Ownership experience post

@shv18 having requested me a few times (and me putting this off too long - since April), I am finally rewriting and posting my ownership decision and experience.

I own a Karizma R, and am pretty happy with it, but as the bug bites you, you want something slightly more powerful. In my case, I am satisfied with the ZMA, since I am not a speed demon. However, the things that interested me were

1) Having tubeless tyres
2) Reliable bike that has more grunt than the ZMA
3) ABS
The duke was out of the equation given its temperament and niggles.
Only the CBR250R ticked these requirements, especially the ABS. Now, I know many of us have had these discussions, and me, @psr and @shv18 had many many discussions about the positives and negatives of an ABS equipped bike. For me, travelling on the highway is a risk, given the amount of lunatics out there, and the feeling was that it would be better for me to have a bike with ABS.

Having decided on the CBR after reading numerous reviews, the entire XBHP CBR250R thread a couple of times and discussions and inputs from various CBR250R owners, I was on the lookout for a well maintained used bike.
The market in Gujarat is a strange one, you can get vehicles like the CBR250R and even the Ninja at a very low price. However, that is another discussion. The main concern was getting a motorcycle that was well maintained and trouble free.

I saw a couple of vehicles and was not satisfied with the condition that they were kept in, and passed them on. To give an example, about a year ago, I was getting a 2011 standard 250R for about 70K. However, my criteria was ABS and we kept searching. I had requested my dealer to inform me whenever he got a hold of an ABS bike. One fine evening, he asked me to come and take a look at a Silver ABS vehicle.

When I took at look at the bike, it was in pretty bad shape. The owner was asking 55K for it, but the costs were
1) Broken fairing
2) Chain sprocket at the end of its life
3) Leaky/bent forks
4) Worn discs and worn brake pads
5) Tyres at the end of life



It didn't give me too much confidence even at that price as I was looking at spending a minimum of 30K to restore it to a reasonable condition. The mechanic from the Honda SVC accompanied me to check it out and he decided there was some shim noise as well. He offered the owner 50K, but he wasn't too keen on parting with it at that amount. We passed on that vehicle.

After that, we had a long wait, since ABS equipped CBRs are pretty rare. In the meantime, me @psr and @shv18 had discussions, lots of information was shared (as @shv18 is doing in this thread, so generously) and we kept looking for vehicles.
In the case of buying a used vehicle, two things matter, one's budget and the vehicle's condition. If your budget is low, you won't get a vehicle in top notch condition, while if a vehicle is mint, the selling price will be higher. However, GJ is a unique case where even good condition motorcycles sell for a low price at times. Not sure if it's because of the notion that these larger displacement vehicles will give abysmal mileage or they are difficult to maintain.

Anyway, I heard from a couple of friends about a motorcycle that was lying around as the owner had left for the US. This was a Pearl Heron Blue ABS CBR250R. We went to inspect the vehicle, however, we were in for a rude shock. We had been informed that the vehicle was in good condition, but apparently the caretakers had neglected the motorcycle, it was lying outside and covered with dust. Here are a few photographs.
To add to that, we got to know that the owner had had a spill with the vehicle while cornering. It had been repaired under insurance, but there was some damage to the chassis, due to the frame sliders, the forks were leaking, and the brakes were worn out (or perhaps replaced by someone).The brake discs were also scored, the rear being more so. The front tyre also had a big tear in the middle and it was obvious it would have to be replaced. This didn't give us much confidence and I decided to skip the vehicle. I did have a lot of discussions with the owner of the vehicle who was very distressed at the state of his motorcycle.











While the wait for a vehicle continued, so did the discussions. @shv18 was really keen on getting a CBR soon, as he had some modifications in mind, given his experience with the FZ18. Later on, (this was probably around September last year), I was getting a good deal on another CBR STD, for about 45K, but I had already made up my mind to go for an ABS vehicle and hence didn't take up that offer. @shv18 advised me to keep an open mind and consider a standard vehicle as well, but as they say, things turn out the way they will.

As things went, I was constantly in touch with the owner of the aforementioned bike and he was keen to sell it to me, however due to some circumstances, we weren't able to conclude the sale. The things going for the bike were that the engine was in good condition, the damage to the chassis didn't appear severe (I was ready to replace the chassis if necessary, but that didn't turn out to be the case). There was also a case of discrepancy in mileage, while he said his vehicle hadn't done more than 10K kms, the reading on the meter was 16.4K kms. He was very confused as to that, and we tried hard to trace this. We are (still) not sure whether the meter was replaced (the lights on the speedometer didn't work), and the owner was certain the ones on the meter were working. Also, there were some scratches on the silver paint on the speedo, which weren't there previously and at the time when he slipped either. It led me to believe that someone might have replaced this console at some other location.

The wait continued, and I was patient. Then, I encountered another CBR250R ABS, which was being sold for 68K this year. Me and my mechanic went to take a look at it, it was another tricolor (Pearl Heron Blue) that seemingly looked good from the outside. However, on close examination, there were typical signs of a crash (No ABS sticker on the front fender as an example), and the engine also sounded rough. While the price was tempting, the cautious nature of our friends came into play, and on consulting with them, we decided to skip this vehicle. The estimate for restoring it to like-new condition seemed to be 30K and I decided it wasn't worth putting in the effort for this particular vehicle, as the facts had been hidden from me.

As it happened, the earlier vehicle was now ready to be sold, and I made up my mind to go in for a known devil rather than an unknown one. We concluded the deal, and I took the help of Universal Honda to transport the vehicle to their premises and start work on it. There's a note of thanks at the end of this post, for Honda and others who helped all this time. The vehicle was ready to be taken to the premises, but something weird happened. The motorcycle that cranked up after 6 months lying around didn't start up. Keep in mind, that nearly a year had passed by that the vehicle was lying idle. I had of course made sure that the old fuel was drained and fresh one put in. The motorcycle refused to start and I was worried that the fuel pump might have failed. However, the mechanic said that it was a battery issue and we put in a new Amaron 7AH battery on the way to the SVC. The motorcycle started in one crank and I heaved a sigh of relief.

Costs that we had assumed were.

1) Tyre replacement ~6K to 10K depending on the tyres. Had decided to replace both F and R. I replaced the tyres with MRFs, both front and rear tubeless cost me 6K.
2) Rear Brake disc replacement ~4K (did NOT need to do this)
3) F and R brake pads replacement ~5K
4) New Engine Oil ~1.6K
5) Chassis replacement (if necessary) ~12-14K, plus any extra labour charges. (Did NOT need to do this at present)
6) Repairing forks (if necessary) ~1K-2K, excluding a scenario where I needed to replace them entirely. (Fork oil seals and oil were replaced for approximately 1.2K)
7) Insurance to be renewed (earlier insurance had lapsed) 4K-5K for comprehensive insurance. Cost a total of 6.2K for comprehensive insurance from IFFCO TOKIO, RTO transfer charges and tax (and agent's fees).

Minor costs were

1) Replacing air filter Rs 285
2) Replacing fuel filter Rs 150
3) Replacing Throttle cables A & B Rs 300
4) New coolant Rs 300

Costs we had not assumed but happened.

1) Battery - 7ah Amaron, 1.5K
2) Front master cylinder Rs 300
3) Rear Master cylinder Rs 1425
4) Worn cone set ~2500
5) New sidestand ~150

Other incidental costs ~3000 rupees. These include labour charges etc. Overall, the costs were over 25K, without replacing the Chassis or the Rear brake disc rotor. I was told by the mechanic that the brake disc would start bedding in, and only if there was uneven bedding should I think of replacing the disc as it cost nearly 4K rupees. As it turned out, he was right and the disc surface is quite even now.

Other things. I replaced the stock bulb with a Philips Xtreme vision 55/60 and it is really good for the night. Care (and time) was taken to detail the motorcycle so that it looks as good as new. The brakes were very spongy, we replaced the fluid with DOT4 and drained the fluid according to the service manual. The response is very good now, and the braking is very effective. ABS has been tested in both the wet and dry and works well.

Many things have already been covered by @shv18, like comparisons, the power output and delivery etc so I won't go into all of those things. Suffice it to say that this bike is a joy to ride. As @aargee said somewhere, everytime you take the bike out, it puts a smile on your face, and it's true! Except for traffic, that is. I do not enjoy the gear shifting in heavy traffic and solely use the ZMA for short distances. People also fiddle with the motorcycle when left alone, and that is something I do not like. That is why I use the ZMA within the city and the CBR for highway spins. I did want to sell my ZMA, but I was getting a pitifully low amount for it, and given the amount of effort I put into that motorcycle, there doesn't seem to be any point selling it now.

I will update this thread with further details, time permitting, since there is a lot of information to be shared.

Notes of thanks : @psr and @shv18, for all the discussions and interaction/help all the time. @aargee and @icemang for their advise @icemang wasn't too keen on a stance change from the ZMA to the CBR, there were some discussions about it, riding posture, power delivery etc). Thankfully, I've had no wrist or back pain riding this motorcycle, the stance isn't too bad. The idea is to keep a loose grip on the clip ons, and you should be fine. @adisakke and @mansuryayas for all their inputs locally. Especially @mansuryayas who accompanied me a few times, gave inputs all the time, helped research the bike's history, and test rode the vehicle, and was also ready to help bring it home with me.
The previous owner of the bike), who helped me with a lot of information, was open and honest about his motorcycle and expectations and was patient enough while the negotiations were ongoing.
All other riders or friends whose names I might have missed, who helped during this experience.

I'll add a note of thanks and appreciation for HMSI (Honda India) here. I wrote to them once, and I received several follow ups, and I was helped by their regional manager in securing the services of a good service centre. I built a good relationship with Universal Honda here, the service manager Mr Anil is very helpful and has always let me do things my way in his workshop. I know there are many SVCs that do not allow customers into the vehicle bays, but such is not the case here. I can stay all day and tinker about with the tools if I wish to. The parts store has been immensely helpful as well, and they have managed to source all necessary parts within a reasonable time frame, if not available in hand. Moreover, the mechanic here (Pintu) is knowledgeable and has given of his time and energy in restoring the bike to its former glory. A special note of thanks for him for all of his help.

With this, I conclude my initial post in the purchase and ownership experience. Thank you for reading these many rambling lines.
Bike after detailing and restoration.

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

First of all, many thanks to @AK3D for finally coming up with sharing his side of the story. I am sure as he starts logging his experience simultaneously with mine, it will definitely add a lot more information for the readers to learn from and look forward to. Afterall, information shared here will benefit us all . Regardless, i would like to point out an interesting incident which occured in one of my weekend rides

INCIDENT REPORT

Well office work was piling up quite a bit and as usual there comes a point where one would like to close the whole book and simply vanish even if it is possible just for a day. It just so happened that the last week i had reached that limit where any ride even if a small one would let me unwind. As it is the case with motorcycling, you end up making friends over a period of time, regardless of different profession or background you may be from, a proposition landed up in front of me to visit Deomali and then Khonsa (Both in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, India) along with two hardcore riders who are as mad as i am ...so off i went hurrying as soon as possible. Readers may note, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh share the border in the South - Eastern side as well, an area which i had not checked out yet, so the whole plan sounded like a great idea that time.



Pic 1: Google "baba" showing the route map to Deomali & Khonsa, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

For those riders who are not aware, Arunachal Pradesh, having a smaller population per km, has got some of the most dense forests in India and is well known for wild life and especially the Asiatic elephants who roam free locally in these areas. It is usually advised by travellers that in the isolated areas of the forest one shouldn't travel at dark as elephants become active right from dusk and may block the road or if wrong signals are given out may become aggressive against anybody. Regardless, the sheer lure of riding was too much to ignore so off we went ahead with the plan. The initial road is slightly broken understandably due to very heavy rainfall in these parts. After a few kms towards Khonsa, the roads simply vanished and there was only gravel, tons of stones and dust.



Pic 2: Note the dense forest enroute Khonsa from Deomali, Arunachal Pradesh.

Riding in roads where there is ample amount of stones, dust and where one is slowly ascending to higher ground, it makes riding extremely tricky as you are fighting constantly with the conditions to get hold of grip. When ascending in areas where there is a sharp loop and the roads are broken, wet, covered with mud and pointy stones, as a fellow reader you can imagine how twitchy the bike gets with both the front and the rear tires constantly fighting for grip. The journey towards Khonsa was not at all a pleasant experience as thanks to the roads there is not a single part in your body which has escaped from unwanted jerks . It is simply an utter punishment for the rider and the motorcycle too as the suspension, chassis, engine everything has to work overtime to cover the ups and downs and huge amount of vibrations percolating through every part of the vehicle. This short journey gave me a small demo of what Ewan Mc Gregor and Charley Boorman had to go through while doing their ride in the famous documentary "Long Way Round" (a must watch for every passionate rider!!) :



Regardless, although Khonsa is approximately about 48 kms from Deomali, all the riders were very tired within the first 30 kms thanks to the back breaking route we had to go through. However, at the end of the day, the view was something which kind of made up for everything we had to bear.









Pic 3, 4, 5 & 6: Khonsa, Arunachal Pradesh. Note the roads filled with gravel just a few kms from Khonsa after which one may get a few hundred meters of tarmac which again vanishes.

By the time we reached Khonsa, it was already getting dark so we had a small pit stop session, cup of tea and some goodies from the local pastries shop and the return leg of the journey was started immediately. So the back breaking experience was again started but this time with darkness quickly approaching and headlights on. One can imagine the combination of bad roads, hill decend and unexpected loops and turns with on coming huge trucks and a dearth of dust and dirt hitting your body, it was quite excruciating. We managed to cross the hilly terrain without any problem just that one had to constantly fight for getting proper grip on the road especially when taking a sharp corner downhill.

As we approached Deomali, about 3 kms from the main intersection, my throttle suddenly became very free and no matter what i did the engine simply just wouldn't rev instead it was idling. For a moment, i was scratching my head wondering what the heck is going on but after pulling up onto the side and a little bit of looking around, it was clear that either the throttle cable had jumped off from the throttle body or else one of the cables had snapped. When i opened the tool box the allen key was missing, i guess all courtesy to the previous owner . This meant that i can't even take out the side fairings to inspect and see if at all the throttle cable had jumped, i could may put it back in its place and atleast ride my CBR back home. Sighting the situation i was in and that too in the middle of nowhere it was decided to tow my vehicle atleast to Deomali from where a further plan would be made. Upon reaching Deomali, it was observed that all the shops had closed down and this being a CBR, no local mechanic wanted to fidgit with it. It just so happened that an Assam Police battalion camp was right at the entry point of Deomali. After requesting the personnel inside they gladly let me keep my CBR in their premises while i assured them that i would get hold of a pick up truck the next day to bring her back to my place of stay and to the SVC for a quick fix. Now leaving my bike behind i hopped on to my friend's bike and we started our final leg of the journey through a very dense forest. Not surprsingly, our road was blocked by wild elephants.

Common sense prevailed and none of the riders honked at the wild animals and let them be. After a few minutes the elephants slowly moved to the side of the road and we then carried on with our journey. The next day, i booked a vehicle to pick up my CBR from the police camp. Once we reached, Deomali, i personally thanked every personnel in the Assam Police camp. i am eternally grateful to these men who without thinking twice came forward and helped a person they have never met before in the middle of nowhere. They were kind enough to organise a wooden ramp to lift the motorcycle onto the truck and also proactively gave a helping hand to get the whole thing going.

Motorcycling truely lets you meet people in their natural form: being nice, honest, helpful and polite same like what Ewan and Charley Boorman experienced in another part of the world! I am glad to be experiencing it first hand...











Pic 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11: My Honda CBR 250R being put inside a rented pick up vehicle. A sincere thanks to the Assam Police chaps who graciously kept a watch on my motorcycle for the night and also helped me to place the CBR inside the pick-up vehicle.


Once the vehicle was loaded and we started the journey it was pretty evident, given the condition of the road that lay ahead, the whole load of the motorcycle will have to be borne by the side stand and given the bumps and moon cratered roads the pick-up vehicle it will have to go through i was expecting a bent side stand and the side stand mounting point in the chassis too. The journey was again quite a "back-breaking" one and extremely slow. Not surprisingly by the time we reached the SVC and dis-mounted my CBR from the truck, the side stand was a complete goner and had developed a crack. The stand was already bent undertsandably due to the amount of load that was on it and it was never meant to take the hits of the road thanks to the unbelievable amount of bumps we had to go through, somehow on a pick-up truck the bumps become even more pronounced so one can imagine that my whole body was aching by the end of the journey.







Pic 12, 13 & 14: Note the CBR 250R side stand bent and the visible crack near th lower half of the monting point. New side stand installed on my CBR 250R.

Enroute i had already called up the ever helpful SVC and placed an order for the side stand and both the throttle cables. The night before, once reaching home all the research was done trying to find out the possible reasons behind this unexpected problem cropping up. Seems to be a known case amongst CBR 250Rs that post 18,000 - 20,000 kms, the throttle cable starts developing slag and also quite a bit of rust and may snap or jump from the throttlebody just like it has been observed in HH Karizma (ZMA owners please confirm if this is a known issue amongst your respective rides). Thus, the recommendation is to replace both the clutch and the throttlebody cables periodically as a part of preventive maintenance. It was my grave stupidity that i did get the clutch cable replaced but didn't bother replacing the throttle cables on my CBR and as a result, had to face the consequences. Now imagine if i was riding alone on the same route and this issue would have cropped up! With a non functional motorcycle, stranded in the middle of a very dense jungle and no mobile phone network to communicate with anyone if needed: it would have been a very dangerous and unpleasant situation then.

Regardless, once the side fairing was opened up it was found that the Throttle cable "A" (i believe that is what is the designation given for the one which is pulled during acceleration) had snapped completely. The throttle cable "B" was also found to be having signs of shearing. So immediately both the Throttle Cable "A" and "B" were replaced with brand new ones. The damaged side stand was also replaced with a new one. Luckily the mounting point was not bent so that was one lesser of a headache for me.







Pic 15, 16 & 17: Throttle cable "A" and "B". One has snapped completely and the other one also had shear marked on it.

During the ride, apparently the chain slider had also come off so it was replaced as well. Seems to be the case that especially in the moon cratered roads of the North East, india due to too much vertical movement of the swing arm, at times the chain would get entangled with the chain slider and rip it apart into pieces. So as part of local desi jugaad, the mechanic used "Fevibond" glue to attached the new installed chain slider properly to the chassis.

For the readers the following are the parts prices:

* Throttle Cable "A" - Rs. 166/-
* Throttle Cable "B" - Rs. 166/-
* Chain Slider - Rs. 133/-

From the experience above, i would request all the members to do take up the matter of preventive maintenance very seriously! All i had to do was spend about 450 bucks with labour charges at the SVC and this problem would have never cropped up. Instead, now i had to go through the ordeal of leaving the vehicle in an unknown area, pay quite dearly for the pick up vehicle and also lose one whole day in the process. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE IS A MUST!! NO EXCEPTIONS! From now one 15,000 kms or 1 year, both the throttle cables and the clutch cable will be replaced on my CBR as a part of preventive maintenance in order to avoid the above mentioned like situation from ever repeating again.

My CBR has so far covered about 890 kms with Shell Rimula R4 HDEO engine oil and the engine is still butter smooth with no vibrations. The engine oil has turned to yellowish brown colour indicating quite a lot of suspended particles in the oil. All vibrations have vanished completely.



Pic 18: Engine oil colour of Shell Rimula R 4 in my CBR 250R after completing 890 kms.

I am constantly monitoring for any signs of unwanted engine noise or any vibrations, gear shifting issues. Will provide more data as i clock kms in the coming days.


Cheers,

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

I thought you told me that you had both throttle cables replaced upon receipt of the bike? Given that you live in a very humid climate where it keeps raining, it was bound to rust. Or did you lubricate the cables with sewing machine oil as preventive maintenance as discussed?
Even if one does not replace cables within at 20K kms as preventive maintenance, one should liberally use sewing machine oil to keep all these cables operating smoothly and to prevent rust build up. WD40 is a great cleaner, but the oil it leaves behind will dry out very fast and there won't be much lubrication after a while.

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

Nope only the clutch cable was replaced and the throttle cables were lubricated. But i guess the rust formation deep inside the unseen part of the cable had already started. Regardless, i have now learnt my lesson so will keep preventive maintenance and early replacement of some of the consumables will be done as in when deemed necessary.


Cheers,

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

[MENTION=52772]AK3D[/MENTION] still learning here so pardon me if query seems silly.
But always thought throttle wire is supposed to be left alone as any kind of lubrication messes up the (whitish looking) synthetic sheath over the throttle & even clutch wire if I'm not mistaken.

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

Shv18....A good narration and some beautiful pictures of the lush forest growth....I really liked the environment you had photographed....Good you also covered the pathetic un-finished gravel path called road....If you drive around through such " roads" and pot holes, in another 10 K Kms your CBR 250R will fall apart and must be carried in a Basket....That the CBR250R had been able to still move around shows it's build quality. ..
The Throttle cable snapping in the middle of a trip is something most tourers experience.....so most of the tourers travel with the "A" and "B" throttle cables along with Clutch cable, Spark Plug ,fluids, and some extra tools other than what comes with the vehicle....most also carry puncture kit and/or spare tube....
The Karizma which again is a Honda product is prone to jamming of the "B" cable ,resulting in non return of throttle and a very high RPM.
The problem with the bikes developing this kind of problem is because of the cable holding clamps welded to chassis ..these can be found to be very close to the chassis , since the cables are routed under the Petrol Tank...Constant rubbing of the outer of the cable on these holders, Punctures the outer sheath and lets moisture and water inside. This leads to rust formation and the inner cable either jams or rust takes it's toll ...
Honda as a rule uses an inner sheath which protects the inner cable from exposure to moisture, but still over time moisture does get inside and forms rust.
I guess you are now learning the hard way of what awaits a trip on our roads...

Preventive maintenance should also be done before onset of a trip like engine oil top up or replacement, Checking up on cables, Chain tightness and lubing, good air filter and tire/tube that don't leak air.

The Rimula R4 at close to 900 Kms looks comparatively good. Last time the oil came to this color at 600 + Kms( hope I remember it right)..I guess you can move over the Shell Ultra now and hope to get 4,000 Kms of life without problem with it..
Good Luck..

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

That is a great query.
The Honda CBR250R service manual clearly states this

Page 3-6


There was an interesting discussion between me and [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] - namely using a bellows type of protector for the end of the CBR clutch cable, where the end is exposed to the elements. You can get this protector off any motorcycle's discarded clutch cable (shine's seem to be a direct fit), and it'll help keep the dust away.

As to the thin oils messing up the cable, the cables are already internally lubricated with some sort of (silicone?) grease, some have what is known as a teflon (plastic?) sheath to prevent wear, but dust and rust buildup over time do happen. This causes wear to be more pronounced, as well as stiffer clutch and throttle operation. And as for lubrication - I have used WD40 earlier and now using sewing machine oil. I have been doing so (and many mechanics use a mixture of petrol and engine oil!) for the past few years as preventive maintenance. I've not suffered any breakage so far (touch wood).

You might also want to refer to these links for further information.

Cleaning and Lubing Clutch Cables | Gear Garage
Clean and Lube Throttle Cables | Gear Garage
Clutch Cable Friction... Clean & Lube? - Honda CBR250R Forum : Honda CBR 250 Forums
Full Service @ 9500 Miles - Honda CBR250R Forum : Honda CBR 250 Forums

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

Well sir, i hope through my meandering experience, other members in this forum will learn something and in the long run will benefit a lot of people. Regardless, i intend to do one more round of Rimula 4 run (OCMD talking here!! ) just to be absolutely satisfied that my CBR's engine have had a thorough clean up with the HDEO oil and a good amount of ZDDP depositing on the internals. Then will shift to Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil and report my observations here. So far the vehicle has been performing exceptionally well and there is definitely a reduction in the engine operating temperature. Though, we may have take into consideration that due to earlier internal deposits, i feel my engine solely cannot be considered as the benchmark for: FS oil VS HDEO oil in terms of temperature difference felt by me. May be if someone else is bold enough to give it a try, his/her independent observation will give us a better idea about this HDEO oil's behaviour, performance and other factors, but then again i would still like to remind everyone that this is purely an experiment.

As of today, i have covered about 2392 + 897 kms (and rolling) = 3289kms with Shell Rimula R4 and so far nothing has blown up or found to be leaking, no drop in performance or nothing unwanted has happened. However, as we progress clocking more kms, only time will tell if this experiment can be said to be a success; Rimula R4 to be considered a safe HDEO oil to be used even for this class of motorcycle.


Cheers,

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

Thanks a lot for clearing my doubt.

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

I have an addition to the above. Did some research about this (for teflon lined cables).

In case of teflon lined cables, you should not use a lubricant (WD40 or oil) that will damage the coating. What one should use is a graphite based lubricant which will not damage the cable internally. Either that, or a teflon based lubricant.

Clutch cable lube | Motorcycles and Motorcycle Lubrication | Bob Is The Oil Guy
To oil clutch/throttle cables or not? - Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB
silicone spray ok for cable lube? - CRF450R - ThumperTalk
Clutch cable lube
Cable lube? - Harley Davidson Forums: Harley Davidson Motorcycle Forum

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

Hi all,

First of all, i would like to state to all my fellow riders from Chennai that understandably the recent deluge has been an extremely difficult phase everybody has to go through. I hope all of the riders are safe and i am sure that things will shape up and you will rise again and become stronger than ever. I wish you nothing but the very best and i hope that in this terrible hour, people locally have come forward and are helping each other to rebuild and put things back in shape asap.

SMALL UPDATE

The busy office life has kept long distance riding to a minimum. I have just managed to move the odo to a snail pace 1,298 kms since, the last update. The ambient temperature in the North East India region have also started dropping quickly so late night and early morning rides is one of a kind bone chilling experience!! Regardless, @1298 kms, below is the condition of the engine oil:





Pic 1 & 2: Engine oil colour turned to a very dark amber.

As the pictures above will suggest, the current Shell Rimula R4 HDEO oil has turned its colour to very dark amber. Though, i am happy to report that compared to the last time, my CBR is still vibe free and gears are engaging smoothly. No unwanted engine/valve/shim noise, no engine oil consumption or anything. The vehicle is still returning a very healthy 31-33 kmpl under local commute and 39+ kmpl on the highway which is more than enough. Overall the performance is at par with my expectations. I shall continue monitoring the health of the engine and report back my observations post 1,500 kms.

The chain slider with adhesive is holding up well as of now. Off late, I am witnessing that my front tire is losing PSIs very quickly. intial inspection has not yielded any results related to tire puncture or any nails. I have a suspicion with the front tire valve. Will take out the front wheel completely and get the tire thoroughly inspected.

Do keep watching this space for more updates..



Cheers,

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

My bike has done 1600 kms till now. I previously didn't pay much attention to the sound of the bike but recently, i feel that an unpleasent "sssss" kind of noise is coming.

Also, sometimes, with the pillion, the bike feels as if it is putting more efforts in accelerating. So i took it for a speed test last weekend and managed to get to 125kmph at 7k rpm. Is this speed normal at the given rpm mark?

I also wanted to know how the shim noise sounds like and also how do we get to know that the chain needs lubing. Can anyone upload audio or post some link for that?

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R


It would be better if you take time and read the thread right from the beginning.. i know it is not a short cut but you will find out that most of your concerns have more or less been already answered on this thread with pictorial reference.

Any motorcycle depending on the overall weight (rider+pillion) will observe a dip in acceleration and top end in comparison when riding solo. To put it in layman language: imagine yourself running on a playground: first freely, then the second round with 30 kgs of weight being put on your back.. your acceleration and overall top speed will take a hit which is natural and expected due to the simple physics playing here. A heavier rider will observe lower top end whereas a light weight rider will observe faster acceleration and higher top end as the overall mass the bike has to carry will affect its power:weight ratio.

Hope this helps

Cheers,

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

The CBR does x16 for every 1K RPM in the last gear.
At 5000RPM, the speed will be 80,
at 6000RPM, the speed will be 96KMPH
and at 7000RPM, the speed will be 112KMPH.
If you're doing 125 at 7000RPM, your bike is performing better than spec compared to other CBR 250Rs without sprocket changes (in other words, not possible with stock config). You would need to be at the 8K RPM mark to achieve 128.

Regarding 'effort', [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] has explained it nicely.
As for shim noise and other related issues, please read the owner's manual, follow the CBR thread and there is also a lot of other information on the net. As a user, you are supposed to know when to lube the chain (every 500 kms and clean it every 1K if possible for longer life).

Re: The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

The "sssssssss" noise is definitely from chain. Get it adjusted and cleaned and lubed. We wonder did you lube the chain even once after the bike was serviced

The big question now, the Cbr 250 takes the speed from inside the crank and even if you do sprocketing or anything, it won't show speedo change. As AK3D mentioned at 7k rpm the speed is 112kmph and it will stay 112kmph despite number of sprocketing. Are you sure you were doing 125kmph @7K rpm or its just a hoax

Shim noise is mostly audible in cold morning starts as once the engine is warmed up, it is bound to have some shim noise, which we can ignore. So the best bet will be to check in early morning starts. You could hear a mild "tik tik" sound near the cylinder head, dont get confused with the chain tensioner though as small rattling is also produced in case of damaged cam chain tensioner.

Cheers,
Sanjay