their office in Bangalore and installed the new cable system.

Post the installation, Mr Ajay from Pro spec helped me in adjusting the lever action. So it’s a bit tricky and not like how you’d adjust the stock cable. I’ll walk you through it.

How does easy clutch work?

The Easy clutch works by a lever mechanism inside the unit. So there’s a short cable that comes from the lever to the unit and a long one that goes from the unit to the gear box. They recommend not having any free play in the lever as opposed to some free play in the stock lever. To adjust that, you’ll need to use the adjusters on the unit.

If you want to eliminate the free play and increase the clutch lever action, you need to unscrew and expand these adjusters and if you want to decrease the lever action you have to screw in and collapse these adjusters. The clutch engagement/disengagement falls in the middle 50% of the sweep. So you’ll need to keep 25% of the sweep in both the extremes free from engagement/disengagement.

How does the it perform?

Once I got the adjustment done, I realised the clutch makes a hell of a difference. The action is so light that you’ll feel like you are riding a Honda bike. It makes city commute much easier. I used to take my Himalayan only on the weekends and use my friend’s Suzuki Access for city commute mainly because of the hard clutch on the Himalayan. But now I’ve almost stopped using the scooter for city commute.

Gear shifts are also very click and precise. You’ll need to get used to the feel at first since the clutch now has more sweep than the stock setting. So getting adjusted to the level of engagement/disengagement of the clutch in the sweep takes some time but you’ll quickly learn it. And once you do, trust me there’s no going back to the stock cable ever.

I thank Mr Madan, Mr Ajay and the entire team of Pro Spec for listening to the feedback and improving the product. I really appreciate them reaching out and helping me getting it installed and working perfectly. It costs around 3000 INR and it’s bike specific so contact them before placing your order. I’d highly recommend the Easy clutch for making your life easier on the Himalayan 411.

Go check it out here – Easy Clutch Pro Plus

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Mototorque Crash Guard for Triumph Scrambler 400X & Himalayan

Tried & tested crash guards for Triumph Scrambler 400X & RE Himalayan 411

I installed the Mototorque crash guard and removed the stock engine guard on the Triumph Scrambler 400X. Why did I do it and how does it perform? Let’s get into it.

The stock leg guard and the lower engine guard on the Triumph Scrambler 400X is very functional. The build quality is great and it does a great job in protecting the engine in case of a fall. However there was one issue that we faced with it when we started taking it off road, on trail rides and dirt track practice sessions.

The stock engine guards sits close to the frame. And hence on multiple occasions, the bike fell over rider’s leg and it used to get stuck in between the engine guard and the ground. The leg wouldn’t get crushed but the foot would be stuck on the other side. It’d completely immobilise the rider and they can get out of the situation only if someone lifts the bike and then they can drag their foot or leg out of the situation.

When this happened a couple of times, we were on the look out for alternatives. That’s when we came across the crash guard made by mototorque. Before fixing it we went to their office and checked it out. Now it’s been more than 5-6000 kms riding with it so here’s my review on it. Long story short, it’s so good that i got one for my Himalayan too.

Pros of Mototorque Crash Guard

1. The Sliders

Mototorque crash guard comes with a big enough slider. When the bike falls, the slider is the first thing to come in contact after the handlebar. This creates a large enough gap between the flat ground and the bike to a point where you can pull out your foot by yourself instead of having someone lift the bike. This feature was the main one that made us go for mototorque crash guard.

The second advantage of these sliders are that in case of a bigger impact, these bolts that holds the sliders in place absorbs the impact and bends out of shape. And thus it prevents the full force from getting transmitted on to the chassis. This happened in our trip to Ladakh as well. All that was needed was to remove the bolt and replace it with a new one and we were good to go. And in case the slider gets severely damaged, you’ll get fresh ones from Mototorque.

2. Build Quality

The fit and finish of these crash guards are great. The powder coating on these match the quality of the chassis on the Scrambler 400X and hence these won’t feel out of place with the bike.

Cons of Mototorque Crash Guard

I don’t consider this as a con at all but some say these rigid 3 point mounting crash guards will transmit forces to the chassis and will break the chassis. To all those people I just have one thing to say. You can spend money and replace a chassis. No amount of money can completely replace a fully functioning femur or a tibia. So for me, our limbs are more important than anything else.

With that being said I’m totally against all the cage like crash guards that are actually a hazard in most of the cases. They cause more harm than good. But this particular one from Mototorque strikes a perfect balance in not being too much but just enough to give a little extra protection than the stock one.

On the Himalayan, I installed the crash guard that’s made for the Scram 411. Mototorque has a separate one for the Himalayan but i think it’s an overkill. This particular one for the Scram 411 fits perfect and is just enough for the Himalayan 411 as well.

Also another accessory that I forgot to mention in the other post is the side stand extender from Mototorque. This is a great help when going off road and when you go on tours. This prevents the bike from sinking in when it’s parked on sandy or muddy terrain especially when it’s loaded with luggage. We got it installed for both the Scrambler 400X and the Himalayan and it was of great help during our Ladakh trip.

Product Link – Mototorque Crash Guard for Triumph Scrambler 400X, Mototorque Crash Guard for Scram 411, Mototorque Side Stand Extender for Triumph Scrambler 400X, Mototorque Side Stand Extender for Himalayan 411

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Powertronics V4 improves performance on Himalayan 411 – Really?

Powertronics - Does it really improve performance on your Himalayan 411 A long term review

As a last resort to improve performance on my RE Himalayan 411, I installed Powertronics V4 and dyno tuned it. Here’s how it went and here’s my review on it.

For context my Himalayan has a BMC air filter, NGK iridium spark plugs, TEC cam, FuelX pro, a decatted exhaust pipe from HT exhausts and a Powerrage exhaust. The only restrictive link in the entire chain was the ECU. Hence getting a piggy back ECU and tuning it was the next best move.

So I approached race dynamics and they agreed to install their latest Powertronics V4. They also agreed to dyno tune it and make a custom map to fully utilise all the performance mods I had installed. They installed the map switch as well.

The installation took around 10-15 minutes and the dyno tune took around 15-20 minutes. They tuned 2 maps. One with the dB killer and one without. Powertronics aims to improve the horse power & torque and fix fuelling issues if any.

Together with the FuelX, it should work better to improve the overall performance and smoothness. But does it make a difference in real life scenario? To answer that, let me get into the pros and cons.

Pros of Powertronics V4

1. Improved fuelling

As soon as I rolled out the bike out of their centre, the first thing I noticed is the improved fuelling. Whatever minute jerkiness the bike had in fuelling at some RPMs, even after installing the fuel X, was completely gone. I never noticed the bike had small fuelling issues until it was resolved. The throttle seemed much smoother, linear and predictable throughout the entire rev range. Overall the bike became a lot smoother and calmer to ride.

2. Improved throttle response

The bike became a little more peppier. The ever so slightest delay in the throttle was gone and the response became almost instantaneous. This made the sudden accelerations in overtaking and off road riding a bit more fun.

Cons of Powertronics V4

No performance improvement

After dyno tuning, according to their charts, the bike got just around 2bhp of increase in power and 2.5Nm of increase in torque. But in real life I didn’t feel any improvement at all. The acceleration remained the same. The top speed improved by around 5km/hr but that’s due to the rev extender feature of Powertronics. So for the amount of money you spend on the unit, the performance boost you get is almost negligible.

Now I’d like to get into something that you should be aware of. My Himalayan is a BS6 2020 model. And I noticed a certain pattern. All the videos of people I have seen on youtube boasting around 5-6 increase in bhp with Powertronics and another 5bhp of increase in power with TEC cam are the owners of bs3/bs4 vehicles. I wondered why and asked around.

So apparently the ECU of BS6 bikes are heavily restricted to comply with the emission norms. Not only did this affect the bhp of a stock BS6 bike but it also restricted the amount of performace boost you could get with performance mods. Here, even powertronics cannot override certain limitations of the BS6 units. This wasn’t confirmed by race dynamics but it’s what I heard from users in certain forums. It makes sense as to why I gained very minimal increase in power or torque even with dyno tuning.

Who is Powertronics V4 for?

If you are looking to improve the overall smoothness of the bike, reduce the fuelling issues and run the bike in a much calmer and quicker way, then powertronics is a good upgrade. It makes the throttle response quicker, smoother and more linear and predictable. But do not install it expecting noticeable improvement in acceleration, top speed or even the torque.

Is Powertronics V4 value for money?

I do not think it’s a value for money product. For a mere increase in smoothness, you are paying 19000 INR for the powertronics unit and 1500 for the map switch. With that money you could go for better chain sprockets, tires and engine oil which improves the smoothness of the bike. So I don’t think you should get one unless you have some cash to spare.

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FuelX Pro – Is it any good for the Himalayan 411?

FuelX Pro Is it any good A long term review on my himalayan 411

I sold the FuelX lite on my Himalayan 411 and got the FuelX Pro. Why did I do that and how does it perform? Let’s get into it.

In my post on the performance mods on the Himalayan 411, I mentioned I got the FuelX lite along with the BMC air filter and the Powerrage exhaust. I didn’t want to fiddle around with the maps on the pro version and the lite was tuned to incorporate an after market air filter and exhaust. Hence I went with the FuelX Lite.

After that, I installed the TEC cam and the decatted bend pipe from Ht exhaust. Once that was done, I started getting some fuelling and stalling issues. I figured it might be from the FuelX and I contacted race dynamics for support.

They told me that the lite version’s maps were not tuned to include a high lift cam and a full system exhaust. So they advised me to get the Pro version and run the bike on a much richer map. So I sold the lite and got the Pro installed.

The sweet spot for my Himalayan with all the mods to be around 6-7 map setting for city commute and 7-8 for the highway. Now let me get to the pros and cons of fuel X pro.

Pros of the FuelX Pro

1. Improved throttle response

As with the lite, the FuelX pro also improved the throttle response of the bike. The bike became more responsive and quicker to accelerate. The fuelling issues I had after installing the TEC cam were almost gone and it overall increased the smoothness of the bike. The bike felt peppier and engaging to ride.

2. Less stressed engine

The bike felt less stressed at higher RPMs. Cruising on the highway at 120 kph became much smoother and calmer and you could do it all day. This made long distance highway touring a bit more relaxing.

Cons of FuelX Pro

1. Malfunction at high altitudes

The pro version has 10 maps and a switch to change the maps. Maps 1 and 2 run a leaner air fuel mixture than the stock, map 3 is stock setting and maps above 3 run a richer air fuel mixture which progressively increases in richness.

Now when you go to high altitudes like Ladakh, a leaner setting should be used as the air is thin there. But the Fuel X Pro started malfunctioning right from the ascend to Jispa from Manali. During our Ladakh trip, as we ascended from Chandigarh to Manali, I reduced the maps from 8 to 5 by the time we reached Manali which is around 6k feet above sea level. The next day I planned to reduce it to 2 by the time we reach Jispa which sits 10k feet above sea level.

But to my surprise the switch stopped changing maps. This affected the ignition of the bike. The bike failed to start at high altitudes and needed the application of choke and throttle to start. Luckily my Himalayan which is a 2020 BS6 model, has the choke. I wonder how the 2021 models would’ve started at that situation. It also used to switch off during idling so I had to keep the throttle pinned the entire time it idles.

I thought this would be a problem only with my unit but later I got to know from many users about the same issue with their Fuel X at high altitudes. Some had to disconnect or bypass it to get their bikes started. The issue completely resolved and started working again once we reached Srinagar. I reached out to race dynamics about this issue and they didn’t seem to have a definitive solution.

2. No performance boost

Race dynamics markets that FuelX improves horse power and torque but in real life usage you don’t feel any improvement in acceleration or top speed with Fuel X. It’s just that it makes the bike run smoother and a bit peppier and nothing else.

Who is the FuelX Pro for?

If you’re looking to improve the throttle response and overall smoothness of the bike, Fuel X is a good option. It makes the bike a little peppier and calmer to ride at high speeds. It’s better to have a free flow exhaust and air filter if you’re planning to get one. If you’re planning to ride to Ladakh with it, don’t! Disconnect or bypass it before you climb altitude.

Is the FuelX Pro value for money?

I think FuelX pro is a value for money product if you have a free flow exhaust, air filter and a high lift cam. It makes good use of all these mods to provide a better ride. It costs around 12k INR. If you don’t have any of these mods, I don’t think Fuel X helps much.

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Acerbis First Copy Hand Guards for Scrambler 400X & KTM ADV

The BEST Hand Guards for Triumph Scrambler 400X, KTM 390 Adventure & RE Himalayan Acerbis First Copy Hand Guards

After trying out a lot of hand guards for the Triumph Scrambler 400X, I found a near perfect one that I got a pair for my Himalayan 411 and now my KTM 390 Adventure S as well. Here’s more about Acerbis first copy hand guards.

I had previously installed MX hand guards on the Triumph Scrambler 400X and the Himalayan 411. It served the purpose well. The frame was strong and sturdy. However, it was quite large and heavy. And that’s when I came across Acerbis first copy aluminium hand guards and I thought I’ll give it a try.

Now after using these extensively on 3 different motorcycles, here’s my review on it. First the pros.

Pros of Acerbis First Copy Hand Guards

1. Sturdy

Acerbis Copy Hand Guards are quite sturdy. It takes a serious fall for it to break but for all the soft falls while you go off roading, these are sufficient enough to protect your levers and hands. It’s not as strong as the MX handguards which bend and not break but it’s definitely durable than the stock plastic ones.

They are brittle enough to break on a strong impact and thereby absorbing the impact. They are not rigid enough to transfer all the impact to your handle bar thereby risking bending the handlebar, top yoke or the forks even.

The only time it broke was during a track practice on my KTM 390 Adventure S. It was quite a bad crash where I ended up breaking the mirror, engine guard slider and the hand guard. Even though the hand guard broke, it didn’t end up injuring me or transfer the forces to the handlebar. That kind of fall has easily easily bend the handlebar on my Himalayan 411 and the Triumph Scrambler 400 X as well with other hand guards but it didn’t do anything to the KTM handlebar with these hand guards.

2. Universal fit

Acerbis copy hand guards are very easy to fit and fits almost all the bikes. Only in the KTM 390 Adventure S I had to use longer screws to fit the stock bar end weights along with the hand guards on handlebar. On the Triumph Scrambler 400X and Himalayan 411, it was a straight fit.

3. Cost

It’s dirt cheap for a hand guard. It costs around 1100 INR from flipkart. So even if you end up breaking it, you’ll not burn a hole in your pocket replacing it. I prefer cheap hand guards like these instead of expensive ones like the Barkbusters.

Cons of Acerbis First Copy Hand Guards

1. Wind Protection

The plastics on these hand guards are small. So if you’re looking primarily for wind protection from these hand guards, then these aren’t for you.

2. Build Quality of Acerbis first copy hand guards

The quality and the finish on the plastic isn’t great. Often it comes with minor scratches or with uneven paint work. But you can’t expect high quality from something that’s just 1000 INR.

All in all Acerbis copy hand guards are good products for the price. It’s nice and sleek, sturdy and fits great. I love them so much that I used in all 3 bikes and currently my KTM 390 Adventure S is running the second set of these hand guards. I love the fact that even if they get damaged, they can be easily replaced as they cost less.

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Product Link – Acerbis Hand Guards

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How’s the YSS Suspension for Himalayan 411? – A Review

Get your Himalayan 411 a dose of steroids! YSS Performance suspension long term review

I upgraded my Himalayan 411’s suspension to performance suspension from YSS. And here’s how it performed over 5000kms.

The Himalayan 411 is undoubtedly one of the best motorcycles in it’s class for off road riding. However the suspension seemed to be the weakest link when it comes to pushing the bike to its limits off road. It’s mainly because the OEM suspension is designed to keep comfort and the needs of the general population in mind. For the enthusiast it can be a little too soft.

As I was getting more and more into off road riding, it made sense for me to invest in a good aftermarket suspension and hence I went for the best one available for the Himalayan 411.

Features of YSS Suspension for the Himalayan 411

The YSS performance upgrade comes a whole kit for the Himalayan 411. It has a preload and rebound adjustable shock at the rear and preload adjustable linear springs at the front.

The preload adjustability at the rear is not by clicks like the stock but by a screw mechanism. This allows fine tuning and adjusting the preload. You can adjust the rebound in 10 different settings from soft to hard by a click mechanism. The rear suspension also allows height adjustability by 2 stops to increase the seat height if needed.

The front suspension has a linear spring instead of the progressive one like the stock. It has a PD valve which controls the oil flow rate. It comes with preload adjusters. YSS recommends the use of 20W grade oil and I went with the 20W oil from Liqui Moly.

Pros of YSS Suspension for the Himalayan 411

1. Traction

I always thought that comfort is the sole function of suspension. But then I came across few videos from experts which said that a suspension has 2 functions. Comfort and traction in equal proportions. I never understood it until I got the YSS suspension. Once the sag is adjusted to your weight, the traction it provides is insane!

It completely transformed my Himalayan 411 on the dirt. The speed and force at which the suspension compresses when the wheel runs over a undulation gives comfort. And the speed and force at which it rebounds and comes in contact with the ground gives the bike traction to maintain momentum.

The stock did an excellent job at compression. But whenever we tried to pick up the pace on off road, we used to feel that the suspension is compressed and we felt the lack of feedback from the terrain. This made you feel less and less in control when you are going fast over dirt. And eventually you are forced to slow down and keep a pace which is suitable for the suspension to rebound and give enough feedback to be in control.

This is where the YSS suspension shines like a star! The compression and rebound is so much in sync that it gives constant traction, feedback as well as comfort over a wide range of speed. This allows you to pick up momentum on the trails and go amazingly fast over off road terrain.

You’ll notice that the wheels are always in contact to the terrain and this gives it traction. Also the feedback of the terrain from this gives you a sense of control and confidence in handling the bike and keeping up the momentum. You’ll get the confidence and freedom to push it harder and faster over off road terrain. It’s a night and day difference between the stock and YSS in off road terrain.

2. Feedback and control

As a result of improvement in the traction that the YSS provides, the whole bike feels as one unit. With the stock the front and back used to feel in distinct ways over bad roads or off road. The YSS, if dialed in right, feels exactly the same in front and back. When you run over and undulation, you’ll notice the similarity in how the front and back behaves.

In higher speeds the time between the reaction of the front and rear suspension becomes very minimal. As in the front and rear crosses the particular undulation in a fraction of a second. In the stock setting as the front and rear behaves in distinct ways, it used to throw off the balance and traction to a point where you’d have to slow down to regain control.

The YSS setup makes the bike behave like a single unit. So when you hit an undulation at high speeds, you’ll feel almost as if you hit it just once as the rear and front doesn’t behave in 2 separate ways. This keeps the balance and traction in check and gives enormous feedback for you to push the bike to its limits off road.

3. No bounce

The YSS suspension is amazingly comfortable yet steady like a rock! It’s almost too good to be true on how it behaves. At high speeds on the highways or when you take small jumps on the stock suspension, it bounces a couple of times before it settles. You’ll have to slow down and not increase the momentum till if finishes bouncing and settles because you won’t get a sense of control until the suspension settles.

The YSS on the other hand just makes one bounce and it’s back to normal!. It’s that instant. You go over a small elevation at high speed on the highway or on the off road, it elevates and lands and that’s it! No bounce, no wavy feeling, nothing. It’s highly stable and doesn’t require you to slow down to regain control.

All these pros gives a great confidence to pick up speed and skill up going off road. It helps to enjoy the bad terrains the way it is to be enjoyed on a 411. It truly unlocks the potential of the Himalayan 411.

Cons of the YSS suspension for Himalayan 411

1. Firm/Stiff

The YSS is firmer than the stock suspension. At crawling speeds on broken tarmac or off road, the suspension can feel stiff and jittery. This is where stock suspension shines. It is comfortable at these speeds but try to pick up the pace and stock gives up.

But pick up the pace on the YSS, it becomes a flying carpet. So YSS requires a minimum pace for it to perform its best.

2. Rear Adjustability

The linkage system on the Himalayan 411 makes it difficult to adjust the preload and rebound on the suspension. Adjusting the preload can be done to some extent with the lever provided with the suspension but rebound can be done only if you expose the top section of the suspension. So you’ll have to take it to the mechanic every time to adjust the rebound till you get a favorite setting.

Cost of YSS Suspension for Himalayan 411

The front fork kit costs 23k INR and rear suspension costs 33k INR. With installation charges and fork oil it comes close to 59k INR.

Value for money?

Absolutely yes. After the Aluminium rims on the Himalayan 411, I think the YSS suspension is the most value for money modification for the Himalayan 411. It makes the 411 seem to be on steroids when taken off road. The difference in handling and confidence compared to the stock is night and day.

Who is it for?

The YSS suspension isn’t for everybody. If you use your Himalayan primarily for city commute and short highway tours once in a while, then the stock suspension is good enough. It performs great for such use.

But if you’re planning to go more off road, to trails, to dirt tracks and broken roads, then YSS is the right suspension. If you’re looking to up skill yourself to becoming a better dirt rider and you do long stretches of highways at high speeds then you’d come to a point where you’ll feel the stock suspension is slowing you down. That’s when you know you’re ready to experience YSS’s magic.

YSS vs Zedling Suspension for Himalayan 411

I sold my Himalayan 411 before upgrading to the new KTM 390 Adventure S. I sold the YSS unit separately to a friend of mine before selling the bike and I had his Zedling unit exchanged and sold the bike with it. So I got to ride with the Zedling for more than a 1000 kms before selling the bike. It wouldn’t be fair to give a separate review on the Zedling with just a 1000kms experience on it so I’ll include it here.

I got to ride the Zedling on dirt track as well as in city commute. It behaves very similarly to the stock suspension. I would say it’s a mild upgrade to the stock and doesn’t even come close to how the YSS feels and behaves. Many of you would want to upgrade to Zedling as they are much cheaper than the YSS but in my opinion, upgrade to YSS or stick to the stock. To make the stock feel better, adjust the sag on the rear and go with a heavier grade oil on the front.

So all in all YSS Suspension, is a bang for your buck upgrade for your Himalayan 411.

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Reise TrailR for Triumph Scrambler 400X – Enjoy the off road!

Transform your Triumph Scrambler 400X off road Reise TrailR Review

We rode our Triumph Scrambler 400X with Reise TrailR tires and here’s my review on it.

Before heading to Ladakh, we took some dirt track practice sessions in preparation for the trip. That’s when we realised that the stock MRF tires on the Scrambler sucks even for mild trails.

So we thought of trying the TrailR tires from Reise just for the Ladakh trip. These tires did a fantastic job! But it has its flaws too.

Pros of the Reise Trail R

1. Excellent off road grip of Reise TrailR

Reise TrailR tres are excellent off road. On terrains like dirt, rocks, stones, shallow sand, river crossings and so on, the grip is fantastic. You notice the difference when you make the transition from Tarmac to dirt roads in that you’ll not notice that you’ve actually transitioned the terrain.

Usually you’ll feel the lack of grip when you go to dirt from Tarmac but this tyre doesn’t give you that feeling. It’s that stable. This made riding on dirt roads in Zanskar and LAC so much fun. It’s so much confidence inspiring on dirt.

Only in slushy condition it performs same as any other road tyre as the mud clogs up with grooves. Apart from that, it’s a blast riding off road with these tyres. It’s so much confidence inspiring and makes you think less as the effort from your end needed to control the bike off road is very less.

That doesn’t mean it’ll make up for your lack of skills riding off road so I still recommend off road training and practice before you head to places like Ladakh or in general.

2. Braking Confidence

Usually blocky tires aren’t good when braking hard but surprisingly I felt confident in braking both off road and on road.

Cons of the Reise TrailR

Now Reise markets these tyres as 50:50 tyres but in my opinion these tires aren’t great on road.

1. Stability

The stability on tarmac isn’t good. The bike has a slight wobbly feeling on speeds higher than 80kph.

2. Cornering

Reise TrailR feels very unstable during cornering. It’s expected with knobby tires but these tires feel like knobbies on the road.

3. Constant Hum

It’s expected from blocky tires. There’s a constant buzz that becomes loud as you go faster on road.

4. Reduction in top speed on Reise TrailR

For some reason the bike struggles in terms of being stable at speeds above 100kph on the highway. This isn’t ideal for a bike like the Triumph Scrambler 400X especially on the highways.

Conclusion

The Reise TrailR tires are fantastic off road tires. If you are planing for a Ladakh trip, I’d highly recommend in getting these tires. Even if it’s for one trip, it’s totally worth it. The amount of fun and confidence you can get on the dirt with this is amazing. It’s suitable for Tarmac if you aren’t going at high speeds which is suitable for places like Ladakh.

But if you are planning to use it for touring, then these aren’t for you at all. It can do some city commute and mostly off road but not on the highways for sure. I do not recommend these tires for long distance highway touring. It’s more like a 70/30 tyre I’d say. 70 for off road and 30 for road.

If you are looking for touring on highways and do some trail riding, then you can consider either the Maxxis Maxxplore or the Reise TourR tyres.

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Maddog Scout X – A long term review on the Scrambler 400X

Maddog Scout X on the Triumph Scrambler 400 X Pros and Cons A long term review

Everyone knows the Scrambler 400x headlight sucks. And hence we got the Maddog Scout X auxiliary lights installed and rode around 6000kms with it. Here’s my review on it.

Pros of the Maddog Scout X

1. Brightness

The Maddog Scout X lights are sufficiently bright for a motorcycle. They have a good area of spread and you can adjust the focus as per your liking. They look small but perform big.

I’ve seen people using the Alpha version on bikes which are actually meant for cars and I think they’ll are a bit of an overkill and a hazard to oncoming traffic. Scout X is sufficient to give you confidence to ride in the night.

2. Build Quality

The quality of Maddog products is great. The lights are very sturdy and they can take a beating. The wiring and the switches also feel very premium and sturdy. They are waterproof. We have the switch pro installed which has a on/off indicator as well.

3. Warranty

As far as I know, only Maddog offers warranty for their lights in this price range. Other alternatives like HJG don’t offer warranty. So that’s a plus point from my side.

Cons of the Maddog Scout X

1. Focus

Maddog Scout X lights are more like flood lights and aren’t focused. That’s why I prefer lights like Vaishnu touring headlights. When on the highway, you need a more focused light to see farther distance than a flood light which helps you see the immediate surroundings.

2. Weight

The lights, clamps, wiring and accessories add additional weight on the bike which I’m not a huge fan of. That’s why I prefer replacement headlights over auxiliary lights like the Vaishnu headlights.

Cost of the Maddog Scout X

The Scout X lights along with the switch pro, wiring harness, clamps and labour charge comes up to 10k INR which is value for money considering the build quality and warranty.

For those looking for a good long lasting aux lights for your bike, Scout X is the way to go but I’d recommend replacing the headlight as it saves space and weight on the bike.

Links – Lights, Switch Pro, Clamps

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Easy Brake – A Long Term Review

Improve braking confidence on your triumph scrambler 400x and Himalayan Easy brake long term review

A year ago I had stumbled on this product called the Easy brake through a YouTube video. It’s made by pro spec, the same company that makes the Easy ride windshield extension and Easy clutch that I’ve used on my Himalayan, both of which have been extremely useful. So I was curious to try it out.

Easy Brake looks like an unassuming piece of plastic that attaches to your brake pedal. The main function is to provide a larger area of contact when you’re wearing a riding boot and improve the feedback. It also has an extension that allows easy application of the brake when you are standing and riding in off road terrain. 

I was very sceptical anbout its application in the real world scenario but I was pleasantly proved wrong. The Easy brake as the name suggests makes it easier to apply the brake and get feedback especially when you are wearing riding boots with think sole. While standing and riding it’s very easy to access the extension for an easy application.

This improvement in feedback and easy access translates to a lot of braking confidence in both highway and off road riding. I got so used to and comfortable with it that as soon as they came up a model for the triumph scrambler 400X as well, I went ahead and got one installed on it. We did the entire Zanskar, Ladakh and Kashmir trip with this and it has proven to be very useful.

Check out Easy Brake Here

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