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THE SILENT KILLER FZ-18 -- LOOKS STOCK BUT WILL VROOM LIKE A ROCKET
Before I bought Yamaha FZ-16, I was in a impression about it's bully attitude. I thought this one would take over every one. Maybe because I didn't get the chance to ride bigger bikes, I was in a false imagination. After buying the new vehicle, I was still in impression that there was something better in it than others. After two months, I had chance to do a touring involving big bikes like Duke 200 and the old Pulsar 200s and we had great time exchanging our bikes and riding and when I rode Duke 200, I really felt FZ-16 lacked power comparatively.
I had two options - either to buy the better bike or modify the existing one. Buying better bike would have been better choice but the mileage was an headache for me. I wanted some bike which would give atleast 45 and my fz-16 was just hovering around 37-38 km/l. I was very disappointed. Then came in my mind to do the modds and when I searched race concepts website, I was impressed the tag "Increase in mileage by God margin". I atleast took two months searching all over google.com to know about the reliability of joelled fz-16 and I found out very few failures and didn't also witness many success stories. I was in complete dilemma whether to go for modds or not especially when I saw the story of big bore kit of R-15. I called Joel few no. of times and Shivang (Shv18) was the one who explained each and everything about the big-bore and he was also reason to take this step of getting the bike modded˙.
Finally on 19th October Friday 2012, my bike was joelled and it was a very adventurous attempt because my friend stays at one end and joel's workshop stays to the other end and in between there is big confusing bangalore city and getting to each side is like crossing a sea!
19th morning when I reached Joel's workshop at 10.30 a.m., I couldn't see any board of race conecpts because he had just shifted and still the interiors being done. Joel came in a maruti omni and was surprised by his hospitality, he didn't talk much but slowly we got together as time passed by.
I was wondering how these people bash this poor chap, can't blame him, he is there alone to answer everyone. Hope he would create more Dummy Joels so that he can solve our problems.
Pre Modd Suggestions:
It's better you modd the new bike in good condition or else you will end up bashing Joel for no reason. Those who have finished 25k plus on ODO need to open up the engine and check out all the bearings and crankshaft and need to replace the same. Ask your mechanic about the condition about the other parts before you setup this BB kit. Since the tolerance of piston is very high, you need the other parts in very good condition. The whole engine overhaul would be good for the old bikes no matter if you wanna spend extra 10k.
The Modds:
Big bore kit (cylinder, piston and rings)
High Lift Camshaft
Racing Clutch Springs
Simota Performance Air filter
29mm CV Carburettor
Stock Head Porting (Joel's signature work and his secret)
The Crew:
Two of Joel's mechanic came and they were asked to do the big-bore on my bike and they were told to start the work after I get back because I was to go and get the money from an atm. After getting the money the work began. These guys were so expert that they started dismantling the head and cylinder within minutes. These guys were so good that when I would ask each questions, they would answer me. I was doing both photo shoot and video shoot. When I asked about taking the photos and videos, Joel was first reluctant and after understanding my nature, he agreed and I also understood that he wanted to keep the porting part in secret, so I didn't bother about what he was doing. Actually I didn't know what the porting was, I was thinking that the whole structure of head would be changed with some other parts and I only understood when Joel explained me about it.
Ok, Now let me explain what happened on 19th Friday.
Disclaimer: The following experience is completely my own understanding and it may conflict with the tuner's explanation and also xbhp member experts here. Any corrections and suggestions by fellow members are most welcome and I am also not to be blamed if anyone is encouraged by this experience and mess their bikes by doing the modds.
Parts Inolved:
1. Big bore Kit (piston, piston pin, rings, Cylinder)
2. High Lift Camshaft
3. Racing Clutch Springs
4. Simota Performance Air Filter (Stock replacement)
5. 29mm CV Carburettor
Didn't take the pics (Will post it later)
The build:
Joel's mechanics are very fast. I took just 10 mins to rip my bike. Like a rocket speed. Another Fz-16 fella came and I was worried, how they can manage both bikes in just one day and I found that that guy came only for big bore kit and not porting and no carburettor changing. They done his bike in just flat one hour and he left. The mechanic dismantled my bike in no time and I started asking about the condition of each part and he said they're in excellent condition. I thanked God when people made fun of my run-in tricks, I was alone to explain myself but now I'm satisfied that my run-in method was nearly to perfection.
These guys are very careful when installing the cylinder and pistons. As shiv said piston tolerance are very tight and the mechanic had to move the piston inside the cylinder with hand for 10-15 min to make it easy. And when installing, if he finds bit wrong, he does the work again and it's only worth to do this kinda work from there itself. This guy, building race bikes has good experience in this kind of work - a slight mistake he finds, he takes the whole thing back and build again. I thank myself that I knew a bit of kannada because he knew tamil and I knew malayalam but since he was staying there he knew kannada well and I knew bit of kannada and we managed our conversation with half mixing malayalam in it but he understood my queries.
My bike was finished by 6.30 p.m. and could see the whole work done and I video-graphed certain parts of the bike and knew many things. Going there was a blessing for me. I was more happy to see the work done than modding my bike.
Another thing noticed is that what our local mechanics take day or two to finish the work, for them is just minutes. Simple clutch plates changing, they do it just by bending the bike and without draining the engine oil. Tak Tak within minutes. I haven't seen this kinda fast work anywhere else.
Now the bike is built, I will give the pros and cons
Pros:
1. There is bump in power. I did 300 odd kms run-in and didn't take the bike above 4-4.5k rpm. I feel more power than stock.
2. The bike is smoother than before. In stock condition, I felt something is holding the bike but now it's freeeeee
3. Mileage has increased. At stock I would get 36-38km/l in city riding and now I get 43-45 km/l (Bangalore City Traffic)
Cons:
1. High lift Camshaft sound: There is a krr sound which I would hear very little in stock bike after 5k rpm and here the sound starts when the bike is started. Love it or hate it, this sweet sound won't subside, you need to live with it. (Joel told me that there will be decrease in the sound as the kms clock)
2. TPS won't work. New bikes have dual throttle cable fitted to the carb and a TPS sensor. The engine warning lamp will blink because TPS sensor can't be fitted to this new carb and I still doubt if there is some connection with bike not cranking.
3. Bike doesn't start with self start button. For first 200 kms bike didn't start with start switch and I had to kick. This problem was there in stock bike for the first 250 kms and once in a bluemoon after that but here I have this problem everyday. if the engine stops in traffic then it will never start with self. Those who don't have kick start will have heavy time and for them the advice is to change the battery with higher power.
The problem:
After reaching cochin, my bike started knocking and I was worried greatly. I asked Joel what would be the problem, then it was 87 Octane petrol here. In Bangalore it was 90 Octane, so there was no knocking. I also thought that the slight knocking was part of the run-in process. Joel felt sick just after getting my bike ready and he couldn't check it again. The remedy by joel was to put two cylinder gaskets in place of one so that compression can be lowered. And luckily I got a mechanic who knew Joel very well and he was very keen to do the work. Now the knocking has gone and another trouble came. The starting trouble. This bike won't start second time, I mean after the bike has run for few kms and if it stops then it won't start with self and you must give good kicks to it. Tried to call Joel but came to know he is with fever. The mechanic here suggested that change in spark plug will do the trick and I gave 500 plus bucks and changed to NGK Iridium spark plug and now the bike starts with self but still i need to give few cranks. Will do another few kms of running and find out the exact issue.
Recommendation:
I won't recommend this mod to any one unless the are ready to take the risks. If it's a beginner, then it's absolutely no. No matter if you pay for petrol still stock will be better if it comes in perfect condition. Those who live in Bangalore or near to Joel then it's a heaven for them but those stay very far need to find a good mechanic. The BB kit is risky though it's worth.
More updates to come.
Want to keep the run-in period till 2k kms.
Expected Riding style:
0-500 kms 3.5-4k RPM (slightly moving upto 4.5 once in while)
501-1000 kms 4.5-5k RPM (slightly moving upto 5.5 once in a while)
1001-1500 kms 4.5k-6k RPM
1501-2000 kms 5k RPm - 7k RPm
2001 and above, the festival of ripping will begin. Will give the top speed (FFE is stock and CDI is also stock)
Cheers
Before I bought Yamaha FZ-16, I was in a impression about it's bully attitude. I thought this one would take over every one. Maybe because I didn't get the chance to ride bigger bikes, I was in a false imagination. After buying the new vehicle, I was still in impression that there was something better in it than others. After two months, I had chance to do a touring involving big bikes like Duke 200 and the old Pulsar 200s and we had great time exchanging our bikes and riding and when I rode Duke 200, I really felt FZ-16 lacked power comparatively.
I had two options - either to buy the better bike or modify the existing one. Buying better bike would have been better choice but the mileage was an headache for me. I wanted some bike which would give atleast 45 and my fz-16 was just hovering around 37-38 km/l. I was very disappointed. Then came in my mind to do the modds and when I searched race concepts website, I was impressed the tag "Increase in mileage by God margin". I atleast took two months searching all over google.com to know about the reliability of joelled fz-16 and I found out very few failures and didn't also witness many success stories. I was in complete dilemma whether to go for modds or not especially when I saw the story of big bore kit of R-15. I called Joel few no. of times and Shivang (Shv18) was the one who explained each and everything about the big-bore and he was also reason to take this step of getting the bike modded˙.
Finally on 19th October Friday 2012, my bike was joelled and it was a very adventurous attempt because my friend stays at one end and joel's workshop stays to the other end and in between there is big confusing bangalore city and getting to each side is like crossing a sea!
19th morning when I reached Joel's workshop at 10.30 a.m., I couldn't see any board of race conecpts because he had just shifted and still the interiors being done. Joel came in a maruti omni and was surprised by his hospitality, he didn't talk much but slowly we got together as time passed by.
I was wondering how these people bash this poor chap, can't blame him, he is there alone to answer everyone. Hope he would create more Dummy Joels so that he can solve our problems.
Pre Modd Suggestions:
It's better you modd the new bike in good condition or else you will end up bashing Joel for no reason. Those who have finished 25k plus on ODO need to open up the engine and check out all the bearings and crankshaft and need to replace the same. Ask your mechanic about the condition about the other parts before you setup this BB kit. Since the tolerance of piston is very high, you need the other parts in very good condition. The whole engine overhaul would be good for the old bikes no matter if you wanna spend extra 10k.
The Modds:
Big bore kit (cylinder, piston and rings)
High Lift Camshaft
Racing Clutch Springs
Simota Performance Air filter
29mm CV Carburettor
Stock Head Porting (Joel's signature work and his secret)
The Crew:
Two of Joel's mechanic came and they were asked to do the big-bore on my bike and they were told to start the work after I get back because I was to go and get the money from an atm. After getting the money the work began. These guys were so expert that they started dismantling the head and cylinder within minutes. These guys were so good that when I would ask each questions, they would answer me. I was doing both photo shoot and video shoot. When I asked about taking the photos and videos, Joel was first reluctant and after understanding my nature, he agreed and I also understood that he wanted to keep the porting part in secret, so I didn't bother about what he was doing. Actually I didn't know what the porting was, I was thinking that the whole structure of head would be changed with some other parts and I only understood when Joel explained me about it.
Ok, Now let me explain what happened on 19th Friday.
Disclaimer: The following experience is completely my own understanding and it may conflict with the tuner's explanation and also xbhp member experts here. Any corrections and suggestions by fellow members are most welcome and I am also not to be blamed if anyone is encouraged by this experience and mess their bikes by doing the modds.
Parts Inolved:
1. Big bore Kit (piston, piston pin, rings, Cylinder)
2. High Lift Camshaft
3. Racing Clutch Springs
4. Simota Performance Air Filter (Stock replacement)
5. 29mm CV Carburettor
Didn't take the pics (Will post it later)
The build:
Joel's mechanics are very fast. I took just 10 mins to rip my bike. Like a rocket speed. Another Fz-16 fella came and I was worried, how they can manage both bikes in just one day and I found that that guy came only for big bore kit and not porting and no carburettor changing. They done his bike in just flat one hour and he left. The mechanic dismantled my bike in no time and I started asking about the condition of each part and he said they're in excellent condition. I thanked God when people made fun of my run-in tricks, I was alone to explain myself but now I'm satisfied that my run-in method was nearly to perfection.
These guys are very careful when installing the cylinder and pistons. As shiv said piston tolerance are very tight and the mechanic had to move the piston inside the cylinder with hand for 10-15 min to make it easy. And when installing, if he finds bit wrong, he does the work again and it's only worth to do this kinda work from there itself. This guy, building race bikes has good experience in this kind of work - a slight mistake he finds, he takes the whole thing back and build again. I thank myself that I knew a bit of kannada because he knew tamil and I knew malayalam but since he was staying there he knew kannada well and I knew bit of kannada and we managed our conversation with half mixing malayalam in it but he understood my queries.
My bike was finished by 6.30 p.m. and could see the whole work done and I video-graphed certain parts of the bike and knew many things. Going there was a blessing for me. I was more happy to see the work done than modding my bike.
Another thing noticed is that what our local mechanics take day or two to finish the work, for them is just minutes. Simple clutch plates changing, they do it just by bending the bike and without draining the engine oil. Tak Tak within minutes. I haven't seen this kinda fast work anywhere else.
Now the bike is built, I will give the pros and cons
Pros:
1. There is bump in power. I did 300 odd kms run-in and didn't take the bike above 4-4.5k rpm. I feel more power than stock.
2. The bike is smoother than before. In stock condition, I felt something is holding the bike but now it's freeeeee
3. Mileage has increased. At stock I would get 36-38km/l in city riding and now I get 43-45 km/l (Bangalore City Traffic)
Cons:
1. High lift Camshaft sound: There is a krr sound which I would hear very little in stock bike after 5k rpm and here the sound starts when the bike is started. Love it or hate it, this sweet sound won't subside, you need to live with it. (Joel told me that there will be decrease in the sound as the kms clock)
2. TPS won't work. New bikes have dual throttle cable fitted to the carb and a TPS sensor. The engine warning lamp will blink because TPS sensor can't be fitted to this new carb and I still doubt if there is some connection with bike not cranking.
3. Bike doesn't start with self start button. For first 200 kms bike didn't start with start switch and I had to kick. This problem was there in stock bike for the first 250 kms and once in a bluemoon after that but here I have this problem everyday. if the engine stops in traffic then it will never start with self. Those who don't have kick start will have heavy time and for them the advice is to change the battery with higher power.
The problem:
After reaching cochin, my bike started knocking and I was worried greatly. I asked Joel what would be the problem, then it was 87 Octane petrol here. In Bangalore it was 90 Octane, so there was no knocking. I also thought that the slight knocking was part of the run-in process. Joel felt sick just after getting my bike ready and he couldn't check it again. The remedy by joel was to put two cylinder gaskets in place of one so that compression can be lowered. And luckily I got a mechanic who knew Joel very well and he was very keen to do the work. Now the knocking has gone and another trouble came. The starting trouble. This bike won't start second time, I mean after the bike has run for few kms and if it stops then it won't start with self and you must give good kicks to it. Tried to call Joel but came to know he is with fever. The mechanic here suggested that change in spark plug will do the trick and I gave 500 plus bucks and changed to NGK Iridium spark plug and now the bike starts with self but still i need to give few cranks. Will do another few kms of running and find out the exact issue.
Recommendation:
I won't recommend this mod to any one unless the are ready to take the risks. If it's a beginner, then it's absolutely no. No matter if you pay for petrol still stock will be better if it comes in perfect condition. Those who live in Bangalore or near to Joel then it's a heaven for them but those stay very far need to find a good mechanic. The BB kit is risky though it's worth.
- CDI is stock
- FFE is stock
More updates to come.
Want to keep the run-in period till 2k kms.
Expected Riding style:
0-500 kms 3.5-4k RPM (slightly moving upto 4.5 once in while)
501-1000 kms 4.5-5k RPM (slightly moving upto 5.5 once in a while)
1001-1500 kms 4.5k-6k RPM
1501-2000 kms 5k RPm - 7k RPm
2001 and above, the festival of ripping will begin. Will give the top speed (FFE is stock and CDI is also stock)
Cheers
Never knew 87 & especially 90 RON were still available in the country!!!
Pls ask him to update BPCL's website to stop spreading rumors 
. In Assam, NRL or Numaligarh Refinery Limited and its respective franchisee petrol bunk outlets now serve 91RON fuel/petrol as normal grade. They also intend to provide higher rating soon. The Digboi refinery and the Guwahati refinery in Assam are currently undergoing revamp to upgrade their facilities to produce higher octane rating fuel. Trouble with crude oil produced in North east has higher wax and sulphur content so clean up and filteration is a b@tch!! 
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