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

Ok

Sorry sir, that provokes another question - Why only Honda? Why not Kawi? Suzuki? Yamaha? or Ducati? or even Pulsars? Or are we only seeing only with Honda? Just asking out of curiosity to see what is that other manufacturers do differently that Honda is failing to learn lessons, that's all

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

Thanks for the question,
Since the CBR 250 R is made by Honda, we are restricting our references to Honda. Every bike has it's own idiosyncrasy...
Most bikes with Powder coated chassis have this problem....even Yamaha R1 has it...but better not to deviate and loose focus..
Honda typically uses Engine to Chassis mounting bolts as a connecting means to establish Negative connectivity from Engine Casing to Chassis.. Other manufacturers have their own method. Some have separate earth return wires soldered inside loom and a single wire returns to Battery negative, others run a separate Secondary Earth line from battery to the chassis etc.. If you had read the VTX1800 link you would have noticed that there are two versions in it. One having Secondary Negative wire from battery Negative to Chassis and one without it. The blogger had clearly mentioned that if this secondary Negative wire is present , not to bother with cleaning of earth locations and connections. So even within Honda's own production there are two different approach in Earth routing and connection.
Hope this is helpful...

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

Seeing the technical discussion and old school discussion i felt to jump in and elaborate a little.

Earthing. A much simple but much important point. You hear the term earthing now and then everywhere and every time. You hear earthing from house to automobiles. to ships to airplanes and also in electrical sub-station.

So how important is it.

Let me elaborate with a simple example.

When you all were a child you must have experimented a little. You get a torch bulb, a small piece of wire or better metal tobgue cleaner and touch the bulb tail to positive end and body to negative end and the bulb glows. So you see until both ends are not connected it doesn't glows. Touching the negative of bulb is simply called as earthing.

Now lets advance some. Those from villages will remember we had steel Eveready torch. Usually sometimes the torch will glow dim with new battery and family member will take it to torch repair shop and he will do some thing and it will again glow at full power. He did nothing but just repaired the negative or ground or earthing.

Now coming to automobiles most of you have seen cars with one side headlight bright and other side dim like candle. This is a problem of ground. The said side couldn't complete connection and thus couldn't draw full current from battery to glow.

Even in tail lamps of cars some time you will see when applying brakes the entire rear light cluster will glow dim instead of brake light at full power. That is a case of poor ground.

So what is the actual thing.

The thing is that the whole motorcycle is a giant circuit and thus the earthing or ground point is at one point of body and body being metal conducts to all parts.

Most bikes have the ground wire connected to chassis. But in CBR the ground wire is connected to engine body at self starter point. Mostly engine are made of aluminum. Once oxide on it forms they acts as resistance. They act the same as inserting a resistance in electrical circuit.


Now ignition is of two types. AC types like those in splendor, boxer, old CI bullets e.t.c.

Modern bikes comes with DC ignition be it CDI or fuel injection.

What happens is that when ground is weak then circuit will break.

Most common example is when you get electric shock. The reason is electricity always find least resistance path for current conductivity. That's why you get shock as your body gives the path of least resistance.

Similarly when the ground is not achievable, current will search path of least resistance to get the circuit completed. So it in turn will form series with all electrical circuits in bike to complete the circuit as soon as possible.

So it effectively makes all circuit in series rather than parallel.

As with all electrical systems parallel circuit keeps voltage same and current different. And in series, voltage is divided and current remains same.


Thats the reason why the lights and all went dim. Its because in absence of ground the circuit became series thus distributing the voltage.

Since voltage was less so the ECU, Ignition coil, Fuel injectors, O2 sensor were not working to full potential, and thus the loss of performance.

By connecting the earth from battery to chassis we provided a parallel circuit and thus equal voltage to all systems.

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

Dear Shiv, Psr Sir, Aaargee, Sriram,

First off Congratulations [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] . Right from the Powerhouse thread to this [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION], the energy level and the urge to learn things that you have is absolutely great .

The amount of efforts that has gone into the restoration of this wonderful bike is mind blowing. I simply do not have words to express my Respect for you people. If one does not have an emotional attachment with his ride this just simply cannot happen. You guys are wonderfull. [MENTION=32641]shv18[/MENTION] : Congratulations once again.

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

Hi,

i am very happy to see so much enthusiasm and active participation of readers post the recent information shared on this thread. Very valid questions have been put forward by the readers and senior rider @psr sir has been kind enough to answer all the queries in a simple yet technical way. I am also happy that a lot of queries and skepticism related to earth wire mod has been put forward and i completely agree that all such concerns are very much valid. I too was on the same boat when i was told to take an insulated cable and connect from the -Ve terminal of the battery to the earth wire... the first thing that came to my mind flashing at all times was a huge ball of fire!! Being a layman when it comes to electricals of a motorcycle, it felt like climbing mount everest while i was going through the troubleshooting part if you know what i am saying!!

I am happy to report that my CBR 250R is doing very good. The earlier issues of engine stalling when rolling off the throttle has completely vanished and the engine rpms now climb normally to 1800 rpms or more during early morning starts. Earlier there was a slight hesitation from the vehicle and even at times my vehicle used to stall.. pretty much all the symptoms @psr sir has explained in his earlier posts on this thread. The bike now is super responsive to throttle inputs and i intend to later remove the desi jugaad wire and install a properly crimped and heat wrapped one which will keep it clean and away from natural elements thus, full proofing the electrical system from this problem completely. I am happy to note that @gopakumar s pillai sir's bike has also witnessed the same jump in low end and mid range performance: even when his CBR never gave him any kind of electrical problems. I am eagerly awaiting for more CBR owners to try this simple mod, do report back on this thread and confirm: if they have also witnessed anything different with their respective vehicles. Rest assured this won't blow anything up and hardly takes 10 - 15 mins to install.

I do apologise for keeping the readers waiting but its just that office work has consumed most of my time, as they say,"Naukri maane Naukar!!" (salaried person means a slave to your work!!). But rest assured, the next set of posts will be equally interesting and i am sure it will raise excitement, doubts, queries and a lot more information sharing on this thread. Like i always say, knowledge when shared becomes something much more.. I am happy to note that readers and members of xbhp are equally excited and willing to discuss and learn more on this mere ownership experience thread, making it a platform to keep things rolling.

Cheers,

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

Hi all,

So now that things were back to normal after the earth wire mod, it was time to let it rip and clock some more kms on my beloved bike. I managed to do about 400 kms within 2 weeks time. But as luck would have it, new set of problems emerged: the engine was feeling a bit harsher and also there was a very peculiar vibration which would start from 4,000 rpm and will continue all the way to top thus, in the due process my right hand would become completely numb. The weird part was this vibration was only felt on the right hand handlebar whereas there was absolutely no vibrations on the left hand side handlebar. Gears were still engaging without any mis shifts and were quite slick.

I thought it might be the case that the right hand bar end weight might have become lose which was causing all this vibration to creep in. So the right hand side handle bar end weight was checked. It was bolted on tightly. When i checked the engine oil colour it had become completely dark which was a clear indication that unlike the earlier predicted life of Shell Advance Ultra 10W 40 FS oil, this one had a premature death in all probability due to dirty and clogged engine internals. I had done about 1,300 kms by then with the Shell Ultra FS oil. Also the vibrations might be because the Shell Utra FS oil was able to clean off a lot of gunk from the engine internals thus, making the earlier tolerance set in along with the gunk go haywire = more vibes. So time was for some serious action with a high detergent and high anti wear agent engine oil to start the proper clean up procedure.

ROAD TO RECOVERY (PART 6):

WARNING: The procedure i am about to follow is purely an experimental one. Should one decide to follow my footsteps know this: You are doing so with your own free will!!

If the readers may remember, one of my biggest grouch against Honda was the way they have priced the engine oil Filter. The OEM Honda engine oil filter costs a ridiculous Rs. 284/- bucks which in my books was a total rip off! So back in my mind i had already decided that purely on an experimental basis i will start looking out for an alternative pleated paper element filter which will perform if not better, but equivalent to what the stock filter did on my CBR 250R. As always a request went to the senior riders in order to understand if such a swap was possible. In the aftermarket options there are plenty of options like K&N high flow filter and many others where the manufacturers claim that the filter is re-usable and is far superior to the OEM stock in terms of filtration capabilities and higher flow of oil to the engine which results in better performance. However, all these filters cost a moon and there is no way of knowing what would be the long term effects of using such high flow filters. My goal was very clear, i wanted a filter which was cheap and at the same time was effective and would not harm the engine in any way. So after consulting with the senior riders, started the hunt for a replacement one to the OEM. And boy oh boy we landed up with successful candidate!!





Pic 1 & 2: based on my discussion with the senior riders we short listed 3 possible candidates against the OEM Honda engine oil filter: RTR, Bajaj Caliber and Yamaha FZ.

After measuring all three of them against the OEM Honda engine oil filter for Honda CBR 250R, it turned out that my association with Yamaha will remain in one way or the other! The overall dimensions of the Yamaha engine oil filter was more or less similar to that of the OEM Honda CBR 250R one. In fact, the only difference was the deck height which was barely 1mm short in Yamaha FZ's than that of the OEM one. I had a discussion with the senior riders to confirm if this difference in height will affect the engine oil filtration in any manner. However, the answer i received was quite astonishing and positive.







Pic: 3, 4 & 5: A comparison of OEM Honda CBR 250R engine oil filter with that of Yamaha FZ/Byson (sold by this name in some of the asian markets)

If one looks at the images above, it is clear that Yamaha Fz/Byson engine oil filter has more no. of pleats in comparison to the OEM Honda CBR 250R one. So it has more surface area in comparison to the OEM stock engine oil filter which should (in theory) ideally provide better filtration then that the OEM would and also due to higher surface area should induce better oil flow than that of an OEM oil filter. Since, this is merely an experiement: i am not making any crazy claims on the thread but rather looking forward to this as an alternative option to that of the OEM engine oil filter. If at all this Yamaha FZ/Byson engine oil filter is successful in carrying out its function just fine, one can imagine the cost savings one can do with every engine oil change!!:

* Cost of an OEM Honda CBR 250R engine oil filter: Rs. 284/- (Prices may vary from state to state in India).
* Cost of a Yamaha FZ/Byson engine oil filter: Rs.40/-

This is the no. of engine FZ/Byson oil filters i managed to procure by spending just Rs. 160/-



Pic 6: 4 Yamaha FZ/Byson oil filters spending just about half the cost of the OEM Honda CBR 250R engine oil filter.

So if one does the math, @400 bucks (INR) one can purchase 10 engine oil filters which @4,000 - 5,000 kms service interval and intentionally changing the oil filter at every service, one can cover approximately 40-50,000 kms!! So there is a massive saving in terms of maintenance cost!! Anyways, i was excited and looking forward to get the next servicing done so an appointment was taken with my uncle's SVC and i landed up there with all the items i was carrying. So as mentioned in one of my earlier posts, this time the intention was to let the engine run with a high detergent and anti wear agent oil: i.e. an HDEO engine oil. Shell Rimula R4 was the choice of oil for this experiment as it has raked up nothing but praises from the motorcycling community in India and abroad.



The video above may seem to be a plug-in for Shell branded products but Rimula R4 has proven its mettle in the engine oil thread on xbhp so my confidence on this oil was already quite high and thus, the decision was made to do the deed.


Pic 7: Shell Rimula R4 HDEO engine oil being used to clean up the excessive gunk from my CBR 250R engine.

I know using HDEO engine oil in a motorcycle engine is still and very controversial subject worldwide and there are many opponents and proponents to this. However, the way the engine oil changed its colour within the first 300 kms of pouring fresh oil in my CBR gave me goosebumps and i simply didn't want to take any chances. So HDEO engine oil treatment seemed to be the the next logical step to me. I was happy to note that Rimula R4 has already started doing rounds in other Asian markets. I managed to find one video on youtube where a Yamaha Vixion owner was happily doing an oil change with this HDEO oil:



As mentioned earlier, Shell Rimula R4 has the highest percentage of anti wear agent ZDDP or also known as Zinc and also highest concentration of detergents like Calcium Alkaryl which would help in cleaning up the engine internals and also in the due process start forming a layer of ZDDP coating on the internals thus, reducing friction and improving the overall performance of the motorcycle. Agreed all this was still hunky dory words and the truth lies with the net result: so we started the whole process with dismantling of the fiber panels from my CBR.







Pic 8, 9 & 10: The right ahdn side engine frame being removed to prep the motorcycle for the engine oil change.

Due to the last earth retun fault fiasco, i requested the SVC mechanic to kindly use a wrench to see if all the engine mounting bolts were tight and if by any chance one fo the engine mounting bolts had come lose. Without hesitation the mechanic was kind enough to start the process of double checking all the engine mounting bolts.









Pic 11, 12, 13 & 14: Engine mouting bolts being checked by the SVC mechanic.

As the pictures above may indicate, surprisingly one of the lower engine mounting bolts was very lose so it was tightened quickly by using the right tool. We then moved on with opening up the engine drain bolt and started unloading the engine oil inside the engine.







Pic 15, 16 & 17: Engine oil getting collected in the collection vessel.

When the oil started coming out from the bottom of the engine and and pooled inside the vessel it was completely dark and there was a burning smell emitting from the oil which to me atleast was a clear indication that the Shell Ultra FS oil was completely used up and it did manage to dislodge quite a bit of dirt and varnish from the engine internals. In just under 1,300 kms an FS died an early death: tells you a lot about how the vehicle was maintained by the earlier owner doesn't it? My guess is the SVC charged him money for both the engine oil and oil filter but the only thing they did was to top up the engine oil and then make a killing in the process. Since, there was always oil present in the engine, the internals were still fine however, i managed to get hold of the motorcycle just in nick of time before this cost saving measure/short cut taken by the SVC would have taken a toll on the engine. There was no engine oil consumption observed so it was clear that the piston rings were still fine. All this CBR needed was to be shown a bit more love and a good engine oil and she would be up and running like a factory rolled out one!



Pic 18: The OEM Honda engine oil Filter being taken out from the engine. Note the blackish deposits on the filter.

The engine oil filter also confirmed my suspicion that this CBR 250R engine needed a superior engine oil which would have a higher percentage of detergent and ZDDP to get rid of all the gummy and varnish deposits inside the engine and give the much needed cleaning and protection to it. So the Shell Rimula R4 engine oil was put into action. We then also got the experimental Yamaha FZ/Byson engine oil filter ready for installation in the oil filter bay and suprisingly it was a snug fit after the oil filter casing was tightened. The inbuilt spring gave enough tension to keep the Yamaha FZ oil filter in its place.













Pic 19, 20, 21, 22 ,23 & 24: Yamaha FZ/ Byson engine oil filter being prepped for installation on my Honda CBR 250R oil filter bay. The oil filter was judiciously lubed and then installed using the oil filter cap screwed tightly. It was a snug fit and the oil filter was at its place without any resistance or being lose.

We then proceeded with installing the bottom engine oil drain bolt back into its place. i would like to point out one correction on my part. unlike other motorcycles, Honda CBR 250R engine oil drain bolt doesn't have an O-ring on it. Instead it uses a crush washer in between the bolt the engine to tighten it properly. Apparently the crush washer is interchangeable between the Honda Unicorn too thus a top tip from this thread: make sure that you replace the crush washer everytime you get an oil change done. It costs less than 1 buck and will ensure a proper seal between the engine drain bolt and the designated area and avoid any chanes of oil leak.



Pic 25: Crush washer instead of an O-ring used in the engine drain bolt for a Honda CBR 250R. Note the impression on the old washer left by the bolt in comparison to the new crush washer (placed near the bolt). Recommendation is to replace the crush washer in every oil change.

Now that the engine drain bolt was screwed back in tightly, we then started the process of pouring in the Shell Rimula R4 diesel engine oil in my CBR 250R's engine. I don't know how far this may be true, but seems to me that i am one of the first owners who has attempted to use an HDEO (Diesel) engine oil in a CBR 250R engine and officially reporting the observations on a thread: not just in India but may be worldwide too. Not exactly something great but in the name of science, it is simply quite exciting to see if the experiment will yield results.





Pic 26 & 27: Shell Rimula R4 HDEO engine oil being now poured into my Honda CBR 250R engine.

After everything was bolted back on and the frame was insatlled, we started the engine and let it idle for about a minute. Immediately the first thing that we noticed was that there was a drastic change in the exhaust note and the engine in under a minute became very muted. Regardless, was now very keen to get back on the saddle and start riding to see what difference would this so called HDEO Rimula R4 have on my motorcycle.

OBSERVATIONS:

* Within the first 3 kms, all engine vibrations vanished and the vehicle became very silent.
* The earlier annoying vibrations which were present from 4,000 rpm all the way to the red line vanished completely! There were no vibrations so to speak of. I believe the oil was already getting busy starting the process of cleaning and coating the internals with ZDDP. May be a thicker weight oil (15W) is the reason behind this? i don't know.
* Unlike my earlier belief that a 15W 40 grade engine oil will make the acceleration and overall feel of the motorcycle, performance slightly sluggish as in when compared to a 10W 30 engine oil, it all turned out to be totally false! The motorcycle otherway round was accelerating even better and smoother all the way to the red line!! Now that was something surprising indeed!!
* It felt like as if the Rimula R4 was behaving more like a 10W 30 oil than the 15W it has been supposedly rated for.
* Gears became super slick. All one had to do was simply touch the gear lever and it would immediately engage the next gear whether upshifting or downshifting. That was something i was not at all expecting.
* After about 1 and half hours of riding one thing i did felt was that the heat from the engine reduced considerably and the radiator fan became more or less non-existent! The engine was running a lot more cooler than it did earlier. I am not sure how much impact did Rimula have on this but yes it was pretty much pronounced.

The initial observations were quite encouraging and there is a noticeable difference in the way the vehicle is now behaving in comparison to the earlier times. I shall continue reporting my observations after clocking some more kms. To be continued...


Cheers,

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

Shv18.....Another Detailed write up . Glad you found the alternate Oil filter in Yamaha FZ filter. Your observation that the FZ oil filter has more pleats is correct. It will give higher volume of flow and better filtration...and all at 40/- ....The Shell Ultra had done a good job of cleaning the internals,and is used up ..It has more particles in suspension turning it's original color to black, and it is good that you changed it . The Shell Rimula R4 does contain Calcium Alkaryl which further reduces moving parts wear and keeps engine clean. I am sure ,judging by the fast particle adulteration of Shell Ultra, that the Rimula is a good choice to clean up the internals.. My guess is you will need to run the Rimula at least 2 cycles ie., two oil changes, to get internals somewhat clean. There is no harm done in using R4 for more than this since it is a Good Mineral oil with ZDDP offering better drive train protection than conventional Gasoline engine oils.
I esp., like your changing the Drain bolt crush washer ....most of the time the mechanics do not change it, and use force to stop any leaks. over time this leads to the threads going bad, requiring re-threading and a bigger bolt.
You have now found a trouble shooting method for some Electrical problem,a Better Earthing method ,an alternate Oil filter at a lesser cost which is easily available in open market, and may be the suitability of Rimula R4 in CBR250R engine ......
What else do you have in store to share ?
Good Luck..

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

Following

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

Sir,

I have come to know through some of my friends that apparently using Yamaha Fz/Byson's engine oil filter as an alternative to the OEM one has been already practiced by many in Mumbai and Pune riders circuit with positive results. However, since it is still an experiment on my part, i would not like to make any claims unless we see the end result with the first oil change: the first round of Shell Rimula R4 treatment for my CBR 250R. If it works, then it will also help all those CBR owners who get frustrated with waiting for the oil filter arrival at their respective Honda SVC centres and some times don't have a choice but to go ahead with an oil change without replacing the engine oil filter. @40 bucks per piece, this will then become a cheap, efficient and effective alternative solution for the same as it is available almost everywhere in India and in theory, should be much a more superior filter in terms of particle retention and oil flow due to larger surface area.

I can already feel the difference with using Rimula on my CBR. The vehicle is vibe free, engine is running cooler, no weird noises from the engine bay, acceleration is still good and normal even though i am using a 15W engine oil. The Gears are super duper slick and i guess it is the ZDDP which is doing its magic. Will be clocking a quick 200 - 300 kms on highways by this weekend and report back my findings on the thread. There are tons of things to learn and share on this thread and i am just getting started!! I sincerely hope whatever observations and experience i have recorded so far, is hopefully benefitting the motorcycling community in one way of the other.

Cheers,

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

I guess necessity is the mother of invention,and so not at all surprised that some CBR250R bike owners are already using the FZ oil filter. Regarding Rimula, my guess is that the oil will become dark and full of particles within 1,000 Kms..I make this observation based on how fast the Ultra Synthetic oil became dark, indicating deposits inside the engine....Like I said before you may have to go through 2~3 cycles of change with Rimula R4 before decrease in internal deposits . Of course you can safely use the R4 ,since on paper , in theory and in real life use , it had proved to be dependable oil. A Suzuki DR 650 team had used Rimula R3x in the DR650 in the grueling Dakkar race with excellent result...You shares are informative and useful. Continue with it.
Good Luck.

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

QUICK UPDATE

Hi all, so the itch to take my CBR 250R out for a spin took over my brain to the extent that i decided cover a good no. of kms and let my bike stretch her legs for a bit. I managed to do around 310 kms in a single day and would like to share the following:

OBSERVATIONS:

* Engine: Butter smooth and an absolute joy to ride on the highways.

* The temps seem to be running much lower than earlier. I am not sure whether it is just seat on pants kinda feeling but there seems to be lesser heat emanating from the engine bay.

* Gear shifting has become a favourite timepass now. At times i would intentionally upshift and down shift just to feel the silky smooth nature of the way the gears would engage. Sheer joy of a child!!

* The engine is accelerating like mad. I believe with the earth wire mod and a better engine oil doing duty now, the vehicle response has become even more instant. There is a definite improvement over stock CBR 250R. Just to be sure that i was not hallucinating, i requested a fellow CBR owner to let me try his vehicle while he had a go on my CBR. Not surprisingly he too gave me the same feedback. There seems to be a new found punchiness in the low and mid range on my CBR in comparison to his bone stock CBR.

* Overtaking is fun now. Simply point your vehicle, twist the throttle and let CBR do the rest of the job for you. She is pulling very cleanly even from 3,500 rpms @6th Gear all the way to 8,000 rpm without any hesitation.

* No degradation or reduction in performance due to 15W 40 grade engine oil. As mentioned earlier, otherway round my bike seems to be behaving even better. Rimula R4 seems to be behaving more like an FS oil rather than a multigrade mineral oil. I am not able to understand the reason behind it. But overall very happy with the HDEO engine oil.

* 0 - 137+ kmph (on a safe closed tarmac) came in a blink of an eye and that too carrying a not so light rider if you know what i am saying . Due to cross winds, i decided to call it quits and was quite surprised by the new found eagerness in my vehicle to my throttle inputs.

* FE: in excess of 38-39 kmpl (on a conservative side) which is pretty good considering the condition of the roads of the state.

* Michelin Pilot Street Radial tire (rear): An absolute joy on the corners. Cushioning is really good on bad roads: good for my back.

* Powerlight headlight bulb from Hella: Output is really good at night. Unfortunately have not had the opportunity to test it under wet conditions as the rain gods decided to have mercy on this poor soul.

Overall, happiness is back in the life of this mere rider. I have got exactly what i was looking for!! A good bike at a good price and now with more or less all the little niggles being taken care of she is more or less perfect. I did observe that there was a thud noise and handlebar jerking whenever i went over an uneven road surface or braked slightly harder. I am not sure what is the cause of this. Would request current CBR owners to kindly help me identify the source of this minute irritation. I am not sure whether it is the coneset or the fork oil itself. Any suggestion would be most welcome.

I would like to point out one thing: Below was the condition of the oil when the engine oil was changed about 2 days back:



Pic 1: Engine oil colour of Shell Rimula R4 replaced about 2 days back at the Honda SVC.

The colour of the engine oil has already turned dark amber within the completion of 310 kms of riding. It is giving a clear indication that Shell Rimula R4 is now getting really busy: cleaning all the dirt, gum and varnish deposits inside the engine internals. The engine still feels butter smooth. My guess is ZDDP is now getting itself coated on the walls of the rubbing metal surfaces thus, reducing the overall friction = better performance and also less vibey engine.



Pic 2: Shell Rimula R4 engine oil colour after 310 kms of riding.

I am very happy to note that as predicted by the senior riders, a high detergent and high ZDDP oil is doing exactly what it is supposed to do: flush out the contaminents and unwanted depositions from the engine internals, give the necessary add on protection and reduce overall internal friction in the due process. It may be noted by the readers that since an HDEO oil by nature has been designed to withstand a lot more harsher environment and also has a capability of having a higher amount of suspended particles in it while still giving the necessary protection to the engine, i believe my engine's happy and silky smooth nature is the result of this. The engine oil changing its colour so quickly leaves no doubt in my mind that the previous owner either was duped by the Honda SVC or he was poor on maintenance of this vehicle unlike the OCMD rider (your's truely!!)

It would be interesting to see what is the end result of this exercise: using a minimum 2 - 3 Shell Rimula R4 engine oil runs on my vehicle and how much recovery is my CBR able to do post the completion of the high detergent and ZDDP treatment of the same. I am also excited to look at the condition of the FZ oil filter, whether it is able to retain a lot more dirt particles dislodged from the engine internals by this oil or it simply fails to carry out the task i am hoping it would do rather well than the more expensive OEM oil filter. The idea is to drain this oil in under 1,000 kms and record my observations on this thread. Till then.. do watch out this space for more...


Cheers,

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

Good going sir jee. Handlebar jerking with thud noises while braking or over bad roads is primarily due to a bust cone set.

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


ideally the thud sound's general cause is coneset however i see that you haven't felt handle being tight or wobbly neither the motorcycle jumps around like hydroplaning hence that possibility is ruled out. peculiarly in CBR there are 3 more places to check that thud sound.

1. The front mudguard sits on 2 nuts which indirectly holds it through bigger rubber washers. over a period of time due to hot-cold cycles the rubber gets hand and loose and the nut cannot be tightened further. hence the mudguard sits in its place but moves around and causes that sound . tap the mudguard at back/side/front with your palm and see if it replicates the same issue.

2. this is most possibly the cause : the front fairing plate that sits above the headlamp is a "triangular" piece. over a period of time the space between the headlight console and the fairing increases. its usually not visible but its enough to push a cardboard through it. so tap the front of fairing over the headlight and see if it makes that "thuk" sound. if yes, follow this.


ask the svc guys to remove the meter assembly from inside not the fairing just the meter assembly. hardly 10 mins work. take a old tube patch. say 4x4inch and ask them to push it through inside between the headlamp and top plastic. put the meter assembly and you are done.


3. also the engine cowl tends to get loose over time due to bumps/vibes. hence check the side bolts that sit below the clutch cover and coil cover. both sides.


Either of these 3 must be causing the issue if the coneset is fine. if you are done almost 20k then whenever you get time. junk the old fork oil and fill is new motul 20w oil. use 350ml instead of 331ml each fork. this will give you better front feedback. do not change the fork oil seals. just drain the old oil. ask mech to clean the spring and inside and let both sit vertically inverted for say 10-15 mins and then fill in fresh oil and repack.

if you further plan to mod the suspension and make it stiffer you can later replace the stock spacer with a longer one depending on your weight.
for my weight 80kg i have custom spacer which is 10mm extra than the stock one + 350ml motul 20w. and now the suspension is perfect.

28mm is the width of the inner spacer that sits over the spring and splendor forks are a direct replacement. hence ask the mech to give you a junk splendor fork. any lathe machine guy will be able to cover this work for you.

10mm extra for 80kg , 15mm extra (max you should do ) for 85-90kg weight.
lemme know if you need further info on this one.

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

Saar!!!, can you please explain this mod in a detailed manner and some images or pictorial representation will be very much helpful to us folks who are planning to stiffen up the front as its very much plush.

Cheers,
Sanjay

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

sure sir. As this thread is specifically for the owner and his machine and findings i do not wanted to derail the purpose hence just suggested. will post a detailed info with pictures on CBR thread itself. no rocket science . simplest of the mod and hardly involves 200-300 bucks of investment for the spacer + 225 bucks fork oil 350ml one bottle (we need 2 for both forks )