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

Get a paid check done on the full bike once again as I see too much component deterioration (see that sprocket) and if it was used for 1 year then 20,000 kms is quite high it should have kept the components in good running condition. Did he do a rally with this bike?

If you have bought it then its ok but I feel that's probably the right price for it, may be even 10k less would have been right.

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

Price is good for a year old model. Its also a premium colour scheme and ABS model. So that too translates to a higher resale value.

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

@shv18 - A nice purchase.. living the dream already. I am looking forward to a fresh, washed up clean bike image from you.

My observations: The motorcycle looks good, hopefully the internals would also be good too. The rear tyre seemed to have a tube inside. The silencer looks too rusty to believe it is an year old motorcycle. The vehicle would have got registered late I think. You need to check the manufacturing date/date of purchase.

Its time to get a review of the ride quality and some fresh images from you. Before investing heavily on the machine.. munch some miles on it. Lets see how it performs.

There is no point discussing the worthiness of the machine.. But let me tell you, I would have jumped onto the deal if I got a similar one in my city.

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

Congrats!! thats a sweet deal you got and thanks a lot for mentioning the price you got the deal for.. Almost anyone who buys a used machine declines in mentioning the price they bought it for. Now i understand why they do that, instead of congratulating some are mentioning that price is XX more. Guys tell me one thing - if you are selling a bike would you sell it for half the price within a year? i'm sure i wouldn't. 1.1 laks is bloody sweet deal for a year old CBR ABS, new one is double the price. If you got lesser than that then guess you were lucky. Lets congratulate the new wing rider now

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

And @shv18 is at it again..!!!

Congrats again..!!

Let the posts flow in.. :-D

Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

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

Thanks a lot mate. I am pressed for time at the moment but hopefully would be in a position to offer better perspectives in my future posts.

As mentioned in my earlier post, based on the location of your stay the depreciation can be anywhere between 20 - 60%. It has been normally observed that in Metro cities the depreciation is on the higher side because of range of options of the same bike and availability in the second hand market. In my case, once i finalised on CBR 250R as the vehicle i intend to own, i had to search for one for near about 3 months. People here seldomly buy a 250CC plus bike and those who do don't sell it and don't want to sell it even if you offer them a premium rate. If you are planning to join the "Winged" club i wish you all the best.

Thank you.. just sharing my mere experiences..

have already worked on it.. will share it in another post and the hilarious incidents that followed right afterwards..

Mate,
May i ask what kind of deterioration are we talking about? On a second hand bike, it is an understood thing that there will be certain items/parts which will need replacement/TLC. Near about 80% of the Indian motorcycling population don't bother with lubing or cleaning up of chain and as a result they suffer from issues like early consumption of chain & sprockets and power loss or mis-shifts etc. Senior rider @abhimanyu31 has written a very detailed and beautiful post on the importance of lubrication of the final drive chain system and effects of avoiding it leads to: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/general-...ml#post1063171

The 20k kms racked up on the ODO is because the gentlemen did a daily ride of near about 100 kms on the highway. Mind you, 20k kms is nothing for a CBR 250R. Otherway round it is actually a good thing as the owner never got the chance to ride the bike in the city bumper to bumper traffic. As application of half clutch, would rapidly deplete the life of the clutch plates.

May be i was not clear with what i was trying to explain: Total money exchanged between the two parties was 1.03 lkhs. The additional amt was related to transfer, new insurance etc. which totaled to 1.09 lkhs. I hope if not 10k less, it is close to the figure you have quoted?

Thanks mate..

Here in the local second hand market, the vehicles have a tendency to retain their price slightly at a higher range. I was really lucky to get a year old bike for such a dirt cheap rate. People have sold ABS CBRs which are 3 year old for 1 lakh in my current place of stay. So in comparison this price is a steal. A brand new Pearl Sun beam White coloured C-ABS model costs 2.04 lakh onroad in my current place. I got it for 1.09 (all inclusive) that is near about 1Lkhs saving. Even if i negate another say 30K (on repairs, replacing parts, tires and customising/personalising it), i am still making a clean saving of 65-70k compared to the first hand bike which can later be burned off as fuel bill, when i start touring eh?

Thanks

All those aspects suggested by you were already covered. The vehicle is a genuine 2014 model and registered as per the mandate of the local RTO.. Before the purchase was made, I got the engine and the chassis no. run through an RTO agent to verify that everything was in order. In my current place of stay, the average annual rainfall is 2500-3000+ mm with mild to heavy showers taking place every 3rd-4th day to every week in a month. The soil is alluvial in nature. So adding rainfall+mud+exhaust heat = discolouration or mild rust coat is normal in my place. Don't forget the exhaust is not made from high grade steel but mild steel so rusting at some point of time will take place. Regarding tires and others, i will be covering an extensive post part by part at a later date.

Thank you.. it was very kind of you to think such highly of my mere insignificant posts

He he.. will do mate..


Cheers,

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

Congrats! A wise decision...get it on the highways and you will be a happy man! :thumbup:
[MENTION=32286]psr[/MENTION]: Been long since we talked. Will get in touch, I have a similar dilemma.

Sent from my Note 3 Neo using xBhp Connect mobile app

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

Hehe...you're a bit late in wishing me luck..I'd say by around two years!

As i mentioned earlier, I'd taken the same road as you have, namely stabbing a perfectly running bike in the back with Race Concepts kits and moving onto a pre-owned CBR 250(coincidentally mine is also a premium colour and ABS model).

I wasn't aware of the high depreciation in resale in Metros, was lucky to get a 6 month, 4k old CBR for around 1.55L after being literally unable to sleep since I laid eyes on it.

Waiting for more on your journey of acquiring and enjoying your ride.

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

Hi all,

since, i do have a tendency to get carried away, let me break the posts related to repairs in different sections so that we all get a chance to analyse, dig deeper into individual topics in order to: to learn, share and become better informed riders. So let's begin with the next set of changes:

Now that i got hold of the motorcycle, the first thing that i intended to do was to take it for a short 40 kms of ride: on a safe stretch (keeping speeds under check as brakes were on their way out) to get an idea of what all hidden issues may be present with this vehicle. But in all honesty, that was not just the only reason... it was the year long unwanted brief sabbatical which was making me itching to go for a ride knowing that i may find unpleasent surprises. But at that moment i simply didn't seem to care. It was all about me, my new ride and the road lying ahead. I felt like the bird who just saw the window of opportunity and bolted from a cage.. I guess any passionate biker would understand what i was going through when the keys were handed over to me.

Regardless, from the initial inspection (before making the purchase), it was pretty clear that the chain and sprockets have been eaten up so i was expecting some hard shifts, missing gears and even loss in power and noticeable vibrations. Also with the front tires now pretty much losing their original shape, the steering was going to be tricky (atleast that's what i was expecting). Any bike on a short test ride will only give a part of the story or a trailer to be exact. It is actually the 30 - 40 kms of continuous riding which will reveal the true side of the story (pretty much comparable to women i guess!! )

And it seems my hunch was right. In the proposed short ride, the following issues were discovered.

OBSERVATIONS:

* The vehicle at times was missing gears
* Hard shifts were prominent
* Neutral was very tricky to find
* The vehicle at times would suddenly shift from 1st to neutral without giving any warning
* There was a noticeable creaking noise from the clutch cable (being more or less torn)
* When rolling off the throttle and vehicle was decelerating, the engine shut off by itself once @ 2800 RPM.
* Above 80 kmph the vibrations were really bad and the front handle bars also vibrated.
* The vehicle felt like running out of breath the moment i tried to accelerate on an empty stretch to 100 kmph (AGATT principle was followed at all times!!)
* The steering was very heavy and not at all responsive to sudden inputs from the rider.
* The radiator fan was turning on quite often but the temperature gauge never went past 3 bars. During pre-purchase inspection, it was already found that the coolant level was low in the radiator.
* Post completion of the ride, on closer inspection, it revealed that the whole bike was coated with a pale yellowish layer. In my current place of stay, the iron content in ground water is quite high. So over a period of time, if you do wash your car/bike with bored ground water on a regular basis, the iron in the water will eventually form a yellowish layer on top of the paint and believe me it looks quite ugly.

This 40 kms of ride gave me enough idea that we need to start the routine maintenance and get rid of all the parts that needs to be replaced on an urgent basis. So now armed with all this information, i landed up at the Honda showroom to start working on my bike immediately.

THE ROAD TO RECOVERY (Part 1):

Since, i am comparatively in a remote location and the overall sales of CBRs is pretty low: the SVC didn't have all the parts my bike needed. They only kept the consumables ready in stock like engine oil, oil filter, air filter, coolant, chain & sprockets. Since, I wanted to start the work on the vehicle as early as possible, after consulting with my uncle & @psr sir, it was decided that we will carry out the repairs and replacements in lots as in when the parts arrive at the workshop. This way it would also allow me to observe and report the various changes that may take place post the servicing and replacing what was needed. As informed to me by the previous owner, he only used to replace the engine oil with OEM Honda, something i didn't want to continue at all. Based on positive reports from CBR 250R owners Shell Ultra 10W 40 seems to be made for each other and i have heard nothing but praise for this brand. Initially, the plan was to use Shell Rimula R4 HDEO series oil in order to flush out all the gunk and dirt that may have built up over the years from the engine and then later shift to Shell Ultra FS oil. But due to non-availability of both, i had to place an order for the engine oil from another city and defer the oil change by a week or two. (more to be covered later)

So in order to keep my OCMD under control, it was decided to first replace the air filter, then change the chain & sprockets, the clutch cable, replace the coolant and then get rid of the crappy contigos with some fresh rubber. But before that, i had to get rid of the ugly saree guard which simply didn't belong on the motorcycle. So off it went..



Pic 1: Saree guard being removed from the motorcycle.

Next, it was time for the chain & sprockets to come off. The images below will give one a clear indication how badly the whole set was worn out presumably due to lack of cleaning and lubrication. What i found weird was that in order to remove the chain from the motorcycle, one had to completely dis-assemble the swing arm from the motorcycle as the OEM chain is linkless. It is quite an arduous task to do so and it did take about a good 25 - 30 mintues to balance out everything, put the motorcycle on a hydraulic jack and then finally remove the old chain & sprockets from the bike.







Pic 2, 3 & 4: Chain & Sprocket getting removed from the motorcycle.

I do apologise for the horrendous dirt and mud which the reader may find on the vehicle in the pictures above and later. It is usually recommended to get the motorcycle washed first and then only start any kind of mechanical work on the vehicle. But due to the early onset of monsoon, it was simply impossible to carry out the task locally. By the time i entered the SVC, i was already soaking wet and due to load shedding, power was out. Not to mention i was simply over-excited so decided to ignore this rule. I would personally advise all the riders to please ensure: not to repeat my mistake and get the vehicle thoroughly cleaned before carrying out any of such tasks.

Anyways, the old chain & sprockets were finally removed from the motorcycle and the pictures below will give the readers a fair bit of an idea how bad was the situation:





Pic 5 & 6: The condition of the sprocket set. The front sprocket teeths had already started curving towards one direction as shown in the picture above which is a clear indication that it has worn out.

It is a recommended practice that once the chain has elongated, one must replace the chain & sprocket as a set and not replace the chain alone as it would lead to uneven wear and tear and the new chain may wear out very quickly. Many times i have witnessed a lot of riders go for either chain replacement or they simply remove one or two links from the chain and continue riding their vehicles in order to save a buck or two. Personally i would advise against such practice. So keeping in line with the recommended procedure, i got both the chain and sprocket set OEM from Honda. For the benefit of the readers, i am also attaching a shot of the part No. and the price printed on the label (the price may be subjected to local taxes etc.)





Pic 7 & 8: Chain & Sprocket set OEM Honda.



Pic 9 & 10: Chain being installed onto the vehicle along with the new sprockets being installed in their respective places. (Note the worn out rubber chain slider in the pic)



Pic 11: the chain & sprocket set finally installed and the swing arm mounted back to its respective point.

After the task of replacing the chain & sprocket was carried out, we measured the chain slackness which was kept as per the requirement mentioned in the Honda workshop manual. The chain slider was also worn out and i had already placed an order for the same. I believe it costs a mere 130 - 150 bucks for the same. Now it was time to replace the stock pleated air filter. Honda CBR 250R has a fairly simple way to access the air filter. One has to remove the rider's set, unscrew a few bolts and then take out the air filter tray from the deisgnated area and that's it: you will have the air filter in your hands (as shown in the screen grab from the workshop manual below).




Pic 12: Procedure to remove the air filter from the air box.

Post the removal of the air filter form the airbox, it was pretty evident that the air filter that came attached into the motorcycle right from the factory, has never been replaced. Nonetheless, i was quite sure by then that the hesitation and the vibrations that i experienced when trying to cross 80 kmph on the short test ride was partly also because of the dirty air filter which, at higher rpms was not allowing a smoother flow of air into the combustion chamber thus, reducing the overall efficiency of the engine. Even though CBR 250R is an FI motorcycle with a clever closed loop ECU, there are only a certain limit to which the ECU can make adjustments in order to provide the best fuelling for the given task. With a clogged filter like the pictures below will show, combined with a worn out chain & sprockets, i doubt that the previous owner even managed to get 22 - 24 kmpl @ 80 - 90 kmph on the highway. Probably that also prompted him to sell off this vehicle immediately and at such a low cost. But honestly, carrying out these simple routine maintenance would have brought the vehicle back on to its feet.



Pic 13: New air filter OEM Honda



Pic 14: A comparo pic between the new filter (left) to the dirty filter (right). Imagine the amount of resistance the trapped dust has had on the intake air.

After the air filter was replaced, we then went on towards removing the old coolant completely from the LC system and pour in fresh coolant as per required by the motorcycle. Since, i didn't get time to order "Engine Ice" coolant, i had to be content with the OEM Honda coolant for the time being. After adding de-mineralised water into the radiator along with a concoction of normal Vinegar, the vehicle was allowed to idle for a bit till the radiator fan kicked in and then the vehicle was switched off. It was allowed to cool off completely and then the coolant was drained by unscrewing the drain bolt. We then put fresh de-mineralised water into the radiator and into the reservoir tank and repeated the process so that no residue remains in the LC system. The engine was allowed to cool off again and then the water was drained out from the LC system.







Pic 15, 16 & 17: The coolant drained off after 1st and second round of purge.

We repeated the process a few more times, but this time only using pure dimineralised water to flush out any remaining earlier concotion off from the walls of the inner radiator, till only pure water came out from the drain area. Then fresh coolant was pour into the radiator and then the reservoir tank filled up as per required. We gently tapped the radiator hose in order to remove/avoid any air bubbles/air lock in the LC system which is an absolute NO NO when it comes to an LC system. The vehicle was again started and allowed to run till the temperature gauge hit 3 bars and the radiator fan switched on and then the motorcycle was switched off.





Pic 18 & 19: OEM Honda coolant poured into the reservoir tank.

After the engine cooled off completely, we then inspected for any signs of air lock. Once, that was negated from the list we then moved on to the next task: replacing the clutch cable. Since, it was fairly a simple task i am not going deeper into the whole procedure.





Pic 20 & 21: Old clutch cable with wires torn & the new replaced clutch cable.

We shall get deeper into clutch cable installation and the adjustment settings at a later date so that the readers are in a position to identify and correct any slackness or look out for signs which will give them an idea, when to lubricate or when to replace their respective clutch cables. After the clutch cable was replaced, we then moved on to the front tire which was detrimental to be replaced on priority basis.



Pic 22: A comparo between new tire (MRF Revs FC) and the old Crappy ones (Contigo) after almost 20,000 kms on the odo.

Ask any CBR owner and the first thing that will top their hate list are the stock crappy contigo tires!! They are absolutely horrible... if xbhp rules allowed the owners to use foul language, i am pretty sure the CBR 250R ownership thread would have been overloaded with sheer hatred for this brand of tires .Abroad, the CBR 250R is offered with IRC tires like the ones a reader may find on a Ninja 300R. Even though there are not that grippy but are far superior than the OEM Continental Contigos. If you ever intend to purchase this motorcycle, please keep a budget for a new set of good tires the moment you get your hands on the vehicle. You will thank me later!!

Since, i was running short of time and wanted to get the handling back, the hunt for a decent budget tire began which was actually quite easy due to the huge amount of knowledge already shared on the ownership thread. Thanks to the reports shared by @aargee on the ownership thread, MRF REVS FC was the cheapest and simplest option i could go for at the moment as an immediate replacement for the front crappy contigos. The front MRF Revz FC tires (of KTM Duke 200) has been highly appreciated by a lot of tourers for being responsive and being grippy on tarmac. Plus, i got it for a ridiculous price of 2,200 bucks!! The tire profile in the picture above will give the readers a fair idea the reason behind heavy steering i was feeling when on the move with the contigos. The oval nature of the new tire allows the vehicle to lean easily when cornering. The same thing becomes an arduous task when the tire starts to lose its original shape and starts to "flatten" thus making it difficult to carry out the task of cornering.



Pic 23 & 24: Post installation of MRF Revz FC tires onto the vehicle.

The new tires definitely gave a look to the vehicle and i really liked the "S" patterned center strip designed for water channeling. Besides functionality, to me the tire somehow gelled with the looks of the front of the vehicle. Now running short of time and the SVC workshop due for closing, i had to conclude and remain content with the 1st lot of changes done with the vehicle. The parts amount & labour charges paid and the mechanics were rewarded for their work.

OBSERVATIONS:

Now with all these parts replaced as per required by the vehicle, we first intentionally disconnected the negative terminal of the motorcycle for a good 5 minutes and then reconnected it. The idea was to reset the ECU and let it start learning the new AFR paramters with a new clean air filter in order to slowly start building up a new map based on the riding conditions it was now going to witness. The MID clock was reset and then the vehicle's ignition turned on and we cranked it to life. We let the engine idle for a bit and then i took it out for a test ride and oh boy!! the difference was felt instantaneously:

* The vehicle was super responsive
* All the gears seemed to engage quite freely
* Neutral now was an easy task to find
* Upto 6,000 rpm at lower gears, the vibrations seemed to have reduced considerably
* Since, there was traffic during peak hours, i couldn't manage to do a proper test ride but regardless the changes were evident.
* The front became light and agile and the vehicle responded quickly to any inputs from the rider. Ofcoure one has o break-in the new tire for the first 150 kms to feel the grip and gauge the overall performance of the tires but i now agree with @aargee that MRF Revs FC are really a good option to look out for.
* Though "seat on pants review" the power delivery seemed to be back and i am pretty sure i was going to experience better FE then the previous owner.

Overall, i was happy with the results. I now realised what @psr sir and @AK3D were talking about all this while when it comes to connecting with your new vehicle..when you see it getting restored to its former glory. I could now feel the connection happening with this motorcycle...

Cheers,

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

Shv18....For the exposed length of Clutch Cable near the engine area, try using a rubber bellows to prevent water,dust and grime spoiling the cable...The Karizma has it stock, and If you try you can use it on your CBR 250R.

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

Hi all,
in order to keep things interesting, i am trying to provide as many pictorial references as i can so that it helps all the readers to get a better understanding of the content we are sharing on this thread. I hope this approach is fruitful for all those following this thread.

ROAD TO RECOVERY (Part 2)

The initial replacements of parts like air filter, chain & sprockets, new tires and coolant made a world of difference to my CBR. As mentioned earlier, the vehicle seemed responsive to rider inputs and was breathing better at 6k+ rpms. However, it was important to carry out the next round of service in order to ensure that the engine gets the optimum lubrication and also in the due process allows us all to see the engine oil condition currently inside the engine which will give us a fair bit of idea about the life this motorcycle has lead since the last 20k kms with its previous owner.

So keeping in line with the recommended procedure, the engine was warmed up and then was put on paddock stand at Honda SVC to begin the work. The mechanic then unbolted the engine oil drain screw and opened up the top filling cap to allow easy draining of the old engine oil.



Pic 1: Engine oil getting drained from the bottom drain hole.



Pic 2: Lower engine cowl on the right hand side getting removed for accessing the oil filter.



Pic 3: Condition of the engine oil. Dark but not runny.. it was still sticky. My suspicion is due to financial crunch the previous owner ran the oil slightly more than the recommended 6k kms service interval.

I got the whole vehicle washed and cleaned a day before to ensure that we have a good clean environment in order to get the engine oil replaced. But as luck would have it, it rained incessantly whole night and the pot holes were filled with mud and dirty water. By the time i made it to the SVC, well you can see the mud bath my vehicle took and the power was out due to load shedding. (Story of my life.. sigh!! ). Again as all other senior riders will advise, always get the vehicle cleaned up properly before doing any kind of work on the engine or the motorcycle. This reduces the chances of unwanted things from getting inside your vehicle.







Pic 4, 5 & 6: Oil filter bolts getting unscrewed and the inner side cleaned up for installation of new oil filter.

For the benefit of the readers, i am also attaching a picture of the parts and the price so that we can later understand and analyse the ownership cost of the same. To be very frank when i saw the engine oil filter, to me the price of 284 bucks seemed to be a total rip off!!. i am pretty sure that this oil filter is manufactured in India probably by one of the reputed companies like Purolator. In order to make money on spares and service, HMSI simply ships these parts to Thailand, re-imports it in India, repackages it and in the due process jacks up the prices. I had a chat with the senior riders regarding this and they too verified the same.



Pic 7: Oil filter part no. & cost. (Note: price may be different at different states owing to state tax structure).



Pic 8: Note the dirty filter (on the left) which came out from the engine Vs the new oil filter (on the right)

Moving on, we then opened up the bolts to access the engine oil filter and were in for a shocker... The mechanic suspected that the oil filter has never been replaced since, the last 20, 000 kms!! When the oil filter was taken out his suspicion was absolutely spot on. Note the amount of gunk deposition on the filter. When i spoke to my uncle about the same, he confirmed that near about 80 - 90% of the riders don't even bother replacing the oil filter or air filter. Some are so stupid that if the air filter gets fully clogged and the motorcycle urgently needs a new one, they simply get rid of the old one and ride their motorcycles without an air filter!! That was some revelation.. I was already getting worried if i actually ended up purchasing a lemon, so the first panic call went to our senior rider @psr sir. I shared the condition of the oil filter and the engine oil as well and from the looks of it, the owner had replaced the engine oil as per recommended intervals as mentioned in the manual. @psr sir gave me assurances that the good thing about Hondas is that they are always over engineered as compared to the other brands. The engine oil being present in the motor is a good sign plus since there were no unwanted mechanical noises emanating from the engine bay, i need not worry and carry on with the oil change. The initial plan was to run the vehicle with a good HDEO oil like the Shell Rimula R4 which has got a higher concentration of detergents and ZDDP. This oil would have immediately started working, scrubbing all the dirt and gummy deposition inside the engine, oil galleys and on the top end part of the engine (camshaft, valves etc.) which we would then drain it in under 1,000 kms and then carry on with the regular recommended FS oil grade from Shell.

But the Shell Ultra FS oil batch arrived first instead of the Rimula R4 series, so i had no choice but to use Shell Ultra first. It was decided that post 3,500 - 4,000 kms we would drain the new oil and then go ahead with the Rimula treatment and then post 1,000 kms do the drain and then get on with the standard FS oil. As per the Service manual, the following should be followed: inspection or replacement of various parts in order to ensure that one's CBR 250R is cared for and functions to its full potential:



Pic 9: Service interval & inspection recommended by Honda for CBR 250R.

As per the workshop manual the engine oil filter should be replaced @12,800 kms on an average though personally, i prefer replacing the oil filter with every oil change. To me it is like providing a new t-shirt instead of wearing the same one everyday to work for next 10 months (i don't know if it makes any sense!! ). But jokes apart, putting in a fresh oil filter will ensure the chances of gumming up of the oil filter is fully negated which would otherwise reduce the oil flowing efficiency thus, starving off the vital engine components of oil in the required amount. I for one would like to replace it with every oil change, whether you intend to follow the manual or follow my method that is purely upto you. Understandably, the cost of the oil filter is on higher side (ridiculous if i may add!!) so i am on the lookout for a good aftermarket option from a reputed company which should cover the same. (more on this in a dedicated post!). So we started with the process of putting the drain bolt back on and then filled up the engine oil with Shell Ultra 10W 40 FS oil.











Pic 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14: First 500 ml oil measured in the measuring jar. then the oil filter was smeared with engine oil as recommended by the manual. The engine oil filter, placed inside the recommended place and then the oil filter cap tightened. Note: make sure that the gasket is aligned properly before putting back the oil filter cap less you want oil leakage from that side.





Pic 15 & 16: The first 500 ml getting poured into the engine.



Pic 17: a fresh pack of 1 ltr Shell Ultra 10W 40 oil being filled in. The remaining 500 ml oil will be kept for the next service post the Rimula treatment. The shelf life of a well sealed engine oil is about 1 year.

The engine was then cranked up and allowed to run for about 10 mins to see if there are any leakages from any sides. Once, we confirmed that everything was in order then the engine cowl was put back in and we went on to carry out the next part replacement: Rear brake pads. As mentioned earlier, we had already identified that both front and rear brake pads needed an urgent replacement as they were more or less worn out. Due to trickling of parts bit by bit, i had to wait for the front brake pads at the moment but the rear pads had already arrived. Also i was bit concerned with the initial scoring of the rotors we witnessed in both the front and rear ones. I had a discussion with @AK3D and @psr sir about the same whether i had foot a bill on purchasing new rotors which would upset my repair budget by a whooping 10k!! I also had plans of upgrading the stock brakes with after market HH sintered brake pads at a later date which would be impossible with scored rotors as the HH pads would either end up eating the rotors real quick or the scored rotors would ruins the HH pads. Both of the gentlemen suggested that it was fine to carry on with the existing rotors as long as they are within the wear indication spec mentioned by Honda. i can first use the stock OEM brake pads which would start chamfering any uneven surfaces on the rotors and later can shift to HH sintered pads ones the rotors bed in properly with the OEM pads.

So going by their guidance, i got th rear rotor measured. As per the Honda workshop manual, if the rotor has become thinner than 4.0 mm then it should be replaced. Thankfully the measuring gauge showed that the rear rotor was within the specs as recommened by the manual







Pic 18, 19 & 20: The rear brake disc rotor getting measured for wear pattern and to see if it is within the limits recommened by the workshop manual. As per the manual the service limits are: Front 3.5 mm & Rear 4.0 mm

I was relieved and then went on with the replacement of the rear pads first.






Pic 21 & 22: Cost of the OEM rear brake pads for ABS CBR 250R.



Pic 23: Comparo pic of the old consumed brake pad (left) and the brand new one (one the right). Note: the uneven marks on the used up one was because we pryed in a screw driver to push in the rear Calliper brake pistons in the retracted position in order to remove the pads from the calliper. Never do that with new pads or you will end up damaging it permanently.

once, the new pads were put in place, we them primed the rear brakes by constantly pumping the rear master cylinder and once the rear brake piston grabbed the brakes properly we then double checked the whole set up. All the nuts and bolts were double checked and tightned if required. It was an understood thing that for the brakes to work efficiently the new pads have to be broken-in. They will become grabby and will provide adequate biting force after about 150 kms. The same thing is also applicable for the front brake pads as well. So the bills were paid and the mechanics at my uncle's workshop were cared for their services and off i went to see what all changes have taken place with my CBR.

OBSERVATIONS

* The engine with the new engine oil at first was making a lot of weird noises. As per my discussion with @psr sir it was to be expected as the new oil with fresh detergents was rushing through the oil galleys and busy cleaning up the oil mess of gum and dirt deposition inside the engine which, as a result led to upsetting of the tolerances that have built up in the last 20,000 kms of usage. After 10 kms of riding, all the noises vanished and the exhaust note also changed.

* There were noticeable vibrations from 6,000 rpm onwards. @psr sir mentioned that there are two possibilities: one with the new chain getting broken-in in as well as the new oil taking time to clean up the system and now the new tolerances getting set in without the earlier gunk in between, i can expect the vibrations to vanish after about 500 - 800 kms of riding.

* The vehicle was butter smooth and accelerated happily.

* The power was evident and the rear brakes, initially were not responsive but slowly and steadily the braking force was coming back. The rear brake rotor now was becoming shinier and after 100 kms chamfering was taking place as suggested by the two senior riders.

I shall provide a more detailed report once i complete 500 kms of riding though most of it would be limited inside the township.

Cheers,

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

@shv18 Thanks for the updates.. I am glued to the story so far.

The oil worry of yours is mere imaginary. After seeing the oil getting drained image, the color of the oil tells me that it was good enough. Also, the engine is not having sludge, the oil from a sludge'd engine is completely dark with no translucency whatsoever. Your's is much better.

The cost of products like air and oil filters are driven by service interval and cost of the machine they are put in. The oil filter is definitely made in India and equivalent to the fz filter but an FZ filter costs 40 INR only!! This is the downside of owning a premium motorcycle. You have to live with it!

I also dont believe that the owner was so financially incapable that he overshot the oil change. If someone has bought a motorbike for a price in which he could get a pre-owned sedan he must have got the moolah to maintain it. But, if he was planning to sell the machine from six months and restrained from investing anything on the it - that is a different case.

I think I have missed the sparkplug updates from you. If you haven't replaced it, get that done first.

The oil would be worth a review only post 100 odd kms. I dont think you need to touch oil or oil filter for the next 6-7 thousand kilometers.

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

Wooo!! Nice thread.. Really missed the old fz thread which had whole lot of information. Glad you are back with a new one bro congrats BTW.

And whole chain set including chain cost 2k and odd?? If so damn!! Its so cheap. SVC asking me 4k+ for my R15 Wish i had a good SVC with like yours.They dont like me standing there and watching my bike get serviced :/

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

Beautiful thread Shiv. In fact, after the quite in depth FZ thread, very few user threads I consider reading fully and boy was I in for a treat. With that out of the way, congratulations on your motorcycle.

You've literally covered almost all the aspects of the bike's current status quo, but, if I had to nitpick, the radiator fins, they seem to be pretty badly scored on one side. Though it shouldn't be a problem per se, but I'd definitely recommend replacing them if feasible. You never know when the coolant has oxidized and you know what crappy old coolant does to radiator core, just my two cents.

And that Honda cooling system, absolutely a very impressive piece of engineering. The bike never exceeds the 3 bar mark, no matter you're in earth or orbit, well...

Ride safe.

Cheers!
VJ



Sent From My Phone Using Internet.

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

Wow, what a detailed write up. But then I guess I have started expecting high levels of unbiased write ups from your end already. [emoji14]

By the way, I want to add two more things.
1. Didn't you replace spark plugs? 20k km is too much for a stock plug IMO.
2. What about drain bolt O rings?