Long term ride report on the Valvoline Champion 4T 20W40.
I've been using this oil for the past 2.1k's. And I'd have to say, its a real VFM product, and is still running fine.

Cold Starting.
Everythings fine, bike runs like normal from standstill, though the bike needs choke to start, but just for starting, once the engine's thumping then everythings fine, might be cause of the lean pilot.

Acceleration.
Awesome, not as peppy as the Yamalube 20W40, but still its remarkable, especially since its a 20W40 grade oil.

Riding when hot.
When the bikes extremely hot the oil used to perform well, but only till 1.7k after which the tranny's started bang when downshifting, its so loud that the other riders would look at me. But thats only when extremely hot, else the tranny's real quite and the only noise audible is the reaffirming clicking.

Am planning to keep riding this for another 500~600Kms or so, after which I'd probably shift to Gulf 20W40 cause the need for a thicker oil is much felt. Other options and suggestions are also welcome. Thanks again guys.

gulf pride 4t is best oil for zma,even 2500km when i drain oil,it was slightly red and viscosity also maintained properly,my bike clocked 44300km,daily 70km highway running...

Which is more thicker - Valvoline 20w40 or Gulf 20w40?

Gulf Is the thickest. Nothing I've used till now even comes close to it.

Sent from my GT-S5360 using Tapatalk 2

long time gulf user myself - you will love valvo 20W 40 as well .

karizmaR(help)

guys i am having karizma R.from last 2 years i am riding it .but now it gives me an average of 17 km/l.so plz suggest me help me out what to do. and also suggest me tubeless tires for it..which much inch and all......plzzzzzzzzzzzzzz help me out.

When did you serviced your bike last time? Have you replaced the Air Filer, Spark plugs or anything?

Are you sure the bike doesn't leak petrol? Man, 17 kmpl is what a Busa is supposed to return!

Anyways, get your bike serviced ASAP!
Check the spark plugs, air filter, carb, sprockets and tires. Revert back with a few rounds of mileage test done. Give feedback!

Thanks...

At last, I was able to open the engine of my Karizma today. The main problem I was facing is kocking in lower gears in lower rpms. E.g., the engine knocks in 2nd gear in at 2k rpm. The engine is not smooth in lower rpms and it sounds metallic.

Some photos

This is carburetor with brown color coating in side...



Color of the engine oil at 2000 kms..



Valves..



Piston head



Rocker arms..



Valve chambers



Cam chain sprocket



Cam shaft



Valve chambers after cleaned



Front sprocket



My mechanic says everything fine. We bought new valves and the seating is done. Considering the fact that the engine oil color appears good even at 2k kms and no smoke in the exhaust and no reduction in engine oil level, we believe the piston rings are fine. We are in a dilemma whether to open the bore and see how its condition. My mechanic says, if we open the bore, better to change the piston rings. Another thought is why to open when piston rings seems to be fine.

Any expert comments?? How do you guys feel about the cam chain sprocket? and also the front chain sprocket? To me the front sprocket appears fine and is the chain for some good number of kms.

thanks a ton for the pics .

all seems good to me except the cam chain sprocket .

1. The carb Inlet shows a lot of Fuel back flash..ie., as the inlet AF charge is rushing in, the valve is closing abruptly.
2. The top of piston shows a lot of carbon deposit..either AF rich or valve stem seal or piston rings are leaking.
3. From the angle of Pic it appears that the cam and Rockers have no grooves which shows good run in, and use of good oil,and oil circulation...still the Inlet Valve Rocker shoe looks to be more worn and had become flat,compared to exhaust one....
4. The bore and engine is already open..if the Piston is slid out of the bore you will at least see the condition of rings, and seeing the piston skirt you can tell if there had been any compression leak..blow by...if need be you can also put a new set of rings...
you have to remove Piston for scraping the deposit on top ,which would have increased your compression now....the carbon on Piston may be another reason for the Knocking .

@Ravi, you almost opened top end of engine, why do you want to run with existing rings? If better you can change bore piston kit since there are lot of new things going inside. However, it is upto you to decide the best for your bike.
As I learn your bike is 6 years old?!, then I would give a new lease of life. Atleast inspect the piston and the rings, since it might have already run 40k kms+, it is no harm if the rings are changed.

Steve(Stevesideburner) recently did the rebore job and heard he is liking it.

Thanks for the inputs sir. And so far, no work has been done. I have bought only valve kit as per the advice of the mechanic. He says all remaining parts appear fine. And you are right that I followed good run-in procedure, and I have always used good engine oil at regular intervals. And I have few questions, should I change cam chain, sprockets, cam shaft, rocker arms? And regarding the piston rings, if they leak, doesn't it cause oil to enter into chamber and there by smoke from exhaust? And what do you feel about the engine oil color? As I have taken very good care of the engine before, do I need to change bore and piston at just 50k kms?

You are tempting me, but it would cost a bomb to me. Already found that the front cowl tank joints broke completely. The rear cowls also broke, and I am planning to stick them with m-seal.

1.The cam shaft looks to be in good condition, so no change required,cam sprocket is also good ,so no change, regarding the timing chain I haven't seen it...but to be on the safe side ,change the Timing chain..
2. Rocker arm can be checked for wear by the mechanic,and if possible check dimension of both rockers with vernier and see.
3. If the ring and bore wear is in the initial stage you will not see smoke at all through the exhaust...definitely at 50K Kms there will be wear, so check it...Your engine oil is dark and shows some leak of compression.
Bore and piston change will be required ONLY if they are found to be worn..depends on oil used and RIDING PATTERN...some members have had their bore kit changed in less than 5 k Kms...in guarantee.even then you can rebore to next size piston, and enjoy increased performance.

Thanks again for your valuable inputs sir. I will definitely check the piston and bore tomorrow and will change the piston rings for sure. Regarding my riding pattern, I am generally a lazy type rider. I rarely took my bike to higher rpms in lower gears. Most of the times I used my bike for long tours, and only in 5ht gear I take the bike to 6k rpm, very rarely 7k rpm. And I generally shift gears at an average of 3.5k to 4k rpm only.

And I will change the cam chain too, and if required rocker arms by measuring the wear. I will update tomorrow the proceedings. Most probably, we would be finishing the work tomorrow.

Also, I have some question regarding the cone set. Though many people are saying that SKF is good, I haven't seen anybody so far using SKF cone set in their bikes. Anybody has experience here? Considering the price at 220 rupees, they appear cheap, and I am tempted to use them. Another xbhpian today fitted them for his Karizma and his initial expression seems to be fine.