Hi all, got the Karizma today. It took 20 days instead of the 10 that the showroom guy said when I booked. Not bad though. Coming to the bike, first thing I noticed was that there was almost no sound from the engine till 3.5k RPM. I had to concentrate on the engine to hear them. (This might have been amplified by the fact that I have been riding my friend's Yamaha Gladiator for the past one month which makes more noise than an enfield). Another was the sheer ease with which it went to 80kmph. (Couldn't resist trying it once. Will complete the run-in period by maintaining below 3.5k RPM at each gear till 750Km and raise rpm by 1k after every 500km thereafter and will keep varying the speed.) Got a Rs. 600 helmet from a local store for now. Planning to get a Studds Scorpion this weekend. Also planning to get a pair of gloves for better grip on the handlebars in the rains. No additional fittings except a helmet lock at the rear. Planning to fix a crash guard in sometime. The service centre recommended oil change intervals seem to be too far apart (don't remember how much now, will update later) than what is generally recommended here. Looks like I have to pay them to get it changed earlier even though the first 6 services are free.

Hi all, got the Karizma today. It took 20 days instead of the 10 that the showroom guy said when I booked. Not bad though. Coming to the bike, first thing I noticed was that there was almost no sound from the engine till 3.5k RPM. I had to concentrate on the engine to hear them. (This might have been amplified by the fact that I have been riding my friend's Yamaha Gladiator for the past one month which makes more noise than an enfield). Another was the sheer ease with which it went to 80kmph. (Couldn't resist trying it once. Will complete the run-in period by maintaining below 3.5k RPM at each gear till 750Km and raise rpm by 1k after every 500km thereafter and will keep varying the speed.) Got a Rs. 600 helmet from a local store for now. Planning to get a Studds Scorpion this weekend. Also planning to get a pair of gloves for better grip on the handlebars in the rains. No additional fittings except a helmet lock at the rear. Planning to fix a crash guard in sometime. The service centre recommended oil change intervals seem to be too far apart (don't remember how much now, will update later) than what is generally recommended here. Looks like I have to pay them to get it changed earlier even though the first 6 services are free.

Hi all, got the Karizma today....... Another was the sheer ease with which it went to 80kmph. (Couldn't resist trying it once. Will complete the run-in period by maintaining below 3.5k RPM at each gear till 750Km and raise rpm by 1k after every 500km thereafter and will keep varying the speed.) .

Comgrats and welcome to the ZMA fold....don't ride ZMA in Grandpa mode....Keep the top speed below 70 Kmph in top gear(5th), don't do sudden acceleration...when starting in cold wait for 30 seconds before engaging gear and moving off.....keep varying RPM and gears...don't go above 5 K RPM in any gear...after 500 Kms RPM restriction is 6 K...after 1,000 kms,no rstrictions.

Best piece of advice a new ZMA rider can get. Darn, I wasn't aware of xbhp and I maintained that 4000 rpm limit till 5k kms lol. I know, I was stupid to wait so long. Bad (read wrong) company you see.

Welcome aboard ...... so I got Shell AX5 which I fully recommend. And of course do upload some pictures.

Congrats and welcome to the ZMA fold....... after 500 Kms RPM restriction is 6 K...after 1,000 kms,no restrictions.

Drained and refilled oil today. Rimula R4 after ~1.5K kms was very dark. I think it's done a good job clearing up the engine.
I was able to source another bottle of R4 from the distributor and I put about 850 ml in today. The bottle contains 1 litre of oil. The recommended change is 900 ml in the ZMA, I believe.
The marker showed slightly over the full mark on the dip stick before draining, so I didn't put in the entire litre of oil after the drain.

I had to replace the RR unit as well, the day before, the 20A fuse was blown. No matter what we did, it kept conking out. We checked all wires etc, and finally narrowed it down to the RR unit. It is expensive here at 1728 rupees.
Thanks to PSR ji, as always, for his kind help.

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Note the finish (quality) of the new unit isn't as good as the older one. L is the old one, R is the new one (obvious, but just in case...!).

Is RR unit a voltage regulator device?

Is RR unit a voltage regulator device?

Is RR unit a voltage regulator device?

AFAIK, RR is supposed to keep the bike at a steady voltage. Hence, it is a voltage regulator indeed.

In layman terms, Yes. It ensures the constant supply of pre determined DC voltage back to the battery by converting the AC from the alternator. It keeps the voltage charging/Discharging cycle uniform to keep the battery healthy. In case of a failed/weak RR unit, all the current required by the bike is taken from the battery but not recycled completely back to the source(Battery). Hence the battery becomes weak much sooner, no matter how many times the battery is charged, it will not sustain it. Signs of a weak/Failed RR unit is that the unit becomes so hot on short runs that the warmth is felt on the outside of the fiber underneath the right side fiber on the pillion seat.

Like a child must first crawl before walking "I had been there and done it" he he....the bikes I set properly by old school were non performing ones, and I learned that en engine need to be shifted through various gears and RPM during run in,and an occasional burst of speed and RPM will not harm the engine like the old school thought.....
Significant changes have also taken place in improvement of metallurgy and close tolerance machining.....so the old school of thought fits old engines and new thinking fits newer engines...still a new engine should not be Red Lined till 1,000 Kms after carefully Exercising it through the period to higher RPMs...
It is always better to be Safe Than Be Sorry...

Isn't it true that a bike's fate is decided in the initial 80-100 Kms only. Pampering your bike until the day your ODO reads 1,000 Kms isn't good for the engine either. Such a debatable topic this... I can't help but share my opinion here. Everywhere on xBhp I read stuff like, "oh crap don't go over 4k RPM until 1,000 Kms at all" no matter what the bike is. I'm only against redlining when the engine is cold and oil hasn't circulated to engine parts. I feel you can start taking your new bike to higher RPMs right after first service is done (300-500Kms for most bikes). even redline it yes. But don't push it to the limits "too often". Just ride with a free mind and all will be well.

No offense to anyone k.. just a visitor in this thread xD

If you had used a drill or metal file to shape a form, you will understand that increased pressure and faster movement will invariably cause problems...the drill or file will chew up more than required material.....it is the same inside a new engine..we don't want the engine to wear fast and set with gaps in between rings and cylinder.....please remember that the Piston and Bore are of different Material with different temperature co-efficients, and any sudden increase in temperature will lead to non linear expansion, and seizure due to yet to be set gap between Piston and Bore.It is for this reason that a specific running in period and method is advocated.

As I said it's a never ending debate over the correct break-in method.

Imagine what happened? I registered a complaint in the "Hero" website. As I got the chain oiled in the interim I was planning to visit a service station advised here over the weekend. I was surprised on wednesday when I got a call; a polite voice mentioning that I've raised a complaint. I went on with the issues and he acknowledged that his superviosr should've behaved and asked me to visit the SVC and call on his mobile.

I visited the SVC on friday evening, gave him a call and it was an experience we all should've been recieving whenever we take a bike there. He asked me what the issues were, noted them in a "minor repair form". On Sat'day he called up and informed the bike is ready. He had the cables replaced, got the bike properly oiled; even the speedometer which is working now; they replaced the spdt assembly and cables.

Upon enquiry he says " Hero has the best service and customer response network. As soon as a complaint is submitted a SMS is sent to the SVC with a copy to the regional service and national service managers. Once the customer is contacted and service provided the customer will be contacted for feedback. If a satisfactory answer is not recieved the issue will be escalated till it is resolved." If the bike is serviced by customer as per recommendations, Hero has fulfilled the warranty promise in 99% of cases.

As far as my experience goes, the system in place worked and it goes to show "we lose nothing in giving the system a try". As a tidbit he mentioned that bikes in the range of 250cc,500cc and even 1000cc models are ready with Hero. They're just waiting for the markets to stabilize.