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The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

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

    Originally posted by sanjaynk15 View Post
    Just opened up the fairings and checked, the sound is still there. It appears to be coming from valve cover. I have recorded it, please listen.
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0S...w?usp=drivesdk
    The recording you posted sounds more like a shim or timing chain loose problem...but this is totally unexpected in a new engine of Honda.....

    To sort it out , take it to ASC and first get the shims checked for correct clearance when ENGINE IS COLD.

    If the sound continues then you have to change the Timing Chain Tensioner and see if it goes away .

    If it still persist, you must take it up with HMSI.

    As it is raise an issue with HMSI, through e-mail,so that things are done within warranty.

    Every incident of visiting ASC and problems should be recorded through Job Cards at ASC or by e-mails to HMSI....This will safe guard your interest and get proper response from HMSI.

    Good Luck.
    When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

    Comment


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

      Originally posted by psr View Post
      The recording you posted sounds more like a shim or timing chain loose problem...but this is totally unexpected in a new engine of Honda.....

      To sort it out , take it to ASC and first get the shims checked for correct clearance when ENGINE IS COLD.

      If the sound continues then you have to change the Timing Chain Tensioner and see if it goes away .

      If it still persist, you must take it up with HMSI.

      As it is raise an issue with HMSI, through e-mail,so that things are done within warranty.

      Every incident of visiting ASC and problems should be recorded through Job Cards at ASC or by e-mails to HMSI....This will safe guard your interest and get proper response from HMSI.

      Good Luck.
      Thank you sir. I will shoot an e-mail to HMSI tomorrow. I will be taking the bike to ASC to get the shims checked soon.
      I will keep all the job cards with me.

      Comment


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

        REPLACING OEM BRAKE PADS WITH BREMBO HH SINTERED PADS & OTHER UPDATES:

        Hi all,

        been meaning to post this update. However, tight work schedule has kept me away from this thread for almost a week. Anyways, now that it was confirmed that the brake pads had to replaced, an appointment was taken with the SVC. I managed to reach there by the first half and after waiting for a while my bike was put up in the service bay area for the necessary work to be carried out (little bit of "Chai Paani" helps you to get priority service from the mechanic and the staff if you know what i am saying ). Anyways, we first hoisted the front of the motorcycle and then started dis-mounting the front calliper. When the front brake pads were taken out, well i guess the pics below will give the reader a good idea what happens when one tries to be an idiot and happily (and unnecessarily at times) brakes to practice stuff which may or may not be relevant for day to day ride..





        Pic 1 & 2: condition of the front brake pads after almost 10,000 kms of spirited braking. Note very little amount of friction material left. Though for a budgeted rider may be another 1 - 2 k could have extracted from these pads but then again safety being paramount no compromise was made in this regard.

        Regardless, now that the front calliper was removed from its position, the mechanic started to clean the assembly and also greased the floating pins on which the brake pads are later latched on to. This is something every CBR owner must insist on. A good service and lubrication will ensure proper movement of the front floating calliper for the front brakes to perform efficiently. So i was happy that without telling the mechanic, he made sure that the respective pins and connecting points were lubricated with grease. Though i would have preferred some form of graphite grease or something better but given the constraints on time and available resources closeby, i left it to the standard grease that was used by the SVC on all bikes.

        The mechanic then started the process of installing the front Brembo HH sintered pads into the front calliper.









        Pic 3,4,5 & 6: Front calliper removed, the pins getting lubed and then the Brembo Pads getting installed into the calliper. Finally the front calliper installed back into its place.

        I must apologise for the horrendous amount of muck that can be seen in the coming pics below however, hopefully one can understand with the amount of heavy rainfall there is absolutely no getting away from dirt and mud accumulation on your motorcycle. I sincerely wish the outside weather was bone dry, i could have given the bike for a proper wash first and only then would have allowed for any such kind of work to be carried out on my bike. A clean platform is actually the ideal way to do any kind of mechanical work. Regardless once the front calliper was mounted back into its place, we then went towards the back end of the bike to remove the rear calliper and get the rear brake pads replaced.

        If one notices the stock rear pads in the pics below, they have been worn out to the level where there are no indication grooves on the pads. This was actually confusing for me since, i don't use the rear brake pads that often, practicing to control the bike mostly with application of front brake more often. So this was something i had not expected at all.



        Pic 7: Rear stock Brake pads completely worn out. For comparison, the Brembo HH sintered pads for the rear calliper.

        However, the real surprise was in-store for me and i must thank my lucky stars for it. When the mechanic tried to remove the rear calliper it was found that the floating assembly had got jammed and there was no free play. As a result the rear pads were forcefully getting rubbed with the rear disc rotor and probably got rubbed off quickly!! My best guess is a bit of an oversight on my part and also the mud bath my bike was taking since last one year had caused the inner lubrication to dry up: rust formation started building up, eventually jamming the rear floating assembly. After almost an hour of struggle and lots of hammering the floating assembly was finally taken out from the whole calliper. Below was the horror awaiting for me:





        Pic 8 & 9: Look at rust formation on the floating calliper pin mount. The inner grease had dried up completely and this resulted in jamming up of the system.

        The mechanic then took steps to remove the dried up lubrication and rust mix from the inner floating pin mount and then started to lubricate it with lighter oil and then finally with a healthy dose of grease. The rubber dust cap was installed and then the calliper was mounted back onto the rear part of the bike. The mechanic then went ahead with installing of the rear Brembo HH sintered pads, the floating calliper pins were then installed after lubricating with grease.














        Pic 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15: Rear floating assembly getting lubricated and then re-assembled into the rear calliper. Brembo HH sintered pads getting installed after lubricating the holding pins.

        I would like to point out that it was my sheer ignorance that led to the rear pads getting the unnecessary abuse and potentially a riding hazard which i would recommend any rider not to overlook under any circumstances!! One should ideally get both the front and rear brake callipers physically inspected and also lubricated (preferably @every 6,000 kms or service especially if you are living in similar conditions as i am) to ensure proper functioning of the same. Yes i did get the rear disc rotor scoring inspected and thickness measured using a micro meter. It was all good.. seems the rear pad bore the brunt and worn out in the process. I insist please donot repeat my mistake and take care of your braking system: they shouldn't be ignored since they are a critical safety system. i must point out that unfortunately i couldn't get the brake fluid replaced due to unavailability of DOT 4 brake fluid(it being a sunday all the local spares shops were shut). I shall do it in the next upcoming service in Sept, 2016.

        Moving on, i was informed by the SVC that some of the parts i had earlier order had come in and apparently i had also placed an order for the front fender since, the existing one bore a deep gash and a little bit of fibre was chipped off thanks to the earlier front no. plate which due to the moon cratered roads and also due to the pending front fork oil change had sagged and started hitting the front fender thus doing its deed. Anyways below are pics of the OEM one and the replacement Honda fender. Yes the newer fender has a different colour than the one that came right from the factory. However honestly once, it was installed onto the bike i really couldn't make out any difference (unless i would let my OCMD do its deed!! )





        Pic 16 & 17: The OEM fender Vs Honda supplied replacement fender. Note the difference in colour between both. The front damage was done by the OEM supplied Front no. plate as shown in the pic.

        Besides the obvious colour difference, i would also like to point out that the new fender i received from honda SVC, the "Combined ABS" logo stickers came in white instead of the original black series right from the factory. Personally, i do like the new logos as they look brighter when compared to the black ones. It was my sheer stupidity that i completely forgot to inform the mechanic to get the front fender removed while he was working on the front brake calliper. Poor guy had to again hoist the front, remove the front tire in order to access and remove the existing front fender: replace it with the new one. (don't worry he was taken care of after the completion of jobs related to my bike ). Some may wonder why on earth would one replace the front fender when all it had was a small chip and it could have been easily been painted over for a mere cost of 400 - 500 bucks? Well admittedly, the thing is i too realised that after 20+kms, once i rode back and reached home (the light bulb turned on a little bit late!!).. but then again who could help this poor OCMD rider sigh!!

        The cost of the front fender is about Rs. 1,000/- due to increase in prices and taxes thanks to Swach Bharat and other new add ons. Still 10 times cheaper than one for a Ninja 250/300R!! Anyways, i took the old front fender along with me, will get it painted and keep it in my personal spare parts section for this CBR 250R.











        Pic 18, 19 , 20 , 21 & 22: The price tag of the Fender. Note there was an increase in the MRP due to revised taxes by the Central & State Govt same was reflected on the bill. Compared to old fender the newer one has white ABS stickers which in my personal opinion stand out than the old ones.

        Once, the front fender was installed we then moved on to take care of that annoying squeaking sound when a rear pillion sat on my CBR as it was mentioned in the previous post. I would again like to apologise for the unwanted display of dirt and muck pile up on my bike. Believe me all this got laid on during my ride from home to SVC. Moving on to balance the bike in order to access the 'Pro-Link Suspension' bearing mount was a real challenge as once, you remove the holding bolts the rear swing arm and the rear become independent from the rest of the bike and keeping the whole thing balance is quite tricky. When i raised the query to my mechanic, all he gave me was a smile and told me not to worry, he has done this quite a no. of times. Below is the particular part we were targeting to remove from the rear 'Pro-Link Suspension' set up and lubricate the bearings that are inside the component.



        Pic 23: The bearing part assembly in the rear Honda 'pro-link suspension' setup.

        The mechanic with "desi jugaad", used a couple of paver blocks he had inside the workshop and put stacks of them to raise my CBR while putting the whole load on the lower part of the OEM exhaust pipe running below the engine. I had earlier got it confirmed whether this method can be deemed safe and had received a thumbs up from senior rider @gopakumar s pillai sir. Anyways, once the bike was raised up on the paver blocks, the mechanic with the help of two of his assistants managed to balance the bike while dis-assembling the 'pro-link suspension' holding bolts. Once he managed to remove the bearing part from the whole assembly, he then cleaned up the innards, squirted some light oil and then greased the bearings liberally.







        pic 24, 25 & 26: The bike being raised on paver blocks and bearing part from the 'pro-link suspension' removed from the assembly and then lubricated properly with light oil and liberal application of grease.

        Once, the greasing was done, with the help of the two assistants, the mechanic then re-assembled the whole 'pro-link suspension' and the bike was put on the side stand after the paver blocks below were removed. I then took the bike out for a test ride while the mechanic was sitting on the rear-seat to recreate the same conditions which led to the initial discovery of the squeaking sound. After a first few hundred meters and going through a few pot holes and a speed bump, it was confirmed by both of us that the squeaking sound completely vanished. While we were at it, i along with the mechanic noticed a peculiar rattling sound was emanating from the exhaust which was earlier not present. The mechanic then asked me to quickly turn around the bike as he had already narrowed down the culprit.

        After we got the bike inside the service bay area, he then quickly removed the exhaust shield and pointed at the two holding brackets as shown below. I remember clearly when i was getting the rear exhaust shield painted, there were two small rubber inserts on the holding brackets which now i knew were kept there to avoid the unwanted rattling noises at bay. I guess on my way to SVC both the rubber inserts might have cracked and fallen off leading to the rattling noise. It was a simple quick fix. He finished the whole deal in a matter of 3 minutes flat!!







        Pic 27, 28 & 29: Note the exhaust shield holding brackets where the rubber inserts on them are missing. The new rubber inserts now installed onto the brackets.

        Once the exhaust shield was put back in i then again went for a test ride and the moment i was satisfied with the all the works, the bills were cleared for the jobs undertaken and the mechanic had a huge smile on his face after his "chai paani" was taken care of. I also picked up a cam chain tensioner and cam timing chain from the spares shop in the SVC. Looking at some of the Honda CBR 250Rs it was pretty clear that some model batches did have this inherent problem where either or both the components failed: becoming lose after say after the bike has clocked 30 - 35,000 kms. The same problem has also been found to be annoying some of the older gen HH-Karizmas.





        Pic 30 & 31: Cam Chain Tensioner and Cam Timing Chain picked up as a back up inventory.

        I have also placed an order of some more parts worth close to Rs. 6,000/- which also includes clutch plates and clutch springs (Well errr... OCMD!!). I just want to be content with all the parts in my kitty should the need for any of them to be replaced comes up. I simply want to avoid the downtime due to the possible waiting period thanks to Honda's unpredictable supply chain especially in the North-East, india.

        The brake rotors were lightly washed and rinsed off to remove the earlier layer of friction material left by the OEM brake pads. Once, i took the vehicle out from the SVC for the return leg of the journey to my home it was pretty clear to me that the Brembo HH sintered pads would need atleast 100 - 150 kms to bed in properly for the brakes to become effective. But after 20 kms it was pretty apparent that there is something different, the feel was becoming slightly more progressive. I will have to do a few hundred kms more to find out the difference between stock and HH sintered pads on my Honda CBR 250R.

        Will give a detailed feedback in a later post.



        Cheers,
        Last edited by shv18; 08-18-2016, 09:21 PM.
        A quote by a toilet, " use me well, keep me clean, i would never tell anybody whatever i have seen.." :P

        Comment


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

          Originally posted by shv18 View Post
          REPLACING OEM BRAKE PADS WITH BREMBO HH SINTERED PADS & OTHER UPDATES:

          Hi all,

          been meaning to post this update. However, tight work schedule has kept me away from this thread for almost a week. Anyways, now that it was confirmed that the brake pads had to replaced, an appointment was taken with the SVC. I managed to reach there by the first half and after waiting for a while my bike was put up in the service bay area for the necessary work to be carried out (little bit of "Chai Paani" helps you to get priority service from the mechanic and the staff if you know what i am saying ). Anyways, we first hoisted the front of the motorcycle and then started dis-mounting the front calliper. When the front brake pads were taken out, well i guess the pics below will give the reader a good idea what happens when one tries to be an idiot and happily (and unnecessarily at times) brakes to practice stuff which may or may not be relevant for day to day ride..





          Pic 1 & 2: condition of the front brake pads after almost 10,000 kms of spirited braking. Note very little amount of friction material left. Though for a budgeted rider may be another 1 - 2 k could have extracted from these pads but then again safety being paramount no compromise was made in this regard.
          You had changed the brake pads just n time....one can see the pad material cracking and peeling off the base metal...When the pad has 1mm of material left, change it for safety reasons.
          When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

          Comment


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

            Originally posted by psr View Post
            The recording you posted sounds more like a shim or timing chain loose problem...but this is totally unexpected in a new engine of Honda.....

            To sort it out , take it to ASC and first get the shims checked for correct clearance when ENGINE IS COLD.

            If the sound continues then you have to change the Timing Chain Tensioner and see if it goes away .

            If it still persist, you must take it up with HMSI.

            As it is raise an issue with HMSI, through e-mail,so that things are done within warranty.

            Every incident of visiting ASC and problems should be recorded through Job Cards at ASC or by e-mails to HMSI....This will safe guard your interest and get proper response from HMSI.

            Good Luck.
            Sir, as you suggested i mailed HMSI about the issue and their response was quick. They even called me regularly. The svc in my hometown was not equipped with spares for cbr so i took it to a bigger svc today and they changed the "CAM CHAIN TENSIONER" under warranty. Now the bike is running fine!
            Thank you for your suggestion sir!
            I would also like to thank all of you for your suggestions!
            Ride safe!

            Comment


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

              Originally posted by psr View Post
              You had changed the brake pads just n time....one can see the pad material cracking and peeling off the base metal...When the pad has 1mm of material left, change it for safety reasons.
              Indeed sir hence, it was replaced with utmost urgency. No compromise on safety.. period!

              Originally posted by sanjaynk15 View Post
              Sir, as you suggested i mailed HMSI about the issue and their response was quick. They even called me regularly. The svc in my hometown was not equipped with spares for cbr so i took it to a bigger svc today and they changed the "CAM CHAIN TENSIONER" under warranty. Now the bike is running fine!
              Thank you for your suggestion sir!
              I would also like to thank all of you for your suggestions!
              Ride safe!
              Glad your issue was resolved. I would also like to thank you for bringing this up, at the same time sharing the final troubleshooting and the end result you got from Honda & SVC with us folks here.. one more thing we all ended up learning in the due process that even with Honda: some manufacturing defects amongst new lots of CBR 250R is plausible. My impression that most of such issues have been ironed out in the later lots (read 2013/14 model onwards) has turned out to be false.. sharing experiences especially on this thread helps all those who want to gain knowledge...Always glad to learn something new...

              As mentioned in the earlier post, i personally have taken a preventive measure and picked up both the timing chain and the tensioner as a back up...as some of the CBRs in the earlier lot did have this problem where either or both of them would fail quickly and give a headache to the owner. My personal recommendation to all CBR 250R owners is: if it is not much of a financial burden, besides keeping spare accelerator and clutch cable handy at all times, may be keeping a spare tensioner and timing chain in your personal stock isn't such a bad idea, especially for those owners whose motorcycle is out of warranty eh?


              Cheers,
              Last edited by shv18; 08-18-2016, 06:51 PM.
              A quote by a toilet, " use me well, keep me clean, i would never tell anybody whatever i have seen.." :P

              Comment


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

                Originally posted by shv18 View Post
                Indeed sir hence, it was replaced with utmost urgency. No compromise on safety.. period!



                Glad your issue was resolved. I would also like to thank you for bringing this up, at the same time sharing the final troubleshooting and the end result you got from Honda & SVC with us folks here.. one more thing we all ended up learning in the due process that even with Honda: some manufacturing defects amongst new lots of CBR 250R is plausible. My impression that most of such issues have been ironed out in the later lots (read 2013/14 model onwards) has turned out to be false.. sharing experiences especially on this thread helps all those who want to gain knowledge...Always glad to learn something new...

                As mentioned in the earlier post, i personally have taken a preventive measure and picked up both the timing chain and the tensioner as a back up...as some of the CBRs in the earlier lot did have this problem where either or both of them would fail quickly and give a headache to the owner. My personal recommendation to all CBR 250R owners is: if it is not much of a financial burden, besides keeping spare accelerator and clutch cable handy at all times, may be keeping a spare tensioner and timing chain in your personal stock isn't such a bad idea, especially for those owners whose motorcycle is out of warranty eh?


                Cheers,
                That will be better! I'll buy the tensioner and timing chain soon, just in case! And i'm also thinking whether i should get extended warranty or not
                Thank you mate! There is a lot to learn from this thread. This is the bible for us CBR owners

                Comment


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

                  Originally posted by sanjaynk15 View Post
                  Sir, as you suggested i mailed HMSI about the issue and their response was quick. They even called me regularly. The svc in my hometown was not equipped with spares for cbr so i took it to a bigger svc today and they changed the "CAM CHAIN TENSIONER" under warranty. Now the bike is running fine!
                  Thank you for your suggestion sir!
                  I would also like to thank all of you for your suggestions!
                  Ride safe!
                  The Timing chain tensioner and Shims were suggested only as a last resort in solving your problem, since a new engine is not supposed to have these components going bad so early....well as they say " we all live and learn ".

                  I am happy that with collective Wisdom, your problem had been set right and you are now happy ..

                  I appreciate your sharing knowledge on the action taken and the results you got at SVC .

                  This thread is fast becoming a reference for many things associated with CBR 250R and happy to see member's active participation..
                  Good Luck to all.
                  When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

                  Comment


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

                    QUICK UPDATE:

                    Hi all,

                    hope this thread has been able to serve some good purpose/benefit to all the readers besides the vast amount of blabbering content of an OCMD rider! Regardless would like to put forward a small update on this thread.

                    My CBR has done the least amount of kms for the year 2016. In the last 5 months i have barely managed to do 3,127 kms. After inspecting through the glass window, this is the current state the oil is in my CBR 250R.



                    Pic 1: Engine oil brownish in colour.

                    The gears, especially the downshifting are showing signs of little bit of stuttering but not yet hard so i guess the oil is still good to go for may be another 500 - 600 kms. For those readers who have skipped all the updates given earlier on this thread do note that as a part of road to recovery, i have done numerous rounds of engine oil changes to ensure that any residual gunk and deposition in both primary and secondary levels are being dissolved and getting removed in a gentle manner from the engine internals. I am happy to report that compared to the last time, this round of engine oil treatment with motorcycle specific Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil started changing colour at around 2,200 kms to dark amber and became brown @3,000 kms which indicates a high amount of particulates under suspension. So for those who have followed this thread right from the beginning, the signs are indeed positive that the engine is recovering from the earlier abuse it had received in the hands of the previous owner. For some: the biggest query i anticipate will be: how many changes would it take to clear off all the deposition and residue from the engine internals?? Isn't it better if i rather just go with engine flush and be done with it?

                    Well the idea is to give milder treatment because i don't have a proper history (given the fact that on papers, the bike has had gone through all the services on time whereas the reality is completely different as shared on this thread), i am hesitant to go for methods of using after market chemicals which may be too harsher in nature then i would like it to be. I have already crossed 10,000 kms of ownership now and i intend to carry on with the experiment of using HDEO engine oil with higher ZDDP content to see if the end result is what i expect it to be. Let us not ignore the fact that the previous 20,000 kms, all this engine had received was just an oil top up and no fresh oil. So the gunk and gum literally bonded to the metal as a part of chemical reaction inside the engine. Removing that gently will take time, for how long.. frankly i have no idea. But that is the whole point behind going for an experiment like this right? To discover the unknown, to remove doubts raised by concerned personnel, skeptics with hard core data and end result. So your's truly went mad and did the unthinkable.. I present before you the Rimula R4 family!



                    Pic 2: the Shell Rimula R4 family pack with 14 ltrs of HDEO engine oil

                    No no heck no!! just kidding.. this has been purchased as a part and parcel for both my family car and for Honda CBR 250R (but one half is exclusively dedicated for my CBR!!). I would like to share an interesting observation with all the readers here (well will be going to a serious OT so unless you are interested you may skip this bit!). Since, i have already tested and saw the benefits of using an HDEO oil in my CBR curiosity got the better of me and i decided to try out the HDEO oil in a diesel engine of my family car. We now have a Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire ZDI variant doing the regular slogging of clocking more than 2,500 ksm per month. The Suzuki DDiS diesel engine (licensed from Fiat to be manufactured by Suzuki, india: multijet 1.3 ltr) initially recommended using 15W 40 grade engine oil. Later in the year 2013, a fresh circular was issued by Maruti - Suzuki to change the engine oil grade from 15W 40 to 5W 40 for the DDiS variant (it is a common workhorse for a lot of models across Suzuki, india platform in order to get better acceleration). This vehicle (2013 model) of our's was initially serviced at the SVC with the company recommended MGP (Maruti Genuine Product) 5W 40 engine oil. What i did notice was that after doing 2,000 kms barely, the typical diesel engine clatter became pronounced even when accelerating in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears.

                    Thought of using a 15W 40 grade Shell Rimula R4 was honking in the back of my mind though i was a bit concerned about changing the viscosity grade than what the OEM manufacturer has recommended. So as always, i followed the tried and tested mantra, "when in doubt: trouble @psr sir! ". He suggested that i may expect a better performance from the engine due to higher content of ZDDP (Zinc) and better cleaning properties due to content of calcium alkaryl if i decide to use Rimula R4 oil. It gave me the confidence i needed and in an upcoming service, i was hell bent on using Shell Rimula R4 in the Suzuki Swift Dzire till the SVC guys finally gave up and did the oil change with Rimula R4. The SVC guys were very sceptical of this oil but i decided to ignore their wisdom completely as experience has taught me besides manual work and bolting and unbolting things, half of what the SVC guys know (be it 2 or 4 wheeler) and share with the customer is utter nonsense.

                    So did it work?? Well here are my observations:

                    * For the first 3,500 kms there was upto 50% reduction in engine clattering and engine noise. It was not just me but my father also confirmed the change that was witnessed by using this oil.
                    * The overall vibrations also reduced by 50% that was normally felt though the steering and the gear lever with the MGP engine oil.
                    * The natural concern was with a thicker viscosity oil of 15W 40 Vs 5W 40 as per popular belief, i may be looking at sluggish performance. However here is the kicker: there was absolutely no changes observed with the acceleration, the vehicle was behaving similar to how it was with 5W 40 grade MGP oil.
                    * The FE shot up by 0.4 - 0.6 kmpl. Earlier the vehicle was giving 20 kmpl, it now shot upto 20.6 kmpl in similar driving conditions and with the same single driver who has been using it regularly. I don't know if there will be a drastic difference in FE with the next oil change using Rimula R4 but then i am happy that this was something unexpected.
                    * The weird noises @ 1st, 2nd & 3rd gears completely vanished.

                    The Swift Dzire has now clocked 4,500 kms with Rimula R4 and the engine noise and slight vibrations have creeped in indicating that the engine oil is slowly losing its properties so it will be changed @6,000 kms keeping in line with what has been advised by @psr sir. The idea is simple: no engine has ever suffered any catastrophic breakdown due to early oil change. It has always been late engine oil changes that has wrecked havoc on engine and its internals. So following the principle of an early drain will keep everything ticking and happy inside does float my boat.

                    Well i am sure by now most of you may be wondering what is the whole deal behind blabbering so much OT? Well the point i am trying to highlight is that whatever was theorised/speculated by a lot of people around the globe that Rimula R4 and Likes of HDEO oil from Shell works wonders in both cars and bikes: i am witnessing the end result right in front of me, after all proof is in the pudding and eating it right? So keeping in line with my earlier plan, instead of going for an oil change with Shell Advanced Ultra, i have decided to do one more round of Shell Rimula R4 and see if it helps to accelerate the process of cleaning-up of my CBR's engine. After this round of Rimula R4, i shall again revert back to Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 FS oil.


                    Anyways, i forgot to put an update about OEM seat covers which were scratched to destruction by cats in the vicinity of my residence. So off they go and fresh OEM ones were installed at the SVC. The total cost for front and rear ones was Rs. 470/- (they come as a pair).





                    Pic 3 & 4: The OEM seat completely destroyed by cats, taken off and replaced with new ones.

                    Due to reduction in the no. of clocking kms thanks to work schedule and weather conditions in this part of the country, the OCMD rider simply couldn't control himself and went ahead with going on a shopping spree!! With the experiences from the past i learned that having a little bit of knowhow of how to diagnose electrical issues helps one in a big way, i decided to gift myself a digital multimeter. The digital multimeter had really helped me to troubleshoot the biggest headache i had to face when the vehicle had developed earthing fault (refer to post: http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/general-...ml#post1168052) which had stalled my CBR completely for almost a month. So the idea of keeping a multimeter handy doesn't hurt right? this was really cheap to thanks to e-commerce sites now-a-days, the delivery was very prompt. I intend to teach myself a bit more about the wirings and troubleshooting with the help of senior riders of course.



                    Pic 5: Digital multimeter to play around and learn a bit more about troubleshooting electrical glitches on a motorcycle. Very cheap to procure.

                    But then just gifting myself with this little toy wasn't enough to satiate the thirst of this OCMD rider! So while fidgeting around my collection of biker gear and other items, i felt the need to have a good saddlebag which is good enough to handle a large load of luggage and also is very rugged to the possible abuses it may witness when on the road. Thanks to extensive testing carried out by senior rider @aargee , i zeroed in on Viaterra Claw (ViaTerra | One Life To Travel) and placed an order immediately with the manufacturers of the product.




                    Pic 6: Photo Credit (ViaTerra Claw Saddle Bag Review | India Travel Forum, BCMTouring)

                    I must say the customer care of Viaterra is very good. They promptly replied to all the queries i had and processed my order and delivered it at my doorstep within a week which is lightning fast considering the remote location i am currently residing in. The content of the package was safe and un-damaged. I am happy with the overall quality of the saddlebag. Hopefully the day of being a lone rider on the road, clocking loads of miles will be happening real soon!!





                    Pic 7 & 8: Viaterra Claw saddlebag. Comes with a rain cover and totally worth the money!

                    Regarding the Brembo HH sintered pads, well i have just managed to cover around 75 kms but the feel on both the brakes are really strong on my CBR. I found that the rear floating calliper assembly is again jamming up a bit at times, so in the next service it will be again dis-assembled and cleaned up thoroughly to get rid of this issue for good. Due to this irritant, i am now keeping my riding limited to only local commute in my place of stay. The main concern is if the the Rear calliper again jams up, it will either eat up the brake pads or the brake rotors which will turn out to be an uncomfortable and expensive affair for me given the price of either of these components is on the higher side. The service is due next month so will be putting up a detailed post on the same soon...


                    till then... ciao


                    Cheers,
                    Last edited by shv18; 08-29-2016, 12:35 AM.
                    A quote by a toilet, " use me well, keep me clean, i would never tell anybody whatever i have seen.." :P

                    Comment


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

                      Originally posted by shv18 View Post
                      QUICK UPDATE:

                      Hi all,

                      hope this thread has been able to serve some good purpose/benefit to all the readers besides the vast amount of blabbering content of an OCMD rider! Regardless would like to put forward a small update on this thread.

                      My CBR has done the least amount of kms for the year 2016. In the last 5 months i have barely managed to do 3,127 kms. After inspecting through the glass window, this is the current state the oil is in my CBR 250R.





                      Pic 5: Digital multimeter to play around and learn a bit more about troubleshooting electrical glitches on a motorcycle. Very cheap to procure.

                      .................................................. ......... The main concern is if the the Rear calliper again jams up, it will either eat up the brake pads or the brake rotors which will turn out to be an uncomfortable and expensive affair for me given the price of either of these components is on the higher side. The service is due next month so will be putting up a detailed post on the same soon...

                      till then... ciao

                      Cheers,
                      It is good to see that the R4 had cleaned the CBR 250 engine and the dis-coloring of oil had taken 3,000 Km of riding ....If I remember right the last time the Shelll Ultra was used in just 500 Kms the oil had become very dark... My guess is there are still some deposits of old oil varnish which needs to be cleaned.....
                      Abroad the Shell Rotella is widely used by both petrol and diesel engines of car and bikes , apart from trucks and heavy duty equipment... The R4 contains slightly more ash than the Rotella, and there is a move to reduce it further.(already reduced from 1.4 to 1.2 %) ...
                      The Multimeter you had bought has a Capacitance testing range which is handy for testing capacitors of unknown value or capacitors which had burst/ gone defective..It is a good purchase and ALWAYS REMEMBER to Keep mode selector in correct range before using it...
                      Good Luck
                      When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

                      Comment


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

                        Hi guys,
                        The great "Engine shutoff" issue has started haunting my cbr. This started a week back when i was accelarating my bike in 3rd gear at 4.5k rpm, i pressed the clutch to shift down to 2nd cog, shifted and accelarated, nothing! No response from the engine. Noticed that the engine had shut off, started it and it did start in one crank. This happened again today, when i grabbed the clutch to downshift and the engine shut off! So the first thing i did was read [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION]'s post again. Going by the symptoms, there is a need to carry out the earth wire mod on my cbr. What do you guys think? Please advice

                        Comment


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

                          Originally posted by sanjaynk15 View Post
                          Hi guys,
                          The great "Engine shutoff" issue has started haunting my cbr. This started a week back when i was accelarating my bike in 3rd gear at 4.5k rpm, i pressed the clutch to shift down to 2nd cog, shifted and accelarated, nothing! No response from the engine. Noticed that the engine had shut off, started it and it did start in one crank. This happened again today, when i grabbed the clutch to downshift and the engine shut off! So the first thing i did was read [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION]'s post again. Going by the symptoms, there is a need to carry out the earth wire mod on my cbr. What do you guys think? Please advice
                          Earth wire modification. Very effective. DIY Its Too Simple As Well.

                          Comment


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

                            Originally posted by psr View Post
                            It is good to see that the R4 had cleaned the CBR 250 engine and the dis-coloring of oil had taken 3,000 Km of riding ....If I remember right the last time the Shelll Ultra was used in just 500 Kms the oil had become very dark... My guess is there are still some deposits of old oil varnish which needs to be cleaned.....
                            Abroad the Shell Rotella is widely used by both petrol and diesel engines of car and bikes , apart from trucks and heavy duty equipment... The R4 contains slightly more ash than the Rotella, and there is a move to reduce it further.(already reduced from 1.4 to 1.2 %) ...
                            PSR I am also planning to use the shell rimula for my car Ertiga ddis. It's done 50000 kms... Which means it's time to change oil. So what should be the procedure... Use this oil for the normal 5000 kms and change over to shell ultra FS or keep the oil for the whole change duration of 10000 kms and then start using the shell ultra. By the way for all the engine oil changes I have only used Mobil 1 for my car.

                            By the way picked up a used Repsol Honda CBR yesterday and hence glued to this thread.

                            Will soon start my thread with CBR

                            Comment


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

                              Originally posted by kailashnj View Post
                              PSR I am also planning to use the shell rimula for my car Ertiga ddis. It's done 50000 kms... Which means it's time to change oil. So what should be the procedure... Use this oil for the normal 5000 kms and change over to shell ultra FS or keep the oil for the whole change duration of 10000 kms and then start using the shell ultra. By the way for all the engine oil changes I have only used Mobil 1 for my car.

                              By the way picked up a used Repsol Honda CBR yesterday and hence glued to this thread.

                              Will soon start my thread with CBR
                              A tourist taxi operator known to me had used the Shell Rimula R4 in his TATA Indigo for 10,000 Kms....
                              But my preference will be to use it in any Diesel/Petrol car engine no more than 5,000 Kms. Shv18's experience also suggests that at aprroximately 2,500kms in CBR and 4 K Kms in Car the R4 no longer keeps the engine smooth....Like I always say , no one lost an engine by replacing engine oil early or at less Kms than recommended...but had engine gumming and sticky internals due to prolonging the change interval.
                              The Shell R4 is a Mineral oil and there is no point in expecting it to perform like a FS..The R4 survives as it does and gives better performance mainly due to the increased presence of ZDDP....which over time and use gets used up in the engine, and engine roughness slowly starts to show....
                              So stick to 5,000 Kms change in Car engine and 2,500 Kms in a CBR250
                              Please do read up on using Diesel oils in both diesel and Petrol engines to get a perspective..as also the MSDS of R4
                              Just my thought.
                              When Was The Last Time,You Did Something For The First Time.

                              Comment


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

                                Originally posted by psr View Post
                                The Shell R4 is a Mineral oil and there is no point in expecting it to perform like a FS..The R4 survives as it does and gives better performance mainly due to the increased presence of ZDDP....which over time and use gets used up in the engine, and engine roughness slowly starts to show....
                                So stick to 5,000 Kms change in Car engine and 2,500 Kms in a CBR250
                                Please do read up on using Diesel oils in both diesel and Petrol engines to get a perspective..as also the MSDS of R4
                                Just my thought.
                                Thanks this helps... I will probably change back to fully synthetic in 3500 kms... My car has always been on FS so best to use that only and hence just for the cleaning purpose will this oil.

                                Comment

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