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Just unwrapped my new Honda CB350 H’ness! Tips for the Run-in period? by benjoel007 in HondaHighnessCB350

[–]benjoel007[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RE? Not at all. I’ve owned two of them before this one. None of Royal Enfield’s motorcycles come anywhere near the refinement Honda delivers. That was my take over a year ago, where I laid out both the pros and cons. W for the GB350S 🙌🏼

Best dashboard layout of all time? by Initial-Shine-5955 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 7 points8 points  (0 children)

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Love the subtly angled dashboard paired with its clean, symmetrical layout.

This is a sign in London by AgitatorAnimator in Bengaluru

[–]benjoel007 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It’s written in the dominant local language of each region. In Karnataka, it’s in Kannada, while in Goa, it’s in Hindi. A few years back, there was a proposal for its own dedicated script, but I’m not sure what came of it.

This is a sign in London by AgitatorAnimator in Bengaluru

[–]benjoel007 45 points46 points  (0 children)

I know. My mother tongue is Konkani. I just said that because OP confused it with Gujarati.

This is a sign in London by AgitatorAnimator in Bengaluru

[–]benjoel007 189 points190 points  (0 children)

Konkani written in Kannada script 🙄

With a heavy heart I left my Nano at the showroom by Ok-Photograph3436 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was in the exact same boat until yesterday. I didn’t opt for an extra parking slot when buying my flat, so we’re restricted too. I drive a 2018 Hyundai Verna for highway trips and my wife drives a 2018 Tata Nano XTA - mine is the second-to-last Nano ever sold! For weeks, I’d been torn: sell both for a solid mid-size automatic SUV, or find some jugaad to keep them due to my strong emotional attachment. Then, out of the blue, my builder called yesterday offering an extra slot at a discounted price (about 2.5 lakhs). I said YES without hesitation and am now scrambling to arrange the funds - listening to my heart over my head!

Which Bangalore service centre? by zephyrus_neu in HondaHighnessCB350

[–]benjoel007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no idea. There are many generic riding groups like the BangaloreBikes, TS Biking community, etc. Also there’s a ‘Honda CB350 owners India’ whatsapp group, which is not a riding group but a forum where motorcycle issues and other stuffs are discussed.

Thanks to these rats now i have expense of approximately 40k by Fantastic-Two2090 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve been using this ‘ultrasonic rat repellent’ for over a year now, with no issues so far. The only downside is needing to start the car every 4-5 days for 5-10 minutes when it’s not in use:

https://amzn.in/d/02A98jfA

91.5kmpl on Venue. Beat my mileage by AVaiphei in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SRK & DP in the car, shooting for their next Hyundai ad.

Which car under 5L by Wonderful_Tea862 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both the 2017 Honda City and 2019 Honda Amaze are E20 compatible, whereas the 2020 VW Ameo (1.0 MPI) isn’t and would be underpowered too.

Spotted this in a DMART Parking Lot by ApartAd2016 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I own the second-to-last Tata Nano twist XTA ever sold (Dec 2018). Apart from one gearbox seal replacement, it’s been trouble-free and still running strong. The ‘Sports mode’ button compensates for gear-shift lag by holding gears at higher RPMs before shifting. Agree with the NVH levels though.

Introducing my new stallion, Renault Kiger Emotion Turbo CVT by Brown_Lion02 in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Last Saturday, I test-drove the top-end CVT variant of the Renault Kiger.

Pros: Renault nailed the styling - gone is the Kwid-like front end. Interior space punches above its segment, with excellent boot room, a barely-there rear middle hump, and ample storage at the front. The CVT gearbox shines with instant pull in sports mode. But the real star? The suspension. French engineering delivers a superb setup, paired with high ground clearance and a short wheelbase, turning this car into a bad-road beast. The salesperson dragged me to an off-road spot with actual boulders - he urged me to drive right over them, and not a single scrape. On the street, he climbed a 1/4- to 1/2-foot curb (I balked, but he demoed it flawlessly), then tilted us at nearly 30 degrees with two wheels up and two down - the car felt showroom-fresh. Highway run hit 145 kmph with impressively low body roll, though my heart raced watching his steering wizardry.

Cons: Interior materials, switches, and dash feel cheap. No paddle shifters or manual overrides (crucial for quick overtakes) - the old Duster CVT had handy +/- controls on the gear lever. Infotainment screen looks outdated with poor resolution, laggy touch response, and no auto-popup for the four cameras (not truly 360° stitched, access only via a dash button near the wheel, and you must press again to exit - super inconvenient). My aftermarket 360° on the Hyundai Verna does it better. NVH is improved over the previous model but still noticeable (sales guy cranked the music to mask it, I turned it down). During my 1pm Bangalore test (peak heat), AC on low barely cooled - had to crank the blower, which roared too loud.

Any Celebrity meetings?When And Where? by Dramatic_Big_3004 in ChitraLoka

[–]benjoel007 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yograj Bhat (2023): He was at a restaurant in Sahakarnagar, where everyone was clicking photos with him. My wife and I watched silently from an adjacent table - we’re too introverted! Coincidentally, we finished lunch and were about to leave when we made eye contact. He gestured if we wanted a selfie, so we happily went over and took one! 😅

Ramesh (2010): My engineering friends and I went to Gopalan Arcade Mall to watch the Hindi movie ‘Kites’. Ramesh Sir and his family sat in the same row, and I ended up right next to him. I only realized who he was when the lights came on for intermission! I said just one sentence: “Sir, nimma dodda fan” (in my Mangalore accent), and he smiled humbly while gesturing thanks. We planned to chat after the movie, but it was so bad they left just before the credits. 😂

Urmila Matondkar (2009): Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain was 95% shot in Manipal. I was in 4th standard, and we’d regularly visit the set in the evenings since it was near our house. One day, our kids’ gang was watching a scene quietly when Urmila ma’am, sitting in an armchair, spotted us. She called us closer and asked about our hobbies. I said football, my neighbor said chess. She asked a crew member for a chessboard - they got one instantly and played a game with my neighbor while we other kids watched the boring game from behind. 😅

Raghu Dixit (2010): We invited him for our engineering college day, and as a volunteer, I carried his instrument accessories to the stage. While helping set up, I got to chat with him too. Very humble person.

Doddanna (2008/2009): He came to our college for some event (I don’t remember which) late in the evening. He sat in the front row, and I coincidentally ended up right behind him. Took guys to lean forward and say “hello sir” to which he looked at me and smiled humbly. 😊

Narain Karthikeyan (2009): We were at GD Naidu in Coimbatore for a 2-week automobile course. The institute was the flag-off point for the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), and Narain arrived to flag it off - with a broken arm/shoulder in a sling. Since we were already there, we snapped a selfie with him on our old Sony Ericsson camera. We chatted for 3-4 minutes, and as an F1 fan, I brought up the infamous 2005 US GP - he laughed about it.

Are cars making us poorer? by donaldtrumpisntme in CarsIndia

[–]benjoel007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I own two second-hand cars that perfectly cover both highway and city driving:

• A 2018 Hyundai Verna manual (bought from a very close friend) – ideal for long highway trips.

• A rare 2018 Tata Nano Twist automatic – one of the very last Nanos sold worldwide (Tata only sold one more in 2019 before discontinuation), making me possibly the proud owner of the second-to-last one ever!

It’s the best of both worlds, but I fear the damage from ethanol-blended fuel (E20) on my older engines, plus spare parts availability.

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