wellington has few good lids...you just have to look out for the right one among them....i have personally seen and bought few for my friends from there.....MRC and MHR particularly are good ones........I have in fact crash tested the MHR myself .....had a nasty crash where i landed straight on my head and the lid took it fantastically well....didnt feel even a slight shock on my head....you can have a look at that...my friend there is a dealer who stocks these lids at Wellington....i l be visiting wellington this coming week..if you wana come then tag along......

Please check in the Helmets section-I have given the no.of the Manager of Vega in Kolkata to Jonak, they say they can source international Vega helmets too.

God, you guys are talking about it as if the bike would be destroyed and that its something that's done rarely. It doesn't increase the power by 50 bhp! Actually, I wouldn't care if it didn't increase power at all. It's the sound I'm after because I think the stock exhaust is "pussy cat".

I would change the exhaust after the run in period. Why do you need Akrapovic or Yoshi reps here? An exhaust is very easy to fit, especially if its not underseat. The Honda techs would fit it when they do the first service, if you have the exhaust that time.

There's no need to be so paranoid.

The contact patch looks OK. But I'd ask you to keep checking the tyre pressures and maintain at spec. A little drop, even 3-4 PSI can throw the bike's handling off.

If this behaviour still persists, then get the rims checked for warpage. If you came upon a pothole at speed, then this is very much possible. But let's start with the simple issues first

EDIT: @Bladerunner: I doubt if the Honda guys will fit an aftermarket part on. Plus I've no clue what Honda's policy is with regards to fitting aftermarket parts onto their CBUs vis a vis warranty. Best course for fireblah is to first enquire and then invest.

Well, I'll say, since you bought the bike with warranty and a very high sticker price, it is best to inquire with Honda India regarding the warranty period & custom parts sourcing.

Secondly, don't just go for a slip-on exhaust. Get a complete exhaust system whenever you think you are ready. And don't just think of one name which may be famous in India. You can get Akrapovic, but Devil is the loudest amongst all and then there is 2-Brothers, Kerkar, Yoshi, etc which can be quite close or equally good. There is a complete eco-system out there for such things for which you need to visit CBR-Forums to get first hand knowledge. You will find guys there who have installed it themselves, from people and using the bikes much more than us in India.

But that is all for later. For now, just enjoy the break-in time and the experience of being in heaven. I know first hand how it feels to be different. The feeling hasn't sunk in yet and I'm still to take my first proper ride on mine.

The contact patch looks OK to me.

I faced the same problem with my 600. This usually happens when the tyre walls are not symmetrical.

Try getting the tyre pressure down by about a couple of psi, ride it for a kilometer or 2 and then again get the tyre in the right pressure.

And please, wear this helmet till the time you get your hands on a good one.
you can visit h and look at the helmets there. they have a good collection, at a fair price. they will deliver it to kolkata too. all you need to do is give them your head size.

speak to vivek there, pretty nice chap. will help you out.


till then take care and ride safe....

@all: I am not going to change anything in the bike at least for a year.

@rossiter: what about having to lean left side while riding hands off handle ? I'll keep the air pressure to spec.. bike never went to a pothole like that .. so i think rim is fine...

@fireblah : ur bike leans towards the right at the back or front ? My aquila also used to lean towards the left when I left my hands. Towards the rear side. My mech solved it, alto I dont know wat he did. I'll ask him ! But what I mean is, its a real problem not a phsycological thing. So maybe you can show it to Honda !!

Thanks.... which bike do you have ?

may be youd body is heavier on the right side just kidding.

by the way i loved the videos !

Yeah , it might be the case, but my bro also feels the same.

@sukant: it leans whole .. back front ? i dunno..

Guys, i am in love with this helmet...
This okay ? price is 8k though...

^
Yep. that should be more than enough. But I read that Sparx helmets whistle at high speeds. Better check that out.

About lean thingy, the air pressure might be the culprit.

I am back!!!!
Internet connection was out of order for 5 days because of Aila.
Lets go for helmet hunting tomorrow in Wellington. What say Vishal???

I too loved several helmets in PRS site. I am in love with SparX rebel for a long time now and I am ready to buy it any day. But I strongly feel one should not buy a helmet without wearing it. Or, until and unless one is sure about the manufacturer's size list. In helmets difference of even 20mm matters a lot. I do not know anyone who is having a sparX in Kolkata. So, checking the size will not be possible.
Also I know several instances where helmet is damaged during transportation.
If have friends having KBC in Kolkata. So, the size of KBC can be checked and accordingly you can order it from some store or can import it from abroad through someone.

The whole bike will lean, but wich part seems to be pulling it that way ? In my bike, the rear seemed to be tilting, wich is y i had to lean the other way. That is what I meant. Try to figure it out. As it might help the mechs in locating the problem, instead of examining the entire bike !

It started off with a simple PM and it turned out to be the ultimate dream day for a Honda CBR fan like me.

I was waiting at a predecided spot, all shaky and anxious. I had just called Fireblah, and he said he was coming to get me. Within a few minutes I'd be face to face with the bike of my dreams. Just as I took a U-turn to face the right way, I saw the 'Blade, in all its glory come up to me. Actually my heart skipped a beat and I felt the funny feeling of going down a rollercoaster in my stomach. What did I expect? A scream that could be heard miles away? The Fireblade was so silent that until it came a few feet from me I actually did'nt hear the 'gzzzzz' of the inline 4. Introductions were exchanged. Then I started following Fireblah to his house. The 'Blade had an elegance that very few bikes have. Yes, it was a milti-cylinder, 180 bhp machine, yet there was no show-off, no 'look at me!' attitude. It just weaved and flexed and leaned with superb elegance. Plush is the word, as some bike magazine said. The huge 190 section rear reminded me of the bat pod. It actually was a heady experience following the 'Blade. Finally we stopped. I got off and it took a good few minutes for the moment to sink in. So this is it.... The bike of my dreams.... Right in front of me! The entire scene felt utterly unreal. To add to the unreality, I was offered a ride. I was like, knocked silly. It was hard to believe this was happening in reality! Second stage: I felt fear. I've seen and also heard spook stories about first timers not being able to handle the power. What if I dropped it while taking a U-turn? But my greed and desire won over and I took the chance. 'Just be careful with U-turns, rest will be fine'. Put the key in, the self check was done in barely a second. The low beam light is always 'on'. Thumbed the starter. Nothing. Thumbed it again. 'Grrzzzrzzrzzzrzzz......' went the bike. The adrenaline began flowing. Pulled in the clutch pressed the gear-shifter. Was ready for the 'thud' that happened next. Slowly started to engage the clutch, but my throttle hand was frozen stiff, scared to make a mistake. The bike stalled. Quickly started it again and this time opened a wee bit throttle with the clutch release. The bike started moving. That felt so good. I barely touched 30kmph, but the feel of the entire thing felt very addictive. Now came the tricky part. U-turning. But somehow, I'd anticipated the long truning radius, and had been warned likewise. Did the U-turn and started riding back, this time shifting into second. Came back and I was all smiles. If I was shaky before, I was shakier now. Then Fireblah decided this was'nt enough to get a hint of the actual potential of the bike. I was offered to come as pillion! Perched myself on the tiny seat with absolutely nothing to hold on to! 'Hold me firmly with your knees and arms'. With that, we took off. The first few winding roads were pretty cool, no trouble. But as soon as we got on a road long enough Fireblah decided to liven up things. The bike surged forward brutally, while I was literally hanging on for dear life. It felt like being on an object that trying hard to pull away from you, so hold on as hard as you can! But once I fixed myself on the bike, whenever he opened the throttle next and I heard the flap in the exhaust opening, I felt the utterly mad tug of immesnse torque and the bike leapt forward, sounding a little more aggressive than usual, but all the while reassuring. Cornering was a joke, but still I had 2 heart-in-houth moments as the bike leaned and flicked effortlessly. Finally we rolled back into the lane and the ride finished. I got off all shaken & stirred! The 'Blade had done its charm. I am one step closer to my dream......

Thanks a million to Fireblah for letting me ride the 'Blade. I really cant put it in words. It was like, he let me live 5 minutes of my dream.....

The CBR1000RR Fireblade..... Truly, pure awesomeness!!!