All this was caused by wrong valve clearances, as suggested by @Abhimanyu31 . Now corrected and its back to normal behavior !

A Photograph from my ride to Mysore this morning.

One word to describe the bike.........Amazing!
The stock headlight illumination was really good,contrary to my earlier opinion.

Thanks a lot bro, I need some help from you. I am planning to take the bike on finance, so was basically going through the bike loans and deals thread where I saw you had taken a loan from BOI. It would be extremely helpful if you can pm me ur no (if its ok with you) then I can give u a call. I am too bad with numbers hence the help required so want to take it offline as I might need more than one explanations for my not-so numbered friendly brain .

Thanks
-adhiraj

Yeah sure man, its an easy process. Also you would save a lot on money, BUSAN finance is actually crappy, you end up spending more.

I have PM you my number, feel free to call anytime. If possible do come for wednesday g2g which is at The Moto Cafe at 8pm. Ill help you out in clearing all your doubts in regards to loan, the bike and other doubts as well.

Goodluck buddy.

Thanks Bro..

1. I have had Apache 150 before.
2. Been riding for almost 7 years now. Never ever had an accident like this on apache.
3. First was mild. I was driving around 50kmph and I breaked as some potholes were ahead with same manner front plus back but my handle started misbehaving and I lost control.
Second was serious. I was around 70-80kmph and road was almost empty. I was overtaking a rickshaw and an activa wala was coming but he was far enough for me to take control but when I apply break bike slipped and threw away very far and activa wala just banged on it.
4. tire pressures are as according to manual I guess around 130. Performance of real brakes ok upto 30-35kmph after that they are not useful. Requires lot of distance to stop after that.

Hi

You yourself would never be able to get what is wrong coz u very much messed up with your bike. Ask some one else who is a good biker and ask him what does he found problem in the bike. make sure that the person should have the R15. Sometimes happens with everyone and we are confused what is the problem. I hope their is an serious issue with the braking system.

After a long time..

Welcome to the 'R' club buddy!
Sad that you had to leave, but the time you rode her back- must have felt even better!

Welcome, and ride safe!

I see that your questions have been answered by others!
According to me, treat the manual as the Bible!(if you consider that you dont know much) and the words of seniors here like those of the prophets!

If I'm not wrong, under the manual specified run-in period/RPM, my Red used to hit 60 kmph on 6th at 5K RPM! Might be I'm heavy , but you shift to 6th at 70! That's something not according to the manual. Please correct, if the speed @ gear # @ RPM is wrong.

Now thats a beauty, a beautiful beast! Keep her that way..

Akash.Yadav has pretty much cleared the fog now, which will be helpful a lot.
Ride safe and take care!

That was helpful, especially for the new comers!

5. How many kms have you done on this set? Any signs of wear/baldness? (on the tire ofcourse)

Small things create great troubles!

Same happened with me, a loose battery connection, and I was worried about radiator, n fuel pump, n engine! Stupid me..
We must actually pay attention to details.

Well, as per me.
1. Air pressure is a major culprit in some cases.
Rear is 33 psi and front is 28 psi as per manual, do check it clearly the next time.
2. There had been noises about the ratio between the rear and front braking never been appropriate in r15. I mean rear is way too far behind front and this sometimes causes fishtailing if both are used in a wrong combination, ultimately leading to probably slippage.
Try some braking practice on an empty road in the morning hours and try some patterns
Front only, rear only, rear first and then front and vice-versa. See if you notice anything.
3. Check with your svc as well, there might be something wrong with the brakes, that they are locking almost every time.
4. Have a friend ride it, cross check if you both have same views about this.

You are right Akshat, you can also see the same on your swingarm. However, to the best of my knowledge, the prescription is for cold tire pressure (condition where bike has not been ridden for 3 hours and for XX kms, I am not sure of the exact pre-requisites) which practically cannot be followed in most of the cases.
Hence, IMHO, it is better to fill up a little more than the prescribed cold tire pressure.

so the issue is with braking. now its either you or the brakes at fault. panic braking may be the cause most of the times. if it were only the brakes fault then you would have fallen many times. and yes as nastrofaction said practice some braking on empty road and make sure you are controlled. you may even skid on muddy roads or on the small stones near the potholes. if you are putting more pressure on the front end of the bike and rear braking then you are bound to end up on the roads, keep tat in mind.

posting in separate post.

Ride 15 (Bangalore) : Bellur Cross Mayura Hotel. on sunday.



The Signature line up


All the bikes


The 2 R6 : Amazing shot by Suhas form YRC.


The Crux that joined, thanks to Renu for joining in.

That's a thing, but as you said. It is not practically feasible. So to avoid the calculations, i was never good at maths. .
I keep it at 33/28 or once in a moon cold tyre day, i get nitrogen filled, saves the pain.

There have been two instances when the front wheel locked up while braking, both because of bad roads and the bike's balance was amazing.. it went in straight line. If it had been any other bike I am pretty sure I would have fallen.

Also while braking its safe to sit towards the back of the seat, it helps in controlling in front wheel lock ups.

I wouldnt do that if I was you...

1) Putting the weight behind means shedding weight in front, shedding weight in front means good lock up, good lock up means tasting tarmac.

2) Our bikes have heavy front,
Why - very good for cornering since its a track based machine.
But - When entering a corner the rider should shift weight on the turn side resulting is equating the pressure created on front and rear. Giving him enough time to brake for mistakes or accelerate when exiting the corner.
So - Never shift backwards even while braking on straight line, that doesnt mean you load the front heavily.

3) Practice pumping of brakes, this is the best methods for bikes not having ABS. The hand and fingers work like a motor ensuring the pressure to be applied seconds after seconds just like the ABS motor installed.

4) Pumping of brakes differ from bike to bike, it is not the same in every bike.
Pulsar 180 - It required heavy pumping, the rear was drum so I had to be very careful.
R15 - Nissin are quite sharp and that's why chances of locking up are more (the same reason for another member to have slides and lock ups).

5) For R15 Pumping of brakes 70% + Engine Braking 10% + Balance 10% + Knowledge 10% should do 100% effective stops.

70% Pumping of brakes - Engage little, leave, Engage little, leave. Do it slowly, after some time you would feel as if you are holding the disc between your fingers, its that good.

10% Engine Braking - Reduce the gear when it hits the appropriate mark, i shift down when the RPM needle touches 4,000rpm, 6,000 if there is a obstacle
and I need to brake urgently.
A) ENGINE BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS CAN RESULT IN FISHTAILING OF THE REAR
B) ENGINE BRAKING AT HIGH SPEEDS CAN DAMAGE THE ENGINE MORE
Take your time in understanding when the jolt will be less, we all need to.

10% Balance - Movement of the body on the bike matters a lot during braking, if you are not composed and ready for the situation wrong things might happen. Grip the tank properly during braking, make sure there is no space between your scrotum sack (balls) and tank so that they dont get hit in sudden braking. Dont tighten up though, let the brakes do the magic.

10% knowledge -You should know how to brake on various surfaces, you cant go hard on wet or muddy surface. Gravel situations are tricky, it also matters what type of surface is present underneath the gravel, YES it does. If its tarmac and gravel on top, trust me you can accelerate a bit and go ahead. If there is a huge leap of gravel slow down first because you wont move ahead. Wet type of surface requires the correct tire pressure, if it is according to the prescribed regular mid type braking can be done.

These are some of the points I can think of having 8yrs of experience in biking, every bike behaves differently, you need to accept this fact. This is one of the main reasons for me not hitting Lavasa (A very good place for corners in Pune), I'm still about to understand its working and I'm taking time in doing that.

Lot of knowledge there. Nicely put.

But, are you suggesting brake, let go, brake, let go format of slowing down ? Both normal and panic braking inclusive, correct me if i am wrong.
I suppose you mean, to hold the brakes, not pulling them at once, but holding for a second or two.
Untill the point of time you feel that the pads and disc have made required contact and enough heat.
and then pull it as per your need, chances of lock out are rare. normal and panic braking inclusive.

For r15, the front alone can do wonders. The Brakes are very powerful and gives you an edge, not to forget the special tyres that provide better grip while doing so.
I have my worn out front disc pad replaced at almost every servicing and rear hasn't been changed yet. 15K on odo. This aspect of r15 has never disappointed considering the high rev riding style I have.

Also, pushing your weight to the rear or it is more of not transferring your full weight to front, might not be the best techniques for r15 but yes, it does work for not so abled bike like the p180, previously owned, to prevent fishtailing.
As Eshan rightly quoted, it differs from bike to bike.

Hey guys,
Back to office life. Lot less XbHP now. Even lesser R15 now. 2 days back i went in for 1st service in Yamaha Pro Bike SVC. They did nothing, just oil changed. Anyways, the problem that i have is that when i start the bike when it is cold, it starts normal. When i race it be it in neutral or any gear till 6-7 k RMP and bring it to halt all of a sudden, it makes a sound almost like pataka that bullet makes. Hope am making sense. Then i get on bike and i am not sure if it comes or not as i am driving.

The SVC guy told me it had something to do with the air filter box as when he was piutting his hands on it , the voice was not coming. Any ideas ?