Re: Switch replacement and Air filter clean up report log, 1st October 2013

Yes sir agreed,

Hence, the decision to get rid of this filter and opt for a Pipercross foam based air filter. This month, if and when time permits, we will be conducting the long pending Gtech RR Pro Data logger speed runs to confirm the gains in performance over stock, 0 - 100 kmph timings.

If everything goes well, the idea is to test my FZ - X in following configs:

* BS 29 CV Carb, 122.5 main jet, 17.5 pilot jet and needle jet from Bajaj Pulsar 180, 15 - 40T sprocket, Pipercross/Simota Air Filter, Motozone Headwork & cam.

* BS 29 CV Carb, 125 main jet, 17.5 pilot jet and needle jet from Bajaj Pulsar 180, 15 - 40T sprocket, Pipercross/Simota Air Filter, Motozone Headwork & cam.

* TM series VM 26/28 Flatside Carb, 15 - 40T sprocket, Pipercross/Simota Air Filter, Motozone Headwork & cam.

* Just for fun a 32mm Semi Flat carb, Pipercross/Simota Air Filter, Motozone Headwork & cam.

The objective of the test is to show the increase or reduction in acceleration timings by using various formats of carbs. Noobs please bear in mind It is not to show the "streetability factor" but merely to see how much more power can be generated from the existing set up just by switching carbs and purely for drag runs.


Cheers,

Re: Switch replacement and Air filter clean up report log, 1st October 2013

Yes I do agree that the present oil consumption is high, and not acceptable...coupled with Simota your engine may get worn out earlier than normal...Any Air Filter element which is based on Oiled Cotton like the K&N is not good for the engine ,since it allows a high amount of Dust into the engine...
Here is a useful link which explains it correctly....

Debunking the K&N Myth - Why OEM is Better : Nissan Articles

Switch replacement and Air filter clean up report log, 1st October 2013

Hi All,

i went to the SVC and quickly got the front brake light switch replaced. Just for the benefit of the Noobs i am adding some pics for reference:







Pic 1, 2 & 3 : Front brake light switch.


The actual cost of the assembly is INR 95/-. And i am thoroughly impressed with quality control on Yamaha's end. There are still no body panel noise or any other failures i have witnessed so far.

Anyways, got the air filter cleaned with compressed air, cleaner and then applied engine oil and let it dry for a bit. While the air filter was getting blown with compressed air, i noticed truck loads of dirt coming out from the filter.





Pic 4 & 5: Simota stock replacement air filter after being cleaned and oiled.

After that, we installed it and wallah!! the performance was back on!! So as per my experience, the main culprit was the clogged air filter. Now my FZ - X willingly likes to rev very past close to 9,000 rpm without any effort or major inputs from the rider. 2/4th throttle and she would just fly past 70 - 80 kmph in no time. Happy to see the performance back on. I am sure the FE will also return to the earlier nos.

Sir,

I don't put any additives in the engine oil and i am strictly against it. I don't have an explanation behind why the oil consumption has reduced but regardless the current rate of consumption cannot be ignored. We did a thorough inspection of the whole engine to see if there were any oil seal leaks or gasket leaks but so far there seems to be none.

Anyways, will update with more reports soon...

Cheers,

Re: Durshet, Maharashtra ride test report, 28th September 2013

Good to see the trip report, and bike's performance....Regarding the Air Filter, try to get a Pleated Paper filter which is superior in filtering....

the oil consumption seems to have reduced ...did you add any additives for this, or use some superior oil with additives ? Still the quantum is not small or comforting to know...your bore seems to be wearing faster, may be because it no longer has the case/surface hardening done by OE manufacturer..
Good luck..

Durshet, Maharashtra ride test report, 28th September 2013

Hi All,

I was looking for a much needed break from work and also wanted to stretch my FZ - X's legs on the highway to see what potential do we uncover this time with the head and the cam work from Motozone.

Before i start blabbering, the route selected this time was Durshet Forest Lodge which is roughly about 100 kms from Mumbai. Durshet Forest Lodge is well known for conducting outdoor activities like Kayaking, Rapelling, trekking, river rafting and many others. The whole idea was to have an outdoor experience and at the same time venture into some of the unknown territories in this part of Maharashtra. I was with a pillion and a heavy load of luggage for this trip. The initial plan was to reach Durshet, overnight stay and then decide from there where to head to. But due to the moody retreating monsoon playing a havoc across the Western Ghats, we abandoned the plan and made our head way back to Mumbai the next day.

For the benefit of fellow Mumbaikars, i am attaching the route map for the same (i am providing a detailed route map for the same) :


















Pic 1 - 8: Route Map from Mumbai to Durshet.

Now coming to the main part, here are the parameters:

Now readers please bear in mind that this time my FZ - X had to take care of two people (rider and the pillion), heavy load of luggage as shown in the pics below and also terrible head winds and crosswinds to cope up with throughout the journey. So i was honestly not expecting a good performance nor high FE this time.



Pic 9 : FZ - X, the aftermath of the trip.

Performance: Well to be honest i was surprised to see that even with a total weight load of over 170 kgs (rider + Pillion + luggage) to carry around, my FZ - X was still able to hover around 95 - 105 kmph very easily. The task was further made tougher by the cross winds and the wet roads thanks to the relentless rains we had to endure throughout the ride. However, i was able to clock a top whack of 115 kmph at one stretch which is truely commendable when considering the fact that a stock FZ with similar load and environmental conditions would struggle to go past 85 kmph and that too with the engine revving all the way close to 8500 - 9000 rpm.

What i did notice though was the rpms required to achieve the same speed had slightly increased by 200 - 300 rpms when compared to city riding conditions. I guess we can blame the increase in wind resistance and drag thanks to the extra wide luggage loaded saddlebag compounded by the head and crosswinds.

On our way back, i noticed that the i was getting a certain amount of jerks in the range of 6 - 7 k while going up hill and when going for high speed runs at 5th gear. I was pretty certain that the problem lied with the Simota air filter (more on this in the later half). Besides that, i didnot see any other drawbacks with the overall performance of my ride. The turbo spooling sound was just adding to the overall experience. The engine seemed far lesser stressed compared to the stock bike thanks to the 15 - 40 T sprocket config and also with the extra power generated so far from the works. So thumbs up for the Motozone Head work and the silent high lift camshaft.

Engine oil consumption: Around 500 kms under the belt, the over all oil consumption since, the last top up is roughly 100 ml which is quite high. Anyways, it was to be expected of this third grade kit, so the engine oil was topped up after reaching Mumbai.

Fuel Economy: During this ride, with so much load, cross winds and a dirty air filter, she managed to give me an average or 31 - 32 kmpl. The major factor behind the FE going down was the dirty air filter which hampered the performance significantly.

After reaching Mumbai, i discovered that the front brake light switch has gone kaput and will need a replacement. After 3 years of ownership this is the first electrical failure on my bike.. Not bad!! Considering the fact that other brands suffer failures in a span of 1 - 2 years of ownership. The replacement switch comes for around Rs. 100/- and takes barely a minute or two to replace.

Simota Saga courtesy 'Tooner':

If the readers may recollect, our 'Tooner' claims that the free flow air filter from Simota is not an oil type filter and doesn't have to be cleaned for 20, 000 kms. Even though by now we already know that one has to clean and maintain the FF air filter more often than stock, i decided to test his theory regardless. My ride has done approx. 6, 500 kms so far since the time we had installed the Simota air filter. The engine started losing performance half way through the trip and on the return journey i could feel that she was struggling to breath especially in the mid range and the top end and finally the FE going down by 8 - 9 kmpl. So my test confirmed my thoughts that the 'Tooner' has absolutely no clue about what he is selling or what are the clear cut instructions to be followed to maintain and install things correctly.

To further prove my point and show you gentlemen that the test is valid and the maintenance of the air filter is not like what this 'snakeoil salesman' wants you to believe, please go through the screen grab of the instructions given from Simota's official website:



Pic 1 - 11: Simota cleaning interval, service instructions and warranty details.

I will ignore one set of instructions from above where Simota wants you to purchase their cleaning and oiling products from their stable. I will be getting the air filter cleaned and oiled with regular engine oil and then put it back in the airbox and see if the performance and the FE comes back to the previous state or not. Also regardless, i will be shifting to foam based Free Flow air filter based on the reports shared by PSR Ji regarding the state of performance of various types of air filters.

I hope this thread has provided sufficient proofs to all the readers to save themselves and stay away from the 'Tooner' and his 'bullet proof' kits!!

In this case i will be opting for Pipercross Foam based stock replacement air filter from Motozone. After extensive tests, i shall report back on the same.


more reports later...


Cheers,

Re: Pre Ride Preparation for 27th September 2013

A small prelude:



Reports to follow soon. until then, stay tuned...


Cheers,

Pre Ride Preparation for 27th September 2013

Hi All,

I guess the excitement has started building up since, it has been a while that i have taken my FZ - X for a long ride. Initially the plan was to do a return trip on the same day itself but decided to extend the holiday by an overnight stay.

As a part of pre ride checks, the followings things have been kept into consideration:

* Chain tension and lubrication. Wheel alignment checked.
* Lubrication of switch gears with WD 40 and Lubrication of all the joints and levers.
* All the electricals like signal, headlight, console, fuses, warning light etc. thoroughly checked.
* Riding gears checked.
* Front and Rear tires thoroughly inspected for any possible punctures and tires filled up to 28 F and 33 R as per the company recommended PSi ratings.
* Brakes checked and the engine bay inspected for any visible leakages.
* All bike documents: Licence, PUC, Registration, Insurance etc. packed.
* Extra can of engine oil for my 4 stroke FZ - X 'modded' to a two stroke one thanks to our "Tooner".
* Basic Toolkit, torch light, portable mobile charger and First Aid Kit loaded up.
* Saddlebag with the rain cover kit now up and ready :








As discussed earlier, i will try and give out a detailed experience with the Motozone kit, state of tuning, oil consumption and other parameters once, i am back.


Till then..

Cheers,

Normal Air VS Nitrogen Air?? The Verdict!!

Hi,

i know this debate has been going on for ages about filling our tires with Nitrogen air Vs normal air. So to finally put this argument to rest i found an interesting episode from Fifth Gear, UK:




I hope after this, all the esteemed riders will understand that the so called Nitrogen Filling station are just marketing gimmicks and donot fill 100% Nitrogen in your tire. So spare yourself the misery of spending 100 bucks and follow the periodic checking of the tire pressure as you always did.

Hope this adds something more to this thread...


Cheers,

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

I was stupid to leave my bike there and pushing off to meet a friend. Won't leave my bike unattended again.My bike is not leaking oil. That guy was bullshttng. After 2000 km the oil level is still perfectly fine. According to the mech at the SVC, the piston rings had blown and the engine was consuming oil, neither is there any white smoke, nor is there any drop in oil level, nor is there any oil residue. Just bad advice given to me by the SVC Mech. Luckily didn't fall for his rubbish. Anyways this is Shivang's (?) FZ mod thread. Let's leave it at that.

I got my engine opened after completing the running in period, there was no prob at all with the piston, I guess I shall try other grade oil for that matter, but riding on the highways with mineral oil is ok?? I mean the engine would bear more wear and tear. See if it would have been the rings then I would have got some oil residue in my exhaust by now, there must be some prob with the oil, may be 220 dsnt behaves well with FS oil.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Infact @The Monk also had the same prob, he gave his bike at the SVC and came to know that there was jus 500ml oil left in his bike

Sent from my GT-N7100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

Hi,

* I meant the head exhaust port. If you do dismantle the FFE from the engine, check the exhaust port of the block and see if you find a major residue.

* Do the head valve leak test and see if the problem is with valves seals/seats/

* 100 ml consumption is quite alarming! My suspicion still goes with the piston rings as by now we are all aware that the piston weight being on the wrong side induces uneven and lateral movements of the piston which will eventually lead to a lesser life of the BB kit.

* Clean the air box oil residue. If and when you do go for you next set of high speed rides, after 300 - 500 kms, open the airbox again and see if there is a major amount of oil residue present. If so it shows blowby due to failed rings.

* I was not aware that P220s are prone to leakage with the usage of FS oil as per the info from [MENTION=38603]The Monk[/MENTION] . May be you can look at shifting to a thicker grade of engine oil like Motul 7100 20W 50 and see if the rate of consumption is lesser. Or else, you may try Shell Rimula R4 but then the recommended oil drain intervals will come down to roughly 1500 - 2k kms. It has a higher ZDDP content so will offer a superior protection to your engine.

* A proper compression test will yield results.


Cheers,

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

Dude you are a life saver for me.. Thanks so much!!
I have no issues like oil deposit or any residue of oil in the silencer, I poked my exhaust many times to see whether there is any amount of oil, but no it was all clear, plus I changed the glasswool of the exhaust today and found no oil residue in that too, I refilled the end can with ceramic blanket instead of mineral glasswool as it can hold temperature upto 1200 degrees continuesly for 12 hours. I checked the filter box agn and found no oil in it, 2 ml since the time I baught my bike, hope thts no big issue .
Shall try all the above tests ASAP.
I met with an accident few days back so my bike is in the SVC, let them finish their work and then I shall do all the need full.
I do carry a bottle of 1 ltr engine oil of the same grade wch I run with, ive faced the same problem since the time I started touring, before this setup also I had the same issue.
I am currently eunning with the following tweeks on my bike :
1: RC Big Bore
2: RC head tweeks
3: RC FFE
I havnt changed my stock carb or filter as I know the after effects.
Infact I baught a new carb (stock carb) as my sleeve and diaphragm went for good, my mileage and top end went down drastically, so after reading a few posts on the RC rtr thread I changed the carb and now my bike is back to normal. Few days back when I met with an accident some amount of petrol fell on the ground, I know thats normal but since that day my bike gets hiccups, cold start is a pain and the initial power is not there.

[MENTION=38752]monk[/MENTION] : I remember u told mr the same thing when we met, so far there is no superficial leakage on the engine.



Sent from my GT-N7100 using xBhp Connect mobile app

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

Shv18...you are spot on , and it is the logical way to go...
Monk.....What you have said is 100% true, both on the tolerance of machining and wrapping a news paper on the airfilter and squeezing off extra oil......when we eat out ,... any Bajjis etc., which are fried in oil , we normally wrap a newspaper around it and squeeze the oil out before eating....I now see that the method seems to be universal for taking off extra oil ..

2ml of oil at how many Kms of riding is to be evaluated ...still seeing 2ml of oil, in the Airbox does indicate oil seepage past the rings, and must be evaluated....

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

Akshay

If you are using Synthetic oil, then there is a very high chance of the oil seals going bust and leaking like a broken bucket. 220s are prone to that because of their quality standards of parts!

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Also take the filter put it in a newspaper and squeeze the living day lights out of it. Then use it for some time, see if the oil returns and in what volume.

Re: The POWERHOUSE Fz18

Are you sure that the engine oil found in the air box is from the air filter?? Please do bear in mind there is an oil breather pipe attached to the airbox. So to my understanding some amount of oil vapour passing out from the cylinder and condensing inside the airbox is normal. But if the amount is too much then you have a problem. If you open the exhaust pipe and see a gooey and sticky formation on the exhaust port then that confirms a leakage and piston rings being worn out.

Other than that if there is a valve seal/seat leakage then one will have to take the engine head off, pour some petrol/kerosene on top of it and wait and see if there is any leakage from any of the valves. If you do witness that then it confirms that one of the valves seals/seats have failed and you need to replace it to stop the engine oil consumption.

@PSR Ji : Sir kindly help me elaborate the procedure correctly if i have missed out on anything.

If there are none on either places then there is a possibility that one of the seals or O - rings inside your engine may have gone bust. It would be a good idea to check the engine drain nut as well to check out if you notice any leakage. If any of the P220 owners have any experience regarding how to plug a leak if there is no compression loss nor valve leakage, i would request them to come forward and help this gentlemen.


@Akki4134 : Please do bear in mind that if you do have a failed set of piston rings it is not wise to keep your current set up running at extremely high speeds and high rpms over a long distance as the more no. of kms you clock with them the rate of consumption is only bound to increase. At high speeds if a seizure does take place with the piston broken into bits and some parts making their way inside the engine, it will lead to rear wheel locking up and a catastrophic accident. Make sure you carry a bottle of engine oil and monitor the level every 200 kms like other riders have suggested.


Cheers,