Name: Angad Singh Narula
Age:30
Profession: Lawyer
Motorcycle Club: G.O.D.S
Angad "ebay,Noida" Narula obviously loves two things. the first being addicted to shopping on ebay( he won the last years ebay customer of the year award :p). The other love is to ride to Noida expressway. wake him up in the middle of the night and ask him to ride, you bet he would be there!
What the manual says about his bike..
Engine type :4-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC
Bore Stroke :79.0 mm (3.110 in) x 64.0 mm (2.520 in)
Displacement :1255 cc (76.6 cu. in)
Compression Ratio :10.5 : 1
Max Power : 98 Bhp @ 7500 rpm
Max Torque : 108 Nm @ 3700 rpm
Fuel System :Fuel injection
Transmission :6-speed constant mesh
Final drive : RK GB50GSVZ3, 118 links
Front suspension :Telescopic, coil spring, oil damped
Rear suspension :Link type, coil spring, oil damped
Front brake :Disc brake, twin
Rear brake :Disc brake
Front tire :120/70ZR17M/C (58W), tubeless
Rear tire :180/55ZR17M/C (73W), tubeless
Fuel tank :19.0 L
Overall Length :2130 mm (83.9in)
Overall Width :790 mm (31.1 in)
Overall Height :1235 mm (48.6 in)
Seat Height :785/805 mm (0.9/31.7 in) – Low/High
Wheelbase :1485 mm (58.5 in)
Curb Weight :250 kg (551 lbs)
Ground Clearance :135 mm ( 5.3 in)
What Angad has to say about his bike....
1. What do you call your bike and why?
A. I call it the Bandit. No specific reason.
2. Is she your first bike? If not what did you own before this?
A. No. Before the Bandit I owned 3 bikes in the following order –
(i) Honda CBR600 F4i
(ii) Hyosung Aquila
(iii) Honda CBR 1000RR
3. Was it love at first sight or a product of long term research?
A. Bandit was definitely not a love at first sight buy. I was looking for a practical, yet powerful and peppy all rounder street/naked bike with an element of sportiness. At the time of purchase, I had only 2 options, the Honda CB1000R and the Suzuki Bandit. Visually and on paper the CB1000R definitely ticked in all the right places, but the Suzuki Bandit won the battle, as it just seemed a lot more comfortable to live with and ride, and dimensionally is definitely bigger than the Honda, which was one of the major reasons why I bought the Bandit.
4. Explain what went through your mind during the months before you managed to lay your hands on it?
A. I always was more inclined towards buying a sports bike as I always preferred the more aggressive stance of riding. But, as I’d had my fill of leaning forward and riding and way to many occasions of sore wrists and a sore back, I was out looking for the stereo typical sports touring machine. Ideally I would’ve preferred buying a full faired sports tourer, but due to lack of choice I had to settle for the Bandit, as after extensive research, it seemed to be the next best option. So this is exactly what I’d keep thinking about before I actually got the possession of the Bandit.
5. First impression when you saw her all gleaming and polished.
A. The bandit in its original form has never been a head turner and in fact at times doesn’t even get the attention of many at first sight, owing to its simple design. But when I saw it first, I was drawn towards it more for its size compared to its competition in the market and the design cues did not impressive me much.
6. How long have you had the bike for and how many kilometers have you clocked.
A. I bought the Bandit in July 2010 and I’ve had it for about 10 months now. I’ve done approx. 5000kms.
7. What the best attribute of the bike.
A. Practicality of riding. Extremely comfortable to ride without experiencing any fatigue….in fact a little too comfortable, which makes it feel very uninspiring to ride only due to the unexciting and non sporty seating posture. Otherwise, on twisting the throttle, it can definitely give some of the litre bikes a run for the money.
8. What’s irritates you most about the bike?
A. The fact that I can not ride it above 160kms without being subject to major wind blasts, which worries me a lot as the stability seems rocky and riding confidence keeps reducing with increasing speed. No matter how much I crouch over the tank, I can never gain the confidence of riding it at high triple digit speeds (170-240kms) without compromising on stability confidence. Above 180kms, major vibrations start to come on through the handlebars, which is very disturbing at such speeds.
9. What part of the bike would you change and why?
A. Cosmetically, I’d definitely get rid of the front light assembly and may be switch back to the earlier twin light set as seen on the Bandit V-storm early 2000 models. The instrument panel is terribly outdated to look at and does not provide all the information that other bikes of its class have to offer.
10. What does your riding gear comprise of and which brand suits you the most?
A. A good quality Helmet (GMAX, ZEUS & VCAN are my favourites), Riding Jacket (JOE ROCKET & ICON) with certified rating inbuilt body armor, Riding Boots (Alpinestars), Riding Gloves (Alpinestars & ICON) offering good protection.
11. If you’d cheat on your bike, with which would it be?
A. Definitely the HAYABUSA.
12. Is she girlfriend material or long term wife material?
A. No doubt….definitely long term wife material.
13. Do you believe in cosmetic customization, If yes then what have you done on it?
A. With the Bandit, most definitely you need to customize it cosmetically if you want a little if not all the attention atleast. I have used my Bandit as a canvas and have painted a beautiful picture on it. I have installed all possible accessories from the point of making it more visually appealing, such as – Full fairings, Belly pan, fancy decal stickers, Gold Levers for brake and clutch, Gold Bar end weights, Carbon Fibre side panels & rear tyre hugger, Gold swing arm spools, HID Light kit, LED front day light running lamp, LED underbody light kit, rim tapes, fancy tank pad, rear seat cowl and a few other things that I don’t seem to remember right now.
14. What according to you is the best mod to extract a little more bhp? What accessories did you spend your money on?
A. Best mods for added power are what I got installed on my bike which are as follows – Dynojet Power Commander, Free Flow Moto GP Slip On Exhaust and K&N Race air filter.
15. Is she high on maintenance? Have you run into any electrical/mechanical issues?
A. Another plus point about owning the Bandit is that it is very easy to maintain and does not demand a high maintenance cost. So far I have not run into any issues with the bike.
16. What do you feed her? (what oil what petrol?)
A. Petrol – 97 Octane, Oil – Motul
17. Tell me about the day she made you feel like a superstar!
A. She makes me feel like a superstar everytime I ride her except those times when a nice gleaming and shining fancy sportsbike overtakes me while I just about manage to keep her steady at high speeds.
18. What does your wife/girl friend think about her?
A. My wife thinks that I have stronger feelings for the bike than her.
19. Do you service it on your own? Or trust the mechanic at the service center?
A. I get it serviced from a known mechanic who I trust blindly.
20. What’s the maximum three digit figure you’ve seen on the Speedo?
A. 237kms
Great Job!!
ReplyDeleteEver since the first day I saw Angad sir's Bandit i went head over heals for it. Don't know why i got so much attached to this machine & especially the bold looking Exhaust from a UK based co.(forgot the name, think it started from "D") I still remember that Loud Throaty sound & burnout outside bittoo suzuki(What else one does with old stock tires). Even though I felt a little sad about the bandit being sold off & at the same time I felt happy for angad sir for upgrading to a busa. I pretty much think point no. 8 is the reason why he opted out the bandit which was pretty much practical for him too. I'm happy he got the 2011 Busa!! Met him at the DND toll bridge on the 1st of May & the black Busa looked amazingly beautiful. Nevertheless the memories of the bandit, even though a very few ones(most important being the wheelie he pulled off outside Ducati, guragon showroom)will always be in my mind. Pretty much hope to see myself amongst the group soon. Congratulations once again Angad Sir!! Thanx for sharing Vijay Abraham Thomas sir!!
ReplyDeleteHey Shekhar,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your comment...appreciate it.
The Exhaust Co. is Delkevic.
Yup, the Bandit is a great bike and honestly along with money, I had invested my heart & soul in the bike...whosoever is the present owner, should feel mighty proud :)
It was great meeting you too!
Cheers!