Change your thinking about the Continental GT Just completed a 1000 km trip on my Continental GT from Gurgaon to Dhungir in Uttarkashi and back. I took different routes going and returning and encountered different conditions. While going took the Muzaffarnangar, Roorkee, Dehradun, Mussoorie route to Dhungir and while returning took the Vikas Nagar, Herbertpur, Paonta Sahib, Yamuna Nagar route. So how was this ride? I going on a long ride for the first time on the Continental GT and was not sure about the bikes capabilities or the riding position of the bike. The first days ride had to be carried out in pouring rain which started at Chutlampur after Roorkee and continued the whole day till I reached Kempty Falls some 10 Km after Mussoorie, plus the heavy tourist rush and minor landslides meant major jams and slow moving traffic on roads that were for most parts uphill climbs. I was soaked to the core, I had water in my boots and by the time I reached Kempty, was totally exhausted. I was gripping the handle too tightly which resulted in pain in my forearms and wrists. My biceps were hurting badly. But the big difference from riding my Thunderbird 500 for the same time and distance was that my back and tailbone didnt hurt. Also my legs didnt feel stiff. However, after a good nights rest, when I moved on the next day, the sun was out and I too was nice and relaxed. This time I made a minor modification in my seating position and held the handle lightly and ensured my elbows were parallel to my thighs. This really helped, I rode the remaining 100 km to my eventual destination , Dhungir in relative comfort. After spending a night at Dhungir, I decided to take the longer but faster route back to Gurgaon via Vikas Nagar and Yamuna Nagar. It was on this route the Continental GT really, really surprised me. The route itself wasnt straight forward, strtches of buttery smooth tarmac abruptly merged into stretches of broken, washed away roads with nullahs flowing across the track and slushy conditions before again straightening out into buttery, smooth tarmac. With a slight adjustment to my riding position, I found the GT taking on landslide hit, rocky terrain with aplomb. On the TB 500, this would have been a bone jarring ride but on the GT I just crossed these with ease. I had greater control, even with a light grip on the handle bars the bike didnt jerk around too much. Even on rocky stretches, it held its line. On muddy stretches too the bike didnt shift and that felt good. The grip of the Pirellis is fantastic, the suspension too keeps you protected from bumps and the hits to the tyres dont travel all the way up. In fact, this one trip changed my opinion about the GTs abilities. There is so much said about the Thunderbird, that the GT is totally underrated for touring. The press too just swalloed the whole Cafe Racer bull without bothering to check if the bike was worth more. Enfields own positioning of the bike as a leisure, short distance sprinter does disservice to the bike. Each time I got off the bike to give myself a rest, there was no back pain, no pain in my tailbone, no stiff legs that needed a massage. In fact, there was not even the neck pain which I initially thought I would have. But yes, my arms did hurt; specially, the left one. Funnily, I was more worried about my right arm because only last month I had suffered a dislocation in my right shoulder and I was cagey about that but my shoulder is fine and there was no pain throughout the trip. My left bicep still feels sore but my right arm is absolutely fine. Go figure. On the flat tarmac from Yamuna Nagar to Gurgaon, I was able to ride the longer and harder. Weaving through the traffic on NH 123 and NH 8 was a breeze. However since I had started riding from around 6 am in the morning meant that I was tiring by late afternoon. The pain in my left arm was more but halts at the right time and slightly longer halts provided immense relief. But the GT has its quirks, when going downhill, your body tends to slide a little forward and you have to remind yourself constantly to hold the handle lightly (which I feel is more my failing). On the whole, the GT is as capable a tourer as the Thunderbird but the TBs slightly laid back seating stance and the GTs slightly crouched one leads us to believe that GT is uncomfortable which is patently untrue. Here are some trip pics.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 08:21:46 +0000
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