@ Aditya - thanks for the tip, the swirls left by regular cloth is driving me nuts!!

@ The Seniors - I've done about 500kms on my bike in the last 2 weeks ( not really the best weather in Chennai to ride right now ) and I've noticed a few things;

- Engaging first normally means a pretty loud "clunk", accompanied by a tiny,minute jerk - is this normal? I assumed it had to do with the high rpm at idle but since I've never ridden a fuel injected bike before, I'm left wondering.....

- I happened to ride a few stretches in chaotic city traffic, and I noticed that even while in first gear, the chain seemed to slip sometimes - almost as if the gear wasn't engaged properly. Do you think it could have something to do with the clutch - perhaps some adjustment??

- I seems to be all thumbs ( or is it toes? ) with the gear changing, with the clunking sometimes happening even at higher gears. In regular bikes this normally happens when the clutch and gear changes aren't smooth - so I've been extra careful about this, but it seems to keep happening. I've also noticed that the 'clunking' normally doesn't happen at high revs - Am I doing something wrong? I also noticed 'clunking' happens only when upshifting - not downshifting ( perhaps because I tend to 'blip' the throttle a little when downshifting )

Do these bikes need to be handled differently? I've never had this experience before and I sincerely hope it's just the bike settling down. Got me a little worried

On a happier note, I came across a Green Ninja this morning on my early morning ride down the OMR, rode together for a few kms before he peeled off ( and before I could stop and chat ) - a fellow XBhpian hopefully?

Settling down it is.
All sportsbikes thud, when shifted into first gear from standstill..thats one thing which wont change no matter how old ur bike gets.

I would like to know the answer to this as well. Anyone?


About the first gear change, I think you will always feel the "shift-shock" when engaging the bike into the first gear. Nothing wrong with that. Infact, I like it.

Interesting that you say you feel the "clunk" when upshifting. One of the complaints I had early on was that there wasnt enough "feedback" when upshifting. But your case seems to be different. Are the gear changes hard?
If not, then I think the "clunk" is not such a bad thing.

It can be reduced to some extent if the throttle is at 0(zero),

for a change(on someone else's motorcycle ) try to shift into 1st from neutral with even 10% throttle

Honestly, I'm guessing but unless I'm mistaken, I would assume that the fuel sensor is simply some kind of electronic gizmo that senses when it is immersed in fluid ( in this case, Petrol ), so when the fuel light begins to blink, that is because the fuel is splashing around in the tank, uncovering the sensor - triggering the light. I'm guessing that's why the light seems to blink initially as the fuel level drops and finally stays on completely when the level is completely below the sensor. I would venture to say that you should be alerted that the fuel level is dropping when the light begins to blink and start ticking off the 4 litre reserve as soon as the light is on continuously. - BUT - as I said, I'm guessing!!

Actually the gear changes are not hard always - only sometimes. Again, I seem to have this problem (if it can be called that) only when upshifting at lower revs - if I upshift above 5k rpm ( even though I'm not supposed to yet )this doesn't seem to happen. It almost seems that the bike WANTS me to change at higher RPM!!

Also, as I said before, it doesn't happen when I'm shifting down as I 'blip' the throttle a fraction of a second before downshifting ( I don't know if this is correct or okay for the bike but have been doing it since my college days - so it's a habit now - somebody a long time ago told me that was the way to do it and my bikes never complained )

@ TENHUT - thanks for the input Chief !! A reassurance from a seasoned sportbiker really helped! What do you think about the clunking at higher gears?

It happens on most motorcycles i have ridden, the more you rev up and shift, the better butter smooth actuation is prevalent

^i think your fuel-lamp theory should hold true, but as you am too just guessing

I know this and obviously don't use the throttle for First Gear, but it still happens - that's why my initial assumption was that the higher engine speed even at idle was the culprit.

I thought that this higher RPM at idle was because of fuel injection but am now inclined to think that as TENHUT implied, because of the basic rev-happy nature of sportbikes.

Not sure what you mean, the throttle is at 0. I dont rev up and shift from neutral to first.

this is what i meant, no throttle=0 throttle

This is called Revmatching in racing lingo. When you blip the throttle just before downshifting, what you are doing is that ensuring the shift is smooth AND that you stay IN the powerband. Perfectly harmless and I have been doing so for ages.

folks pls see this website, this one has all the accs for ninja 250 r !

Guys need some urgent help.

I am on the verge of completing the 1k mark and the service is due any moment. Spoke to the Khivraj guy (one of the engineers) and asked him if it was OK to ride for a couple of 100 kms (like 200-250kms) after the 1k mark as I have a ride/meet on sunday. He said it is ok and no issues to the engine or the bike.

The thing is I will have the vehicle picked up from my office on Monday morning by the service center guys for servicing and they will also drop it back by noon.

I dont want to leave the bike parked without a cover in the office for the fear of someone damaging it. So i was thinking of buying the Ninja cover that is sold by Bajaj. Please let me know if it is ok to use this when the bike is hot or should I wait till it cools down.

The engineer said that 90% no risk of it touching the hot parts of the bike but if it does, it will melt.

Where can i buy a heatproof cover for my ninja. I dont want to park the bike in my office without a camo. Hope to buy one tomorrow so please help. thnx in advance.

Useful stuff but it is in Thai Language

Any idea how to convert or use this link in English.....

Open it in GOOGLE CHROME, it gives you an option under the task bar to convert/change the language... just click yes!

Plz someone help this poor soul...^^

@tenhut: Plz give ur expert advice