Thread: Karizma/Karizma R

Got hold of my old ZMA for the last week, and after a much-needed service, had a quick spin for 250 kms today to relive some old memories. Did some off-roading too which I liked a lot. Front suspension doing good after the fork oil change, rear suspension is at soft setting and is excellent for single rider; flew over minor potholes without any issue. The bike quickly reaches 90 kmph, but takes time after it to reach 110, which was all I could manage in that road. On uneven roads, the front wheel (stock) feels a little nervous and sways a little though it goes in the line that I wanted to. It could be due to the rear heavy Sirac 120 which has become a little flat due to ware. On normal roads though the bike's stability is good; I could leave my hands off the handle at 80 kmph too with bike going straight line.

The following needs to be taken care of:
1. Front tyre replacement as its completely worn out.
2. Rear could go for another 3-4k kms, but planning to go for Sirac 100, which is a lighter tyre and will not put much stress at the crank.
3. Tensioner needs replacement (thinking of replacing the cam chain too).
4. A little bit of harshness there in the engine, may be due to faulty tensioner. The bike has put 49k on the odo, needs to check for any other quirks in the engine.
5. Sprocket and chain making a bit of noise. Will have to see if they need replacement, though the mechanic said 'chaltha hai', but I doubt it.
6. Front cowls making a little noise in potholes, needs to apply some white tape near the console to control this.
7. Need to check for any rim bends, though appear fine while riding. They are stock yet. Considering amount of touring I did on bad roads, they are doing excellent.

Horn is very weak and needs replacement. There is a delayed sound after I press the switch, which is probably due to rusty contacts; need to check this. The headlight is Osram 55/60W and is doing fine, but needed little focus adjustment.

Braking seems to be quite good, but need to check the pads (not original I guess) and if needed planning to buy the N250R pads, as suggested by Sriram.

FE, so far it gave me 34 kmpl with cruising at 80-90 kmph, and still going. May be I get 36-38 kmpl.

And the pic of this 5+ year old ZMA

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

LOL, Can you please enquire which cable it was that they put in. Cause I really need it to show off in front of my college mates owning P220's and CBR's. Heck! Just imagine the look on a CBR owners face when my speedo shows 150+Kmph.

HA HA HA HA You really need to f**k up ur speedo to show off in front of ur frnds ??? You can always go for a P220 piston setup !

Originally Posted by James

I doubt a cable has much to do with it! Its either the worm or the sensor but definitely not the cable!!

Cheers!

If the speedo cable's end is not in proportion to the worm's socket , then it's gonna giv u a real head ache . A different spec cable can giv u a damaged worm and a wrong reading . But how the he11 it becomes that optimistic I'm not sure !!! Hopefully his hardware at the meter end are OK ...!!!

@ravi bike look fantastic very well maintain. is there any coating on silencer shield its look golden black is that anti rust...
how much front fork pipe cost you ??my steed feel lack of stiffness at front shocks may be due to less oil it clocked around 38k km,no oil change till now.my zma return 34-35 kmpl in city and around 40-42 kmpl on highway when ride at 60-70kmph im runnig on NGK iridium plug

@ ravi nice bike

Originally Posted by acs1207

HA HA HA HA You really need to f**k up ur speedo to show off in front of ur frnds ??? You can always go for a P220 piston setup !

Yeah thats another thing to consider, atleast now happy that I've got an accurate speedo. And sir, hows the P220 mod going, are you riding with it???? And how much would the grand cost be??? That'd be the first thing I'd do when my warranty gets over i.e if its affordable and reliable.

Originally Posted by ravi@17bhp

3. Tensioner needs replacement (thinking of replacing the cam chain too).
4. A little bit of harshness there in the engine, may be due to faulty tensioner. The bike has put 49k on the odo, needs to check for any other quirks in the engine.

Have you replaced the tensioner or cam chain before??? My bikes only 10K old and am running on my 2nd tensioner, so just curious.

6. Front cowls making a little noise in potholes, needs to apply some white tape near the console to control this.

Never go for the white double sided tape, always go for the black one. Cause the white is just a temporary solution, after it looses its sticky nature it adds to the noise. And it also looks real awkward, especially after the dust accumulation. Anyways will post a pic soon, cause I've taken apart every single piece of my fairing and double taped it, but unfortunately using the white one.

Horn is very weak and needs replacement. There is a delayed sound after I press the switch, which is probably due to rusty contacts;

Doubt the battery, had faced the issue a few days back but now gone after running for a while. And better go for Tractor Horns they are a direct fit and worth every penny you pay, am using them currently after my windtone setup gave away(The second time!!!).

Are you using the 750Rs golder coloured shield????

Originally Posted by Ramborider

@ravi bike look fantastic very well maintain. is there any coating on silencer shield its look golden black is that anti rust...
how much front fork pipe cost you ??my steed feel lack of stiffness at front shocks may be due to less oil it clocked around 38k km,no oil change till now.my zma return 34-35 kmpl in city and around 40-42 kmpl on highway when ride at 60-70kmph im runnig on NGK iridium plug

This gold colored silencer shield was the stock part for all Karizmas when launched in 2003. In the next version when they cut the price by 10000, they used chrome shield, which continues in all the models till now. I liked the gold color, and replaced the chrome shield when it got scratches due to a fall with this gold color shield. It was 900+ when I bought it. I do not know its still available.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Are you using the 750Rs golder coloured shield????

It was approximately 900 rupees when I bought it two years back.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Have you replaced the tensioner or cam chain before??? My bikes only 10K old and am running on my 2nd tensioner, so just curious.

Never replaced cam tensioner so far. This will be the first time if I do. May be I am lucky.

I feel the tensioner problem surfaces soon if you rip the bike all the time at peak rpms. I rarely take my bike to its limits in all gears. I generally cruise at 90-100 kmph, which is a comfortable zone. I don't like stressing the engine to its limits.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Never go for the white double sided tape, always go for the black one. Cause the white is just a temporary solution, after it looses its sticky nature it adds to the noise. And it also looks real awkward, especially after the dust accumulation. Anyways will post a pic soon, cause I've taken apart every single piece of my fairing and double taped it, but unfortunately using the white one.

I am planning to apply double tape inside the panel so that its not visible out side. Black tape is sticky on one side only (never seen double tape in black color). I would appreciate, if you have any better idea.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Doubt the battery, had faced the issue a few days back but now gone after running for a while. And better go for Tractor Horns they are a direct fit and worth every penny you pay, am using them currently after my windtone setup gave away(The second time!!!).

Even when the engine is cold, bike is starting without any issue. Horn needs less power compared to engine start. So, I guess, its the issue with horn switch contact. Also, the horn is not that good and I need replacement. Could you please show me your tractor horn? I would consider it if its good and doesn't put too much load on the battery.

The battery I am using currently is Bosch 9amp MF battery. I guess it needs some recharging. Will do it soon.

Originally Posted by ravi@17bhp

This gold colored silencer shield was the stock part for all Karizmas when launched in 2003. In the next version when they cut the price by 10000, they used chrome shield, which continues in all the models till now. I liked the gold color, and replaced the chrome shield when it got scratches due to a fall with this gold color shield. It was 900+ when I bought it. I do not know its still available.

Its still available at a price of 750/-, saw a ZMA@ZMR with the golden shield in my local SVC. Just for info, the chrome one costs 550/-.


Never replaced cam tensioner so far. This will be the first time if I do. May be I am lucky.

I feel the tensioner problem surfaces soon if you rip the bike all the time at peak rpms. I rarely take my bike to its limits in all gears. I generally cruise at 90-100 kmph, which is a comfortable zone. I don't like stressing the engine to its limits.

Yeah that may be the case, and I also believe you weight below 70Kgs. I weigh 110Kgs and ride only in the power band, guess thats why mine got busted so soon.

I am planning to apply double tape inside the panel so that its not visible out side. Black tape is sticky on one side only (never seen double tape in black color). I would appreciate, if you have any better idea.

You are referring to the single sided black tape, Im talking about the double sided black tape, which is made of a rubberized compound unlike the spongy material which the white ones made up of, and AFAIK the black ones lasts for YEARS!!! . Plumbers usually use it to seal leaks in tanks and all.


Even when the engine is cold, bike is starting without any issue. Horn needs less power compared to engine start. So, I guess, its the issue with horn switch contact. Also, the horn is not that good and I need replacement. Could you please show me your tractor horn? I would consider it if its good and doesn't put too much load on the battery.

Even my bike used to start with a single press, the issue was isolated with the horn and surfaced while riding(If you go a few pages back you can see the original post.), but my issue went away on its own.

Will post the pics in 5 mins. And yeah the power ratings are similar.

The Horn.




Double Sided Tape(White).

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Its still available at a price of 750/-, saw a ZMA@ZMR with the golden shield in my local SVC. Just for info, the chrome one costs 550/-.

Great to know they have reduced the price.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Yeah that may be the case, and I also believe you weight below 70Kgs. I weigh 110Kgs and ride only in the power band, guess thats why mine got busted so soon.

I have been at 78-82 kgs for the last 5 years. Trying to reduce, but it will not happen.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

You are referring to the single sided black tape, Im talking about the double sided black tape, which is made of a rubberized compound unlike the spongy material which the white ones made up of, and AFAIK the black ones lasts for YEARS!!! . Plumbers usually use it to seal leaks in tanks and all.

Thanks for the picture. I am looking for spongy tape as it absorbs a bit of vibrations. When I was speaking to friend a little while back, he told me he had black double tape which he borrowed from my car.

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Will post the pics in 5 mins. And yeah the power ratings are similar.

And thanks for the pics of the horn. It looks promising. Will try out once.

^^^I opted for them with the same idea in mind that you have now, thinking that the sponge will absorb the vibes, and it was true for a while. But after being in the sun and rain for a while they became a big headache, the problem with spongy ones are that after they loose their stickyness and get old they make squeeky noises. So choose wisely.