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AINS HAVE PLAYED HAVOC for the past few months, making life miserable for us; the biker lot. Lavasa trip average has gone down from six trips/month to three trips/month. The road surface currently resembles that of the moon with the craters filled up with water. And in such conditions, I’m always skeptical about taking out my 200 Duke. But the FZ 25 isn’t a wild animal, like the KTM. A very domesticated child, the FZ keeps me far more comfortable with its soft setup and even Pune’s potholes haven’t broken my back yet. But all this has led to a broken fork seal. In other news, a stationary drop in the parking lot broke the clutch lever. So my dear FZ had to go back to Monarch Yamaha and within two days, she was back in action, after a quick service and topping up of fluids; which means, more Lavasa trips are on the cards.

If you haven’t noticed already, the ADV bug has bitten us in office after back to back rides last month and even the DRE Off Road Days experience. Vijay Parmar says that to get better at riding off-road, you must implement off-road practices while riding on road. And the FZ25, with its brilliant lowdown torque spread and soft setup, makes for a perfect ride for the trails. It isn’t obviously as good as the Himalayan but does the job well. Now can I get some knobby tyres to try out Jehan? ⌧