[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

Anyone has any reviews about Nimisha Bikes aka Castrol Bike Zone in Rammurthy Nagar?

They are the only service center I've seen in Bangalore(Found out from Castrol Bike Zone's Website) that offer to tune the carb using a Gas Analyzer.

Auto Service Banashankari also uses Gas analyser for tuning. None of the Bajaj service centers i have been to use this even though they have. The RV bajaj on mysore road is so shameless that, the SA admitted that they have the equipment but don't know how to use it!

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Auto Service Banashankari also uses Gas analyser for tuning. None of the Bajaj service centers i have been to use this even though they have. The RV bajaj on mysore road is so shameless that, the SA admitted that they have the equipment but don't know how to use it!

Auto Service does? Well, I know whom to give my brother's bike for service then.

I was looking for a place to service a Hero Honda actually. A Hunk to be specific.

[Soumyajit9]

Alright folks, here goes my review of the Castrol Bike Point - Ace Bikes, BTM Layout, Bangalore

So I woke up to an extremely lazy Sunday morning and decided that its' high time that I should take the ailing bike for a most needed service.
Time was 11AM when I reached Ace Bikes (that's less than a km from my house). Saw a line up of around 6 bikes + 2 Honda scooters.

Met Mr. Saif, who managing the reception / counter. Explained him that I had enquired about their service some time back and wanted to give the bike for servicing. He wanted to know which plan, and I told him that it would be the Castrol Platinum Service that I would like to have for the bike.

Mr. Saif was very polite and he immediately summoned a mechanic and asked him to take a test ride of the bike to analyze any problems. He took a short ride and came back.
Mr. Saif then asked me for any specific problems that he would look into ? So, I told him of the below problems with the bike:

- Chain Sprocket (and any connected parts) Replacement***
- Headlamp and Tail-lamp Replacement
- Indicators not working
- Battery Charging
- Spark Plug Cleaning
- Clutch, Brake adjustments

***About 7 months back, I had taken my bike for an engine oil replacement and a bit of chain tightening to a local mechanic nearby. He said that he had tightened the chain, but the chain sprocket was damaged and eventually it would loosen up again. So I should get the chain sprocket replaced.

I wanted to stay for the servicing duration. But, Mr. Saif said that since it is Ramzan time, he has to clear up all the bikes by 6:00 PM. So my bike would be ready by 5:00 PM.
He gave me an estimate which came to approx Rs.2000. I left the bike and left for home.





Around 3:00 PM, Mr. Saif called me and said that my bike was ready for pickup. So I walked down and did a test ride of the bike.

Nothing seemed to be exceptionally different, other than the fact that the gear shift was smooth and at lower speeds the chain ring sound didn't come.

So here is a breakup of what the Platinum Service offered and how it impacted my bike.

1. Visual Inspection to Diagnosis Bike Issue - Done
2. Bike Wash - Poorly Done - Most places were not wiped clean and had water spot marks
3. Battery Top-Up - Done
4. Clean & Adjust Spark Plug - Done
5. Clean Air Filter - Replaced
6. Drive Chain Adjustment - Done
7. Front & Rear Brake Adjustment - Done
8. Clutch Play Adjustment - Done
9. Carburetor Bowl Cleaning - Not sure how this impacts the bike. I didn't feel any difference in the performance of the bike and engine.
10. Replace Paper Oil Filter - Not Done - I was not charged for this.
11. Engine Oil Change (Labour) - Done - Charged for new Engine Oil.
12. Carburetor Adjustment Using Tachometer - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
13. Steering Play Adjustment - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
14. Fasteners Tightening & Adjustment - Done
15. Check Engine Compression - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
16. Chain Cleaning & Lubrication - Done
17. Carburetor Overhaul - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
18. Semi Wheel Overhaul - FR & BK Brakes Cleaning - Done
19. Drive Chain Greaselation - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
20. Minor Electrical Checkup - Done
21. Check and Adjust Valve Clearance - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
22. Lubricate Control Cables - Done
23. Lubrication of Swing Arm Pivot Axle - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.
24. Battery Charging - Done
25. Wax Polish - Not Done.

Here is the final bill that was offered. I paid Rs.2210 in total.


Verdict:
- The service is very average.
- Wash and Wax (Not Done at all) were below average level.
- Final check up not done properly. These guys had left behind the cover of the fuel cap. When I tried to change the fuel from Reserve to Mains, I found the overall cover part missing. So went back and the mechanic said that the part was not there in the first place !! Damn, went back to Mr. Saif and asked him to find the part of replace it on his cost. At that moment the mechanic did a frantic search and fixed it back, saying that it was not fitted after the washing.
- Overall job looks to be done in a haste.

My suggestion. Avoid this place when you are paying such a price. Better, visit any Authorized Yamaha Dealer for servicing.

[Shiv_1984]

I have a Pulsar 200 (2008) with 39K on the ODO. I use it mostly for my office commute on weekdays and is being rested on weekends. When i was in Chennai, Adyar based Probiking centre Jai Bajaj was taking care of my Bike and they were pretty good at their job but ever since i have shifted back to Bangalore, it's been a nightmare to find a good service centre.

The Probiking centre here in INdiranagar is a total crap, Authorised service centres at HSR and Bellandur only try to fleece the customers, castrol Bike Zone (Point) near Forum and Koramangla are somewhat same as described by Soumyajit above.

Members, do you have any idea of good SCentres in Bellandur, M'halli or Koramangla area. I am tired of giving my bike to new service centres everytime and then return back with a broken heart.

Anyone, pls ? I love my bike and it still is scrachless.

Thanks
Shiv

[ashwin.terminat]

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

So I woke up to an extremely lazy Sunday morning

12. Carburetor Adjustment Using Tachometer - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.

17. Carburetor Overhaul - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.

21. Check and Adjust Valve Clearance - No idea how this impacts the performance. So I am not sure if this was done or not.

You said Sunday, do they have stock of all Genuine spares in their workshop itself? Moreover, the Libero is not a very common bike.

12 and 17 are related to cleaning the carburetor and adjusting your AFR. If tuned right, your bike's throttle response should be more crisp and it should return better FE.

21 is related to tappets. Loose tappets give a jingling sound after the engine is warmed up and tight tappets hamper performance.

Originally Posted by Shiv_1984

Members, do you have any idea of good SCentres in Bellandur, M'halli or Koramangla area. I am tired of giving my bike to new service centres everytime and then return back with a broken heart.

Anyone, pls ? I love my bike and it still is scrachless.

Thanks
Shiv

Try Khivraj Bajaj on Kasturba Road. They usually do a good job on my brother's ageing Pulsar 150.

[Soumyajit9]

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

You said Sunday, do they have stock of all Genuine spares in their workshop itself? Moreover, the Libero is not a very common bike.

They are open on Sundays also. But yes, the question of procuring genuine Yamaha parts, is still unanswerable to me. When I had requested for a Chain Sprocket replacement in the morning, they were a little taken aback and asked me why I wanted to get it done. This indicates that probably they didn't have stock of big parts. They might have procured it from some friendly dealer or a similar part from another brand (Non-Yamaha). I absolutely have no idea if they replaced with genuine Yamaha parts or not.

I had this thing in mind for a very long time - Since Libero is a very old bike, what if these guys replace the originals with spurious parts ? The bike had never been to a service center other than Yamaha Authorised ones, in the last 8 years. This was the very first visit to a Non-Yamaha service center, and the experience to be honest was not very satisfactory.
My next visit would be to a Yamaha Authorised SC only. I know they may keep my bike for a little more days, but I would be a little less worried for the originals being replaced with counterfeits.

12 and 17 are related to cleaning the carburetor and adjusting your AFR. If tuned right, your bike's throttle response should be more crisp and it should return better FE.
21 is related to tappets. Loose tappets give a jingling sound after the engine is warmed up and tight tappets hamper performance.

Thanks a lot for the responses. The bike seems to be a little high tuned. The throttle response is very quick, but when I release the throttle, the revv is on a little high note (soundwise), I am out of town at the moment, but I will record the RPM and report here to get a check on the idle rpm when idle.

There is a ring sound that comes from the engine. During one of my visits to the Yamaha SC (around 3-4 years back), the guys had said something about opening the engine to fix the ring sound. I was not very comfortable with that and hence left it as it is.