ZMA's upshifting, especially 2nd & 3rd gears is always a little harder... also, a new ZMA has a harder gear shift. if you are new to toe shifting that might add a bit more to the actual situation. Just forget that this is a problem and very soon you'd report your happiness about the same here.

Where ever u buy from... doesn't matter. HH oil is available only in 900 ML packs. Others are barrels and those stuff that you wouldn't buy

That's actually a very good point - its less effort to heel shift than toe shift - hence the perception that the gearshift is harder...!

@elangoas - use HH oil till around 3000 km and switch to fully synth. Also, if you are not comfortable with toe shifting, the svc center guys will change the gear shifter to the toe and heel ones (like the splendor). Many people had gotten it done here, but I never liked it

I have owned a P180 '06 and a zma '05.. Frankly speaking the pulsar gear box is definitely smoother and the zma gear box is definitely better.

What i mean to say is, there is a distinct "click" during every gear change in a zma unlike the pulsar. Because of this I can be sure of what gear I am in.. But pulsar always had the problem of "half gear" and also a "thud" while down shifting. And also it is easier to locate the neutral in a zma or a unicorn compared to the pulsar.. Probably this is one reason there's a louder noise in a zma/unicorn when up-shifting from 1 to 2.

Someone here complained of hard gear shifts.. From my observation, people complain of hard down-shifting more often than up-shifting irrespective of the gear or bike.. This is because they either shift down when the bike is in a higher speed or a lower speed which doesn't correspond to the gear they are in. Because of this down shifting seems harder..

From what I've observed down-shifting should correspond to the speed of the bike and the engine rpm too.. For example- if u stand still and try to shift down from 5 to 1, it is almost impossible.

On the other hand, if you shift down from 5 to 1 at corresponding speeds (similar to how you up-shift at corresponding speeds) gear shift will seem smoother.. And more importantly, down shifting should be coupled with a small rise in engine rpm while the clutch in applied. This is generally called a "blip of the throttle". Open the accelerator a bit when the clutch lever is compressed so that the engine rpm rises to about 3k (generally- might change from bike to bike) and then down-shift. This will definitely make down shifting smoother.. Cheers!!

I meant the gear shifts on the New Uni & New Gladiator . Both of them use only toe-shifter. But the gear shifts are damn good. Though the issue on my ZMA will resolve over time. It just that i need to bear it for some more time.

Hi Friends, bought a new karizma last week. Completed 200km. I am maintaining the bike below 3.5K RPM.
My bikes petrol tank is getting hot when i am running it more than 20min. The engine is getting very very hot. Is this common?
Any suggestions?

I think its normal. I did have that issue during running-in. It will subside slowly.

a bit more heat is common on a new bike but make sure it is not a problem.

pls check if ur bike has the required amount of engine oil and that it is good. any doubt, change the engine oil just any where. costs u Rs 200 and does some good. pls drain on a hot engine.

if u r using higher octane fuel pls try regular petrol.

I can sleep easy now with all the issues being addressed even before my Zma comes home

Come to think of it.. Ive been following this thread far more sincerely than any syllabus text in the last three years of my Engineering studies

Thanks for the quick reply friends. I am using regular petrol. I checked the engine oil, the oil level is near upper mark. Tomorrow i will change the engine oil.
I feel tank getting hot is some what strange. Should i approach service centre?

I think its normal. If the engine oil level is good and you are not running too lean. Ignore it. As I said, I had a similar problem - but it subsided all by itself after running-in.

its a very common problem on a zma..even our zma had same problem after a few k kms it will be alright nothing to worry...

Thats quite true. Even my CBZ-x used to get real hot in the 1st 500 - 1,000 km or so. Dosen't get half as hot now.

And btw, don't get tempted to take such teething problems to the service centre. They will usually do more harm than good. Please make sure you have a very genuine problem before you take it to them. Less they mess with your bike the better. Else you will end up with a ruined new bike.

Acutally, it might matter where you buy from. Oil adulteration seems to have become a big racket. I'd feel safe buying from the HH dealer only.

But try and buy only Idemitsu ...or mebbe Veedol. People don't seem to be getting a good experience with the one made by BPCL. Haven't used the BPCL stuff myself though.

So do i purchase the HH branded 20W30 or a Veedol/Idemitsu..?

Buy 10W30 HH 4T only from authorised service stations.

AFAIK Idemitsu Racing is 20W40.

Its 10W30 not 20W30.

As mentioned before, HH branded oil is made by 3 oil companies - Idemitsu, Tide Water and BPCL... so its not a choice between HH oil and the above companies... its the same thing!

You could also try Gulf Pride or Elf of the same grade.