[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by VR/46_Chet

I still miss our Nagpur TBHP mini meets, we all should meet soon.

Yes, we can coordinate and meet sometime. I am not sure how many of us are in Nagpur as of now ?

[VR/46_Chet]

"The wind feels great and the bugs still taste the same!"

It has been 6 weeks since she's up and running again, and finally I think I should update this thread.

In the 3rd week of January 2017, I found a garage that agreed to work as per my needs and let me work on the bike if I want to, so I went ahead and dropped her off. Initially the problem was about the timing chain tensioner breaking however after we opened the engine, the block and piston were showing signs of wear and tear too. It was safe to replace them that being sorry about it later, so we went ahead and got a new set. The HT Coil (LHS) was damaged and hence she refused to crank initially, replaced it with a new one, replaced a spark plug (LHS) and she was alive again. It took 4 days to complete the work due to other commitments. I have to say, these 4 days were also probably the longest 4 days of my life. The wait was about to get over.

The running in part -

Having stayed away from her for a very long time, the first time I took her out was a very emotional affair. BHPian Cartik5477 accompanied me with his head ported CBZ Xtreme and we filled the bikes up at Mauli Petroleum, Baner before stopping for tea near Cummins (around 4 kms). I was taking it really slow, allowing the feeling to sink in, smiling inside my helmet all the while, it was just too much happiness all at once.

A somewhat busy schedule meant I could not ride much except for customary grocery trips and early morning tea meets within city limits. I did try breaking in the hard way as I always have liked, but after a few days I just could not do it considering the sheer number of decibels that used to add up while at it and doing it in city limits was a strict NO. So this is it then, it is probably a half hard - half conventional running in that has been done this time.

Two short rides -

I believe none of us needs a reason to ride / drive, it is just the other commitments that keep us away from it at times.

1. Lonavala Breakfast Ride:

Although I’m not much into posting reviews on Zomato and similar websites, I’m an ardent foodie who sometimes has an uncontrollable craving of having something on the plate with the exact same specs as I like. There’s this place called Buaachi Misal in Lonavala (BHPians around nearby cities must be knowing) that serve a spicy misal (not really spicy if you ask a guy who hails from Nagpur) that satisfies the tastebuds.

One fine sunday morning, I woke up with that in mind and decided to ride there for breakfast. Being a sunday morning, friends were still waking up, called a couple of them and they refused, so I decided to ride solo. I was anyway in need of a solo ride albeit a short one as this was to get all the lost confidence back. Again, this was a very emotional affair. Halfway down the road and I recalled how I used to think about getting a new and reliable bike for a couple of years, how I was kind of tired of waiting for a Benelli TRK502, a BMW G310GS and also how I could to keep the parking space and of course the finances in check if I had to live with 3 vehicles at once. Upon reaching the said destination, everything and literally everything of that went to the recycle bin (to be restored after 1.5-2 years probably). This short ride was all I needed to get back on two wheels. I was taking it slow on the onward journey, enjoying the Diavels, the Tigers, the Striples and the N650s passing by, a common sight on the highway on weekends. On the return journey, I was pushing the bike to its limits in the first four gears, often cooling down after shifting to fifth.


(some vandal broke the left rear indicator )

The bike still rides like a charm. There are a few unreliable things that I had mentioned earlier, but I am going to solve everything and live with this one as primary for more time than I had expected.

2. Raireshwar Ride / Trek:

A couple of weeks after the breakfast ride, I found myself in a situation where I could take 2 weekdays off. A trekker friend of mine had always wanted to go on a short bike ride and the time seemed perfect for that to finally happen. So the two of us decided to do a short ride + short trek and headed to a place called Raireshwar (82km away, in Bhor Taluka - Pune). The route was fun filled with quite a lot of corners, some sharp ascending and others mostly smooth flowing. It also had its fair share of off road patches where the bike would kind of scare me (bad tires) but somehow kept going.






This was also the first time ever that I left the bike unattended overnight on a ride, but I believed this bloke who was friends with the nearby villagers and assured me at least 6 times that the bikes will be safe. It is this route that made me realize where do I connect with a winding road now, after having stayed away from motorcycles for quite a long time. I obviously could not corner with as much confidence as I used to do with earlier. I also had a few scary moments specifically on the sharp ascending ones, but again I felt a lot more composed when I rode down the same route the next day. One thing I’d like to mention here is that I was carrying around 6kg weight in a saddlebag placed on the rear seat and hence handling felt much lighter than earlier. I had also changed the rear suspension setup to the shortest (earlier it was +2, change in setup wasn’t related to this specific ride) and the added weight in the rear really helped me maneuver the bike better.



I definitely cannot carry around weight on the bike to make the handling better which is why I want to change the front suspension setup as mentioned earlier. Also, the tires need to be changed at the earliest and I’ll do it as and when I get the time.


Am I back on two wheels?

This is one question I think about and the answers are both Yes and No. Yes, because I feel a lot more better on the bike after two short rides and endless customary trips in city limits. No, because I know I can feel a lot more better after replacing the tires, going for a few more short rides and at least one 1000km+ ride. Once that is done, maybe I’ll be able to say to myself, “I’m back on two wheels!”.


All that said, this year’s plan is going to be more customization with a utilitarian approach in areas that require attention,and less rides. Cheers!

Estimated KMs done: 1200kms
Estimated FE: 45+kmpl (city), 50+kmpl (highway)

[Pratzgh1]

How did you manage to get that FE? I can barely manage 35kmpl.

[VR/46_Chet]

Originally Posted by Pratzgh1

How did you manage to get that FE? I can barely manage 35kmpl.

Just the regular 5 minute engine idling in the morning if possible and/or taking it slow for the first few km.
Another thing to keep it consistent is sticking to one brand of fuel, mostly just one fuel bunk at all times, if possible. I have decided on 3 fuel bunks and have been regularly using them since a long time now, 1 in the city and 2 on the highway in either direction. As a result, I don't have much to worry about FE during most of my commutes and short rides.

[VR/46_Chet]

Back on two wheels!


Quick update: New tires, new mirrors (temporary) and ride to India Bike Week 2017. I'll elaborate in the next post but for now here are a few pictures.


MoGrip 120/80-17. Great grip and great looks.


Stock Zapper yet again. The rotation was incorrect when this picture was clicked and was rectified later on.




Koso Mirrors and Activa mirror boot rubber (cut), temporary fitment since they vibrate more than I expected.


23rd November 2017, 4am at Chandni Chowk, Pune just before setting off to Goa for India Bike Week 2017.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by VR/46_Chet

Thank you for reading!

Hi!

Neither for love nor for money could I access my PM's as I'm getting a Time-Out message every time I do.

So here goes.

Current status, the P220 is back to stock or at least nearly, the front end is still raised to the max of fork length as I've kept the Discover handlebars but I've removed the extended visor and luggage racks, with the reduction in weight at the rear I was breaking traction every now and then which made me realize that my tires were running on leased life in spite of the thread.



So I've got a pair of MRF Masseter's in stock size a couple of hours ago and that's all good.







Now even with the weight removed from the rear, day before yesterday while riding back home after dark, I hit a deep jagged edged rut which resulted in the front end being bashed in pretty hard, as a result the front did wobble a bit before regaining composure, though both alloys were fine my rear panel has cracked a bit,



I've bashed the motorcycle pretty bad in the past and have experienced minor cracks at the mount points but this a first as the part in question is not under stress(with the exception of aftershock), which leads me to believe that the shocks have run their course and needs to be replaced.

As we've discussed in the past I'm contemplating opting for P135 shocks as I believe it would compliment my already raised front and would also transfer weight to the front enabling me to take advantage of the grip'ier tires.

My remaining concern is whether I'd be able to retain using the stock stands in stock form, both kick and main as I'm set out to travel about 2k km's during the coming weekend and carrying a block of wood everywhere I go seems a bit inconvenient.

Do share your experience and suggestions.

Cheers,
A.P.

[VR/46_Chet]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Hi!
So I've got a pair of MRF Masseter's in stock size a couple of hours ago and that's all good.

Hi!

That's nice to know. I've been wanting to try Masseters ever since they came and I probably will after the current set gets used up.

as the part in question is not under stress(with the exception of aftershock), which leads me to believe that the shocks have run their course and needs to be replaced.

That really is unusual, the side panel joint (near the shock mount) would've given away before causing the center bit to crack. Only thing I can think of is a pillion with an overloaded bag resting on it on a bumpy road OR deliberate application of weight although this kind of rear panel crack seems to be common in many bikes not just Pulsars.

As we've discussed in the past I'm contemplating opting for P135 shocks as I believe it would compliment my already raised front and would also transfer weight to the front enabling me to take advantage of the grip'ier tires.

By all means, do that.

My remaining concern is whether I'd be able to retain using the stock stands in stock form, both kick and main as I'm set out to travel about 2k km's during the coming weekend and carrying a block of wood everywhere I go seems a bit inconvenient.

Haha!

That's one downside I had completely forgotten to mention. No, you cannot use the stock stands in stock form after swapping the shocks. For the side stand, I got the mount bent inward and the bottom part outward with the help of a welder guy so the bike stands tall without bending much. As for the center stand, I don't use it so I haven't addressed the issue but what can be done is welding an extra bit of metal to raise its height. Both of these things may sound risky (and might as well be if not executed properly) but after all these years of using the side stand I can be sure what I've done isn't on the riskier side. I don't have a picture of it right now but I'll try and post it by tomorrow.


Apologies for the late reply, do let me know if anything.



Cheers.

[ashwinprakas]

Unfortunately I couldn't source the P135 shocks at TVM, hence had to ride with the stock shocks.

Completed a little around 1400 km's during the weekend run to Bangalore and back.

The motorcycle was splendid to ride within the ghat sections,



So much so that my first break was after 256 km's of non-stop riding when I crossed over at Thirumangalam from Ghats to Interstate highways.



But that's where the disappointment started she was hitting the brick wall at 110~115 kmph similar to how a ZMA would perform, I presumed she was running rich but the issue turned out to be the RTR Plug's I'd been using which were crazy hot at 6 heat range, a friend and fellow enthusiast(Parvez) was the one who diagnosed the issue via WhatsApp and he immediately asked me to meet him when the time was past 1:00 AM at night.

This was our first meeting ever but even before I could finish with the greetings he got down to business and swapped both the Bosch dual electrode RTR plugs with the NGK CR9E's, which is 3 steps colder than the Bosch.



The willingness of a fellow enthusiast to help out in the middle of the night really did fill me with pride knowing that the 'Biker/Motorcycling' spirit is still alive and well and has not succumbed to the ways of the social-media-influencers and breakfast-riders alike.

Fun fact is that the R15 owned by Parvez seen in the pic has 1,60,000+ km's on the odo and the motorcycle is still running on factory internals, courtesy of his strict 1.5k oil changes.

Back to topic, the P220 tore up the highways after the plug swap and was doing 130Kmph without breaking a sweat, hence do keep an eye out for the NGK CR9E's, they're hard to source but works wonders on the P220, R15 and R3 all the while costing Rs.67/- per piece.

Originally Posted by VR/46_Chet

That's nice to know. I've been wanting to try Masseters ever since they came and I probably will after the current set gets used up.

The Masseter's performed brilliantly, the grip and handling was like something I've never expected from this motorcycle, the pictures would speak for themselves,





The only thing holding me back was the usual main-stand which pivoted the rear off a couple of times before I dropped pace;



Unlike other tires even if you manage to break traction you don't slip to a slide, the tire zaps back even before you realize it.

So I'd definitely push you to buy them, the difference in performance is just WOW!

By all means, do that.

Haha!

That's one downside I had completely forgotten to mention. No, you cannot use the stock stands in stock form after swapping the shocks. For the side stand, I got the mount bent inward and the bottom part outward with the help of a welder guy so the bike stands tall without bending much. As for the center stand, I don't use it so I haven't addressed the issue but what can be done is welding an extra bit of metal to raise its height. Both of these things may sound risky (and might as well be if not executed properly) but after all these years of using the side stand I can be sure what I've done isn't on the riskier side. I don't have a picture of it right now but I'll try and post it by tomorrow.

Now, once I got back my hands were twitching and I tried my luck at the Kollam ASC and succeeded.



Here's a comparo of Stock vs P135 shocks for the benefit of others;



This is what the motorcycle looks like after the ordeal,



The severity of the mod is only noticeable from the rear;



The difference in handling is welcome, even without much effort I can make use of the softer edges of the MCT tire.

Though I do miss the main-stand which was absolutely useless after the mod as it wasn't even touching the ground, the kick-stand didn't need any alteration and worked well for me.

And yeah, the motorcycle does feel like a big bike.

While I was at it I changed the Timing Chain Tensioner as well as it was making some noise at idle that Parvez picked up due to his expertise of running and fixing several P220's in the past.



After the change the motorcycle doesn't make a peep!

[ashwinprakas]

Hey guys, here's the info for loading scissor gear;





Uploading mostly for my own future reference.

[ashwinprakas]

Changed my MC Assembly and Clutch Lever Assembly to that of the RTR's.



Had overhauled my stock MC along with Caliper and changed back to a new stock braided line but yet the braking was pathetic, so went for the RTR setup, got the clutch lever assembly just for matching aesthetics, plus its cheap as the original Nissin of which this is a copy of costs Rs.2.7k and for that the lever has to be bought separately.

Here are the prices;





BTW, while changing do notice that the Banjo of the RTR and Pulsar is of different thread design;



On the Left you see Pulsar Banjo and on the Right you see RTR Banjo.

Braking has improved manyfold!

Regards,
A.P.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Changed my MC Assembly and Clutch Lever Assembly to that of the RTR's.

Attachment 1911910

Had overhauled my stock MC along with Caliper and changed back to a new stock braided line but yet the braking was pathetic, so went for the RTR setup, got the clutch lever assembly just for matching aesthetics, plus its cheap as the original Nissin of which this is a copy of costs Rs.2.7k and for that the lever has to be bought separately.

Here are the prices;

Attachment 1911911

Attachment 1911912

BTW, while changing do notice that the Banjo of the RTR and Pulsar is of different thread design;

Attachment 1911913

On the Left you see Pulsar Banjo and on the Right you see RTR Banjo.

Braking has improved manyfold!

Regards,
A.P.

AP,

Thanks for the information. I'm in a similar boat now. My 200 ns requires a new front brake disc. I am looking for better bite and better feel. I got excellent bite with EBC sintered pads bit they are too expensive (almost 3k) to replace regularly - they needed to be replaced after about 9000 km.

I have been considering upgrading to the 300 mm disc from the 200 rs but the caliper will need to be changed, too. The caliper bracket is not available as a separate part and this is the only difference.

Which one do you think is a better upgrade - the 300 disc with caliper or the standard 280 disc with TVS master cylinder?

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

Which one do you think is a better upgrade - the 300 disc with caliper or the standard 280 disc with TVS master cylinder?

The NS brakes are not bad to begin with even though it has the same crappy plastic MC piston as some P220's(Mine is Plastic), and I've not used the setup you've mentioned so do take my word with a healthy pinch of salt.

The RTR MC is a replica of the Nissin MC that comes stock on the ZMA and that thing is known for its feedback, from visual observation it seems that the piston they've used in the RTR is of a sightly larger dia and made of metal which I believe to be the reason for the sharp bite.

A larger rotor would definitely help you with the braking but if I were you I'd not contemplate spending so much if the rotor didn't actually warrant a replacement. I myself was contemplating the RTR rotor but didn't spend the extra 1.2k simply because my rotor is pretty young at under 50k km's of use.

The RS200 Caliper + Rotor would set you back by about 3.5k whereas the RTR MC would cost you only 1.3k.

Do think hard before investing.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

The NS brakes are not bad to begin with even though it has the same crappy plastic MC piston as some P220's(Mine is Plastic), and I've not used the setup you've mentioned so do take my word with a healthy pinch of salt.

The RTR MC is a replica of the Nissin MC that comes stock on the ZMA and that thing is known for its feedback, from visual observation it seems that the piston they've used in the RTR is of a sightly larger dia and made of metal which I believe to be the reason for the sharp bite.

A larger rotor would definitely help you with the braking but if I were you I'd not contemplate spending so much if the rotor didn't actually warrant a replacement. I myself was contemplating the RTR rotor but didn't spend the extra 1.2k simply because my rotor is pretty young at under 50k km's of use.

The RS200 Caliper + Rotor would set you back by about 3.5k whereas the RTR MC would cost you only 1.3k.

Do think hard before investing.

The brake disc has reached the service limit of thickness after 46k km. This has caused the lever travel to increase, even with new pads. Hence the interest in upgrading to the larger disc.

The ABS versions of the NS, RS have different brake pads compared to the non-ABS version. It seems that they have better bite than the standard pads.

Incidentally, I am also considering replacing the hose to the steel braided one from the 220.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

The brake disc has reached the service limit of thickness after 46k km. This has caused the lever travel to increase, even with new pads. Hence the interest in upgrading to the larger disc.

Fair enough, you can overhaul and keep the current caliper with you so that the next time you'd need and overhaul you could simply swap them and overhaul the used up one when time permits.

The ABS versions of the NS, RS have different brake pads compared to the non-ABS version. It seems that they have better bite than the standard pads.

The info I've received from an enthusiast who owns a customization shop in TSR is that the MC on the RS is similar to that on the Duke 250 and 390 and the performance is different from the one available on the NS.

You may opt for that and IIRC the price for that MC was about 3.xk or get the RTR ones which costs 1/3rd the price, that is up to you.

Incidentally, I am also considering replacing the hose to the steel braided one from the 220.

The steel braided lines on the P220 cost me Rs.1111/- as for rear you could go for steel braided lines that come stock on the Duke 200.

The rear MC cannot be overhauled as they do not sell the kit anymore as per the update I've received from the ASC, so next time you change the MC you could get the Duke braided cable as well.

I can see how things are starting to get pricey but if the hardware delivers considerable improvement then I'd be fine running stock pads as 3k for a consumable simply doesn't sit well with my conscience.

[VR/46_Chet]

Quick update:

Getting her back to hometown MH31 next week right after she turns 10!

The past 3 months have been spent in the parking lot, partly because of some minor issues that cropped up (and the lack of time to set them right) and partly because of Thane/Mumbai weather. To list a few of them:

1) Somebody broke the yezdi roadking headlight's glass ; I've tried a few shops around Thane and Pune but still unable to procure another unit (headlight + glass). Checked online as well with no luck.
2) Corrosion on battery terminals; the +ve cable connector broke. Not wanting to do jugaad and will get a new cable soon.
3) Tail panel joints broken on both sides - I had seen a tiny crack or two the last time I removed the seat for cleaning and have ridden around 600km post that but never found out when the joints actually broke until a few days back when I was checking on the battery. I've resorted to jugaad in this case as they weren't making any extra movement / noise and will probably get the tail panel changed at a later point in time.