two problems which i can make out..
1. Clutch slipping
2. Air filter choked ( why you wetted it! :-) )

reasons for clutch slipping - worn out clutch plates(you never changed it!) or use of high friction modified engine oil (read it energy conserving car engine oil).. You cant make out clutch slippage just like that.. Always measure engine rpm at a particular speed when the bike is new and then measure out engine rpms at that speed after oil changes etc. If the bike is revving more to attain the same speed, either engine oil is at fault or the clutch is dieing out or the idle rpms have increased.. Any sudden change in that correlation will tell you whether someone played with your bike or if it happened just after servicing then svc had done something wrong with your machine.

clutch slippage leads to lower top end and mileage reduction.. Which is quite prominent in your case.

were you talking about the metallic 'tic tic tic' noise?? Sounds like loose tappets/valves to me..
Didn't heard any squeaky noise.
Btw, have you changed the air filter and checked AFR? Need an update report on that.
@muztariq,
I dont think its clutch slipping reason being he's stuck at ~7k rpm earlier he used to reach 8k rpm (and may be more)

@Ateesh: Yes, you can say it's that high-pitched 'tic tic' which starts at around 00:18 secs and lasts till the end of the recording. That's a valve problem? Can u listen to it again and confirm?

I checked the spark plug, it was whitish-grey - so I am on the leaner side. Then what's with the f**ked up mileage? Inspite of AFR being set lean, my mileage is hardly 38 (which is pathetic, since I have actually seen my bike givin me 55KPL), so I am running the bike in ultra-conservative mode now - (Similar to what riders do in run-ins - no revving beyond 4000 RPM, not exceeding 40-50KPH, sticking to higher gears as much as possible)

I am yet to get the air filter replaced. Have decided to replace the paper filter with a foam-type filter from the old gladi - which I can only try and source at JC Road. Will do that on Saturday when I can get time to scourge all the shops over there.

@Muztariq: What are the symptoms of clutch-slip? Is is possible that the Wurth engine oil to blame? It was a generic 20W40 oil but it did make my bike feel smoother compared to the Shell Advance which I was using earlier.

its valve adjustment problem (loose tappets), get it fixed.
its always better to perform this job on a cold engine (because specs are available for cold engine only)

thats what most mechanic set it to. but with 4 turns out of AFR screw, it should be rich or atleast optimal. check for any leaks/suction on the intake manifold & air box.
and according to your riding habit you must get 50kmpl+ (have personally achived ~60kmpl under city limits with this type of riding) but overheating engine can cause mileage to drop (of course including all other nasty things)
Can you post a pic of spark plug electrode? would like to see it

first confirm it will fit or not on your RS or else you have to change the air box.

huge clutch slip: when you accelerate, engine revs but there's no speed gain/acceleration.
slight clutch slip: dropped speed in a given rpm. for e.g. bike used to do 70kmph at 6k rpm when new but now only does 65kmph (lower than 70kmph) at 6k rpm
is Wurth engine oil for bikes?? I dont know about this oil..
shell mineral oils are not so good. try any motul/valvoline/gulf/elf oil in 20w40 range.

Thanks, will get it fixed with a different mech. My regular mech is too ignorant of this issue and keeps telling me that it's nothing serious. Does it involve in-depth/time consuming repairs? In that case, i will wait for the weekend.

I am still confused to where exactly the 'manifold' is on a single-cylinder bike? Tried searching up on google but all I got were images of manifolds of multi-cylinder bike & car engines!

You're right - with a sedate, calm right wrist, I have always managed 55+ in city (max achieved was 58 KPL) Only now I am losing out on mileage so badly.


Took a pic yday but it was all too overexposed...yday I had cleaned the electrode thoroughly. Anyway let me reach home, will unplug and post a pic.
No worries with the airbox - will change the airbox if required - fed up of paper air filters! They get clogged so fast, we can't clean them at home and then, they're ridiculously expensive to maintain - especially when a paper air filter for the Gladi costs 240-270 bucks


Thanks again. Even I wasn't too sure about Wurth. Will switch to Motul in a couple of weeks. Not getting Gulf anywhere in Bangalore

Valve adjustment is not very time taking job will take less than an hour (if nothing is stuck or wrong) but this job asks for great precision. Get it done from a good reputed mechanic.
And manifold is the thing (channel) through where all the air/fuel goes to engine, its between air box and engine.

posting some pics of the spark plug as you said...

it was cleaned yday itself so there are hardly any deposits

Well last 2 pic has more carbon deposits and electrodes tip is grey showing optimal AFR. Last pic has too much deposits, when was the last time it was cleaned? I guess these were the pics taken before cleaning. First pic is kind of unclear to make anything out, its just too clean. And second pic has got white coloured electrode, stating lean AFR.
Your AFR setting is at 4 turns out, right? Try using little more richer setting but not more than 4.25 turns, just for time being, until you change airfilter etc.

Aiyo!!! They well all taken at the same time, yday evening!!! That too, after my plug was cleaned on Tuesday!!! Poor lighting is the culprit here

Photo No.2 & 3 are actually closest to what it looked in reality.

And yes, I have set it to leaner than normal - coz my bike is drinking petrol like crazy. Right now i am on 3.75 turns anti-clockwise from the closed position

Lolz.. And I was thinking how the hell this kind difference can be there.. Last pic almost looked like 2 stroke plug!!
Anyways, whatever you do dont let it overheat you know its leaner than needed.

Ok, I had a minor overhaul of sorts today. Here's the log

• Replaced that wurth engine oil with Gulf Pride 4T Plus 20W40 - Rs.230
• Replaced stock spark plugs with NGK Iridium - Rs.550
• Replaced air filter. Didn't find a foam type, though. Still on paper filters. - Rs.230
• A week's supply of Shell fuel
• AFR made slightly richer

She's sleepin peacefully after her new diet, will take her for a spin tomorrow to check if the new diet helped her health in any way!

BTW I was shocked at the amount of dirt & goo which I found in the flushed oil - that wurth oil was not even 500kms old!!!

Guys, can someone post a detailed procedure on the DIY Foam-type air filters? I read the article posted in this forum, but it's lacking in details. Which grade of foam to use? how to cut it to size? How to assemble the filter back? Anyone with a small tutorial/photo feature?

Hello,
From your spark plug pictures it seems like weak spark. If your problem not solved by above works, suspect your ignition coil also.

Took her for a spin today. The performance had worsened.
The engine was very rough. The bike was very stressed even at 60kph. Could hardly reach 70kph with great difficulty.
My friend suggested changing my clutch plates - changed my clutch plates spending a thousand bucks -and still the bloody engine felt the same..I am really going mad now.


Damn it, it vibrates real bad and cross 60kph - feels worse than an 90s' Hero Honda CD100

Clutch was never the culprit. Though, I'm not able to understand what's wrong with it. At first it seemed like a clogged airfilter.
Does your bike jerks while riding?
And what about the valve adjustment? Also try to get opinion(s) from mechanic.

@Ateesh: No jerks while riding. Just that it is very rough & vibrates a lot and feels very stressed out after 4000RPM. The exhaust note is very raspy. The mech also said that low mileage and low top speed were a clutchplate issue, but since he shut shop after delivering my bike, I couldn't go back for opinions after discovering that the issue was still present.

Couldn't get the valve job done today, they were in a hurry to shut shop. Will revisit tomorrow.