Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

The thing is, there was a time when you had limited choice. But, those things were well built. I remember my cousin was looking for a 150 cc bike in the last decade, and he was confused between Unicorn and Pulsar. He took rides on his friend's bikes and bought Unicorn. It was smooth and worry free. When I was looking for a 100-125 cc bike in 2008, I went with Honda Shine from his experience with Honda and a friend of friend who had Honda Shine and was very happy with it. 10 years of usage and it was mostly trouble free experience.

Now, BPK here got a Hornet based on the mass public's brand image, probably from Unicorn, Shine and Activa. Heck, even I was going to buy Hornet last year, based on the same brand image o had in my mind from my experience with Shine. So when he faced issues with it, it shatters the brand image. And this is how he feels like. Since, you mentioned lacs of KM's clocked and being an experienced rider, my other cousin who is a pro rider and visits Leh Ladakh like a pilgrim every year. I consulted him while getting bike, and even he expressed concern with the 160cc engines and told me better to get Unicorn 150, which he used extensively.

In short I'd say, 160 cc Honda isn't upto the mark of the old 125/150 cc engines which were so reliable.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Anything you have doubt just ask in pm or whatsapp or on forum. In engine oil i always use mineral oil and change at 1.8-2k intervals. That way engine gets fresh oil always. Rather than putting synthetic and clocking 5-6k that way i feel better.

I still say that when it comes to air cooled 150cc nothing bests extreme in riding pleasure. 8 years and 1.2 lacs kilometers still not able to find a replacement.

1. Vibrations are there but with kilometers it smoothens out. My bike is nil vibes and only vibes on revving in idle. On road its super smooth. This bike doesn't have counter balancer although i have seen the hole in crankcase for counter balancer. The extreme 200 has a counter balancer.

2. Brake pedal i have lowered the position on mine as i usually ride with legs backward. Gives me better riding position and comfort for long journeys.

3. Yeah chain cover is noisy and mostly can be dealt with a dab of grease on front sprocket.
4. gearbox is precise and slots with clicks but can be hard from 1st to 2nd if you rev hard in 1st.
5. Mine fuel sensor is still perfect just that the fuel tap has same problem. This one is new tap and the new tap has same problem.

Overall i enjoy the bike as it revs like crazy, pulls like a locomotive and top end is like a four valver. Have hit 126 and it hits 120 pretty fast. I just flies like bat out of hell. Still remember the quote by Bertanad pn overdrive when they were doing 24 hour ride on malshej ghats.

"Throttle action is text book crisp, immediate power delivery punctuating the free revving nature of extreme engine".

"Tyson will be proud of the intensity with which this 150 cc 4-stroker deliver bushels of power"

Love this motor and chassis.

Bhai let me tell you.

When i bought joy quality was at different level than now. Its because in those days bikes and cars were brought by those who had desire. No financing was available readily. So those who bought also could maintain it with ease as they were well to do.

Now a days with easy availability of private finance anyone can buy it. While we ride splendors and all those youngsters in villages with nothing to do doesn't go below 150 cc.

SO bikes need to be priced well and replacement should not costs much.

An example:


Joy spares Price in 2001 Prices now

Bore kit 2845 1700
Timing chain 120 385
Clutch plates 650 360
Shock pipes 1250 800
Chain kit 1300 650


So these are an example. So you can see spares have been gradually made cheaper to make all public accessible to spares.

Regarding reliability of 160 cc engine well it will take time but these engine doesn't have any serious problems to let you stranded on road. Its a smooth mill with good torque spread.

Some small niggles can be solved with a good friendly neighborhood, and a cup of chai.

I always maintain a friendly rapport with my mechanic. And never depend on svc. My mechanic is constant since 15 years.

Leave ego and be friendly with mechanic.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Amen to that!

Damn! This is news, had no idea they missed out on the balancer on the CBZX, commendable that even without one there isn't much to complain.

Same in my case, balls of the feel on the pedal. Not only comfort but also safety as when cornering it prevents toes from grinding against the road.

Please share details of lowering the pedal, would help a lot.

I asked a nearby mechanic and he told me that the pedal height is fixed, guess he didn't know better.

I was under the assumption that fuel tap's were universal, if so can't we use a tap from any other model?

The issue I presume is due to a weak seal in the tap, as even with the tap off fuel seems to be tricking out when the tube is taken off.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

I am having a problem with vibrations, especially from 5.5k rpm onwards. Haven't gone beyond 7k so can't comment if it's better after that.

The vibrations are pretty much there, and makes me not want to rev higher.

Is this normal for the Xtreme or am I looking at potential problems with the engine?

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

How much on odo? Is it a new bike?

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

33700kms. Used bike

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Use motul 5100, 10w 30. Used it on my brother's 30k run super splendor which had severe vibrations, now after using that very little vibes even in 80 kmph! Also gearshifts have become smoother.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Well, a lot of commotion on the thread of late and I see shots fired from all sides.
All said and done, lets keep using this platform to learn. Yes, a couple of niggles or two here and there don't mean that quality has degraded, certainly not by a ghastly amount. Even the costliest of vehicles throw tantrums and if the manufacturer recalled/replaced something under warranty FOC, then it's a lesson learnt for both - customer and manufacturer.
A prime example is a Ninja 250R. Kawasaki refined that bike mechanically over 20 years and once it landed at our shores, we got a mechanically invincible machine. It threw some gremlins now and then, but still it has been the standard bearer in terms of reliability and engineering. N300 is based on the same mill, so it carries forward the legacy.
Now, Hornet is only a few years old and we're not patient enough to give Honda the time that Kawasaki had!

Not just us, manufacturers learn too, with their offerings. Some are quicker to try and resolve issues compared to others, but as long as it's not a niche product, ALL manufacturers pay heed one day or another. Nobody likes losing market share.

Senior members, please avoid using slang words like 'cr@p', 'sh!t' etc on the forum. Not only is it against rules, it degrades page search ranking on Google search engine.
And these rules apply to all.

First try figuring out if vibes are from the body or engine or both.

Check all nuts and bolts, all joints, cracks in plastic, console area gaps etc.
Check engine mounting points, chain cleanliness, slack and lubrication. Use a thinner oil and check oil level (low oil level causes vibes). Avoid 20w oil. It won't flow well and cause vibes as well as heat.
Ensure tappets are correctly set for both inlet and exhaust.

These are basic things. Knock each one out and we shall then discuss the rest.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

The international cousin of the Unicorn 150 engine, the CG150 Titan (Similar to Unicorn 150) and NXR Bros 150 (essentially an Impulse) has a balancer. The same engine was used on the Hero Honda Impulse and later this design was carried on to the Xtreme 200R.

I don't know why Honda choose to dump the balancer on the Unicorn, may be more moving parts = lesser mileage and also not every engine requires a balancer. They should have optimized the crankshaft to run without a balancer. Even the CBF125 Stunner/Shine doesn't have a balancer but there are holes to fit the bearings. I have a feeling that the engine life of Impulse should be slightly higher than Unicorn/CBZ.

On the Unicorn, what they essentially did was to pull out the balancer like appendectomy and simply replace the gear that turns the balancer shaft with a solid piece of metal, Honda called this a "collar". The collar is there to maintain weight balance of the crankshaft and make the gear primary drive at right height to contact the clutch.



Out of curiosity, I wondered if the Unicorn 150 engine can be fitted with Impulse's balancer shaft, crankshaft and cylinder-piston kit. Later, had my heart in the throat when came to know that balancer shaft of Impulse costs 2800/- .

It is also to be noted that Honda retained the balancer for it's 150s sold in Colombia and other similar countries while removed it for India. Interestingly, their oil recommendation for Colombian CG150 Titan was 20W-50. TVS too recommended 20W-50 for their Apache series in Peru/Colombia. Now, all of them are just recommended 10W-30.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Get your tappets, timing chain and tensioner checked. Also clean and lube the chain with gear oil and apply grease on gearbox sprockets. Will take care of the bikes. And what are you doing by not revving beyond 7k rpm. The real fun starts after 6.5k rpm and stops at 9.5k rpm. Enjoy that band.


As our Mr.mod has said many companies take years to master their products. Even skoda like companies have many problems which get solved with time, DSG gearbox is still doubtful in customers mind.

Even bikes like dominar have niggles of coolant mixing with engine oil.

So everything takes time.

Balancer shaft is omitted because honda and hero managed to make the bike smooth without one.
And slowly tolerance are getting tighter so use of thinner oils.

If you think 10 w 30 is thinner then my car uses 0 w 20. New k15b uses 0 w 16 oils.

And as per recent papers that i have seen japan is using since 2 years 0w 8 oil in labs. Soon they will be out.

So oils are getting thinner as engine parts clearance are decreasing. Moreover with emission norms getting stricter thinner oils are future.

And for adding balancer shaft no need of changing crank and cylinder kit.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Engine oil grade causes too much confusion! In some countries honda recommends 10w 40 for cbr and here 10w 30 !

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

No, my point was not that 10W-30 is thinner. I was saying Honda gave the same engine to India without a balancer and 10W-30 (earlier 20W-40) and to Colombia with a balancer and 20W-50 recommendation. Most of us who buy the Unicorn 150 ride it sedately; however, most of the videos I have seen from Latin Americas, they are ridden ruthlessly. Honda uses, IIRC, 0W-20 even for the diesel Amaze. Am not sure if the motorcycling industry would move to anything lower than 10W-30, as thinner the oil more the chances of gear pitting (since M/Cs have a integrated gearbox) and viscosity degradation over time. 0W-16 sounds amazing, so Suzuki got the Ecstar for their cars too!

Oh, I thought they are different. I don't know the intricacy of physics involved here but Achiever's crankshaft is costlier than Impulse's and with different part no according to Hero's catalogue. My wild guess would be that Impulse's crankshaft is lighter (less metal) while the Achiever's has more counterweights 'built-in'.

No need to get confused. Just use an original (sourced from a reputed shop or a distributor) 10W-30 or 10W-40. And if it is mineral, it can be drained after 2000-3000 kms as the cost will be more or less similar to someone using a fully synthetic and keeping it in for 6000-7000 kms.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Ambient temperature + riding conditions vary geographically. Hence the varying grades. Even in India, manufacturers like Yamaha recommend a range of grades to be used in different seasons and applications.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

Is suggest getting 10w30 for winters and 20w40 for summers. My Shine recommended 20w40 but later there service centre shifted to 10w30, some folks say it's to improve cold starts.

Re: CBZ xtreme / Hunk

I feel the emotion.

But then if the manufacturer has provided the motor without a balancer then I'm fine running it without one, might be because I'd rather prefer to stick with 'KISS: Keep It Simple Silly' school of thought.

And having a motorcycle with a balancer and scissor gear I'd prefer one without the hoopla in spite of the vibrations, because in the long-run I see less maintenance and downtime. Even on the P220 I might only change the scissor gear when I have to change the clutch or simply change it for the heck of it when a need to change the clutch arises, because it doesn't make sense for me to open the cover twice in succession, or maybe I'm simply lazy.

Knowing how oil debates can go, I simply stick to 20W50 eyes closed on my motorcycles.

Plus such oil charts put my mind at ease considering my blunt decision;