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

Happy new year Gentlemen. Have a wealthy and safe new year.

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

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL - GIFTS & GOODIES

Hi All,

i am quite ashamed to say that since, the last oil change, i have barely managed to cover a puny 250 kms and that too majority is in city premises which kinda sucks. Hopefully post 1st week of January 2017, things should be looking up on the brighter side and may be i can then squeeze another good long distance ride. My CBR is doing fine no problems have cropped up since, last oil change except may be a simple DIY lubing of clutch and throttle cables and slight adjustment that needs to be taken care of. Besides that i must admit i still haven't been able to take my bike for a proper inspection of front and rear tires to sort out the air leakage issue. May be post 1st week i should be in a better position to resolve these little irritating things for good.

Anyways, i have little something something to share its Christmas after all so gifts have to come right??:


BLUETOOTH INTERCOM DEVICE:

Since, my last long distance ride of 1700 kms, it made one thing very clear: when one is a part of group riding: having rider aids like a bluetooth intercom device really helps when one wants to communicate with another rider besides giving the usual hand signals. This is especially all the more important in the event: where one is fully geared and wishes to attend a call or give out a warning sign to the following riders in case of an emergency. During my last solo ride, one thing i found really irritating was when fully geared up and riding and i receive a phone call, i have to stop, take out my gear, my helmet, my gloves and then take out the phone: by then either the phone has already got disconnected or else the call was not important.

Then one has to gear up and start riding only to find in a few 100 meters, the phone ringing and thus, the whole cycle of removing gears has to be initiated again. I had done my research on branded Bluetooth intercom devices available in India (in the likes of Sena, Cardo, Nexx etc.) however the pricing of 1 individual unit started anywhere from INR - 10k all the way to 25k which was way beyond my budget. While doing research i came across this website: DealeXtreme - Cool Gadgets at the Right Price - DX Free Shipping Worldwide and found out that there are Chinese replicas of similar bluetooth intercom devices which do provide intercommunication facility with a range of up to 1km/1000 mtrs easily (provided both the riders are in the line-of-sight).

I zeroed in on one such brand from China called Vnetphone V6 1200m



As the review video above mentions, the quality of voice and inter-communication link is really good. Even when paired to one's smartphone, the overall sound quality is at par with the branded ones. I paid the money and it took almost a month for DealeXtreme - Cool Gadgets at the Right Price - DX Free Shipping Worldwide to deliver the item at my doorstep. I decided to go for a set of two units which costed me about 2500 bucks each which is more economical than any of the other branded ones currently available in the Indian market.









Pic 1, 2, 3 & 4: Vnetphone V6 Bluetooth intercom device bought from DealeXtreme - Cool Gadgets at the Right Price - DX Free Shipping Worldwide

Though i haven't installed the intercom device onto my helmet yet but so far a random handheld test confirmed that the build quality and overall reception and voice clarity is simply sublime. Lets say even if the device only lasts for about a year and half: still for mere 2500 bucks this product is quite a steal. The in-built mic set up has a noise cancellation feature which is really good. Once, i do take the device for field testing, i would be in a better position to give a proper review for the same. But yes definitely a yes for those riders who want a cheap, alternative bluetooth intercom device for one on one group riding sessions. The rated battery back up is about 8-9 hours which is more than enough.

This device can be easily mounted onto any helmet with removable liners and the speakers are velcro sticky mounted which can be removed if required. All in all a good and cheap purchase. How reliable? well that my friend only time will tell.



SHARK S700 OXYD HELMET:

Well this one was purely an impulsive decision. Just about a week back thanks to hectic schedule, i kept my helmet on top of the roof of a car to put on my gear before riding. But then it just so happened that in between calls, i accidentally managed to topple the helmet and both the clear visor and the locking ratchet on the left hand side broke as the images below will show. I was already having a bad day and in a fit of rage i decided to simply dump this helmet and get on with procuring a new one.




Pic 5 & 6: The MT helmet locking ratchet and the visor broke after a fall from the roof of the car.

So once i reached office, took sometime off and went online to select a good helmet from www.highnoteperformance.com As mentioned earlier, i have decided to slowly invest in good gears as in when budget permits. Incidentally, Highnote Performance had put up a Christmas Special discount sale so managed to zero in on Shark S700 OXYD Helmet from their side and wired money into their given account. For those who may be interested to know more about Shark helmets, do check out their website: SHARK HELMETS, bike helmets, motorcycle and scooter







Pic 7: Shark S700 OXYD Helmet ordered from http://highnoteperformance.com/


As experienced earlier, Highnote Performance was very prompt in acknowledging my order and quickly shipped the helmet from their shop and gave the requisite updates from their end which is very commendable. So far i have had a good experience with this site and can recommend riders who have been bitten by a similar bug to get good riding gears. While this was going on once i calmed down, i then also dropped in a mail to http://spartanprogear.com/ just to check if they do keep a stock of the broken ratchet and a clear visor. Spartan too replied promptly and directed me to the links for the respective products. Well Well.. this is what happens when one doesn't think it through properly and just decides to take impulsive decisions.. Regardless, I placed an order for them as well. So customer service seems to have improved tremendously with Spartan.

Even though Shark Helmet purchase was a quickie (and a financial bomb on my bank balance!! ) nonetheless, i now will have two functional helmets with me may be one for street riding and one for long rides.


I am now eagerly awaiting for the respective units to arrive so that testing can commence for both the helmet and the Bluetooth intercom device.


Until then....



Cheers,

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

Shv18...another good posts with pictures . I am surprised that the R4 had lasted till 3000+ Kms...I would have guessed no more than 2.5K Kms max. I guess your engine is getting a good cleaning by the detergents , and the inner of the engine should be looking like new.. The fact that no new noise or,rattling from engine had started after such lengthy usage of R4 , means the inner moving parts are in good close tolerance . So your CBR with minimal service had managed to survive through the lack of proper attention ,and speaks volumes for the Honda quality...
Good Luck
Ride safe

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

GENERAL SERVICE & PERIODIC MAINTENANCE:

Hi all,

So after waiting for a little while to let the present demonetisation and currency issue get resolved, my OCMD didn't let me rest one bit so called up my SVC mech and told him that i would be landing up today to get general service and periodic maintenance done. As always, thanks to previous "chai-paani" stints it was really funny to find my mechanic already waiting along with two of his assistants for my bike. Even before i could open up the job card, the mechanic simply ran with my motorcycle and got it ready and took the lead informing the staff that this bike is to be done on priority and until my motorcycle's work is complete, he will not take any other job for the day! call it VIP treatment!! Anyways, i would would like to put forward this suggestion to all the xbhp members: building up good relations and small tips to the work force can help one to get jobs done while special attention being paid to your motorcycle at all the times. Your's truly is currently enjoying the benefits if you know what i am saying..


Moving on, the mechanic drained the engine oil and then took out the engine oil filter. If one looks at the image below, what i am consistently witnessing with FZ engine oil filter is higher amount of particle retention when compared to OEM filter. Though mind you this is merely visual inspection i don't have any special tools or chemical labs to get my hunch proven by extensive scientific tests but so far the results are positive. When the engine oil was drained and we inspected the oil, it still had good amount of life left in it. By now i had already covered around 3,200 kms with Shell Rimula R4 HDEO oil. I feel may be this oil can be pushed to 3,500 kms in an LC engine with ease provided one does more highway rides then stop and go though until actual tests are done i would still like to stick to the earlier claim of 3,000 kms.



Pic 1: Condition of Yamaha FZ/Byson engine oil filter after 3,200 kms. Note the higher particle retention by the filter.

This time i decided to get rid of the old stock of Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil which was lying around for quite a while in my garage. I am thinking of doing another round of Shell ultra after this one and then will revert back to Shell Rimula R4 to continue my experiments in order to achieve the 20,000 kms of on-road tests and confirm whether a CBR engine will happily survive using a non-OEM approved HDEO oil or better: would provide better feedback and engine reliability as we have seen with @psr sir's post(http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/general-...ml#post1255736) composition wise Shell Rimula R4 HDEO oil seems to have all the major ingredients minus the FS oil tag. Personally, i have not witnessed any reduction in FE readings or performance. Other way round My CBR seems to be liking the overall pampering it is getting, being fed exclusively on a high ZDDP & detergent based HDEO engine oil diet!! But then again proof is in the pudding so would like to reserve my judgement until then.



Pic 2: Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil getting prepped to be poured into the engine.

Looking at the positive results i have been getting so far, it was decided to continue using the budget Yamaha FZ/Byson engine oil filter this time with Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS Oil. Mind you readers this time i am using motorcycle specific engine oil and Shell Advanced Ultra is very popular with CBR owners in India.

Regardless, for the sake of information sharing, while doing extensive research, looking for a replacement filter for my CBR along with the help of senior rider @psr sir, i found that it was not just me who was routing for such an option. If one follows the international thread of Kawasaki Ninja 300, 400, 500, 650R, ZX6R, ZZR600, ZX10 & ZX14 things are not what they seem: we have experimenters all across the globe. So the list starts from baby 300cc all the way to the top SBK line up and believe it or not, there are tons of riders who are using cheap alternate engine oil filters, some even designed specifically for cars!! (Thread Link: Oil Filter List for the Ninja 300, 400, 500, 650, ZX-6R, ZZR600, ZX-10, ZX-14 & more - Kawasaki Ninja Forum) So it is interesting to observe that riders worldwide are doing the same experiment successfully just like this puny little CBR 250R rider in India.

Coming back to the topic, the mechanic then pre-lubed the FZ/Byson engine oil filter with Shell Advanced ultra FS oil. Once the lubing was completed, the mechanic then installed the FZ/Byson oil filter back into the designated spot, tightened the engine oil drain nut after replacing the crush washer and then started pouring in Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil into my CBR 250R.





Pic 3 & 4: Fresh Yamaha FZ/Byson Engine oil filter getting pre-lubed with Shell Advanced FS oil before installation. Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil(motorcycle) getting poured inside the engine.

Post completion of engine oil change, the mechanic then started the bike and let it idle for about 2 mins to see if there are any leakages from any of the orifices of the engine. Once, it way okayed by me we then proceeded with the next set of work to be completed on my CBR. The rear set foot pegs rubber steps were showing signs of ageing and tears. So the mechanic was instructed to replaced the old ones with fresh pieces. If one wishes to follow my footsteps, this merely costs about 39 bucks per piece. The whole job took about 10 mins and was completed very promptly by the mechanic.







Pic 5, 6 & 7: Rear Foot pegs rubber steps getting replaced with new ones as the old ones were showing signs of ageing. Costs about Rs.39/- per piece.

My CBR 250R has now clocked 33,000+ kms, so considering it as a part of preventive maintenance and also based on the suggestion of senior riders the fuel filter was the next thing which had to be replaced. Plus costing barely Rs. 175/- this wouldn't hurt my wallet that much so being a cheap fix, the mechanic was instructed to get the thing going as quickly as he can. The mechanic first started assembling the new filter fuel kit. If one notices the fuel filter, both ends are plugged with a rubber cork. One needs to remove these and then install the lines while tightening them with installing circlips.







Pic 8, 9 & 10: Honda CBR 250R fuel filter kit post assembly.

The mechanic then went on with removing the fuel tank from the motorcycle and with the help of his assistant began the process of removing the old fuel filter. If one looks at a series of pics below, the fuel filter is covered with a rubber jacket which can be removed from the old filter and needs to be inserted on top of the fresh fuel filter. Also the new Fuel filter only comes with a pair of circlips which clamp the rubber hose to the fuel filter. However there are another set of circlips which clamp the other end of fuel filter hose with the fuel inlet and outlet of the fuel pump below. This is not supplied along with the new fuel filter kit. So i ended up using, the old circlips from old hose. They seemed to be in good shape hence, i didn't bother pestering SVC spares shop.

NOTE: One has to ensure that the circlips clamp the fuel hose properly as the when the system is primed the overall fuel pressure is extremely high. I am sure one wouldn't want to let petrol spray around on top of a hot engine in the event the fuel hose slips out from it place so one small thing to bear in mind while installing a new fuel filter.









Pic 11, 12 , 13 & 14: Old fuel filter below the fuel tank getting removed and the new fuel filter getting installed in place.

Once, the fuel filter was installed, the mechanic then put the tank back in its place and we primed the fuel pump 2 -3 times and then started the motorcycle. Interesting thing to note was that compared to earlier, this time my CBR 250R started in half a crank so may be there were some particles blocking the fuel filter. The engine also sounded much more smoother and better. I was very happy with the way things were progressing so far with my bike.

We then started with getting the old brake fluid bled with fresh bottle of DOT4. Knowing my OCMD condition, this time the mechanic took no chance and personally vanished from the SVC shop floor for about 10 mins and came back with a fresh bottle of Bosch DOT 4 brake fluid!! Now this is what i call prime service.. Anyways, we first started with bleeding the front brake. Being a Combined-ABS model, one has to keep in mind that the front Nissin Brake caliper has two bleed nipple valves. The front alone can be only bled by inserting the drain pipe on the top bleed nipple valve while filling in fresh brake oil into the front master cylinder reservoir. My bike had done close to 13,000 kms with the brake fluid replaced last time almost year and half back. Though the old brake fluid's colour was still good, i decided to drain it: considering it as one of the most critical safety components and the brake fluid bottle costing barely 90 - 100 bucks, i didn't bother going stingy on it.











Pic 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19: Front brake getting bled while fresh bottle of Bosch DOT 4 is being poured from the top of the reservoir. For front brakes in an ABS model one has to bled from the top nipple valve of the front brake caliper.

After the front brake work was done, the mechanic then inserted the bleed line onto the front bleed nipple valve which is found in the middle of the caliper. Being a combined-ABS system the middle bleed nipple valve can be actuated only by pressing the rear brake lever. To ensure that we don't end up overdoing it, the mechanic with the help of his assistant, removed the rear brake fluid reservoir and kept topping it up with DOT4 brake fluid while the assistant intermittently pumped the rear brake lever to bleed the brake line. After, we were satisfied with the process, the bleed nipple valve was closed and the rear reservoir was topped up as per the requirement.

We still didn't put the rear reservoir back in its place as now we had to start bleeding the rear caliper. So the bleed hose was installed onto the rear caliper bleed nipple valve and we then started the process of bleeding the rear brake line while pressing the rear brake lever intermittently. Once, we were satisfied with the completion of the bleeding process the rear bleed nipple valve was closed and the vehicle was taken out for a spin by the mechanic. Once, he was satisfied he let me take the bike to inspect if the bleeding work was to my satisfaction. If i may, post the completion of 1,700 kms of ride, i did observe that off-lately, the front brake travel with the stock lever was becoming more and more. I am not sure what might have been the reason behind this but it was really annoying and made it difficult to brake progressively especially if one is on the highways doing good speeds. Post the bleed work, braking was exceptionally sharp and the two finger action was back online. With Brembo HH sintered pads doing duty, the two finger action is sufficient to drop the anchor and the bike responding instantly to rider inputs.







Pic 20, 21 & 22: Center nipple valve and the rear nipple valve getting bled while engaging the rear brake lever. The rear brake fluid reservoir was getting topped up constantly while the bleeding process is on.

For the sake of easy reference and how brake bleeding is done, below is a simple video for noobs related to inspection and overhauling of Brake System:




Now happy with the way the pending tasks were completed rather quickly, the payments were made to the SVC, the mechanic was tipped liberally and i went on heading back home. My CBR is smooth as ever and i am sure i will be rewarded with her undying loyalty and trouble free ownership in kms to come. There is only one important task which is remaining: to inspect front and rear tires which are constantly loosing air pressure by 2 - 5 psi and then stabilise afterwards. Prime suspects are: tire sidewall leakage or the valves which may have micro leaks. hopefully once i get free the next time: this too shall be taken care.

Until then..


Cheers,


Thank you for your kind words... though this merely just sharing my little un-important experience with a used motorcycle i am really happy that other riders are also getting benefitted by it. i will try to keep on updating whenever time permits and of course as kms continue to clock on my CBR 250R

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

[MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] [MENTION=32286]psr[/MENTION] superb thread friends... that's a lot information from a single thread.... completed whole 42 pages in 3 days and now eagerly waiting for your next road to recovery process..... Keep it up....

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

Members are requested to adhere to forum ,subject and not deviate. Posts regarding bikes to choose at what price, etc., have to be posted in respective threads meant for the same...

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

QUICK UPDATE:

Hi all,

work load is piling up even more so not able to do much ride except local pottering around. And thanks to the new demonetisation scenario, i will have to put on hold the upcoming service schedule by a few days till the financial thing normalises across the country. Being in the remote part of North East, the SVC guys here don't accept electronic payment so my options are limited.

My CBR 250R is still working just fine. Engine cranks up at one go and the gears are still smooth. I have barely covered 30 kms since, the last 1 week so not expecting to hit the 3k kms mark anytime soon. Anyways moving slightly away from my CBR: this time while i went for my little touring escapade, i did it so with my Alpinestars TGP-R Plus Air riding jacket which had the CE rated armour for shoulder and elbow however both the chest and the back protector were not there instead it came with foam inserts which would provide no protection whatsoever in the event of the unthinkable ever happens. While doing my ride, in the back of my mind i was always feeling slightly uncomfortable if you know what i am saying. It became a full blown panic when i witnessed a few two wheeler accidents on the highway and the 4 wheeler morons who don't like sharing the road with two wheelers and the way they would try to overtake at the worst possible time was terrifying at times. After completing my ride, this concern kept on pestering me for a while.

I have now decided to slowly but steadily invest in upgrading to good riding gears as per my little experience: it is one of the first thing most us riders don't or rarely invest much on and unfortunately some of us have paid heavy price in return when a good ride suddenly becomes a bad one. "Personnel Protection Equipment"is the key mantra for me, so once the OCD started kicking in and finally after i couldn't take it anymore, i logged onto DSG's site: PlanetDSG : Motorcycle Riding Gear, Accessories, Apparel and.. and placed an order for the CE level Alpinestars KRCi chest protector inserts



Pic 1: Alpinestars KRCi Chest Protector Inserts: CE Rated.


Planet DSG was very prompt in responding to my order placement and quickly got the item delivered at my doorstep in less than 7 days. I also intend to procure the KR2i back protector at a later date as a part of completing the process of upgrading my jacket's armour. Hopefully if personal monetary scenario improves in the near future, i will be looking at investing in good riding boots and riding pants as well. Hopefully besides having a good and reliable machine, good protective riding gears will also serve the purpose and complete the circle of being a responsible rider while out on the street.


Anyways, once the next service is initiated will put up a new post on the findings, hopefully we all will have something new to learn from.


Cheers,

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

Rohan Honda at Dapodi. Ask for CBR technician Sachin Adhav.

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

Thank you [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] for the detailed information, will surely try out both these places tomorrow itself..just a clarification needed , you are referring to Rohan Honda Dapodi or the one at Nashik Highway, Chakan?

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

@imtiaz12 i understand your concern. You may try Rohan Honda: Rohan Automotive/Contact us as an alternate SVC. I have heard good things about the SVC as recently the new smart and educated shop manager and some good old mechanics have returned to the workshop. Take the name of senior rider @gopakumar s pillai with the black CBR and i am sure the shop manager and the mechanics will recognise him immediately..


Alternatively, you may also connect with a local mechanic called: Lakshman. His shop is fondly known as "Lakshmanvilla" in Wakdewadi, Pune. Contact No.: +91-9921416446. Majority of Pune CBR and SBK owners i know of visit his little shop regularly. He has one of the fastest hands i have ever seen when dismantling and re-assembling things and the guy is extremely humble so i am sure you will have a good time over there. However, as wise men say: always carry the spares required at his shop so that he can get the work done at record time and to your satisfaction.

Hope this resolves your query..


Cheers,

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

Thanks for bringing up doubts about the use of Yamaha oil filters in CBR 250..

The use of Yamaha Byson/FZ oil filter was initially suggested as a stop gap arrangement due to non availability of OE oil filters...and the use was with caution.Over a period of time and many Kilometer's of use, it seems to be doing it's job .but it is still experimental and if you had read previous pages, you will be aware of the caution .

Regarding more pleats, what does more no of pleats in any filter mean ? In simple terms more the number of pleats, more the surface area for filtering, and more the surface area ,larger the volume that can be filtered, and dirt loading blockage will take longer time to restrict the flow through the filter..

Indian made Filters are no less efficient compared to those made in Foreign countries..Otherwise there will not be so many auto companies starting their manufacturing with Indian collaboration with Indian components...in fact few CBR 250 owners had lost their engines due to wrong markings on the foreign made oil filter.So it is not about where it is made but how much care is taken during manufacturing...here is a report on the same..

Motorcycle blew up because of a faulty labeled oil filter by manufacturer : motorcycles




Honda also sources CBR 250 oil filters from India, apart from Thailand and Malaysia...


Yamaha recommends oil change at 3K Kms and Oil filter Change at 10,000 Kms , for the Byson/FZ.

I look forward to hear from you of the many things you are doing ,and your hands on experience ,to make your CBR250 less

problematic, and your understanding of the engine and the bike .

Good Luck..Ride Safe.

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

Let me try. Spares division is as big if not bigger than the automobile division. Profit margins are huge. Companies are here (and elsewhere) to make profits.
More spares sold = more profit.
Alternatively, spares cost a bomb.
Alternatively, both! 😯

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

Guys I am new to the forum, had been following it passively though for the past one year. I bought the CBR250 8 months ago, extremely happy with the bike, but I have thus far failed to find a single ASC in Pune which would do more than just oil change, oil filter change etc.

Can anyone suggest where to find a good CBR mechanic in Pune? I have already tried Shanti Honda, Gagan Honda and Pashankar, but got disappointed. Planning to try out Kothari Wheels, Tilak Road? Any suggestions?

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

@ PSR, sir I have a few doubts

- more pleats on the filter might lead to slower oil circulation.

- Why Honda imports the OEM filter if an Indian one can do the job just as well.

- Yamaha has recommended a service interval of 3000 kms for the Fz, in which oil filter must be changed every service. Is there an explanation for that?

Tia for the answers.

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

@shv18...another useful post from you..the pictures of your trip are so good to see, wish I was there.

It is good to note that the R4 oil is holding up well.. In my opinion ,I guess the reason for this and also for the engine becoming smooth is the Long trip with consistent mid to higher RPM run..This kind of riding clears the carbon deposits from the Valves, Exhaust outlet,and tubes and the Cat con is cleaned of deposits....The Heat stress on the oil is comparatively low, as compared to running in city stop and go traffic, and the combination of both had helped the engine perform well after the trip.
I had compared the CBR250 OE oil filter and FZ oil filter and found that there is only 1~2mm of height difference , but the FZ filter had more pleats.ie., more filtering surface area. So I was sure the FZ oil filter will not only fit in place but will do the job.But as they say the proof of the pudding is in eating it.......your Experiment had just confirmed it..

I don't know if any one will ever do the kind of Experiments that you are doing ,on your CBR250, and will openly share in the forum for all to see and benefit .

Thanks for the tech., and picture share .


@ Divya Sharan, your guide for a long trip and the preparation towards it is to the point. Most riders do not maintain the bikes beyond cosmetic needs, and end with troublesome vehicle and paying the ASC a lot of money.. I feel what you have mentioned in maintenance of the vehicle, is also applicable to every rider , even for city riding...Thanks for the Heads up..

Good Luck Ride Safe.