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

Hi all,

So right after i reached Guwahati, i took a long break for about a week to recuperate: both mentally and physically. Based on the noises emanating from the engine bay, i knew that it was time for the major work on my CBR to be done. I guess after 45,000+ kms (out of which initial life of 20,000 kms: was not all taken care of by the previous owner) and the two torturous long distance trips under my belt (Arunachal Pradesh and Muktinath, Nepal) my CBR deserved whatever she was asking for. However here is the kicker, even though the shim noise and timing chain noise was now quite prominent, i didn't witness any drop in performance nor fuel economy on my return leg of the journey to Assam from Nepal. I guess every bit of pampering she was getting, i was now in her good grades and treated with rugged reliability and dependability.

Regardless, let us get on with the details. So hold on to your seats: as this post is going to be a mammoth one - will reveal a lot of interesting observations and hopefully by the end of it, all myths and speculations will be put to rest once and for all..

MAJOR SERVICE - TIMING CHAIN, CHAIN GUIDES & TENSIONER OVERHAUL

Now that i was known to the SVC guys at Vinayak Honda, i directly called up the SVC manager and requested him to confirm the availability of the most experienced mechanic they have who has an understanding and has worked on CBRs in the past. They confirmed on the same and the next day i reached there rather early, in order to ensure that i beat the morning rush of customers and also i get to meet and book the CBR mechanic for the job - It was evident that this job will take nothing less than one whole day to finish. The vehicle was first put on washing bay to get it cleaned (though the washing guys did a very shoddy job to my dismay, at least the primary layer of dirt and gunk was removed from my CBR). While the washing was going on, someone managed to bend the rear exhaust shield really bad. When i later found out, as expected there was nobody in the premises who saw anything. I was fuming red inside, however decided not to lose my cool instead concentrate on getting the work done. Luckily i knew it that installing a fresh piece will not cost me a moon... so i let it go.



Pic 1: Honda CBR 250r being washed and kept for drying. Note the exhaust shield dent.

After the vehicle was brought inside the SVC service bay, the mechanic started to strip the CBR of its fairings. He then removed the fuel tank, airbox & throttlebody in order to access the engine bay. We kept the vehicle under a ceiling fan to let the engine cool completely so that at the time of working all metal particles have contracted back to their original shape which would allow us to measure the valve shim gaps accurately. The same has been also advised in the workshop manual of the Honda CBR 250R. While the engine was allowed to cool, we then began inspecting the throttlebody to see the built up of carbon deposits inside. I am happy to report that post the clean up session (which was undertaken sometime back) the throttlebody was found to be in good health. Very little amount of carbon deposits were found near the butterfly valve and the inner surface of the throttlebody. I guess long duration rides and constant mid to high rpm highway runs have ensured that no or very little little amount of carbon deposits take place inside the given location. Also the surprising thing was when we checked out the intake port to see the condition of the valves, both intake valves were found to have much lesser deposits then the last time (when the throttlebody was taken out for cleaning, current condition not visible clearly in the pic below). I guess this is a proper proof that highway rides do keep the engine much happier and in better shape than stop and go city traffic conditions.

As always i was constantly troubling @psr sir, updating him about the steps taken one by one in order to confirm that everything undertaken by the mechanic was by the book. When i told him about the condition of the throttlebody and the intake valves, @psr sir was very happy and to be honest he had told me long back that mid - high rpm will result in any form of carbon built up being stripped off and getting burned inside the combustion chamber.











Pic 2 - 6: CBR's fairings & airbox removed in order to access the engine bay. Note the condition of the throttlebody @ 45,000+ kms. Besides little deposit on the butterfly not much deposits was found inside. Both Intake valves were found to be devoid of major amount of carbon deposits.

We then plugged the intake port with a clean cloth and then allowed the vehicle to cool further. After about 2:30 - 3:00 hrs, once the engine had cooled off completely the mechanic then initiated the next steps. He went on draining the engine oil by removing the drain nut. The oil was found to be dirty but still was fully functional, sticky but not runny which was an indication that Rimula R4 could have easily lasted another 700 - 1000 kms easily. This means: at half the cost of an FS oil, using HDEO oil one can easily do 4,000 kms (pure highway miles) which is really not bad right! And dear readers, let us not forget that this time, my CBR was literally taken to the edge of the earth, was made to work in dusty, slushy, muddy, rocky, 13,000+ ft altitude and -'C temperature environment: needless to say that all rumours pertaining to 15W 40 engine oil having any detrimental effects on the engine in terms of performance and longevity have gone "puff in the air"... My CBR performed happily under all, every and any pathetic conditions thrown at her platter - i neither witnessed any loss in power nor FE, neither did i witness my engine exploding due to usage of HDEO multigrade mineral engine oil. And this is after covering 13,000+ kms on HDEO oil. If you still have doubts, i literally can't provide any more proof then that... but wait actually.. there is lot more proof to come!!

After the engine oil was drained, mechanic then went ahead and started to drain the coolant (as the RHS engine casing had to be removed to access the timing chain and the chain guides). Right after the coolant drain was completed, the mechanic then removed the oil filter from the engine bay. As witnessed earlier, the FZ oil filter was found to be successfully retaining a lot of particulates. So far all the signs were positive, but i guess i can't keep on feeling happy with that. We had to move ahead with the next step - all the plugs and breather pipes were removed from the engine. Since, there was plenty of dirt on the engine head cover, the mechanic then started to clean it using petroleum based solution. After we were, satisfied with the clean up process, the intake port was covered with a clean rag and then on the LHS side, the mechanic then opened the inspection window for adjusting the piston positioning to TDC (Top Dead Centre) for Intake and Exhaust Valve alignment and inspection of shim valve gaps. Post measurement, as luck would have it, the SVC didn't have any shims and at times during initial measurements, the mechanic kept on insisting that the shims were within spec. I told him that if he wants to take a short cut then that is not going to happen. However, i let him have one benefit - this time we shall only do the timing chain, chain guide & tensioner job. After the new year, somewhere in mid of Jan 2018 we shall again take on the shim adjustment. i believe he got the hint and went on with the rest of the steps of dis-assembly.



















Pic 7 - 14: Engine and coolant being drained from the system. Note the condition of Yamaha FZ oil filter after 3,300+ kms a lot of particulates were retained by the filter. Intake port plugged with a clean rag and the engine head casing being cleaned with a petroleum based solution. LHS, nuts were removed to access and adjust piston positioning in the engine to TDC.

The mechanic then went ahead with removing the engine head cover to access the timing chain and the valves for inspection. Using a proper tool, he then adjusted the intake and exhaust cams to TDC position along with checking the LHS Crank positioning to confirm that the Piston was also in the same position. Right after that, the mechanic then disassembled the RHS side engine crank case in order to access the timing chain and chain guides.

I now would request dear members to take some time and check out the respective images of the valve train system at the top of the engine and then take same amount of time to inspect the RHS side of the engine which contains the clutch assembly, moving gears and also the oil filtration system. The mechanic was completely shocked when he found the whole engine, especially the top of the engine to be very very clean. Same was the case with the base of the engine where all the engine internals (besides the yellowish deposits which were nothing but remainder of engine oil stuck onto the components) were found to be as clean as it can be. Let us not forget that this engine has covered 45,000+ kms as of now. When i showed the mechanic the bottles of Shell Rimula R4 i was carrying for the job, he immediately took out his camera and had taken multiple pics of the 'oil dabba' saying that he will now start using it exclusively on his bikes

Now time to make the noobs understand what the fuss is all about: all this while i have been saying one thing,"proof is in the pudding and eating it." right? So time for the proof and the pudding - If one looks at the top of the valve train system, besides streaks of oil on the camshaft lobes, the whole of valve train system was found to be spanking clean and devoid any varnish or gum deposits which confirms that HDEO oil Shell Rimula R4 15W 40 was doing its job of keeping the engine and the valve train clean. Secondly, if there were any form of reduction in lubrication due to usage of non-OEM-approved engine oil filter Vis-a-Vis Yamaha FZ/Byson filter: there will be visible wear and tear marks on the cam lobes which - as the pics below will confirm there were none!! There were no pitting, scoring, galling or any form of wear found on cam lobes nor on any components of the valve train system. Thus, this clearly indicates that there was no reduction in flow of engine oil to the top i.e. valve train system, neither particulates filtration was compromised at any point of time. Mind you my honda CBR 250R has now covered near about 23,870+ kms while being on Yamaha FZ oil filter (10,000+ kms on Shell Advanced Ultra 10W 40 JASO MA approved motorcycle engine oil + Yamaha FZ combo and 13,800+ kms on Shell Rimula R4 15W 40 HDEO oil + Yamaha FZ combo). At no point of time my CBR showed any signs of slowing down, losing performance, engine reliability in the kms covered above. No engine components had to be replaced so far heck even the clutch plates were found to be in healthy condition! Even the engine oil strainer barely had any deposits on it. When i hurriedly called @psr sir and told him about whatever was witnessed there, at first he too was surprised. Later, he confirmed that the ZDDP and the combination of detergents did what they were supposed to do: the oil was actually cleaning the engine to such a degree that even any particulates that were stopped by the strainer, Rimula happily dissolved all of it and retained it in the oil itself rather than letting it stick to any of the internal components.



















Pic 15 - 23: Top Case and RHS side engine crank case opened up to access the Timing chain and chain guides. Note the condition of the valve train and the bottom half of the engine: all were found to be clean and healthy. The bottom oil strainer barely had any deposits on it - was cleaned and put back inside its place.

Now if one looks at the RHS engine casing of my CBR 250R, the yellowish deposits are a clear indication of the past life led by this vehicle in the hands of the previous owner. The varnish deposits more of less have come down significantly by now but the residual remains confirm that the previous owner never changed the engine oil for the first 20k kms. So in short, if any one of the readers still have any reservations about Shell Rimula R4 not working on a motorcycle engine or potential damages with usage of Yamaha FZ oil filter with CBR 250R engine: i guess the pics above will now let you be in peace and happily eat your pudding, spending hardly about INR 700 - 800 bucks per oil change (inclusive of labour), all this while giving the best protection to your engine (with extra additives and detergents). Also 4,000 kms life (tested to be true only on pure 100% highway riding) with an "easy on pocket" Multigrade HDEO mineral engine oil which makes this even better. I believe this experiment has opened my eyes to the world of Myth Vs Reality and the whole exercise of putting doubts to rest while being pragmatic and openly sharing practical "on-road" tests and data with all those who want to learn: for free!

Regardless, we then went ahead with the process of dis-assembling the clutch set up and the gears in order to access the timing chain. After the respective items were removed, the mechanic told me that i need not replace the rubber timing chain guides as ,"they are in very good condition sir!". From experience, i knew that the mechanic was bluffing: simply because in order to remove and replace the timing chain guides, he had to go through a lot of pain and additional steps. I sternly told the mechanic not to cut corners and instead do the job properly for which he shall be rewarded later. When the mechanic realised that there was no point in arguing with an OCMD rider, he started the next round of work.

Now in order to access and remove the timing chain guides, one will have to remove the radiator completely from the frame mount and also have to remove the exhaust header and header mounting bolts. Like i said, it was indeed a day's work (non-stop vigilance is required or else your mechanic will cut corners!!). This also meant that one will have to get rid of the old head gasket and install a fresh piece as the old one would have become toast by now. I was present throughout the process so nobody, including the service manager came towards my bay to disturb us. It was funny to find a lot of mechanics in the SVC itself poking their head to see what was going on my bike as very few and experienced mechanics get to touch and dis-assemble a modern engine like this.. i guess they were enthused just as i was as we carried on dis-assembling the components step by step.







Pic 24 - 26: Clutch set up and the gears getting removed to access the timing chain bay. Whole of radiator disassembled and then the exhaust header nuts taken out in order to remove and replace the timing chain guides from the Honda CBR 250R engine.

So the mechanic then went ahead and removed the radiator from the chassis, then the exhaust header and then finally the header mounting bolts which were quite a pain to remove. After that was done, the mechanic then removed the old timing chain and the chain guide from the engine. We also inspected the surface of the piston which @45,000 kms the carbon built up was pretty less and clean. The mechanic insisted to cleaning the carbon deposits from the piston which i was not so keen on as unlike 2-stroke motorcycles, 4 stroke engine doesn't need carbon deposit cleaning on it: anyways after a few thousand kms, the deposits will come back. But the mechanic kept on insisting so after a while, i relented but i gave him specific instructions not to fiddle with the head internals. He carefully inserted a clean rag on the sides of the piston and then scrapped off the old carbon deposits from the piston. he then removed the cloth from the side skirt and double checked on anything falling inside.

The engine head was inspected and both the intake and exhaust valves were found to be in good health. If one looks closely there is a very minuscule amount of carbon deposit on the surface of the head which means so far there is more or less a very clean burning of fuel going on inside. I guess precise metering of the fuel by the EFI system along with OCMD service schedule by yours truly kept everything ticking without any issues.

Once the fresh timing chain and guides were loosely installed, it was time to re-assemble everything in reverse order. However, the mechanic had to ensure that wherever there were old gasket bits stuck, all of them had to be carefully removed. He first removed the gasket bits from the head and then on the piston side and slowly re-assembled everything.















Pic 27 - 33: Timing chain and chain guide removed after the engine head was dis-assembled from the engine. Piston clean up of carbon deposits not before the mechanic carefully inserting a clean rag to not let chunks of carbon fall inside the engine bay. Old Gasket bits being removed carefully from the engine head.

Right after the timing chain guides and chain were put in position, the mechanic put in the screws and tightened them a per the specs. A fresh set of head gasket was installed and the head was re-assembled. Once the head was place and the respective bolts put back on and re-torqued to the specs. The Intake and exhaust cams were put back in and the timing chain was carefully placed back on top of them not before ensure that all the alignment on intake and exhaust cams were in-line with that of the TDC of the piston. The mechanic then installed the new timing chain tensioner and right after that removed the old OEM spark plug from the head. Unless my eyesight is gone, at least from visual inspection, the factory fitted spark plug was still in good shape. Regardless we replaced it with new OEM Honda spark plug and then re-assembled the head cover.















Pic 34 - 39: The process of re-assembly initiated. Note usage of fresh head gasket while assembling the engine head. The condition of the spark plug after 45,000 kms was found to be still good NGK Iridiums do live up to their reputation.

After the RHS casing was cleaned and the old gasket bits removed, the mechanic then put in a fresh gasket and installed it back onto the engine. Slowly but steadily all components were being re-assembled back onto my CBR right from headers bolts, header to radiator, pipes and venting lines, electrical connectors, throttlebody, airbox, fuel tank, fresh coolant etc. and thereon. Now as per the manual recommendation, if the engine dis-assembly has taken place then the CBR 250R will need upto 1.8 ltrs of engine oil before the vehicle is cranked up. We first put in 1.5 ltrs, started the bike and let it idle for about 2 mins. After that we checked the oil level indicator and put in approx 400 ml more as only after it was found that the engine oil level was to the spec in the inspection window.







Pic 40 - 42: Old gasket bits from the RHS engine crank case kept ready to be removed. Header, raditor, etc. put back onto the frame and torqued as per spec. Fresh bottle of Shell Rimula R4 engine oil poured into the engine.

After everything was checked and double checked we started the bike. It came to life in half a crank, the shim noise was prominent within the first 30 seconds of cranking which i guess was to be expected given that the valve clearances via shim adjustment were yet to be done (which would be carried over to Jan 2018 as mentioned above). The Engine was bit vibey but all ok. After letting the engine warm up, the mechanic then revved the engine two - three times and thank god nothing exploded which meant that the timing was precise the the vehicle was firing in order. We repeatedly checked for any engine oil leaks or coolant leaks but everything was ok. Even after that, we kept the engine idling for about 15 minutes just to see if any fluid residue builds up below the bike. Thankfully, no such thing occurred. Once both the mechanic and i were satisfied, i then cleared off the bill and went ahead to prep the bike and ride back home. All-in-all in took about 14 hours from start to finish to complete this job so one can imagine it was one heck of an exercise to stand throughout the dis-assembly and re-assembly process at the workshop along with the mechanic.

I would also like to mention that while i was there at the workshop, i met rider @Ave2592 which was really great. However, i was so tired by the end of the exercise that i guess i couldn't greet him better than i should have. So my sincere apologies for the grumpy and haggard reception you received that day buddy... next time will meet you somewhere else and perhaps we can talk more about bikes and biking in general. Anyways, time for some post-work analysis...

Initial observations:

1) Engine was vibey at idling.
2) Shim noise was prominent.
3) suddenly there was oodles of torque at low rpm.
4) all the clattering and chattering noise between 4000 - 5000 rpm completely vanished.
5) Engine was lot more willing to take on higher gears at low rpm, something which is not associated with a CBR's engine.

I shared my observations with @psr sir. He suggested that with cleaning of the combustion deposits on the piston, the AFR and compression ratio has changed. Also thanks to the fresh head gasket being installed, the old compression ratio has changed and also the shim gaps for valves may be slightly more. Thanks to installation of a new spark plug, the intensity of the spark is likely stronger = bigger bang and thus torquey nature of the vehicle i was witnessing first hand. I guess the ECM will have to re-adjust to the fresh changes and only after a few 100 kms i should witness a refined vehicle. The next day i took out the vehicle and went for some chores with my cousin (who sat behind as a pillion). Now here is the kicker: even with not too feather weight load, my CBR was happily pulling over a flyover @5th gear while trundling along right from 1800 rpm all the way to 4000 rpm. I was completely shocked and surprised by this new behaviour displayed by my CBR. The vibrations which were present earlier, died down by a great margin but the torquey nature of the bike remained. I guess with the shim job pending and hopefully getting sorted out by the end of this month, i should have a CBR which has a completely different character and 'zing' if i might add which would be fun to explore...

Hope we learned something new today...

Cheers,

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

[MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] - I can completely understand you being exhausted and being frustrated at the same time and yet being able to talk to me and show me the works that you've done on your bike. It is a bit of a headache while having Biplab work on the bike (Yes he is a good mechanic, but then also a very lazy one, i.e, fr my personal experience). Yes we will surely meet some other time with a better mood and a better place. It was really great to see the Rimula treatment working so well on your bike. And you are blessed to have [MENTION=32286]psr[/MENTION] sir who is available to you in time of your needs to help you with anything.
None the less, even though our meet was short ( and a little grumpy, yes 😝), it was great to have finally met you in person.
May you enjoy and achieve many more of your tours lying ahead of you.
Take care.

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

Great write up sharing both your trip and bike experience in your posts... Even I was not prepared to see the internals of your engine to be so clean, because I do know that the engine deposits spoiled the Shell Ultra in less than 300 Kms on the first oil change, indicating the level of deposits which need to be cleaned . ..Still I felt that R4 with high detergents may not be as successful in cleaning as I am seeing now in your posts..

The ZDDP also seems to have helped the engine since I see no score marks on any of the moving parts , esp., the valve train..The lobes of the cam ,cam end bearings, and the timing chain all look clean . So do the clutch assembly, esp., I could see the friction plate color clearly...The High Detergent content seems to be working on stripping only deposits , evident from the presence of all the paint marks on bolts inside the engine where the R4 runs ....

Hats off to Shell for bringing out such a good oil with open specs which they share through their MSDS.

The combustion chamber is also looking clean showing how good the AFR is maintained by the Honda ECM and associated components like Injector, O2 sensor etc..

It is good of you to share these images and data for all to benefit...

@ AVE 2592..

I am one of the oldest contributor in XBHP and uplift my own knowledge by sharing it and learning here..So not just Mr.Shivang but any one can tag or ask for my view/opinion , and I will only be happy to share what little I know .

Ride Safe.

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

Is it safe to use on my new R15- S with total odo of 10000 kms

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

If you are referring to using Shell Rimula R4 in your Yamaha R15 it is possible to use the R4. However please note that this is still experimental and so far no data available for Yamaha R15.. It had been used in my own Karizma and my Lancer Car without ill effect.
Shiv 18 had also used it extensively in his CBR250 R with no negative result.
A Yamaha R3 rider had also reported using it with good results...
Still if you choose to use it, you will be doing so of your own will , and request you to monitor engine noise and heat to be sure of oil flow ,and Lubrication
Good Luck.

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

I am from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. I own a CBR 250R since Feb 2016. I like the motorcycle very much and enjoy riding it. It has clocked 12000 km now. The problem I am facing is the lack of experienced SVC guys. I am fed up with the quality of service offered in the SVC and I am changing the oil and oil filter myself (after watching the same in YouTube videos) due to their shoddy job. Also, the SVC guys do not allow me anywhere near my motorcycle when they are servicing/repairing it which makes me greatly uncomfortable.

I had changed the tyres to Michelin Pilot Street Radials a year back and the handling became excellent. There are no complaints as of now since it is a brand new motorcycle. Since I do not trust the SVC for even oil change, I am very much distressed over whom to approach for some major work like shim adjustment or timing chain replacement. Please advise me if there are any experienced CBR250R mechanic in Thiruvananthapuram or Kollam so that I can approach him for the service of my motorcycle and hang around while he is doing the job. Thank you.

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

Hai

I am very much fascinated by how clean the internals of the bike is maintained due to Shell Rimula R4. My Classic 350 has completed 47000 Kms on RE liquid gun 15W50. Since I do all the servicing myself (DIY) from day one. I follow a strict oil change interval of 6000 kms per oil change along with oil filter change. I am very much happy with how the oil and the bike is performing. I have never used a Oil flush like 3M, wurth or any other brand till now. Can I use Shell Rimula R4 15W40 instead of the normal Engine oil. This exercise is mainly to clean the internals. Or should I just go in for Engine flush. Please advise.

Cheers

Mathews

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

Engine flush is only recommended for severely gummed up engines ie., heavy varnish deposits turning into a gooey gum which sticks to all internals...Still Flush is not recommended these days as we have oils with high detergent content which can do the job albeit slowly but safely.
Problem with oil /engine flush is that while it removes the deposits inside the engine, it can also lead to these deposits clogging up the internal oil galleys, leading to less or worse case scenario no oil circulation inside..the first to get affected will be the Valve drive train . ie., the Cam, Rocker and the bearings.. Of course this will cause severe engine condition leading to engine failure.
So it is safe to use a HDEO oil to do the flush as this will be a slow more controlled cleaning of the internals , and the lubricating oil is also present to ensure constant lube of moving parts...by inspecting oil color we can clearly see how fast the deposits are getting cleaned , and once oil turns dark, drain and use HDEO to continue with the process.
A bigger advantage of using HDEO oil is the higher levels of ZDDP in the oil.Over the past few years, Zinc , copper, and Phosphor additives in Gasoline oils have been reduced to very low levels , since it is supposed to get coated on the Catcon and reduce it's efficiency..but these additives are essential for the proper lubrication and protection of the engine moving parts, esp., the Valve Drive train.The reduction does not apply to the diesel engine oils since, typically the diesel engines are highly stressed due to their higher Compression ratio , and due to this blowby is also higher, which makes the engine oil go dark with combustion residue at an increased rate.So the HDEO oils also contain higher level of detergents and proprietary additives, which not only cleanse these deposits, but also keep them in oil ,suspended ,till it is drained.

For more read on ZDDP here is a link..

ZDDP Oil Issues


To give you a short answer , refrain from using engine flush, and use HDEO oil typically R4 for doing the job of cleaning and protecting the engine at the same time..Since R4 is a Mineral oil change interval will be less than Semi or Fully Synthetic oil..

Hope this clarification is helpful..
Good Luck.

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

Thank you, I did learn a lot. Yet another splendid post buddy. A bit advanced for a CBR noob like myself but the specifically detailed write-up is really helpful along with the appropriate pics. (It's great you are able to lead the repair jobs & click pics all the while. I couldn't even get close to CBR service bay in Mumbai Honda ASC last time, need to build up more rapport i guess)

I had some doubts with FZ filter since I had a heavily leaking oil filter cap on my long ride to Rajasthan from Mumbai. But it was an error on my part rather than the filter since I/my Mechanic did not replace the filter gasket at the time of plonking in the FZ oil filter.

Looking forward to your shim replacement updates. I think my CBR is up for a shim replacement as well after 4000+ kms of high speed highway run recently.

Keep updating & ride safe.

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

Hey Aji if you are from Trivandrum you can try Riders Garage.Though I haven't been there personally there I have been getting a good review of the place.
You can google search and get the accurate location of the place.

Hope this helps

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

[MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION], did you really run 13,000kms without oil change? Is that normal and is it ok for such a huge interval of changing oil?

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

Read the earlier posts and the recent post fully of shv18 to understand ...

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

Yes, i had read that. But i misunderstood it. Now its clear.

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

Hi All,

So i finally managed to drop my bike at Vinayak Honda SVC, Guwahati for the shim job in the mid month of January 2018. However, due to some personal commitments i was unable to be present during the task carried out by the mechanic. Anyways, post completion of the job, it took me nearly about a week to collect the bike from the SVC as i had to travel back and forth between cities being loaded with work. I was finally able to take delivery my bike from the SVC on 3rd Feb, 2018: Thanks to the rapport built up with the staff, they didn't charge me any parking fees for the same which was very kind of them. This is one thing i always insist on: for any rider to get VIP treatment, one has to develop people skills, treat them nice and trust me it does go a long way . Regardless, i inspected the bike and then started it after a sabbatical of near about a month. She took a little more time to crank then she normally would (probably due to slightly tighter clearances which again brought back the natural the valve overlap. Refer to this link to get a better understanding: https://www.xbhp.com/talkies/general...ml#post1027790) but the shim noise was more or less non-existent. I cleared off my bill at the SVC and then after 3 -4 days of stay in Guwahati started my return leg of the journey. The remaining 500 kms of riding was somewhat boring as i now had done this same route many times. the ABS was non-functional and the error light kept on blinking on the MID console and the bent exhaust heat shield looked quite hideous. Luckily all the required spares had already arrived and was shipped to my place of stay in advance by Vinayak Honda, Guwahati.

GRAND FINALE: PENDING JOBS & A GOODBYE?...

The day after i arrived at my place of stay, a call was made to the local mechanic to confirm his availability. After his confirmation, i got the bike at his shop and then we began the process of taking care of replacing the exhaust shield and also to sort out the non-functional ABS system. The vehicle was first mounted on the paddock stand and then the mechanic took out the old exhaust shield by simply unscrewing a single retainer bolt. Since, the rubber grommets/dampers were found to be in good health, we decided not to bother replacing them. The price of the shield is shown in the picture below.









Pic 1 - 4: Exhaust shield getting installed on my CBR 250R. Note the simple nature of work for removal and installation of the same.

It hardly took about 5 mins to complete this task. Post installation, the vehicle look much better and newer if i might add so i was really pleased with the end result. Thereafter, it was time for rectifying the ABS issue. As discovered by the local mechanic earlier, the rear tire pulser ring was damaged: which was in all probability done by the mechanic at Vinayak SVC, Guwahati most likely during process of re-fitting the rear tire. Anyways, now that we knew the issue i had placed an order for a fresh piece of pulser ring for the same. And yes!! it is frekkin expensive!! i was surprised to find that such a simple piece came all the way from Japan (as labeled in the packaging) and costs close to Rs. 1600/- bucks.

Now in order to get the ABS pulser ring replaced, the mechanic first removed the rear tire from the swingarm and then placed it on a flat surface. He then started to unbolt the retainer screws for the same. He placed the new ABS pulser ring in the designated location, evenly put the screws and started to torque them in even criss-cross pattern to provide even pressure on each side. Once, the installation was complete he went ahead with re-installing the tire back into the swingarm. If one pays a close attention to the rear swingarm, while the re-assembly of the rear tire is going on, one can clearly see that the rear ABS sensor has been removed from the rear brake caliper. This has been done to ensure that the brake disc rotor doesn't end up hitting the ABS sensor while the mechanic was busy wriggling the tire back in its place. Once, the tire was fitted and aligned properly, the mechanic then tightened the locknut and re-installed the ABS sensor back in its place: the job was completed without too much of a hassle. It took roughly about 15 minutes to finish this task.
















Pic 5 - 11: Rear tire being disassembled from the swingarm. Old Pulser ring getting replaced with a fresh one. Note the ABS sensor removed before re-installation of the rear tire to the swingarm assembly.

Right after this, i requested the mechanic to kindly open up the front sprocket cover side to inspect and clean out any muck that might have got collected in over 4,000 kms of journey from my last stint to Nepal. When he opened up the front sprocket, understandably there was plenty of crud and muck deposition inside. The mechanic then gently scraped it out from the same and re-installed the front sprocket cover. Now my CBR was back in shape and the ABS warning light stopped blinking for good which confirmed that the error was rectified. At the end of this whole exercise i was a happy man!





Pic 12 - 13: Front sprocket cover removed to clean up muck and crud deposits inside.

i still had to get the front mudguard fender to be installed but just that i felt quite lazy so decided to get the job done later. All in all my bike was back in top notch condition as she should be after the kind of torture session she has been through i couldn't help but provide the best of the care i could possibly do.

Anyways, it is time for an announcement!! while all this process of prior servicing on my Honda CBR 250R was going on, something sudden, something major happened in my life: Un-expectedly i ended up getting myself a higher CC spec motorcycle. It was in a quick spur of a moment, i took a decision which completely turned my life upside down. Considering the amount of OCMD i have, i had no choice but to take a tough decision to eventually part my ways with this wonderful and ever-reliable machine as i would not be in a position to neither ride her regularly nor give the well deserved parking space in my garage due to constraints.

I follow a simple philosophy when it comes to vehicles: pick one, use one, maintain one and then move on to the next one!

I am happy about the fact that i was able to go through the process of bringing a slightly un-loved motorcycle to the condition she is in today: she taught me a lot of things which hopefully now i can confidently apply with my new higher CC spec acquisition. I will be putting her up for sale shortly and i guess the future potential owner would probably end up getting a shock of his life when he finds a plethora of spares offered along with her, worth nothing less than Rs. 10,000/- which will allow him to keep this bike chugging along for the next 1,00,000+ kms . I guess that would be my parting gift to her. I hope this thread has been able to successfully help all those who wanted to take a step further in the pursuit of knowledge and also to share it amongst those who were upgrading or planning to upgrade to the 250CC class.

I was very happy to hear that Honda has re-introduced BS-IV CBR 250R in the Indian market yesterday (7th Feb 2018) again: which means that this ever reliable vehicle will entertain a lot of potential riders who wish to have ruggedness and reliability while discovering the unknown just as i had the privilege of doing so. Also the availability of spares will remain for a very long long time. If anybody asks me whether "this is the bike" i would recommend to anybody looking for upgrading from 100-150CC class, my answer would always be HELL YES!!

This thread will remain open for the public so that in the event readers wish to have a meaningful and healthy technical discussion, all of that can be carried on rather would be encouraged. I shall soon start a new thread related to my next noble steed. Hopefully it too will somewhat end up benefitting all those who wish to learn and share.

Until then...


Cheers,


Well,

i am not sure about the shim noise since, i have not seen your bike personally. But i guess there is no harm to get your vehicle inspected once. Based on my experience, if the clattering noise is prominent between 4,000-5,000 rpm i would advise to replace the timing chain, tensioner and chain guides which will take care of this issue for at least 50,000 kms (provided proper care with good engine oil, regular maintenance and repeated hard accelerations are avoided).

For the sake of learning, this is what pitting and scoring looks like on a worn out cam of a CBR 250R due to failed/non-lubrication:





Pic 14 - 15: IN & EX cam lobes of a Honda CBR 250R which show scoring and pitting marks. All signs indicate to lack of lubrication.

My faith in Shell Rimula R4 15W 40 HDEO oil increased 10 fold when i witnessed the whole of the engine internals to be in pristine condition as if it was just assembled at the engine plant. The pics shared earlier also gave conclusive evidence that using Yamaha FZ oil filter had no detrimental effects to the health of the engine and @ 4,000 kms of service life for just Rs. 740/- (Rimula oil + Filter + Labour), maintenance wise it is a steal!! at least to me the whole ownership cost came down drastically (besides my usual OCMD of course!! ) I am sure, as you start raking kms on the odo you will have nothing but sheer appreciation for this well-engineered vehicle. It just needs a little bit of love and care and then will remain loyal and reliable to you regardless how many miles you clock and how many hours you wish to ride non-stop!

All the best buddy..

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

Quite a write up there Shv18...Happy to see that the noises have died down post ASC service..which only confirms that the ASC knew what they were doing..a rare thing these days. I had also seen the Honda announcement of the CBR250R confirming to new BS stds., and hope they maintain the reliability and the total VFM of this bike...
Looking forward to the new Experience with the Higher cc engine..I am sure your OCMD is also working with the new love..
Good Luck
Ride Safe.