[Furebo]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

This is a clear negligence from the dealer side

Are you confirming that the fins look like this after they are damaged?

Can you compare your bike's fins to the pictures uploaded?

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by Furebo

Are you confirming that the fins look like this after they are damaged?

Can you compare your bike's fins to the pictures uploaded?

Yes. the fins are bent.
Reason could be
1. The have used a high pressure water on the fins directly at a very close range.
2. They have used some hard brush probably the brush they use to clean the tires on the fins and so the fins have bent.

It is a negligence from the dealer side by assigning some Kiddo on the job of cleaning it.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

Yes. the fins are bent.
Reason could be
1. The have used a high pressure water on the fins directly at a very close range.
2. They have used some hard brush probably the brush they use to clean the tires on the fins and so the fins have bent.

It is a negligence from the dealer side by assigning some Kiddo on the job of cleaning it.

IMHO, some third-parties sell radiator protectors just to prevent the fins from getting bent. It is sad that the service center itself could be so negligent.

In such situations, is there any recourse for us? Obviously from the OP's statement, the manager was not ready to listen and tried to pass it off as something that will happen to any CBR. Who can we contact in Honda in this case. Is Honda listening. I am starting to get reminded of RE. And I am running away from RE!!

[nosfreak]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

Yes. the fins are bent.
Reason could be
1. The have used a high pressure water on the fins directly at a very close range. +100
2. They have used some hard brush probably the brush they use to clean the tires on the fins and so the fins have bent.

It is a negligence from the dealer side by assigning some Kiddo on the job of cleaning it.

They were using high pressure water and also the rep actually put his finger on it to rub off the mud by pressing it there goes the bentness

[rk_sans]

Due to such negligence which i notice at service centers, i have not got my bike and my car washed/cleaned by them from day one.
As i do not ask them to wash, the servicing time on the car/bike is very little, so i sit in front of them, get it done.

@Naveen,
I believe Honda is listening, because i had sent an email to them about a small rust in the welded area and got a prompt response from the dealer the next day itself.
The main issue i see with these bikes is that the dealers do not know about the bike. We as an individuals know better than them, thanks to forum like this.
It would have been better if they had a exclusive dealer like Bajaj Probiking where they sell only 200cc+.

@nosfreak,
Do not delay it, send an email right away to Honda customer care.

[nosfreak]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

@nosfreak,
Do not delay it, send an email right away to Honda customer care.

email is already sent to the VP of Honda marketing today morning. Hoping to see a response from them in 2 days.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by nosfreak

Now is the shocking part. They came with the bike with the radiator fins looking like below :-

Most of the radiator fins completely bent!! after these dumbheads did a high pressure wash and tried removing with their finger which i didnt even know until they told me.

Sorry to hear about this. Problem is that the mechs are not used to washing LC bikes with radiators and Honda has not trained them properly.

This will reduce the efficiency of the rad because the air cannot pass through. Good news that it can be bent back to shape but its a tedious process.

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by nosfreak

email is already sent to the VP of Honda marketing today morning. Hoping to see a response from them in 2 days.

One more piece of information. Try get the Sales and Service Head contact number for AP region.
Last time when Honda had organised an event to meet the owners of CBR over here, i had a chance to take the Karnataka region Sales and Service head contact numbers. They did mention that if you have any problems, spare issues, etc feel free to call us. Would come in help in escalating things.

[IronWolf]

First off - I think we are hijacking Aargees thread here with the discussion on the radiator fins.

Aargee,
From an RX owner buying a CBR to another... Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope others also pen their experiences down so we know what we are dealing with here.

I dont think you need to defend yourself from folks who post about wrongly riding the bike in. Nor does anyone need to defend himself why he bought a newly released product..for the obvious reasons.


This Update below is what I was waiting for !
Does Honda turn the situation around or not!

Originally Posted by aargee

Update
After the second engine has been plonked, it took a while for me to complete the K mark. .....

Having completed 1000 Kms, took a good excuse to ride on Independence day; that is when HMSI put a big smile on my face. .....

..I think, Honda did an amazing job on the engine.

.... Overall, I'm quite happy with the performance & just what I'd expected from C250R.

My take is everything has a specified error rate. nothing can be 100% perfect. Please do share the Root Cause of the failure for Engine 1, once they share that with you.

It could even be a small flaw in that engine/pump or something which spiraled into engine seizure.
What I am saying is that we need more reports to really write off this bike.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Joined this thread very late. Anyway, aargee, all is well that ends well. By the way, I'm surprised that 250cc singles can do 145 kmph. A short burst may be but keeping them at that blast for long may put undue stress, I feel.

Digressing here,...

The bike is running in a Rev Range, which should not cause any stress damage.

Yes lets please not Digress.

Aagree waiting for your next update.
As for me I am not disturbed enough to cancel my booking.

[aargee]

Just a short update for your @IronWorlf

During the run in of second engine, I really can't recall if I sticked to 5K RPM limit, but, after 1st 500 Kms, I changed the engine oil & filter as I felt the engine was little rough & then certainly I didn't stick to 5K RPM limit. What I mean to say is, for the 1st 5 gears I didn't cross 5K RPM very strictly & NEVER did a sudden acceleration.

But after 6th gear I would open up the throttle gradually. Say it takes about a Km or more for 6K RPM & about 3-4 Kms for 7K RPM. Now, C250R does 80 Kmph at 6th gear & 5K RPM & 96 Kmph at 6K RPM & 112 Kmph at 7K RPM. So you can see how the speeds were increased gradually.

What I mean to say is, C250R doesn't really have a run in. Just that follow what HMSI says; never do a sudden acceleration for 1st 500 Kms. Rest what I experimented was...
- Keep listening to engine & once it becomes rough, change the oil ASAP; or best option is to change the oil & filter once at 500 & next at 1000 Kms
- Never go past 8.5K RPM at any cost in 6th gear during the 1st 500 Kms
- If you ask me how about the 1st 5 gears, I guess C250R CAN be pushed upto 8500 in any gear, but, I've no guts to experiment that on anyone's new engine. But I've a feeling that it can be done.

[nomadabhi]

@aargee, saw the thread today.

1. Congratulations on your prized possession (you wanted it, you got it)
2. Sorry to hear about the not so good experience (seems lemon dropped in your basket)
3. Good to hear that HM are there to hear you when needed.
4. Nothing new to hear that guys at SC had not clue of what have happened
5. Good part HM played to get it all replaced.
6. Strange and surprising that a 4Stroke can get such a damage with so calculated run-in (have done 4 run-ins for RD. My guess here would be a defective batch created by HM)

As they say 'All is well, that ends well'. So, here are my wishes to you and your ride for having endless miles getting crunched under those fat tyres.

Regarding the Radiator fins getting damaged : Man, finally the bikes in India are crossing that barrier to develop to next level, but the Service station guys should be also trained properly to handle. It is the company's and dealer's responsibility. You should write a mail to the respective persons to have a look into the matter. (May be you could have used your fingers to slide over the radiator fins on a brand new CBR at their showroom just to ask, if this is what he meant will not cause any issue? )

[Redface]

Congrats AARGEE on your latest acquisition.
I was so shocked to read your thread.
Was happy that finally you moved up your dream ladder from 100cc to 250cc.
Its difficult to digest when hard earned investment on anyones dream comes shattering down.
The feeling of getting a major problem in a new bike as much as replacing the engine is something i really can't live with for years together.
Its supposed to be a new bike and i wouldn't have settled for anything lesser than a replaced NEW BIKE, but pitty we are in INDIA and these big wig companies don't bother much on after sales.
That's why India has become an investors paradise. Bet they save millions providing no care on their products which they shell out in other countries.

The restless feeling of having the brand new bike poked and pushed by unqualified service guys when it actually deserves a factory fitment will never settle, at least for me.

Well I guess you have settled for the thought that at least you got this much out of the company.

Totally relate to my experience with a brand new SE XPERIA MINI PRO.
Though it was peanuts compared to CBR i had sleepless nights and could never look at it as a new phone afterward, until i got rid of it.

Happy that you have moved on and clocking more miles.
Enjoy you rides, ride safely.
Hope your RX gets its share of attention like always.
I own a completely redone RX135, so i kinda know what it takes and what bikes mean to you.

Hope i will spot you zooming on Chennai - trichy highway one of these public holiday. 3 and half hours, thats nice...

[nosfreak]

@Aargee : first things first. Sorry to hijack the thread. I tried finding the cbr ownership thread but id guess i got lost. However i'm glad to see everything has been fixed for you. Congrats on the ride.

If mods can move my post to the cbr ownership thread. would appreciate it.

[Gansan]

Welcome back aargee! Somehow missed to note this thread and you till today. That was one bad experience for you and I appreciate your equanimity through the whole episode. I would have freaked out and settled only for a new bike, come what may! Anyway, all is well for you now and I am glad.

It is precisely for this reason I decided to wait for one year before taking a call on this bike - though I am that way with all new automobile launches. But especially HMSI since they still have servicing / spares issues even for the Unicorn. My brother is so fed up with the A.S.S. (Lodha Honda) that he has been servicing his uni at the local mechanic's right from the third service. I will stick my neck out and say the QC at HH is way better than HMSI.


Coming to the issue of bent fins in the radiator posted by @nosfreak, I noticed some bent fins in my Alto as well. I think it must have happened due to high pressure water. I saw the radiator up close for the first time only recently, so no idea whether this was there even at the time of delivery. The servicing guy at MSM said there will be no issues as only a small portion was bent, but the only remedy was to replace the radiator. Since there are no heating issues, I left it at that.

[dkaile]

The radiator fins should have been made durable by Honda. I feel it is low quality material used by Honda. None of our car fins get pressed by a pressure wash cleaning that we undergo regularly, then why should a motorcycle's fins just fold away so easily?