[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by dual disc 200

Thanks VJ, Will give the Bug Eye a full tank of IOC Xtra Premium and see the findings. Will do the water wash test and report back. Also, the Bug gets a new speedo with 0 Miles on the odo..

That's great. Which showroom did you get the bike from New Sid/Peela or Kavundam or the new showroom somewhere near Ukkadam?

Cheers!
VJ

[MonsterTorque]

Originally Posted by dual disc 200

I'm using the normal RON 91 unleaded that's available in Common. Have heard Xtra Premium and Speed has only additives and still RON 91. The Only Premium Fuel available is RON 97 which I feel is an overkill for both wallet as well as for the bike.

Probably I'll try IOC Xtra Premium this time and see if the knocking reduces or stops, if not will try Octane Boosters with normal RON 91 unleaded.



Thanks VJ, The knocking I'm talking about is 100% Fuel issue knocking as I can derive from my experience. The knocking is felt or heard only at slow speeds and smoothens out once you hit higher rpm's. Anyway, the Bug Eye is gone for it's first service today. Let me fill IOC Xtra Premium and write my findings here.

Also, the Bug Eye is getting a new Speedo today



Thanks Monster Torque, I've already ordered some El-cheapo Chinese adjustable levers and awaiting delivery as it's currently sitting at Singapore starting from China.

Planning for the Slipper upgrade after the feel I experienced from the latest D 390, Let me see how far it gets materialized.

About the Metz tyres, I'm loving them and would like to know how did it fare with the Diablo Rosso II and cost if you don't mind.

On fuel, try Shell unleaded or the 95 RON from BP, HP and Indianoil. They do make a difference. I fill up 97 RON only occasionally, but it does make a difference. The engine sounds much smoother on 97.

The Diablo Rosso II cost me close to 23 k, but the grip makes it a worthy investment. After being bowled over by the Metzeler Sportec M5s, I was in awe of the Pirellis' grip. The only major drawback with them was life. If you are considering taking the bike to a track, which you must, try do it on the Pirellis.

[dual disc 200]

Originally Posted by The Great

Try the IOC normal unleaded petrol with "ADD ON" additive, both for your bike and car. I don't generally recommend any product without first trying extensively on my bike / car. Believe me this product is superb. Just try 1 pouch per 10 liters and you will feel the difference.

As for your speedo replacement its really good to know they are covering it under warranty, I had the same issue with my headlight on the TVS Jupiter which was denied under warranty.

Thanks Great, Have filled in with IOC Xtra Premium after the service. Will test it out with Addon this week in the same tank of Xtra Premium fuel.

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

That's great. Which showroom did you get the bike from New Sid/Peela or Kavundam or the new showroom somewhere near Ukkadam?

Cheers!
VJ

The bug eye is from the new KTM in Sungam Bye-pass road near ukkadam.

Btw. I have a generic question, If you fill the tank with normal 91 RON octane and keep the bike parked for like two weeks, will the octane rating undergo deterioration? Can this cause knocking?

[dual disc 200]

Originally Posted by MonsterTorque

On fuel, try Shell unleaded or the 95 RON from BP, HP and Indianoil. They do make a difference. I fill up 97 RON only occasionally, but it does make a difference. The engine sounds much smoother on 97.

The Diablo Rosso II cost me close to 23 k, but the grip makes it a worthy investment. After being bowled over by the Metzeler Sportec M5s, I was in awe of the Pirellis' grip. The only major drawback with them was life. If you are considering taking the bike to a track, which you must, try do it on the Pirellis.

Thanks MonsterTorque, There is no Shell pumps at Coimbatore or if I'm right at Tamilnadu itself, I might be wrong though.

Correct me if I'm wrong, AFAIK there is no 95 RON in IOC, HP or BP as all these Speed, Xtra Premium are same 91 RON with additives and God knows that that means for an additional 2.60 rupees/ litre.

With regard's to Diablo Rosso, think I shall try as the Metz are costing close to 20K I guess.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by dual disc 200

Thanks Great, Have filled in with IOC Xtra Premium after the service. Will test it out with Addon this week in the same tank of Xtra Premium fuel.

The bug eye is from the new KTM in Sungam Bye-pass road near ukkadam.

Btw. I have a generic question, If you fill the tank with normal 91 RON octane and keep the bike parked for like two weeks, will the octane rating undergo deterioration? Can this cause knocking?

I ain't no petrochemical expert mate, but my common sense suggests me that two weeks shouldn't at all be a problem. I suppose you park the bike in closed space, as opposed to direct sunlight, in that case it shouldn't that big of a problem. Fuel won't degrade soon, it just evaps.

Incidentally, found this article, case in point. Nice read actually.

How long does fuel last?

This is an important question when you’ve got a car that’s rarely driven or you have fuel stored in drums. The last thing you want is a tankful of ‘off’ fuel that can damage your fuel system or possibly even kill your engine.

According to Shell Australia’s Technical Advice Centre Manager, Warren Scott, you can generally store fuel in a sealed container for around six months before it starts to deteriorate. This assumes it’s kept relatively cool and away from direct sunlight.

“But if the container is not properly sealed or it’s repeatedly opened, [fuel] will start to evaporate and you lose some of the light components in the fuel,” Mr Warren says.

Those light components include highly important butane. As these components are lost, the fuel loses its volatility. Mr Warren says this makes the car difficult to start.

In warm conditions, fuel is especially prone to oxidisation which causes lacquer and gums to form. As a result, the fuel turns dark in colour, loses its clarity and smells like paint stripper.

Gary Whitfield, Senior Fuel Chemist at BP Australia, says that in the right conditions, fuel can last up to 12 months. But once the container is opened, the fuel will start to degrade.

“Once the seal is broken, a vapour space is formed in the container and the fuel will start to deteriorate more rapidly,” he says.

Okay, so what about fuel that’s left in your car’s tank for a long period of time?

Mr Whitfield claims fuel in a car’s tank can last for up to four weeks before it becomes considerably denser. When this happens, the engine is effectively over-fuelled (without any change in injector pulse-width) and there’s an increased chance of carbon deposition onto spark plugs and inside the combustion chamber. This can cause driveability problems such as stutters and misses.

“Regular unleaded fuel will lose a small amount of octane over time but in our low-sulphur and high detergent Ultimate fuel it might increase very slightly. It might increase 1 RON in four weeks – but it’s not something I’d bother chasing,” he says.

“Keep in mind that typical variation in BP Ultimate is 98 – 100 RON while normal unleaded ranges between 91 – 93 RON.”

Mr Warren says that in most cases, it’s only when fuel is left in the tank for several months there’s the risk of engine damage. This is much more likely to occur in cars running dual LPG/petrol systems.

“By this time the fuel will have gone dark and gummy and can clag the fuel pump, filter and injectors,” Mr Warren says. It can also leave a lacquer deposit on the inside of the fuel tank which is difficult to remove.

In addition, it’s important to be aware that fuel brews – specifically fuel volatility - varies on a month to month basis. Standards vary from state to state but, generally, volatility is reduced during summer months to reduce evaporative emissions. Mr Whitfield says this typically makes the engine slightly harder to start but there is no change in octane.

Lachlan Riddel, proprietor of Gold Coast based tuning company ChipTorque, frequently dyno tests cars which have not previously been driven for several weeks.

“On the fuel mix we have in Queensland, I think fuel in a car’s tank is starting to go off in around three weeks,” Mr Riddel says. “We can tune a car, put it away for three of four weeks, come back to it and it will be either closer to detonation or less likely to make the same power.

“I think local fuel is brewed to reduce evaporative emissions in warm weather and, maybe because of that, fuel really goes crappy in eight to ten weeks. By that stage, the fuel is extremely prone to detonation.”

Interestingly, Mr Riddel hasn’t noticed the engine becoming harder to start but the effect on octane is pronounced.

Similarly, the General Manager of Melbourne’s Advanced Vehicle Operations, Steve Coates, believes fuel tends to go off in a car’s fuel tank quite quickly once it’s a couple of weeks old.

“After a couple of weeks not driving a car, I find that it will be closer to detonation than it was at the time of tuning on the chassis dyno,” he says.

“And the brand of fuel seems to make a difference as well – I find that Mobil and BP products are probably the best after being stored but Shell Optimax is really good when it’s new."

Clearly, there are some important factors to keep in mind when storing fuel in a container for several months or when parking your car for a few weeks.

Our recommendation is not to run the engine at high load with fuel that’s been in the tank for any more than three of four weeks and it’s a good idea to add at least 25 percent fresh fuel to the tank every few weeks. This will help ensure there are no fuel-related driveability problems or detonation and will reduce the chance of lacquer building up inside the tank.

Cheers!
VJ

[dual disc 200]

Thanks Vijay for the fuel related article.

Coming back to the thread, what's the best way to start this year other than to get your hands dirty and the Bug Eye getting a few upgrades.

01. Bug Eye get's the new replacement lever's











Not the cheapest off the net, moderately priced and coming from Chinese Origin pretty well built too. As seen, the levers are adjustable, foldable and extendable.

All of a sudden the brakes and clutch have got a new feel attached to it after the replacement.

02. Tank/ Fairing Grips




Got this from USA through a friend, great quality and works as advertised. A good alternative to TechSpec snakeskin that costs a whopping 7K. Didn't apply the tank grips as the tank panel would apparently go in for a replacement as there is a slight discoloration from one side to the other.

Overall, the Jan'01 of 2016 was well spent.

What's the weekend without any ride after all these, Bug Eye went from Coimbatore - Ooty - Kotagiti - Kodanad - Coimbatore and what a ride it was..





To RC Owner's out here, how many of you guy's have tried pushing the bike past 5.5k rpm post say 500 kms? Does the bike really rev past 7k rpm or would start revving on higher bands only post 1000 kms or so?

[Urban_Nomad]

Those levers look really nice. Not like those gaudy orange juice puke ones available everywhere. Mind sharing the link please?

And yes, you bike will rev to its very redline right out of the showroom. There is no waiting period. It's suggested that one breaks the bike in gently, that's all

[VijayAnand1]

Nopes. You can clearly rev the bike past 5.5k (7k RPM during my running in). The surge you get after 7k is just super dooper addicitive, top that up with the handling, it's just W O W -- well, you got to experience it. You can rev the engine upto 9k without absolutely no power loss. Of course during running in, even at those RPMs you can feel the engine being a little harsh on engine braking and overall a tight feeling (what I experienced) but get those three services done, you can experience super smooth acceleration.

As usual discretion advised

Cheers!
VJ

[Urban_Nomad]

Sorry for the back to back posts. Forgot to ask - how do the levers fit? Are they loose? The biggest complaint / feedback I've heard about all Chinese levers sold on eBay is that they never fit as snug as original levers and there is a lot of vertical movement and rattling.

[dual disc 200]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Those levers look really nice. Not like those gaudy orange juice puke ones available everywhere. Mind sharing the link please?

And yes, you bike will rev to its very redline right out of the showroom. There is no waiting period. It's suggested that one breaks the bike in gently, that's all

Thanks Urban_Nomad, there was options of orange, Black and this Titanium Grey and I chose the last subtle color option.

Will dig the link and PM you man.

Revving the nuts out of the bike is ok, just that I feel a bit too tight even to 7k rpm and I don't want to push it further. being a single and high compression engine just that I feel that the factory tolerances are a bit tight. Btw. my bike has clocked only 400 kms and first service done. The running-in was basically a Ooty run's happened twice.

Probably I shall wait till the 1000 kms mark and see how it behaves.

Any pointers apart from these things man?

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Nopes. You can clearly rev the bike past 5.5k (7k RPM during my running in). The surge you get after 7k is just super dooper addicitive, top that up with the handling, it's just W O W -- well, you got to experience it. You can rev the engine upto 9k without absolutely no power loss. Of course during running in, even at those RPMs you can feel the engine being a little harsh on engine braking and overall a tight feeling (what I experienced) but get those three services done, you can experience super smooth acceleration.

As usual discretion advised

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks VJ, as said above, the bike feels tight between 5.5k and 7k rpm's.

The bike has run like 400 kms till date. Do you think that the bike needs some more kms to loosen things up?

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Sorry for the back to back posts. Forgot to ask - how do the levers fit? Are they loose? The biggest complaint / feedback I've heard about all Chinese levers sold on eBay is that they never fit as snug as original levers and there is a lot of vertical movement and rattling.

They're Ok, better than the cheapest of the chinese. The rattle is there and i used shims to arrest partially.

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by dual disc 200

T
Thanks VJ, as said above, the bike feels tight between 5.5k and 7k rpm's.

The bike has run like 400 kms till date. Do you think that the bike needs some more kms to loosen things up?

Considering the bike has run 400 before the speedo swap, I guess, it's not bad to say that perhaps giving it some kays something like 1000 to 1500 should loosen things even further. Most of the times, it was just plain engine braking that made me feel that the engine was tight. But by the second oil change I can feel the engine revving freely, unlike being strained, and the engine braking felt comparatively bearable.

But I guess giving it some kays and a few oil changes, should help stretch the bug's wings.

Cheers!
VJ

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by dual disc 200

Thanks VJ, as said above, the bike feels tight between 5.5k and 7k rpm's.

The bike has run like 400 kms till date. Do you think that the bike needs some more kms to loosen things up?

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Considering the bike has run 400 before the speedo swap, I guess, it's not bad to say that perhaps giving it some kays something like 1000 to 1500 should loosen things even further.

Just wanted to add perspective from my own experience. My RC390 has done about 6500 kms till date and I still feel that there is a long way to go before the engine sings freely. I clearly remember that there wasn't any power below 4k RPM and trip to redline seemed a really long one during initial 1000 kms. This has improved gradually as I keep clocking miles and currently, bottom-end and top-end performance has improved significantly.

However, I rode Duke 390s of friends who have done between 12k-18k kms and difference is like chalk and cheese.

It appears that only way to unleash full glory of RC is to keep piling miles and change oil periodically.

[dual disc 200]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Considering the bike has run 400 before the speedo swap, I guess, it's not bad to say that perhaps giving it some kays something like 1000 to 1500 should loosen things even further. Most of the times, it was just plain engine braking that made me feel that the engine was tight. But by the second oil change I can feel the engine revving freely, unlike being strained, and the engine braking felt comparatively bearable.

But I guess giving it some kays and a few oil changes, should help stretch the bug's wings.

Cheers!
VJ

Thanks Vijay, think the actual kms that the bike has run before and after the speedo replacement should be not more than 500 kms, as you've said I think it needs a few more miles to strech her wings out.

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Just wanted to add perspective from my own experience. My RC390 has done about 6500 kms till date and I still feel that there is a long way to go before the engine sings freely. I clearly remember that there wasn't any power below 4k RPM and trip to redline seemed a really long one during initial 1000 kms. This has improved gradually as I keep clocking miles and currently, bottom-end and top-end performance has improved significantly.

However, I rode Duke 390s of friends who have done between 12k-18k kms and difference is like chalk and cheese.

It appears that only way to unleash full glory of RC is to keep piling miles and change oil periodically.

Thank you Sameer, will keep you updated on how the bike behaves

[dual disc 200]

Coming back after a few Observations and updates with the Bug-Eyed Girl.

This is what happened couple of weeks back;









This is how a well spent Sunday looked like. A road trip on motorbikes along with a few like minded bikers ended up in clocking approximately 510 kms in which around 400 kms is pure rain and fun. Route taken was Coimbatore - Sathyamangalam - Dhimbam - Hasanoor - Chamrajnagar - Sultan Bathery - Gudalur - Ooty - Coonor - Coimbatore. I along with another Duke clocked additional 60 kms as I had remapping issues with my RC 390 and wanted to revert back to stock figures for which I had to head home from sathyamangalam and then meet the other two bikers in Hasanoor again. Roads were pretty much awesome except for the stretch from Sultan Bathery to Gudalur. As it was raining continuously right from Hasanoor, not much photos were taken as we were investing much time in keeping the gadgets safe as it was pouring uptill Ooty. Gudalur to Ooty stretch is the most frustrating route as there was absolutely no traffic sense and almost on all occasions I had vehicles coming down hill on my lane for all the wrong reasons. Apart from that, the trip was great, all came back in one piece.
Total Kms approx - 510 kms
Ride Start Time - 10.30 A.M (Starting after Map corrections)
Ride End Time - 11.30 P.M
Total Hrs on Road - Approx - 10 Hrs

Fast forwarding a week back, this is what went in the Bug-Eyed Girl before the trip.








Coming back to the Issues now. The Installation of PT was overall a happy experience except for the quality of connectors that needs improvements by leaps and bounds. Most of the connectors that go into the ignition coil and injectors are flimsy in construction, no audible clicks when connected unlike the stock ones that gives a loud click ensuring that it stays in there for ever.

The overall happy experience of the PT 2.0 turned out to be bitter when the bike stalled half way from Coimbatore towards the ride refusing to start. Mind it, the bike stalled as it was running with no warnings from MID console or whatsoever. It was a nightmare as I had to coast the bike to right side coming down to a grinding halt. Couple of phone calls and none of them picking up locally who supplied the PT and not knowing what to do, took a Chai break and then tried starting the bike. No luck on that too. Finally, removed the PT and re inserted the same in the wiring loom and Voila..! the Bug -Eye breathes again. Such a relief and at the same time, was thinking "Did I screw around with a wrong Map?" as the map I was running was a slightly modified from the ones that come standard with PT. As both the Map 01 and Map 02 were modified and having not carried a laptop to switch back to stock values, I had to head down home to Burn-In a stock map.

Finished the same and started from home again at around 10' A.M and the bike performed flawlessly on stock values with the PT connected up till Hasanur and there again she stalls. Resetting the PT once again worked and the same continued 5 times till I returned back home. So, a bitter experience overall with the PT as with the stock having clocked 2k kms, not once she had left me stranded.

Was confident that there's a small issue, either with the wiring loom or with the PT box itself, the same was informed to the dealer Sirius Motorsports who supplied the PT and Vicky was more than willing to help sort out the issue. The same was quickly escalated to PT HQ and a new wiring loom was sent the next day. Replaced the new wiring loom and there the same stalling over the night ride (Probably the Triumph Street Triple Fever I guess )

We took a decision that it might be a one off case of a faulty Piggy back and the same was sent back to Race Dynamics for testing and on a interim set-up to keep the bike running, received a dummy coupler that connects to the PT wiring loom that mobilizes the bike.

It's been one week since the Dummy Coupler has been installed and Touchwood no issues till date although my rides were limited to local ones. Planning to head to Ooty this weekend and let's see what's in store for me.

Will keep you guys updated. Ciao and ride safe.

[VW2010]

Can you share some thoughts or feedback on the power tronics? Do you see any mid range improvement and have you removed the RPM limiter. Currently the stock bike i feel hits the limiter way to early which is too early and ending up changing gears.