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

@ psr- it wasn't a eureka moment, it's been something I've been testing on my own bike in the past two years and 20,000 kms.

Obviously 20k kms isn't enough for a long term review, thus, I felt a 1.5L kms review was better proof.

That said, I still have a lot to learn, and will keep my mind open to any new information I come across.

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

@leech..The Eureka moment wasn't directed to you but me, when I found an alternate oil which gave better results, than conventional recommended ones. Though I felt the improvements, I couldn't immediately come out and say i had found a better option, for the simple reason, it must be proven over time, different engines, different load and driving conditions , and so many variables....slowly the experiment brought in people like you who like to learn ,and a somewhat acceptable data was available. The R4 did not screw up any engine and 99% of users had only good things to say about it's use. Still my apprehension and warnings about change interval at 2 k Kms was due to the fact the the oil deteriorated in my Karizma at 2K Kms....I did notice that the oil lasted more than 5 K Kms in my Lancer car and I changed it due to ageing rather than the oil becoming unusable..
I am Happy to note that You are also doing your experiments albeit silently and on the path of learning. I would be Happy to hear from you on your observations on the usage and longevity of the oils you use , as well as other observations... This is a thread where everyone learns from each other , and benefit from open sharing.

P.S. On further exploring the Rimula T5 E you had queried about is currently available as 15 Liter drum only. The distributor promised to get a one liter for me when it comes in smaller packings . The General spec is promising as the TBN ,and Dynamic Viscosity are better than Rotella T5..

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

Hi all,

been a while since, i have posted something on this thread. As most of the readers may be aware i was out on my adventure riding to Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh and back might i add that it was one of the toughest conditions i have ridden so far... mud, slush for kms and kms, falling rocks, sudden landslides, bone crushing stretches of roads for 30-40 kms at a stretch, spine chilling winds followed by rain while one is tackling stone covered route @ 13,000 ft and above.. it was one lifetime experience that has been etched in my mind forever.

However, the whole journey didn't go as smooth as i had expected so keeping in line with the thread i would like to share my story in two parts:
* 1st part will cover the journey
* 2nd part will cover the aftermath and corrective measures taken thereafter.

I know i usually don't post details of my trip to a great extent so as to preserve the content and theme of this thread which is purely technical in nature and i know this time I will bore my readers with some elaborated details along with pics from the trip i have completed. However, the whole intent behind this is a mere attempt to give a perspective and also re-live the experience with my readers: how i managed to make it back 'alive' and happy (i hope i don't go overboard! ) and what all was done thereafter. Anyways without further adieu let us get on with the story, do grab a nice cuppa and some popcorn/munchies coz this is indeed going to be a long one...


1st PART: THE JOURNEY...

Day 1: Reaching Tezpur city

The 1st day of the ride was pretty uneventful except the fact that i had done this route numerous times given the city of Tezpur falls in the mid point of my earlier trips done to Guwahati. However, the moment i was crossing Jorhat i had to face the wrath of mother nature and was lashed on with torrential rains till i reached Kaliabhumura bridge, making its way over the mighty Brahmaputra river to the city of Tezpur, Assam. Unfortunately thanks to the unrelenting rains i couldn't make out one pothole and my front wheel went into it with a large 'thud' noise to the point where i could literally feel the whole front suspension working overtime to absorb and negate the energy released from the impact. In the back of my mind i had already made a calculation on the expenditure related to either the front shock fork seals or else worse: the front mag alloy wheel. However, after riding for a few kms the front of the bike didn't gave me any indications of letting lose or any damaged components so i carried on with my journey and made it to hotel Heritage in Tezpur. By the time i reached the Hotel my other two riding buddies had already made it there from Guwahati. The idea was to make it from Tezpur-Bhalukpong-Tenga-Bomdila on next day and then from there on we will ride it to Tawang. The journey was planned in such a manner so that all the riders don't have to go through the ordeal of riding at night nor they have to over-exert themselves: the timeline was prepped to ensure that we get plenty of time to soak in the natural beauty of Arunachal Pradesh followed by tons of photo sessions and additional days in our hands incase there are any untoward incidents as experienced riders may know, the Himalayas are extremely unstable by nature and the terrain and weather changes here suddenly without any warning so landslides and huge rivers flowing on the highway out of nowhere is a common occurrence.

I wanted to go via Tezpur-Bhalukpong-Tenga-Bomdila to re-live the moment: the last time i had had taken this route with my family some 17 years ago when connectivity was sparse and traffic was minuscule and the roads were horrendous. Later did i realise that it was the biggest mistake we ever committed in our lives and instead should have taken the alternate route from Udalguri-Kalakthang-Rupa-Bomdila route. However, more on this in the next section...

Day 2: Tezpur - Bomdila

We got up early and got our luggage loaded onto our respective bikes quickly. We then went ahead with the complimentary breakfast offered by the hotel. However, while we we were having our breakfast the sky decided to open up and it started raining heavily for quite a while, not exactly the kind of scenario one would like to start a ride with. however, luckily the rains let go after 30 mins and we went ahead with the ride to Bhalukpong. Certain stretches of road towards Bhalukpong were covered with potholes and the vehicular traffic especially heavy trucks and trailers were present slowing down our ride quite a bit. Safety was given paramount priority so none of the members were supposed to go crazy and deviate from safe riding on highway so even though the progress was slow we made our way to Bhalukpong. Post getting our Inner Line Permit registered at a check gate we then proceeded entering the mystical land of Arunchal Pradesh. All of us were very happy that finally after an uneventful and bizarre sequence of events, all of us were present there to take on the Himalayas..little did we know that the mountain already had plans for us!

Within the first 5 kms the smooth roads we got just before before entering the border vanished and we were greeted with the first sign board which gave us the idea of the mammoth task we all had undertaken! The road ahead was closed as JCBs and bulldozers were busy clearing the rocks and mud from a landslide which occurred about an hour earlier. We had to wait there for about 20 mins and then the guards allowed us to carry on. The moment we saw the slush infested road (mixed with motor oil, diesel and huge chunks of stones!!) we realised that this was going to be a tough one. The first 50-60 kms were tiring and bone crushing if i may add... the road conditions would suddenly change from slush to mud to stones and then back to slush!! By the time we reached Tenga military camp, all of us had to take a small break and while we were at it we also had our lunch.







Pic 1 - 3: the first telltale sign, road closed due to landslide. The road ahead filled with mud, slush and other challenges. The condition of the front of the radiator after covering only 27 kms.

The road conditions were pathetic (actually that would be an understatement: hellish would be the right term!!) however not without perks. Wherever we stopped, the beauty of mother nature simply overwhelmed all of us! The dance of the clouds amongst the mountains was simply breath taking and in no way any of the photos shared here would do any justice to the beauty one gets to see and experience through his/her own eyes.. However, by the time we were crossing Tenga military camp and i was busy taking a left elevated turn, there was suddenly a loud noise emitted from the front of my bike and momentarily the handlebar shook violently and made a huge screeching sound as if i had hit a dog or something and then the moment i got the bike up straight, after a few hundred meters the noise vanished and so did the shaking. I stopped and checked if i actually did hit some animal or may be something got stuck in between the front caliper and the disc rotor, however i couldn't find anything. i decided to carry on but right afterr 15 mins again when i was taking on another left turn the same thing happened and then when i would straighten the bike, the noise and the violent shaking would vanish. I had a small suspicion of what was happening but due to no mobile network being present, i was not in a position to follow my old mantra, "when in doubt, trouble @psr sir!!"









Pic 4 - 7: mother nature playing around with clouds and mountains. There were practically no roads just kms and kms of patchy sections followed by slush and mud.

We made it to a point section and were about to cross a bridge where my friends and i simply couldn't get away from the natural beauty surrounding us so all of decided to halt for a photo session. Luckily i managed to get hold of 2 bars of network reception on my cell and called up @psr sir to confirm my suspicion. Just as i had thought, the front left hand side bearing was done with and it was the culprit, making all the screeching and crunching noises along with the handlebar shaking. Since, Arunachal Pradesh is a remote place by nature i didn't want to try my luck with a local garage installing a jugaad bearing and screwing something up in the due process so i confirmed with @psr sir whether i could carry on with my journey given the first 60 kms gave us all a rough idea about what lied ahead of us. He assured me that even with the damaged bearing, i should be able to complete my trip. With the fresh assurances received from the grand master himself, we all commenced with our journey. The remaining 40 kms were no kind to us either and really shook every bone we had in our body. Just 15 kms before reaching Bomdila, my bike threw a second googly at me! Again, whenever i was taking a left turn, along with sudden screeching noise, i would also get to hear something rubbing along with the tarmac which was quite unsettling.

I signalled my fellow mates and we stopped at a location to inspect what was this new thing. We did find out the second culprit: the side stand retainer spring on my CBR had decided to elope with a bunch of mud and stones some kms ago.. By now i was tired, pissed and worried whether it was a good idea to bring my CBR on such a terrain. We all took a small break and decided to tie the side stand with a small rope and then later will get hold of a replacement/jugaad retainer spring in local garage in Bomdila which meant that i could no longer park my bike nor i could get off my seat till we make it there. So all small photo sessions were scrapped and we carried on towards our destination with utmost urgency. My earlier stint with the mountains had taught me one thing: life starts early and stops early in the mountains so in order to ensure that we don't miss out any of the local garages we had to make it there before sundown. Luckily, we managed to reach Bomdila just in time and i found a motorcycle garage which was about to close his shop in the next 5 mins. The approach road to Bomdila was well laid so soothing to our respective bums i must add! I explained to the mechanic the situation and the he quickly got hold of a retainer spring only to find that it was too long! However, as all jugaadu mechanics in mountains are, he cut the retainer spring length by quite a bit and installed it on my bike which should hold on throughout the trip (hopefully!) till i could make it back to Assam.

We then checked into the hotel but then quickly went out to get two things done:

* First - Tank up our respective bikes as due to unpredictable landslides in the region, it was not uncommon for petrol bunks to run dry due to lack of fuel reserves.
* Second - Get our respective bikes washed as the amount of muck built up on them was ridiculous, especially on the radiator which could hamper cooling and also might have damaged the radiator cooling fan in the process. The drive chain of respective bikes were thoroughly cleaned and lubed with chain cleaner and spray

The washing shop owner was very friendly and the moment he came to know about our journey, at first he was amazed and then later after a few rounds of chatting, he gave us thumbs up and wished us well. he also didn't charge us much which was quite unexpected and we were humbled by his kind gesture. Bomdila was the mid point halt for all of us. We were tired but elated that we made it this far without crashing or falling off a cliff.. right? Although on paper the distance from Bhalukpong to Bomdila is just 100 kms, it took us about 11 & half hours to make it there!













Pic 8 - 13: the side stand retainer spring missing from my CBR. Finally reached Bomdila. Got a jugaad retainer spring installed and all the respective bikes were washed in the local washing centre. Local momos are to die for: authentic Tibetan momo

We went into our room and cleaned up our gear and ourselves as by the end of 100 kms all of us were covered in filth, dust, dirt and muck. We went out and grabbed local Tibetan momos and then had our respective meals and crashed!

Day 3: Bomdila - Dirang Valley - Sela Pass - Jaswant Garh - Tawang

This day was going to be a tough one as we all had gathered enough info from the local taxis and people in Bomdila about what we were going up against. So all of us got up quickly and got our luggages loaded onto our respective bikes. I would like to add that i am completely impressed with Viaterra Claw saddlebags (https://viaterragear.com/) as no matter what i put it through, the stock mounting cables make sure that the saddlebag doesn't even move an inch!! The saddlebags from Viaterra seemed to be tailor-made for CBR and i would highly recommend any budding tourers to keep them in mind when looking for a luggage system. Regardless, we decided to skip the meal in the hotel and would grab breakfast somewhere in a small hotel or a shop. We were riding for about 25 kms till we suddenly saw a row of houses and a lot of local taxis parked nearby this gave us an idea that either a small eatery or a hotel should be there. We went into the shop only to find it to be empty however we could see the kitchen busy with making fresh rotis over firewood and immediately placed order for Maggie and also roti sabji and omelette. As all experienced riders will know Maggie prepared in the mountains somehow tastes different and better than when one cooks it at home. This was one of the best meal i had ever tried on a road side eatery! The lady serving us was very polite and insisted on us having a stomach full breakfast. Now loaded with food we were pumped to commence with the journey to the famous Sela Pass and then Jaswant Garh.





Pic 14 & 15: Halt at a small eatery some 25 kms from Bomdila. One of best and sumptuous meal i had throughout the journey

After a few kms of bad patchy roads. We suddenly found ourselves in a weird dilemma there was a huge line of vehicles in front of us and everybody was our of their vehicle looking at one direction. Curious we slowly crawled in between them and made it to the front only to witness a part of the mountain slowly crawling forward and the patch of road ahead of us being gobbled up inch by inch. We were worried and panicked for a bit as landslide of this size would definitely ruin everything and perhaps would take days to clear off. Everybody's safety in the group was also a major concern. While we discussed our options, we saw a few small Maruti vehicles driven by the locals - making a dash to the other side while the bigger trucks waited in line. We finally came to a unanimous decision - we have made this far and no way on earth are we going to back off so all the group members fired up their respective engines and we started crossing that dreaded stretch. All of us could see the road slowly becoming narrower as the slow moving landslide was busy eating up the road quickly and oh did i forget to mention that the whole stretch was filled with at least a foot of mud and water and slush? It did test our respective off-road riding skills but we managed to make it through... and carried on, moving ahead towards Sela Pass what a relief eh?

Somewhere down the line, the road conditions changed and from broken, slushy roads we were suddenly greeted by smooth tarmac roads.. oh my goodness what a relief to our sore bums!! Not to forget the beautiful rivers and mountains covering the whole stretch everywhere... the ride just kept on getting better and better!





Pic 16 & 17: Oh lord sweet lord... lovely smooth tarmac thanks to Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The scenery was simply amazing.

We then started to ascend rather i should say the road became steeper once we crossed the Dirang Valley. So it was clear to us that the next section to Sela Pass, we will witness sudden drop in temperature and depending on our luck the weather may be either good or bad or extremely bad. We were also warned by locals that a few kms after Sela top, we will witness very bad patches of road so it was clear that reaching Jaswant Garh memorial at least before 12:00 pm was a logical and smart thing to do as the weather is very unpredictable and may drastically change at a moments notice. Onward with our journey, as we started climbing the numerous loops, from one mountain to the other the wind became colder and chillier. Thanks to my Alpinestars Drystar Andes jacket and touring pants, i was warm and comfy inside however, my fellow rider buddies who inspite of my earlier warnings chose to ignore wearing thermals inside, now had no choice but to stop and put on more layers of clothing to keep themselves warm.

The scenic beauty of the route to Sela top is something which is unbelievable and plain beautiful. However, my happiness did receive few jolts at times when the front tire would make loud screeching noises the moment i take a sharp left turn. So it was pretty clear that the left bearing was a goner. For those readers who are not aware, Honda CBR 250R both front and rear wheels have two wheel bearings on each sides. But given the circumstances, i decided to soldier on... By the time we reached Sela top welcome gate the clock had struck 11:54 am understandably thanks to the landslide fiasco and also certain stretches where we literally had to ride at crawling speeds on 1st gear most of the time. The moment we got down from our bike, it became pretty evident that the wind blowing at 13,500 ft was bone chilling and all of us were short on breath but what the heck it was another milestone achieved by a bunch of enthusiastic amateur riders! Just a few hundred meters ahead we got the first taste of the beauty of naturally occurring lake view at Sela top. We couldn't help ourselves but get down and start a photo session frenzy, not before my bike again making screeching noise from the front... It was really irritating but at this point i simply couldn't care less and just decided to enjoy the moment.











Pic 18, 19, 20, 21 & 22: Scenic beauty towards Sela top. The road conditions were way better and the smooth tarmac was welcomed by us all and our bikes as well.

One interesting thing i noticed was that @13,500 ft there was absolutely no sign of any power loss on my CBR 250R. However with the Bajaj Dominar 400, the owner was facing a weird issue where the moment he released the throttle from higher rpm the engine will take a long time to bring the rpm down which was a classic sign of AFR becoming leaner due to thinner air and less oxygen. The TVS Apache RTR 200 was also shutting down intermittently, the moment the owner would switch off the bike and then after 15 mins would attempt to start his bike. I am not sure why this was occurring with Bajaj Dominar since, it has a close looped ECU system - my best layman guess is CBR's ECM is much more cleverer and was already compensating for changes with altitude and thinner air while i was riding whereas the Dominar's ECU needed some time to compensate for the changes with the outside elevation and reduction in oxygen - though please don't quote me on this as it is just a mere speculation. We also noticed that in less than 5 mins all our respective motorcycle engine temps had gone down to no bar on engine temperature gauge (not there on RTR 200). It gave us an idea that the ambient temperature was colder than what we were thinking and rather than losing sense of time we must ride quickly and make it to Jaswant Garh memorial as none of us were aware what lied ahead of us.

Right after we left from the lake side, in just about few hundred metres we got the first taste of what locals had warned us of: oh my god!!! it was literally moon craters everywhere.. it felt like the whole stretch of road was literally carpet bombed by enemy aircraft.. there was not a stretch where either the front or the back wheel of the bike would not enter a pothole! It took us quite a lot of time to wade through this unforgiving road However, i must add that BRO is actually repairing and widening the whole section (thanks to Chini bhais on the other side and their recent stunt at Doklam section!) I believe these roads are being built on war footing so in a few years one should experience much better conditioned roads than what we did) so we did find very smooth sections in between. However, there is still a long way to go... Just about 5 kms from Jaswant Garh memorial, we were then greeted by slush and wavy muddy roads filled with stones recently thrown by the local road labourers in order to allow bigger vehicles to gain traction over slush. So one can clearly imagine it was very difficult, challenging and tiring to navigate through this whole mess! By the time we made it to Jaswant Garh it was around 2:00 pm - way past our targeted timeline, but the road conditions simply didn't permit us to try and gain speed throughout the section. At Jaswant Garh we were greeted by the Indian army and were offered free tea and warm water. If one chooses, one can also order samosas and momo sold by army canteen. All of us were tired and famished by then so we literally pounced onto whatever we could get our hands on!! The samosas were simply amazing!! Jaswant Garh memorial tells a story which will make any indian national proud of their army men and the sacrifices they have done for their country.. it is very easy to pass on comments while sitting and relaxing in the comfort of our respective homes but when one literally experiences the tough conditions like we did - we were tired in merely few hundred kms of our ordeal! However, when we saw and spoke to the army personnel there and understood: for them it is not just duty but an everyday affair, an integral part of their life and that they are bound by their oath - so they are out there guarding us, guarding our country tirelessly - it is only then one realises what true sacrifice for his/her country really means! We were blown away and had nothing but respect for the gentlemen posted there. We paid our homage at Jaswant Garh memorial and then left for Tawang.

Now the stretch was changing from muddy and slush to cratered tarmac road however, as per the army personnel it was to be present for another 5 - 7 kms after which the road condition will improve and rideable and we did find the same happening right in front of us. We managed to quickly pick up pace and go through Jung valley and the moment we crossed the famous flagged bailey bridge the roads simply changed to butter smooth tarmac... All of us stopped patted our bikes for bringing us all the way here without stranding anyone of us.. My bike was still making screeching noises every time i would lean more than 30-40' angle but regardless, she managed to bring me so far without breaking down so i was very happy.









Pic 23, 24, 25 & 26: Horrendous roads are back!. Paying homage at Jaswant Garh war memorial and grabbing a hot cuppa and some nice samosa. The eureka moment when we crossed the Bailey bridge after which the roads were butter smooth all the way to Tawang.

We managed to make it to the outskirts of Tawang by 4:55 pm but by then a thick cloud of fog had set in and it was very difficult to make out what was in front of us. All of us halted in the only petrol pump at Tawang, filled up our respective bikes to the brim and then checked into our hotel and crashed for the day - i mean what a day it was!!


Day 4: Tawang - Shungatser Lake

Our earlier plan was to make it to Bum La Pass (Indo-China) border on this day itself however, one requires a special permit/pass issued by the DC's office and army brigadier has to give a go ahead. unfortunately the day we reached, it was a Sunday when all Govt. offices are closed. So we had no choice but to alter our plan. Regardless, since all of us had kept a flexible timeline, it was decided that we will halt for an additional day which will also allow all of us to take some rest and also get our body acclimatise with the terrain and altitude as Tawang sits at roughly 10,000 ft and bum La Pass is at 15,200 ft. Since, we had nothing else to do it was decided that we will go and check out Shungatser lake which is at an altitude of 12,000 ft and was doable. One doesn't need any special permit from the army to visit this place. Little did we realise that the weather was just waiting for us to come and pay visit to this side.. At such an altitude the weather is highly unpredictable! When we woke up at around 5:30 am, it was foggy and raining. At 6:00 am it was sunny, at 6:15 am it was mildly cloudy, at 6:30 am the whole of Tawang was completely enveloped with fog. We felt it was better that we hurry to Shungatser lake less mother nature decides to open up the taps.. Luckily this time we won't have to mount any luggage at the back of our bikes so that was a consolation. We started and warmed up our bikes and then left for our destination.

While ascending towards the first army check point we were greeted with fog, mild rain and then suddenly sunny weather.. this weather dance was baffling and at the same time confusing for all of us. The moment we crossed the first check post and then headed on, the rain gods opened up the taps and in about 30 minutes all of us were facing the wrath of rain. Luckily for me - my Alpinestars Drystar jacket was weather proof and so were the pants however, the leather riding gloves i was wearing were not!! It was more than enough for the bitter cold to creep in and my hands were literally freezing. My friends too weren't smart as all they had brought along with them air flow gloves which after getting soaked was like putting your hands into the freezer as the weather kept on playing games with us. As we approached the Y-Junction checkpoint and headed towards Shungatser lake, the road conditions now changed and we were greeted with stone covered roads while the weather kept on changing from one mountain to the other. My CBR's suspension was working overtime and of course at the back of my mind i was really worried that perhaps this would be the place where the damaged front wheel bearing will finally give up and i will be stuck here for a while.. however she never failed or gave up on me, she was relentless and soaked up all the bumps and stones thrown at her. I had begun to develop all the more respect for my CBR 250R as frankly i don't think Honda had expected any one of us in India to take this bike through such conditions neither did they market it in that category either.. but she just kept on going!!

After 3 hours of rigorous torture we saw the initial signs of reaching the lake and were greeted by the first sighting. From the top one cannot make out what actually lies ahead. By the time we reached Shungatser lake, the weather showed mercy at us as we were part dry and part wet, the sun decided to show itself and oh my god it felt like heaven!! The moment we entered the premises, just one view of the lake was more than enough to take away all the pain and tiredness... the view itself got us refreshed! i would let the pictures do the talking..

























Pic 27-37: The terrain and the weather constantly changing every time we left one mountain and reached another one. Bone crushing roads gives a lot of workout to your whole body. We were greeted by a local resident hello! The Shungatser lake.. need i say more??

We lost sense of time and were busy relaxing and drying ourselves there. Before we left, we noticed the weather was changing again and becoming cloudy so all of us fired our respective engines and made a dash for Tawang as none of us wanted to get drenched in the rain. Luckily only thing we witnessed was heavy and mild fog at certain stretches. In the mid-point we were stopped by the Indian army and told to halt for a while as there was a landslide and they were busy cleaning up the whole section (sorry no pics as being a sensitive & army controlled zone, no photography was permitted). It was quite astonishing to hear that the same section which was crossed by all of us a few hours ago has suddenly been reclaimed by the mountain. Up here it is a constant battle between man and mother nature. By the time we reached this section i noticed another creaking noise from right below my seat. Strike 3!!! i knew it that by now something had to give on the suspension side.. however besides the annoying creaking sound she was working alright and was fully functional. In a way i was cursing myself for not doing enough and perhaps i should have let my OCMD do its job and change all the components that i felt were necessary as i had almost everything in my parts bin. But then no one can predict what will go kaput on such a terrain regardless of how well kept the respective motorcycle is.. We were a bit tired and hungry but there was nothing to eat and with the road ahead being blocked by landslide we knew it was going to take a while before we could nibble on something. While chatting up with officers and jawans of the Jat regiment posted there the SO (Senior Officer) came to know about our (mild!!) hunger pangs. He immediately ordered few jawans to take us to their mess and helped us with food. The jawans were enthusiastic and were constantly asking us if we need anything... we were greatly humbled by their hospitality and thanked them profusely. They were also happy to chat with us as given the terrain and remote location, they rarely get to speak with any civilian. All in all an unexpected but good experience for us. Would like to personally thank the Jat regiment and Indian army for being ever present and helpful - truly remarkable! The blocked road section was cleared off at around 4:55 pm and by then it was slowly getting dark. One army jawan requested to tag along with me and to be dropped at Tawang camp which i gladly obliged. I came to know a lot about the harsh weather and the nature of their duty for months at a time. It is especially more challenging and difficult when the whole section of this side is completely covered with snow. Regardless of the weather or conditions thrown at them - an Indian army is ever present and ready to tackle anything. They don't get to speak to their families for months at a time (given the sensitive location and high altitude no mobile network is available except in Tawang).. it was truly an honour meeting such people who leave their family behind while guarding our borders without any greed or guilt. I dropped the jawan at his camp and was offered special army treatment by Jat regiment anytime i visit their group anywhere in India. I thanked him for all their gesture, hospitality and kindness.

We managed to reach our hotel by 6:30 pm. It was tiring yet enriching experience for all of us. We contacted our local personnel who was helping us with the permits for the Bum La Pass from DC office, he assured us that the next day morning all the passes will be ready for us. We had a nice bath, a good meal and all of us crashed.

Day 5: Tawang to Bum La Pass

This is what we came for! This what i have been thinking about all this while. The last i came along with my family(17 years back), due to time constraints and lack of local knowhow, we were not permitted to visit the Bum La LAC. Then and there itself, I had made it my personal goal that someday i don't know how, but i would make it to Bum La Pass. Years passed but that inner resolve never faded! So all came down to this day where we make it or break it... There were last moment prayers held to the lord almighty the night before - that we get a good weather, that our noble steeds remain healthy and make it there, and of course that no last minute surprises or legal hurdle awaits us!!

When we woke up, we were greeted by a beautiful weather: it seems somebody up top there was listening to us!! By now thanks to relentless off-roading sessions we had experienced so far, all of us were all the more more confident to take on Bum La Pass. And since, the road till Y-Junction remains the same and now known to us, this time we made a dash for it. The off-roading on our motorcycle was better and we managed to reach the Y-Junction check point in 50 mins flat. Of course the weather was also helpful which enabled us to cover the distance rather quickly. From the Y-Junction check point the roads again deteriorated but we were relentless and kept on pacing our way through. Technically from the Y-Junction, the Bum La LAC is merely 13 kms however thanks to the road condition it takes nearly 2.5-3.5 hours for 4 wheel drive vehicles to make it there. However, on our nimbler two wheeled steeds, we decided to tackle on the terrain and cut down the time to arrive at the border rather quickly. Plus due to extremely high altitude of 15,000+ft, the oxygen level is much thinner so it requires a good amount of concentration less one wants to have severe crash. I was also carrying "Diamox tablets" with me to counter AMS (Altitude Mountain Sickness) in the event any one of us feels the effects of being in such a high altitude region.

We were again greeted by falling rocks, sections of roads being constructed.. extreme slush and muddy sections, long stretches of small streams becoming rivers (in short - we got a demo of Leh Ladakh experience in Arunachal Pradesh if you get the drift!!) However, this time our adrenaline was high and we pushed on without halting much. The moment we had the Bum La Pass border in our sights, all of us were screaming like school kids... to each one of us it was an individual accomplishment, to me it was a dream since the last 17 years which i managed to conquer, to my friends it was something they never thought was possible. We reached the location, got ourselves registered and then were taken to the actual LAC position where the last army men stand and constantly keep vigil on the other side. We were shown the rock of peace however, were not permitted to go near it thanks to the recent developments post Doklam stand-off. Given the sensitive nature of the location we were not permitted to take photos everywhere so i guess this will have to do with a few pics. I am happy to report that even at 15,200 ft my CBR was singing happily as she did back in the plains and there were no signs of any power loss or any struggle. Inspite of all the small niggles and creeks, she still soldered on and brought me to the place i had vowed to make it 17 years ago. I believe i have developed even more respect for my little bird Honda 250R. Whenever i speak with @psr sir we joke about CBR 250R and compare her to a housewife: who is normally considered boring - but in the end will do anything and everything for you! My CBR 250R - she made it to a place normally not attempted by a lot of riders due to harshness of the terrain, the weather and the risks involved. If one notices the pics below, currently there is no snowfall on the Indian side. Based on our discussion with the army personnel, the snowfall starts somewhere around November and then the same route becomes very very dangerous and without proper off-road tires or chain grips many vehicles (two wheelers and four wheelers) have plunged to death in the recent past.

We had a chat with the army jawans and found them to be very humble and helpful, barring a few moronic tourists who regardless of repeated requests would try to poke their nose into no-go zones and attempt to take pics when they have been specifically instructed not to do so - quite irritating to see uncivilised behaviour by Indian tourists. Regardless, we were there for about an hour and then made our return journey to Tawang. I hope the pics will do some justice to what we experienced there...

















Pic 38-45: On our way to bum La pass (Indo-China LAC). One of the toughest terrains yet our 'little' off-roading skills had improved by then so we made it there quite quickly. Managed to reach the "rock of peace". Note the army personnel constantly keeping a vigil on the other side with binoculars.

While riding our way down to Tawang i noticed that the front handling was becoming a bit weird and if on a plain stretch i would apply front brake, the whole handlebar would swerve left and right. I knew it that the mountain had finally won and destroyed the left front wheel bearing for good. However, i was still able to ride - just that i had to be a bit more careful when taking left hand corners. i now had to slow down drastically and then make the turn. We made it to our hotel in Tawang by 2:30 pm. But still had the energy left to visit one of the famous monasteries in India - Tawang Monastery.

Tawang Monastery:

I remember as a small teenaged kid i had visited this monastery, back then the roads were not that great and the monastery was a bit different. After 17 years a lot has changed and i was happy to finally make it there. Had a lot of photo sessions and offered my prayers there and then we all made it to the hotel and celebrated our achievement - may not be a lot for some but for each one of us it was something we finally did it! More discussions took place about new spots and places to visit.. i guess this trip opened up a pandora's box and now i finally had two adventurous riders willing to join me on my new rides(whenever time and situation permits of course!).

We still had about 500+ kms to go on our return leg of the journey but more on this in the next section...













Pic 46-51: Tawang Monastery: still claimed by China. Has a historic importance and Dalai Lama has visited this monastery plenty of times.

I know the first half of the story is rather elaborate (and may be boring too for some!!) however, this was just to give the readers a perspective of kind of torture session i took my (used) Honda CBR 250R through.. She was bashed, beaten and given the toughest test which even i had no clue of that we as riders were going to face. However she delivered.. though slightly injured but still strong at heart! Surprisingly Michelin Pilot Street Radial tires performed really well under such conditions.. something i was not at all expecting as they have been designed for purely street application. In the back of my mind, i expected steep and razor sharp rocks to make it through the tire wall and may be experience a plethora of punctures. However, surprisingly they delivered much rather i say over-delivered heck not even lost a single psi of tire pressure!

As i have repeatedly said before: Michelin Pilot Street Radials are one set of tires i would have a very hard time to replace with any other brand given the toughness and level of confidence they have given me regardless of the terrain.

And now with Tawang conquered, i am itching to do something stupid and looking forward to ride a lot more.. Will provide the next saga and aftermath in upcoming post.. but until then..


Cheers,

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

Wow. What an incredible experience you've had and such an lovely post. [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] It is really enjoyable to read what you've experienced. One of your best posts till date brother. And amazing to see how well CBR and the Michelin combo did for you. Wish you all the very best for your upcoming many more adventerous ahead.
Ride safe ✌

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

Shivang this is an incredible journey not only for you but for the CBR250R too. I am happy to note that both of you had done well in adverse circumstances. The Pictures are very beautiful, and I think the real life experience would have been even better . This experience is a feather in your cap ,and will be cherished for years to come.
I am glad the front wheel bearing stood up well for you in spite of being seriously challenged .
Good Luck
Ride Safe.

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

Shivang , awesome write up you truely were a fighter there alongwith your CBR , both you did a great job ..
After reading this I am more in love with North-east India ...
Earlier whenever I think of hills , snow, curvy roads Himachal Pradesh , Uttrakhand , Kashmir comes to my mind, now i am more inclined to travel North-eastern part of India.
Congratulations on completing the trip and thanks for sharing a good travelogue...

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

Anyone here have noticed/ smelled petrol Fuems coming from tank while crouching on the Tank ,even when the tank is half filled ?
Also My bikes mileage is less 27kmpl, max achieved on highway at speeds of 80kmph is 35kmpl. Which seems less for me . The petrol bars also diminish slowly if I fill the tank and park it for 2-3days . I haven't seen any kind of leaks anywhere on the bike .
Another question ,
Even while riding at 80kmph without traffic for lets 20kms or more i feel fhe engine is getting heated up and warm air comes to my feets . Temperature gauge never ever crossed 3 bars though even when there was no coolant in it and reservoir was holding up full coolant, after filling up the coolant i checked the fuctioning of reservoir coolant flow to the radiator by honda mechanic it was working ..
Bike is 9k kms old

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

Fumes from tank vents all the time through a one way valve in the cap..so you will smell petrol if you go close to the cap. The venting is provided in all vehicles as otherwise if the fumes build up too much under hot condition the petrol pressure will affect both for MPFi and Carburetor vehicles ..there is also the danger due to pressure build up inside the Tank...If vehicle is kept under the Sun and left to heat up then this evaporation on a regular basis will amount to volume reduction of stored petrol.
Regarding Low FE check your Air Filter and change if found dirty. Your narration about coolant and it's level is a bit confusing . There was no coolant in the overflow tank or in the system itself ? if later engine would have run at higher temp and would have lead to engine problems..

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

Thanks PSR sir for confirming there is no problem with the petrol fumes ..
But interestingly there was no smell to minimal smell in earlier bikes i have ridden e.g R15v2, Pulsar 220/150, Fz-s. That is why i was more skeptical .with the amount of smell.
Regeding the coolant issue . Let me explain .
I bought the bike and facing issues with heat on my foot and calf area , so to check i opened the radiator cap to find there was no coolant to be seen there . But coolant was there in the reservoir tank , ideally the reservoir tank will provide coolant if the coolant level is less , but i suppose this was not happening .
Went to service cenger and mechanic confirms that there is no coolant in the radiator/system. Poured a bottle of honda coolant . And he tested that the system is able to pull the coolant from reservoir when the level is down .
In all above scenario bike temperature bar never crossed 3 bars. Even while riding in bumper to bumper traffic with no coolant in system .
Sir, Is there a problem with the thermal sensor ? I am guessing or is it normal .
Hope now i am clear with the question. ☺☺

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

The coolant in the Reservoir is there to take in coolant when engine becomes hot and coolant volume expands and flows out of Radiator, and when engine becomes cold and coolant volume shrinks,creating a mild vacuum, to put the coolant back into the coolant(radiator) system to level...The fact that the coolant tank had coolant but none found in the system is alarming. The only problem I envisage is the Radiator cap which has dual flow valve system..ie., when the coolant pressure increases the spring loaded inside mechanism open to let the coolant into the tank, and when engine cools down, thus decreasing volume, a Vacuum is created inside radiator, thus opening an inward opening valve to allow coolant to flow back in to radiator...If this Vacuum is not there ie., any leak in system, or the Radiator cap has faulty cap then the problem you indicated will happen. Best to change the radiator cap and see if you are in any doubt .
The other possibility is Air Lock in the system which can be properly cleared at the ASC.
Regarding the 3 bars of heat indication, even on a bike which had a seizure while running the indicator never went above 3 bars....it could be either faulty calibration, or good cooling capacity of Honda design.

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

Hi All,

in reference to my earlier post i believe it is time to head to the next section of the story where we started troubleshooting and resolving the issues on my CBR 250R one by one. Since, this was going to be a major overhaul, the readers will have no choice but to bear going through another long long post! So let us get on with the story..


PART II - THE AFTERMATH... OVERHAUL AND REPAIRS

After having conquered Tawang, it was time for us to head back to Assam. Since, my bike was showing signs of multiple battle wounds, it was collectively decided that i should not push my luck and instead head towards Guwahati where it will be taken to the service centre and at least the respective wheel bearings will be replaced at the earliest. We had earlier taken Tezpur-Bhalukpong-Tenga-Bomdila-Tawang route at the beginning of our journey. However, after battling with mud and slush infested roads, none of us wanted to go through that saga again so it was decided that we will try out an alternate route which has been recommended by a lot of taxi operators who daily take this route to ferry their passengers from Guwahati (Assam) to Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh). We were now supposed to reach Bomdila and then from there take Rupa-Kalaktang-udalguri/Orang-Guwahati route. Since, this was going to be another un-explored side of Arunachal we have never experienced, we were excited and a bit concerned too. However, as it happens with group of boys going crazy over excitement, we decided that in the event we manage to make it to Bomdila rather quick from Tawang and if by then we all are in good shape and not tired at all, we may take a call and then push for Guwahati (Assam) at one go. The plan sounded crude, stupid but workable to all of us given that by now all of us had developed fair bit of confidence on riding over off-road terrain.

Of course, after coming back from Tawang monastery, me and my RTR riding friend decided to venture out a little but further around Tawang to explore the last bit of it before we move towards Assam the next day.



Pic 1: Me and my rider buddy on his RTR 200 @ 13,000 ft near Tawang Maratha army Camp.

It was good fun however, on the return leg of the journey towards Tawang, my bike made some more screeching noises and the handlebar started oscillating left and right again (a bit more viloent if i might add) but then settled after a while. So i knew that the LHS front wheel bearing's ball bearings were literally screaming to let them be at peace and rest for good. However, given the complications with CBR and late evening we reached our hotel, i decided to try my luck with Honda's reliability, my fate and see if the 500+ kms of return journey through uncharted section of roads, my CBR safely lets me reach home or will i end up getting stranded somewhere! This was a big gamble in a way but then again i did had confidence on my bike so i rolled the dice.

We started the journey from Tawang at roughly 7:45 am given that by the time all the bikes were loaded with luggage and the chains were cleaned and sprayed with chain lube, in general it took a bit of time. We decided to skip the breakfast at hotel and instead grab a small bite somewhere in a small eatery place en-route so that we don't miss out on time. Our biggest concern was the unpredictable weather post Jaswant Garh Memorial as the route of Sela Top was pretty much horrendous the last time we were riding through it and if for any reason it rains, the terrain would only become all the more tougher to ride through. Regardless, we started off and thanks to now most of the section only going downhill, as seasoned riders are aware, our speeds were relatively quicker and we were able to make it Jaswant Garh Memorial quite early. The weather was also with us and mostly throughout the ride to Jaswant Garh all we got was a proper 'hello' from the sun. We took a small break at Jaswant Garh and then moved on with our next leg of the journey towards Sela top and then to Bomdila. Thanks to good weather, all the slush and mud we had experienced the last time; had dried up and the roads were more or less pretty manageable. We reached Sela top at roughly 11:15 am but didn't stop, instead we continued to make our way towards Bomdila. We were making quite a progress but as luck would have it, in a few kms ahead we saw a huge line of cars in front of us which made it obvious: there was a huge landslide. Apparently it had occurred about 2 days back (as per the locals we interacted with) and in the due process to RE riders were seriously injured and their bikes were just scrap metal now thanks to falling rocks and stones. Such was the case severity of the landslide that the whole road communication between Bomdila and Tawang was out - no vehicular movement had taken place since then. We were lucky to reach at a time when the earth moving machines were busy cleaning up the section and were almost done with the road. However the whole waiting took off precious time from our riding and daylight. We were more or less stuck there for about 4 hours. Once, the landslide was cleared the personnel initially allowed the small vehicles to pass through which luckily also meant us folks on two wheelers were given the chance to tag along with the small fleet. As we were crossing the section, someone noticed that the landmass had again started moving a bit and small and medium chunks of rocks were falling on the road: this meant there was a very strong possibility of another landslide occurring anytime! None of us wanted to be dragged some 10,000+ ft below along with rocks, stones and soil and have an untimely ending so all the members in our group gunned our bikes and made our way through this dreaded section as soon as possible. Thanks to the delay caused by landslide, by the time we made it through Dirang valley and then Bomdila, it was already 3:45 pm... so it was collectively decided to halt at Bomdila for the night. We checked into our hotel and then got our respective motorcycles washed and cleaned of muck and dirt and got them prepped with chain lube for the next day(We later came to know that after our crossing, in about an hour, the whole mountain had collapsed and there was no communication for about a week between Tawang and rest of the country.. now that is indeed scary!!).

The next day we started from Bomdila - via Rupa-Kalaktang we were onwards to Guwahati. Unfortunately, the constant left and right turns due to the given terrain and the road my front wheel bearing noise and handlebar shaking became even worse and at times i was concerned "what if the front wheel jams and i get flung out of the bike?" Luckily no such thing happened however, this meant i had to be heavily dependent upon my Front brakes to control the speed the moment we did the hard left turn and downhill section and reduce the LHS lean angle. The road conditions were about 80% good and 20% was pure off-roading (as expected)!!. At the border, we made a small error and instead came out of Orang side of Assam which was approx 30 kms behind the original point of entry (Udalguri). But none of us wanted to stop so we went on with our journey. The moment we entered Assam border, all of us were feeling the difference in temps thanks to changes in altitude and the ambient temperature running in 35'C. We all were geared up for the mountains so naturally we were drenched with sweat inside. Just about 40 kms from Guwahati, we had no choice but to halt and take out our respective thermal liners and rain liners - we simply couldn't take it anymore.

As we were about to enter Guwahati city, all of of us realised what we had managed to do was something spectacular!! On my trip meter, by now my CBR had done around 1400 kms and even with the broken front wheel bearing, she didn't stop one bit... WE MADE IT!! But then mother nature decided to play one more game with us and it started pouring like crazy. It was really annoying given the fact that all of us had just taken off our respective rain gears off (for me the inner rain liner from my touring pants were taken out just about 40 mins before this downpour.. By the time i reached my place, i was pretty much exhausted but felt elated!!.. My CBR managed to let me reach my destination without any hiccup! It all the more elevated my respect for my bike which as we all know was not at all taken care of by the previous owner... yet with a little bit of TLC, she managed to ride through one of the toughest terrains and i was back home! I did notice that by now the shim noise had become even more prominent which was to be expected given the amount of load and stress all the engine components and the drive train system had to go through in that terrain. My bike by now had hit 42,XXX+ kms which is usually the timeline when most of the post year 2012 CBRs would come up with shim noise and demand inspection and replacements.

Unfortunately, due to ongoing festivities of Durga Puja, the SVC was shut. i too needed a few days of rest.. so i had no choice but to extend my halt in Guwahati by a few days. After the SVC opened up i reached at Vinayak Honda, Guwahati only to find that the last mechanic who had worked on my CBR (and had really done a good job!) was out on leave. Given the timeline i had with me, i decided to try out another mechanic which the SVC claimed had experience on CBR. I gave him the list of jobs which primarily involved getting rid of both front and rear wheel bearings and the rear sprocket bearing, the Cush drive dampers were to be replaced and a general overall check up was to be done. I had some other business to attend to so had to leave from the SVC. I was told to collect the bike in the evening. However, it was a rookie mistake from my end!!

In between i received a call from the SVC that the F&R wheel bearings had been replaced but the mechanic had found that the front and the rear brake rotors were a complete goner. The front brake disc rotor wear had reached the 3.5mm wear limit so he asked me if he should replace it... of course with my OMCD working overtime, i told him to replace both the front and rear brake rotors to which i was conveyed by the SVC that they had only the front ABS type disc rotor at the moment and they will have to source the rear rotor - which will take approx. 10-15 days. I anyways had a few more things to order so i told the mechanic to go ahead with the replacement of the front rotor while i would be back in SVC in the evening and then place order for more items at the parts section later.

When i reached the SVC, i found the mechanic was doing final touch ups on the bike. I asked him to show me the respective bearings and as per him the front bearings: LHS one was completely gone and the RHS one due to the whole load falling on it now was also showing signs of wear. So both were replaced. The rear bearings on inspection were found to be in good shape as per the mechanic however, due to my insistence all the wheel bearings and sprocket bearing was replaced as well. He mentioned that the cush drive dampers were not in stock so he couldn't get the job done. below are the pictures for reference:





Pic 2 & 3: Condition of the Front and rear set of wheel bearings (the red one is the sprocket bearing, the other piece of the rear wheel bearing was kept somewhere by the mechanic). Front bearing LHS side was found to have completely disintegrated and the RHS side was on its way out.

As the pics above will suggest, the rear bearings also had bit of rust built up which indicated moisture ingress had slowly taken place in the rear bearings. The front bearings were not at all in good shape as rust formation gave an idea about the amount of moisture. Water ingress had taken place over 42XXX kms of its service so far. So i guess it was a good decision to replace both the F&R wheel bearings along with the sprocket bearing. We than moved towards the front rotor and as correctly pointed out by the mechanic, the front rotor had taken quite a beating. Now for those who may recollect, at the time of purchase we did find both the F&R brake rotors to have quite a lot of scoring marks. However, as per the service manual, both the F&E rotors were found to be within spec so i carried on riding it. But in the back of my mind thanks to my OCD, i was never ever satisfied! With the usage of Brembo HH sintered pads it was a known fact that they have a very aggressive bite and a good life compared to OEM pads. However, they are also a bit harsher to the brake rotors as well. Given that the factory fitted rotors had already received a harsh treatment from the previous owner, with the installation of HH sintered pads, even though the braking feel was really good, it also drastically accelerated the rotor wear plus with my nonstop usage of front brakes due to front LHS wheel bearing acting out, i guess the end result was what we can see in the pics below:










Pic 4 - 7: Condition of the factory fitted front brake rotor. Note the amount of material taken off from the rotor. New OEM Brake rotor installed on my CBR.

The Brembo HH sintered pads were found to be in good shape so no work was needed on that front however, i had to part away with 3200 bucks from my wallet (ouch!!) for a new OEM ABS based front brake disc rotor. After everything was done and checked from mechanic's end, i then took the bike out for a test ride. Understandably the front brake bite was minuscule as the new rotor has to bed in with the brake pads which will take a few kms of riding. However, i noticed that even when i took my bike beyond 40 kmph, the ABS light remained on and after sometime was blinking constantly. I came back and asked the mechanic why this was happening, he first mentioned that it was normal and it is how the ABS system works with the light remaining ON all the time... i guess he had no idea who he was dealing with!!

I immediately asked him to bring the shop manual and show me where it is mentioned that the ABS light remains ON all the time when the motorcycle is in motion? he at first hesitated, but then brought the shop manual with him. By then i already knew what had happened! I first showed him the page where it was clearly mentioned that ABS light has to go off the moment the bike goes beyond 10 kmph. Since, the ABS light was ON it meant that something was not right with the system. We opened up the seat and then shorted the connector as mentioned on the shop manual for trouble shooting. The ABS indicator light then gave specific blinks which were indicating multitude no. of failures like ABS speed sensor failure, ABS fuse failure, ABS Motor failure etc. Based on my earlier discussion with @psr sir and as per the guidelines mentioned on the shop manual: this may happen if one of the ABS sensor was hit or damaged in some way or else if the ABS sensor was only getting intermittent pulsation signal from the pulsar rings mounted on the front and rear wheel brake disc rotors. In the heat of the moment before i could say anything, the mechanic dis-assembled the rear tire and then tried cleaning the rotor and the ABS pulsar ring and then tried installing the rear wheel back. While doing so in front of my eyes, he managed to hit the rear ABS wheel speed sensor multitude no. of times! So i knew that in my absence, while in the process of removing the rear wheel for bearing replacement and putting it back the mechanic had hit the rear wheel sensor many times which resulted in the inner resistor coil getting damaged and thus, the whole ABS system becoming non-functional. I knew that there was no point of scolding the mechanic as he was just a tinkerer and probably had no clue about the inner workings of the bike... so i let it go and told him to learn things first before poking his hands around with everything. Not every bike is the same!! One is supposed to remove the ABS wheel sensor from the rear calliper before any tire work is carried out... He kept his head down and didn't say anything

Though i was irritated having now another fully functional system fail (thanks to the stupidity of the mechanic) and also now with another bill of around 1800 bucks hanging on top of my head for a new rear ABS wheel speed sensor, i guess i learnt a great lesson from this whole saga - never trust a mechanic and never leave your bike un-attended!! As expected the ABS sensor was not in stock with the SVC so along with other bunch of parts i had to place an order for that as well.... another blunder!! I was pissed but then decided not to pursue - an argument with the SVC guys. Next time if and when i visit this SVC i will have to ensure that i let that other mechanic only to touch my bike and work. Just to keep myself sober from all this mis-management, I then picked up some more parts for my kitty back at home!!













Pic 8 - 13: Plethora of parts ordered as a back up in my parts bin back home: OEM Brake pads, Cam timing chain guides, Allen key screw set, Clutch switch, Throttle and clutch handlebar grips & Drain bolt crush washers

The next day it was going to be an un-eventful ride from Guwahati back to my place which was another 500 kms away. The road conditions has become even worse since, the last time i had made my journey through a section of it while en-route Tezpur. I started early from Guwahati and anaged to reach my place within 7 hours flat however no without losing another bit! the dreaded chain slider was eaten and chewed out by my CBR again... What i found funny that throughout my ride to Arunachal Pradesh and to Guwahati, the chain slider was hooked up in its place and was functioning just fine. However, the moment i took this route from Guwahati - place of stay, it just ripped the chain slider to pieces and threw it somewhere. I guess i should thank the state govt. for the splendid job it is doing towards up keeping the state highways!!

By the time i reached home, the earlier noise coming from the rear of my bike was also a little bit more prominent, so i had a feeling that it was most likely something to do with the rear swingarm/mono-link suspension. I was also getting sore hands after this ride perhaps due to ageing handlebar grips so i had decided to get them replaced as well. By now my Honda CBR 250R had managed to complete 1,978 kms. One tough journey and lots of small niggles cropped up yet i was back home safe and sound! Next day on inspection, i found that the handlebar grips were indeed looking worn out so new grips replacement was due. While checking the tires i also found a small metal shrapnel logged in the rear of the tire. However, there was not loss in air pressure. I quickly took it to a local tyre shop who upon inspection confirmed that there was no penetration and he simply took out the shrapnel from the rear tire. After resting for a few days and getting time from my regular chores, i then decided to take my CBR to my known local mechanic and take care of some of the "little problems" she conveyed to me.. I guess like every crazy rider would say your bike speaks to you.. you only have to know what she is telling you! I guess i got the message and decided to act on it as quickly as possible... You don't want a pissed off lady now do you??






Pic 14 & 15: Handlebar grips in worn out condition after 42,XXX kms. Metal shrapnel logged in the rear tire luckily no puncture was found.


After 42,XXX kms it was time for me to take care of her mid-life requirements and replace the required parts to make her super happy and in the end get the satisfaction of having a reliable, super smooth and fully functional bike. For those new owners who don't have a clue of what am i talking about do check out this simple video of how to revitalise your noble steed after clocking many kms:



Keeping in line with the video above, i brought along with me some of the parts i had to install on my CBR and also to take care of the above mentioned symptoms shown by my bike..













Pic 16 - 21: Various spare parts and Shell Rimula R4 along with Yamaha FZ engine oil filter to carry out a much needed oil change after such a gruelling ride.

As always, it was spectacle for other customers who have rarely seen an owner bringing in truck load of parts along with him (instead of the shop) to get work done on his bike! However, i had a long day ahead and knew that working on the rear suspension is going to be a pain. Besides, i had no clue what other hidden gremlins might be present after 42,XXX kms and in 3 years of product lifecycle on my Honda CBR 250R!

Rear Swingarm & Mono-Link Suspension Overhaul:

Before we started to dis-assemble the bike a strategy was needed to understand why and how to go about removing the swingarm and the mono-link suspension and then inspect the necessary bearings, pivoting point bushings and connecting pins. So i went straight to my trusted source: Arri Henning's simple yet highly descriptive youtube video link related to the rear suspension overhaul and collectively me and mechanic watched the video thoroughly till we got the sense of the exact plan of action needed to be followed regarding the same:



After i made the mechanic go through the instruction video multiple no. of times, it was clear that the shop didn't have the jack or the holding mount for the front tire to allow us to lift the bike and do the job. So after thinking for a little while, we started the job with our 'desi jugaad' method! The motorcycle was first sent for a wash and then cleaned. After it was lifted on paddock stand the mechanic then started to dis-assemble the fairings and loosening the swingarm bolts and the other bolts on the mono-link suspension. He then removed the rear-tire hugger and dis-assembled the OEM stock exhaust in order to have a better access to the rear suspension which would be otherwise quite a difficult job to attend to. He then removed the rear tire and moved onto placing a tack of hard bricks under the exhaust pipe to lift the bike and keep the rear end in a high position. In order to balance the bike, we then attached two bungee cords and strategically placed the (removed) rear tire in the front to stop any form of lateral movement from the bike.













Pic 22- 27: Dismantling of the rear of my CBR while balancing it over brick. 'Desi Jugaad' at its best!! Note the dangling and destroyed chain slider

He then started to dis-assemble the rear-mono link suspension and the rear swingarm from its holding point. Once the whole assembly was taken out, we initiated with the process of first cleaning the swingarm and the mono-link suspension and then with the inspection of the needle bearings, pivot point bushings and rubber seals. We also checked the rear suspension coil spring and the assembly for any damage of leakage however, it was found to be healthy (that was relief!!) As the pictures below will indicate, one of the needle bearings was found to be completely devoid of any form of lubrication and was completely dry. The grease inside had become a sort of sticky dust! The pivot point bushing also had heavy pitting marks on it. What the component had witnessed was severe water/moisture ingress and over a period of time due to lack of lubrication, the pivot point bushing had to bear the brunt! Now as per the recommendation of the video link above, any damaged component should be ideally replaced with new parts however, understandably i didn't have these parts with me and neither did the shop. So as always the old mantra was put into action, "when in doubt, trouble @psr sir!!"

He patiently listened to my concerns and advised that till the time i can get hold of the parts since, the needle bearing still had all the needles inside and that only the pivot point bushing had got damaged, for the time being i can clean up the innards of the needle bearing, grease it and then use the set up. On further inspection we also found that the pivot point bushing for the swingarm also had pitting and scoring marks but the bearings were relatively in good shape and still had some amount of lubrication on it, all the respective needle bearings were throughly cleaned and then lubricated with lithium greased and put back on.



































Pic 28 - 44: Rear Suspension being dis-assembled. Note the dried needle bearing with rust deposit. The pivot point bushing having pitting marks on it. All needle bearings being thoroughly cleaned, greased and put back in for further use.

Now that we had taken out the rear swingarm completely from my CBR, we inspected the whole swingarm for any signs of accident damage or bending in order to see what was the core cause of the chain slider being eaten off on this bike so early!! However, everything was found to be ok so it was decided to further modify the 'desi jugaad' method and use multiple zip-tie points to keep the chain slider in its position. Don't know the longterm effects of this hack but will report at a later stage on this thread.









Pic 45 - 48: Rear Swingarm -disassembled and the chain slider installed on it using multiple hook points using zip-tie. The swingarm bearing getting greased before installation.

I would highly recommend any CBR 250R owner especially, those where your respective vehicles have clocked around 30k kms or else are more than 2 years old to get the swingarm and rear mono-link suspension inspected, lubed and greased and any damaged parts to be replaced as mentioned by the reference video above as it is one of the most ignored items from periodic motorcycle maintenance inspection list: simply because it is nothing less than a day's work and does require two people if the required jack tools are not there. Anyways once, the rear swingarm was installed we then went ahead with the next step towards maintenance of my CBR 250R...

Engine Oil Change:

The last time i had changed the engine oil on my CBR 250R it was in the month of May 2017 just before i left for my Bhutan trip. Post completion of Arunachal trip, my bike had now covered around 4,200+ kms and the oil has been in use since the last 5+ months. If i am correct this has been the longest interval i have used any engine oil so far. Given the ageing of the engine oil and also another trip in the pipeline (nothing decided yet) i felt it was time to change the oil even though there was no indication of mis-shifts or engine vibes increasing. The mechanic then went about following the usual process of warming up the engine first, then draining the engine oil and removing the old FZ oil filter. On inspection it was found that the engine oil was dark however, it was still sticky and functional. Do check out the condition of the Yamaha FZ oil filter and the amount of filtration it has done. The colour of the filter should give the readers an indication of particle retention capability of this simple yet in-expensive engine oil filter.

Anyways, a new FZ filter was lubed and put back inside the filter bay, new crush washer installed and then we poured in Shell Rimula R4 HDEO oil. Since, i had brought in 5 ltr jugs, it was not possible to pour in oil like this in my CBR so it was transferred into a 1 ltr used oil can and then we filled up the required engine oil. Everything was inspected and then we fired up the engine. For me, this is the happiest moment of my life whenever i get to hear the first crank and engine running with fresh oil. For a well tuned rider, he/she can make out the minute changes in the engine note of his/her respective vehicle . My CBR was purring with happiness and besides the now prominent shim noise the engine note was muted and refined! The last log with Rimula R4 was around 10,000+kms so it would be interesting to observe the longterm effects on my bike with HDEO oil. As promised i will continue to test this grade of HDEO oil till my CBR hits 20,000 kms so that we have some form of baseline to confirm whether such an engine oil is safe to use on a vehicle like this one. If found, successful then the possibilities of significantly lower ownership cost with a superior HDEO oil + Yamaha FZ/Byson oil filter may be considered as a plus: especially for those owners who don't clock much mileage yet have to part away with Rs. 1800 - 2000/- on every oil change interval.

I asked my mechanic to also replace the old Honda CBR 150R clutch cable (which was earlier installed as a stop gap) with OEM 250R clutch cable and while he was at it to also inspect the throttle cable 'A' & 'B'. Luckily while doing so he found out that the throttle cable 'A' had visible tear marks on it so as an exercise both the 'A' & 'B' throttle cables were replaced. I already had a stock of the same with me so simply took it out from my kitty and handed it over to the mechanic to do the deed. Once, he was done fixing the throttle Cable 'A' & 'B' he then moved ahead with replacing the RHS throttle grip. For some weird reason he was not able to open up the clutch side grip as the bolt holding the LHS bar end weight simply wouldn't budge from its place no mater what he did. I guess due to wrong size screw driver tool he was not able to apply the required pressure to get the bolt released from its place so perhaps i will have to pay a visit to a nearby SVC to do the deed.













Pic 49 - 54: Engine oil drained after 5 months @ 4,200+ kms. Note the condition of the FZ engine oil Filter. Throttle Cable 'A' was found to be damaged so both the cables were replaced. Spanking new throttle grip installed on my CBR.

I warmed up the engine and took her out for a small spin and immediately noticed that the front coneset had become a little bit loose. However judging by the hellish roads my CBR had recently gone through it was pretty normal for the coneset to become slightly loose. The mechanic just tightened it a bit as per the required spec and then everything was hunky dory besides the irritating ABS warning light which kept on blinking as i didn't have the required speed sensor unit with me for the rear. So right after everything was checked and okayed by me and mechanic, the bills were cleared off and i went ahead with a thorough test ride over pothole infested roads just too see if all this hard work had yielded any results.

Well as cliche as it may sound: my CBR completely transformed!! I felt as if i was riding over a cushion of air.. the rear was soaking potholes with ease and i couldn't feel a thing!! So a much needed TLC completely changed the handling characteristics of my bike... hence, for those who have not done this i insist that get your rear suspension overhauled at the earliest.. you will thank me later!!

Parts Ordered Post Inspection:

Post inspection and overhaul of the Rear suspension it was clear to me that a number of critical parts will need replacement given that i intend to do extensive riding over the period of next few months and in the long run will keep my bike healthy. Personally, i am least bothered about polishing and keeping my bike spic and span. Instead to me my motorcycle has to be mechanically in top condition: absolutely no compromises on that is acceptable or tolerated all thanks to my OCMD! I realised an important thing after regularly interacting with the spare parts section of Honda SVCs regardless of wherever they are: If you just mention the name of the part, they don't get it and will take donkey's years to find the darn part. However if you provide them the part name, the part no. as per Honda's parts manual (usually found in all SVCs) and then give them the quantity - chances are you will get a better response from them. So learning by experience, i ended up downloading the parts manual and then started shooting mails to Vinayak Honda my requirements related to : Cush Dampers, Rear ABS wheel speed sensor, Needled bearings for rear swingarm and Mono-Link Suspension, Pivot point bushes etc. The next day it was a funny conversation i had with the spares section representative whether i was a dealer or a sub-dealer since, in their experience they have never received a mail from an individual customer to provides them all the data along with screen shots of the parts manual for reference! Well what can i say it all has to do with my OCMD and my undying love for my beloved CBR 250R i guess! I told the representative to place the order for all the required parts and that any monetary advances will be wired the moment i get a confirmation from their end regarding the availability of the same. The problem was since, Needle bearings and parts related to rear suspension are slow moving items (i.e. usually not bothered to be replaced by owners hence, no complaints = no recall/replacements = no stocking of spares) i will have to wait for it a bit. Regardless, i told the representative to do the needful and that i will be ordering more parts from them in the future. So will keep you posted regarding future developments on this front.








Pic 55 - 57: Excerpts from shop manual for ordering parts for my CBR related to rear suspension, swing arm and other components.


Carbon Racing Inc. Radiator guard Install:

While doing my ride across Arunachal, i was really concerned about stone chips accidentally hitting my radiator guard and destroying it in the process. Though no such thing happened during the trip. By the time i was back and inspected the radiator, a lot of fins were found to be bent. So it was logical to go for the next step. After looking around for good radiator guards for a while, i was then directed to this indigenous company based in Bangalore called Carbon Racing inc. (Page link: https://www.facebook.com/carbonracinginc/) I had a long online interaction with the owner of the company Mr. Charles Ravikumar (who as it turned out was also a passionate motorcycle advocate and a rider) I laid my concerns about the radiator protection and annoying options:

a) the rather expensive and overpriced items like R&G guards or
b) super cheap Chinese alternatives available in India through websites

Given the product being already available in the market, i directly asked him this question how can he guarantee that his offering is better than what is already available: to which i received assurances which seemed plausible to me and personally i always have an affinity for Indian made products and start ups who want to offer good solutions for motorcycle segment in India, i feel all of us riders should encourage such an industry given that the same support has resulted better integrated after-market accessories and solutions offered in developed markets like US, UK & Japan. I also noticed that Mr. Ravikumar was in the advanced stages of making a prototype for Hard case pannier and rack mounting system for CBR and other brand of motorcycles as well which i felt was unique and commendable as well. So given the price i was offered the product (Rs. 1800/- + 300 shipping - super cheap!!) i felt there was no harm in trying out an Indian manufactured Radiator guard on my CBR (i already tried Viaterra luggage system and so far i have nothing but praise for their Claw range currently in duty with my ongoing trips!!). So the payment was done and the order was placed. The gentleman was super prompt with getting the product delivered at the given address in less than a week (already good brownie points for the seller!!). Upon opening up the packaging i was happy to see that the overall build quality was superior to that of the Chinese radiator guards i have seen installed on other CBRs. The black anodising was also thick and quality work and it was simply not a short cut-botched job. The radiator guard was single piece machined item and the quality was prominently visible to anybody who saw the guard in person. The radiator guard also came with installation bolts, noise dampening insulation stick pads and zip ties to get the guard installed on one's CBR. So this company knew exactly wha a customer expects when it comes to paying money for essential accessories or kits for the betterment of their bike: protection, armours, luggage etc.









Pic: 58-61: Carbon Racing Inc. Radiator Guard for Honda CBR 250R. Note the workmanship and quality finish on the guard. Well packaged product and supplied along with installation bolts and accessories. Anodised black paint is really top notch quality.

Once, i got hold of the radiator guard, i immediately landed up at my mechanic's shop and then simultaneously contacted Carbon Racing to kindly provide a guideline regarding installation of the same. Would you believe it they also had an easy to refer to online manual which was promptly emailed to me within minutes from their end?? From there on the installation process was rather easy. The mechanic simply followed the instructions and bolted the radiator guard in the designated OEM blank spot and then used two provided zip ties to lightly hold the top section which was mounted onto the chassis. Hardly took the mechanic about 15 minutes to get the whole job done. I now intend to do a thorough testing of the same when i go for my next adventure ride and shall report back whether this radiator guard provided by Carbon Racing Inc. is healthy and doing its job just fine, though initial impressions are pretty positive. I feel it is inexpensive and a must have for any CBR rider given the simplicity of installation and the protection it provides to a critical and vulnerable component - LC Radiator.



















Pic 62 - 70: Carbon Racing Inc. Radiator Guard installation getting done my bike. Very easy to use and the quality is very good.

Timing Chain & Tensioner Overhaul:

Thanks to my OCD and earlier habit of collecting parts, i had all the required components (more or less) to get the timing chain, tensioner and timing chain guides replaced on my CBR. Now that my bike had completed 42,XXX kms and the shim noise was prominent, after having a long chat with some of the senior riders i have come to a conclusion that it would be wise to get the complete overhaul done on my CBR the next time i visit the Guwahati SVC given that the local mechanic and the SVC close by are hesitant and also don't seem to have required shim sizes in stock. At least in a big city the chances of getting the same will be better however, whenever this critical job is getting done on my CBR i will not leave her side no matter what as my earlier experience (mentioned above) made me understand my earlier mistake.

Pic 71: The whole timing chain kit for the proposed overhaul.

To a newbie/un-initiated all this parts replacement and expenses may seem to be too much of a hassle or waste of money.. but i guess... only a true motorcyclist will understand the real joy of restoring a bike to its former glory while one continues to enjoy the journey as kms progress and new places and locations are discovered. I am sure a lot of us would have learned something new today...

Hope we all collectively make this thread more productive.

until then...



Cheers,

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

Shivang Deka, A great journey undertaken ,demands a great care for the bike after the ordeal..and you have just done both...this is another detailed post from which I could learn more about the CBR250.



The picture of the front bearing shows that the left side bearing had a total wear out..Only the outer cage of the bearing is there. I am sure the inner cage, ball bearings etc., have all been worn..I think the balls and the cage were retained inside and you could ride it all the way back speaks volumes for Honda's never say die nature... The Oil and filter had both become dark..The FZ filter does seem to do the job well..
I feel , the bike has rust,and loss of lubrication because of the wet and damp condition you live in.
Good Luck..

The story so far.. My Honda CBR 250R

[MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] how long a fz oil filter can stand? 2k or any limit in CBR to get it replaced with new.

Here price is not the issue as they come with affordable minimum price tag comparatively to the stock CBR oil filters, Learned from your previous threads. [emoji122][emoji120]

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


Hi,

it would be my humble request that you read this thread once.. you will find the disclaimers and also the respective logs related to your query. I must apologise but given the hard work done in collating and presenting the data provided here, no short cuts will be entertained.. sorry buddy!

P.S: A part of your answer is already there just a post above..

Cheers,

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

Hi Shivang, hope you recollect me from our Fz16 days back in 2011-2012. I still have my 2009 FZ and it's serving me well after all these years and almost 80k kms. it's a wonderful thread with truckloads of information for the CBR250 owners. It took me a couple of days to go through the thread by and large and I must say splendid job you have done with your baby fireblade.

I recently started looking for a pocket and pillion friendly tourer and shortlisted the CBR250 ABS as top contender besides KTM390, Dominar etc. Pre-registered BS3 CBR250's are still available with some dealers in Mumbai at a mouth-watering price of 160-170k all inclusive. However, I have been waiting for something more purpose-built as a tourer like GS310r or 390Adv so decided to go the used CBR250 way for now and save for something big down the line. As always, xbhp was the key research forum and your thread was not difficult to stumble upon for a person interested in CBR250. Your thread and the CBR250 ownership thread was very helpful for me to zero down on a specific pre-loved machine.

So after nearly a month of scouting and coming across some good examples, I narrowed it down to a very lovingly maintained CBR by a like-minded enthusiast. Coming to specifics, it's late 2012, 24k run. Cosmetically, the bike was in pristine condition and the ex-owner had spent quite a lot of time and resources on some tasteful modifications and general upkeep. Up until this month, the bike was covered under extended warranty and quite a lot of applicable parts liberally replaced under warranty as evidenced by plenty of SVC maintenance bills still maintained well. I took 2 short rides and 1 long ride (~100kms) before finalizing on the bike. I've personally ridden the bike for 500kms now (including the test ride) in the last two days and the general first impression of the bike is as follows:
Starts in the first crank, engine runs and sounds clean, idles well in morning as well as after short breaks, gets to 120-130 with little effort and managed 140+ on an empty stretch yesterday, no stalling whatsoever.
Brake fluid, coolant, engine oil are recently replaced and seems doing their job fine. All fluids used are genuine Honda only.
Little heating in city traffic and negligible heat on highways. Temperature bar never above 3.
Minor squeaks and rattles from rear brakes and loose exhaust cover.
Minor chain cam tensioner noise between 4-6k RPM at any gear and the owner did not hide this from me, earlier i was a bit worried but after going through lot of reviews, i'm prepared to deal with it.
Shims were replaced around at 20k kms so no notable shim noise
The ABS and all electricals seems perfectly well

Other details
New Amaron battery, year old Michelins and 1 full year of Insurance valid(NCB was 50% so non accidental I suppose), new OEM brake pads with almost full life.
Mods/accessories include fairing integrated turn indicators, aftermarket tinted visor, LED turn indicators from KTM for rear, decent quality radiator guard, good setup of Hella horns, original HRC tank pad. I got all the available original parts and consumables like engine/brake oil, coolant etc as a part of deal for 90K. I may have overpaid but I found the guy and his machine to be genuine and couldn't find any major deal breakers even after spirited test rides so took the leap of faith.

While I intend to follow your and PSR'jis footsteps and do some changes in coming weeks, I write this post for some quick advice on the questions I couldn't find answers to on this thread or elsewhere:

1. Stupid as this may sound, I keep hearing a howling noise kind of like wind noise at speeds of 60 - 100 coming from front end. Initially, I thought this may be due to my helmet liners going kaput after my recent installation of Sena helmet bluetooth but the noise still stays. I depressed the clutch completely at 80-100 speeds on open roads and the engine goes absolutely silent as if on neutral or turn of but the said howling noise is prominently there. I tried to slipstream behind a fast moving volvo and the said sound is reduced a bit. I spoke to the owner and couple of other CBR owners I know and everyone was clueless about this. I tried on different helmets as well, no luck. Any clues on this? I suspect the noise may be from the wind blast on fairing or visor but I'm sure this is not the case with all CBR's. I can post a video from my gopro if it helps but I don't think this sound is captured so well in the helmet cam.

2. The owner produced a couple of bills and faulty chain cam tensioners which he had replaced earlier and said this is a common issue with some old gen CBR's which crop up again after a few KMS of the replacement. He adviced not to get it replaced as it does not affect the reliability in any way and it's just the annoying clinking sound if you are specifically looking for it. I'm pretty sure I can live with the minor sounds here and there but not at the cost of long-term damages and overall mechanical reliability of the engine. I'm not looking for perfection from a 5-year-old machine but I'm prepared to shell out for shims and CCT replacement if required. Thoughts?

That's about it what's kind of bothering me after 2-3 days and 500 kms. Rest of the smaller niggles I'll be dealing with the information available on this thread or elsewhere.

Thanks again Shivang, PSR sir and other members to share your knowledge and passion. I'll try and contribute my bits in coming weeks. cheers