Agree with everything you say except this. The bike now has an Indian soul and heart due to Joel's hard work.

Hehe! Yeah that's true!

This words of yours really make me happy

enjoyed reading this whole thread. its good to see some real performance mods rather than the usual 2k worth air filter, terrible dual exhausts painted in red, jumbo tires and quad HIDs.

Thats the mod scene in India. And people still swear by destructing their bikes doing such things. Real world and reliable performance is not valued in this country.

@Joel: Don't worry, things will change slowly.. there are still 1000s of bikers who still are unaware of your magic mods... your initiative definitely deserves more appreciation and nos. too...

i have put in a good word in my friends circle.. hopefully the no. of enquiries and purchase order should increase...

really appreciate the work you do. its hard if not impossible to come by such good builders. kudos to you.

REVIEW: Joel's 165cc kit + other works: My bike's transformation to SUPER-R15

So, here's my first review of Joel's work on my bike!

Time since work: 1month(work done on Jan 15th)

Works Done:

Big bore(165cc high compression)
Head alteration(port geometry changes and optimization)
Simota high flow air filter(stock type flat bed)

Expected power output now: ~21bhp at the crank.


Details:

Big bore runs on slightly larger diameter cylinder, with a compression of 11.5:1 against that of 10.4:1 of stock
Piston is Semi-Forged, Hard Anodized, made by ART(made in Japan). It's not a cast piston. Piston rings are race-spec, and can take a lot of abuse and beating before they start leaking oil.

....................
Old Bore......................................."Made In Japan" ART Piston................Flat Top piston design with valve recesses



This entire setup isn't a rip-off of any internationally available kit. This entire block was custom designed by Joel and manufactured according to his requirements and calculations. The piston is a flat top, while the stock piston is a bowl shaped one(for smoothness). This flat top with valve recesses is what gives the bump in compression. It's not just a "+15" cc setup, but has a lot of other changes included in it. Joel says even though bores of 175cc can be installed, there's no point because this 165cc block is just as much(atleast almost) capable as the 175cc blocks. Though it's a 11.5 compression setup, it runs without problems on regular fuel. Running a 11.5 compression setup on any kind of fuel is no joke, it needs some real calculation and tuning to make it so reliable.

About the head alteration work, I'm not experienced enough to talk about it. But he did do something, and I'll talk about its effects later in this review.


About the Simota air filter, it's a flat bed filter. Fits in the stock air-box directly, but has changes in material and surface area. The surface area of filter membrane is much larger compared to stock, due to deeper membrane folds. Also, it's made of special fabric and metal mesh, supposed to last lifetime when cleaned regularly with the cleaning fluid as required. The advantage with this filter compared to conical filters is, the intake suction velocity is not lost. It's only the surface area which has been increased, thus making the filter less obstructive. Even this, has been custom manufactured by Simota, for Joel, according to his specifications and requirements.


Reliability Test:

This setup did 600kms of continuous running right after 50kms of installation. I had to ride back to Hyderabad from Bengaluru, while running in. Maintained below 5k RPM for the first 150kms. Then took it to 5.5k RPM till the 250kms mark, and then ran between 5k-6k RPM uptil 300kms mark. Let it touch 6.5k RPM occasionally then, upto 350kms mark. After that, it was a mad rush. It was getting dark, 7PM..gotta be at home by 9pm. Was rushing non stop between 6k-7k RPM till the 500kms mark, occasionally touching 7.5k RPM.

I did take a break of 5mins every 100KMs as asked by Joel. At the 300KMs mark, it was a break of 20mins(we had to eat). After I reached Hyderabad, and had my dinner, I got Joel's permission to start "belting it" right away. And I did touch 10k RPM right away, and kept doing it a few times afterwards(without even the first service of the new bore, still on the same oil). I then got my oil changed at 800kms of the bore's age.

Even with all this, the bore showed NO problems. No warning lights, no overheating, no weird sounds. And yes, there was a pillion rider of 75kgs, and a luggage of 10kgs, along with my weight of 60kgs all the while.


Personal Experience review:

I reached B'lor on 14th night, and Joel gave me the directions to his workplace, for my appointment which was pre-fixed for 15th morning. Went to his place, and he happened to be a simple, friendly guy. Not at all what he appears online(might just be an effect of how many people ask how many non-sense questions and make non-sense enquiries). His workplace is filled with his race bikes, and LOOOOTS of used tyres lol! And, I got to see his ECU prototype running on his bike, talk a few things about his race-R15, more possibilities with this current setup(including doubts about having a ram-air intake! ). And yes, I did get to start his own bike(his R&D mule), and man did it sound sweet! . Joel offers you anything that's not a proprietery race secret, as long as you're well-educated about the effects of what you're asking for, and the risks associated with it. If you wanna ask for something and then blame him later, dont do it. He won't do it for you.


The actual work process of the bike took no more than 3 or 4hours, including disassembly, alteration, and re-assembly of parts. The moment I took the bike out of his workshop after the work, I had to rush to the railway station for something. And, hell was the bike sprinting! I couldn't go beyond 5k due to the running in, but I could still ride around the city happily! It was like riding around on a scooter(with a 75kg pillion). I was smoothly cruising around the streets of bengaluru. The exhaust being stock, didn't make any extra decibels. It was a silent smooth scooter that time. I first thought "there's not much change below 5k RPM", but then remembered theres actually a pillion behind! In short, even with the pillion this bike pulls better than a "stock R15 without a pillion".

While riding back to Hyderabad too, I was reaching the 6th gear in no time, and had to keep the throttle down more than half the time, to maintain the revs below the required limit. I could overtake vehicles even while running in, in 6th gear, with the pillion aboard! I was riding crazy during the last 200kms of the ride back, and the bike was crazier than me. It took me so much patience to keep the revs down and run the bike sane!I was chasing and riding along with the other cars(forget the bikes and trucks). I could overtake almost every car on the highway, except those Audis and BMWs. Ofcourse, I'm talking about sane drivers here. It was SO much fun. I never enjoyed touring this much, I could actually ride all along in just one gear..the sixth! To overtake, all you need to do is twist the throttle, and the bike'll do the rest.

I finally reached Hyderabad, and I was STILL cruising around at 80kph in the 6th gear. It was again giving me the feeling of riding a scooter. All I had to do was ride sane. Except at the traffic jams, I was running in just 5th and 6th cog all the while till I reached home. I was just in love with the bike once again! it pulls so much like a well toned athelete now. It even climbs inclines easily now, even with the pillion. This bike is absolute joy! The shocker here is,the setup saved me half a tank of fuel during this trip! The bike just consumed 1.5 tankfulls of fuel for the same amount of distance which the old bore consumed 2 tankfulls for. There, I'm already earning back what I spent. My suggestion for everyone here, Just get your hands onto a bike running this big bore to know how exactly it feels like!

All this paper talk maynot be so exciting, but once you actually feel the way the bike behaves and makes power,you'll never again want to ride on the stock engine anymore! I did ride few stock R15s later, but believe me...they all made me wonder where the engine went uptil the 7k RPM. Even after that, the engine revs so lazily(if you call the stock setup revvy, ride this big bore setup once). The main difference is, even at 3k RPM the engine revs almost as quickly as at 8.5k RPM. And with a pillion, forget comparing the stock bike with mine. You wont even feel it's apt. The power delivery of my bike is also SO linear now. I used to redline the old setup 95% of the time, but I dont get a chance to do that anymore now. I shift gears at 8k RPM or less now in the city(even on my colege's free highway). When I'm with a pillion, and get a road free enough for my speeding, only then do I get a chance to rev to to 10k and change. Otherwise the bike goes too fast. Also, another thing to be mentioned here is, the bike makes small power-wheelies sometimes during shifts between 1st and 2nd gears(to and fro), when carrying the 75KG pillion at the rear. I got scared intially, but used to it now. All this linear power delivery is due to the headwork according to Joel, but it's the block which gives it the punch.

The headwork just spreads out the punch evenly. It's not sudden-peaky now. It gives you a chance to use only as many revs as you need, without having to rev high everytime. About the vibrations, I can't say much cos my bike has a lot of fairing vibes. But the joy you get from this setup just makes you forget about everything else when you're riding it! Believe me, you'll be least bothered about everything else. Time for me to say "ride it to feel it" again! The fun you get in making other single bikers go mad even when you have a pillion aboard is just so ecstatic! I can mess around with almost every bike on the road(sparing the Ninjas and above). All this, with an added advantage of FUEL ECONOMY!

I'm just so happy for the decision I made, in buying the bike as well as getting the modifications done. This is one cool, safe bike now. With the handling prowess of the R-series, braking and safety of top level, the liquid cooling reliability, ease of maintenence, parts availability and pricing, there's just nothing else that gives me so much joy in this price range. I'm glad I didn't buy a carburetted air-cooled engine when I was skeptical about the R15's power output. Glad I went for the R15 and glad I got the mods done.


To say it again, I think EVERY R15 rider should get atleast the big bore kit. The difference it makes is best justified only when you feel it! I wasn't aware of its capabilities until I rode my own bike after the modifications. Joel makes his descriptions of his parts so modest, he should write everything! I wanted to write SO much about the changes in my bike, but I'm sure I forgot quite a lot in this one month. Again, get your hands on a bike with this kit to know how it actually feels! Dont believe Joel's words when he says "it makes a good base for your future mods", that's what I did and I was fooled. It's a LOT more than just a "base". I just need a better exhaust now, and then the ECU. Maybe the cams at the end! Thank you so much Joel, for everything(not just for the mods)!

Thread Approved

Welcome to the club bro! Will give my inputs shortly! Just going over your post now!

Ah! Nice! So another mutant R15.

I hope I could do something like this soon! Right now its a bit difficult, but heck! I shall!

Hi there, congo for your mods. A best gift one can ever give to his bike, especially r15 and trust me you gonna save a loat.

plus 1000, Joel are you listening? But one thing i can blindly say that he is also a very good teacher. He is always happy to take that pain for technical illiterates like me


Exactly same feeling here. when i was joel'ING my zma instead of recommending his exhaust he just gave an option for me. Stupid me never got one that time and it took long 8 months for me to realise the need. Day before yesterday i left my bike in his garage and am sure that by now its equiped with one. Omg can't wait...

thats really nice......can you give more information on performance increase you got........acceleration figures and top speed, rolling acceleration....etc etc..........btw how much did it cost.

You are riding and enjoying ,the enhancement knowledge of a man who had worked real hard,with endless amount of time,to make it happen.........
So Respect the work and keep in contact with Mr.Joel on all your doubts, and service/maintain the bike as per his guidance.
Ride Safe.Ride Responsibly.

Wow! So you finally got it done!

With so much +ve reviews pouring around. it very much tempting for me to get it done ASAP. Will get the big bore atleast in a few months.

I must say we are lucky to have Joel around!

Great words man .... I am so tempted now to get my R15 joeled ...