[iron]

Hey.
I had been searching for a used Karizma R as my second bike for quite sometime now. I finally acquired a Black Zma R with around 12k on the odo.
The bike is March 2007 model , sparingly used, well maintained as the previous owner already had a Splendor and another car.
I have been riding my Standard 350 for quite some time now and getting used to the Zma R took some time. The gears, brakes, seating position etc.but after a few kilometers it all came together and i was really enjoying it. A couple of things i felt needed correction like.
1)The front shocks were quite loose.
2) Front and rear brakes were loose.
3) Gears were stiff and clutch setting was required. etc'

I decided to give the bike for servicing at Fortpoint, Mahim and just the sake of my peace of mind i asked them to change every fluid in the bike.
Along with that the service advisor also asked me to carry out
Engine flush, DeCarbonizing, swing arm greasing, Changing the front disc pad along with couple of other minor things which i agreed.
The bike is running quite well.
Although i do have a few problems that i am facing.
1) The handle bar's causing some pain in my Right Elbow, any suggestion for a wider handle bar?

2) What is the idling rpm for a stock karizma R? When starting from cold the idling rpm is around 1000rpm but after riding for sometime, (9-10kms) it shoots up to 1250-1500rpm. is the normal?

3) The stock headlamp is a dud, sometimes while riding at night i feel the headlamp has conked off. Anything better than the stock headlamp.

4)The odo meter and clock seem to reset themselves automatically. Any reason why?

5)The rear brake gives out some squeaking noise while applied.

6) Engaging neutral when the bike comes to a stand still is a problem. i have to turn off the engine to shift it to neutral or i have to engage it when the bike is in motion. Is this normal?
I think the previous owner was a clutch rider, the clutch is a always half pressed in.

I will also be posting a few pictures . i am just waiting for the weather to clear up a bit.

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on the Karizma R. It makes a good relaxed tourer. Do upload a couple of pics.

Enjoy riding!

[aargee]

Congratulations on owning one of India's best touring motorcycle.

Originally Posted by iron

The handle bar's causing some pain in my Right Elbow, any suggestion for a wider handle bar?

IMO, ZMA has got one of the best riding position including the handle bar; I would suggest to take sometime to adjust to the new steed & if you still feel uncomfortable, you only need to make a customized one.

Originally Posted by iron

The stock headlamp is a dud, sometimes while riding at night i feel the headlamp has conked off. Anything better than the stock headlamp

Are you considering HID's? You can get a Chinese make for around 2K & it can be well accomodated in ZMA

Originally Posted by iron

The odo meter and clock seem to reset themselves automatically. Any reason why?

Pls ask the H.H.A.S.S to check on this, looks like a weak battery or something conked in the unit

Originally Posted by iron

The rear brake gives out some squeaking noise while applied

These are quite common with P220 & not with ZMA. I hope you changed the brake pads right? Just give sometime to settle in, if it doesn't then you may need to check out further.

Originally Posted by iron

Engaging neutral when the bike comes to a stand still is a problem. i have to turn off the engine to shift it to neutral or i have to engage it when the bike is in motion. Is this normal?

Not normal; just give it sometime to check if it disappears. Did you change the clutch & friction plates along with the service? How about engine oil? Did you change them too?

[iron]

Thanks Krishna and Aargee for the quick replies

Originally Posted by aargee

IMO, ZMA has got one of the best riding position including the handle bar; .....

When i was new to my Standard 350 i had a similar problem with the stock handle bar as soon as i got it changed to the RD handle bar the discomfort disappeared. I will give it some more time to adjust.

Originally Posted by aargee

Are you considering HID's? You can get a Chinese .......

As long as they dont blind oncoming traffic i can give it a try.
I will try replacing the battery to a new one lets see how it fares.

Originally Posted by aargee

These are quite common with P220 & not with ZMA. I hope you changed the brake pads right? Just give sometime to settle in, if it doesn't then you may need to check out further.

The front Disc pads were changed and the rear break paddle was changed.

Originally Posted by aargee

Not normal; just give it sometime to check if it disappears. Did you change the clutch & friction plates along with the service? How about engine oil? Did you change them too?

Clutch and friction plates were not changed. Engine oil was changed.

What is the idling rpm for a stock karizma R? When starting from cold the idling rpm is around 1000rpm but after riding for sometime, (9-10kms) it shoots up to 1250-1500rpm. is the normal?
Regards

[joslicx]

Congrats on the ZMA. I owned one once and it is such a great bike really, probably the best in India even today. I had to sell mine (after 5 years of ownership) as I moved on to cars and shadi meant no more biking (unfortunately my wife does not have good liking for bikes - one of the many things on which our views differ

Anyway I also observed the idling 1500 rpm thing on my ZMA. It can be adjusted by a competent mechanic though. Just ask HHSS. Usually HH service is very good (it was in Noida). The digital odo/clock resetting is because of weak battery. Replace it. It should get rectified. The quality of the digital thingy is really good. It was still working fine in my case after 5 years of use/abuse (my bike didnot have covered parking). So it was exposed to extreme sun/rains/cold etc. It still worked fine all the time! HH quality rocks absolutely.
Consider getting teflon coating done (at least once every year). I did for mine and it still looked just like new even after 5 years!
Take good care. Its a beast of a bike and owning one is really a priviledge. Best wishes

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by iron

Hey.
I had been searching for a used Karizma R as my second bike for quite sometime now. I finally acquired a Black Zma R with around 12k on the odo.
The bike is March 2007 model , sparingly used, well maintained as the previous owner already had a Splendor and another car.
I have been riding my Standard 350 for quite some time now and getting used to the Zma R took some time. The gears, brakes, seating position etc.but after a few kilometers it all came together and i was really enjoying it. A couple of things i felt needed correction like.
1)The front shocks were quite loose.
2) Front and rear brakes were loose.
3) Gears were stiff and clutch setting was required. etc'

I decided to give the bike for servicing at Fortpoint, Mahim and just the sake of my peace of mind i asked them to change every fluid in the bike.
Along with that the service advisor also asked me to carry out
Engine flush, DeCarbonizing, swing arm greasing, Changing the front disc pad along with couple of other minor things which i agreed.
The bike is running quite well.
Although i do have a few problems that i am facing.

Originally Posted by iron

1) The handle bar's causing some pain in my Right Elbow, any suggestion for a wider handle bar?

ZMA has got a good riding position, but even i was not very comfortable with the stock handle in the beginning, but got used to it later. I hope your handlebar to front wheel alignment is fine, specifically asking this because in my new ZMA the handle was angled to the left causing my right arm to stretch a bit. This was making it uncomfy. Please check it. If you want to go for a wider slightly swept back handle check out RD350 replica bars.

Originally Posted by iron

2) What is the idling rpm for a stock karizma R? When starting from cold the idling rpm is around 1000rpm but after riding for sometime, (9-10kms) it shoots up to 1250-1500rpm. is the normal?

Yes this is normal.

Originally Posted by iron

3) The stock headlamp is a dud, sometimes while riding at night i feel the headlamp has conked off. Anything better than the stock headlamp.

I had Philips HID but high beam was blind-all, scattered, low beam was good. You can use 55/60W halogen lamp(Night breaker or XtremePower), or 90/100W halogen if you don't do long duration night riding because 90/100W would discolour the reflector if used over long duration. Use relay with 55/60 and 90/100. Upgrade the battery to 9AH one if you go for brighter lamps. Amaron 9AH would fit in the stock cradle snugly.

Originally Posted by iron

4)The odo meter and clock seem to reset themselves automatically. Any reason why?

Due to weak battery most of the time.

Originally Posted by iron

5)The rear brake gives out some squeaking noise while applied.

Hub needs cleaning and may require brake shoe change.

Originally Posted by iron

6) Engaging neutral when the bike comes to a stand still is a problem. i have to turn off the engine to shift it to neutral or i have to engage it when the bike is in motion. Is this normal? I think the previous owner was a clutch rider, the clutch is a always half pressed in.

It is not. This is a clutch problem, adjust free play if its excessive, or if there is no free play, you may need to get clutch checked.

Originally Posted by iron

I will also be posting a few pictures . i am just waiting for the weather to clear up a bit.

Happy riding!

[aargee]

Originally Posted by iron

As long as they dont blind oncoming traffic i can give it a try.
I will try replacing the battery to a new one lets see how it fares.

The one I saw didn't blind the traffic; I saw a few of them on R15's too. But remember, you cannot even get them switched ON without getting the batteries charging simultaneously for few minutes as it would eat up the battery soon.

Originally Posted by iron

The front Disc pads were changed and the rear break paddle was changed.

Paddle? I hope shoes; just give sometime to adjust or is it unbearable harsh noise? It shouldn't be harsh; give sometime to adjust with the internal drum.

Originally Posted by iron

Clutch and friction plates were not changed. Engine oil was changed.

Ok; give sometime to check on the clutch thing, say about 200-300 Kms & the issue should disappear. Did you check the conditions on the friction plates, cable & the lever?

Originally Posted by iron

What is the idling rpm for a stock karizma R? When starting from cold the idling rpm is around 1000rpm but after riding for sometime, (9-10kms) it shoots up to 1250-1500rpm. is the normal?

I'm no expert here, from cold of 1K to heated up 1.5K is normal I guess. I leave the experts to comment on this.

[Manoj2268]

@iron: One cost saving tip:
Go for RTR's disc pads. They are a perfect fit to the karizma's caliper and cost one-seventh of the original.

[bhogalrajnish]

I am going through the same trouble. I bought a ZMA after riding a bullet for years and I just cannot adjust to the bar, I am planing to get a custome one made. I think there is enough space for a higher bar the cables and the break line have a couple of inches extra. Let me know if you are able to find a better bar.

[prince_pervez]

Hey congrats on the bike mate. The clutch lever may take a little time to get used to. Congrats again. Somehow I feel this bike missed the grunt the P180 had to offer. Even though it had more cc and a little more power, it never looked or sounded threathening. Some people still swear by my P180 exhaust note.

[Ajaybiz]

Iron if you are willing to travel a bit visit the dealer in Andheri east creative motors if i have not forgotten their name, i had a very good experiance with them for my CBZ, they are bit costly in terms of replacing parts but they will let you know in advance and do the job.
Stay away from fort point they are always crowded with bikes and never gives attention to specific problems they just do reguler servicing no attention to problem mentioned by customer.

[iron]

Originally Posted by Ajaybiz

Iron if you are willing to travel a bit visit the dealer in Andheri east creative ..........attention to problem mentioned by customer.

Thanks for the suggestion.i will try them. I live in andheri west.my first choice was M/s Road X ( found it on the HH website) as its closer to my home but then Fort point mahim is closer to my work place.
What swung my decision in favour of FP mahim was that it was also recommended by a colleague at work. The number of bikes coming for servicing at FP Mahim is just too huge. I had to make two trips to sort out all issues and some issues are still existing.

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Hey congrats on the bike mate. The clutch ......... people still swear by my P180 exhaust note.

Thanks dude. Now that you have mentioned it i took a test ride on my friend's P180 and mistook the grunt for an unserviced engine.

Originally Posted by bhogalrajnish

I am going through the same trouble. I bought a ZMA .........tra. Let me know if you are able to find a better bar.

I am also searching for one. i'll let u know immediately when i stumble across one

Originally Posted by Manoj2268

@iron: One cost saving tip:
Go........... karizma's caliper and cost one-seventh of the original.

Thank you for the advice Manoj will remember it at the next Disc Pad change.

Originally Posted by Sankar

ZMA has got a good riding position, but even i was no.....back handle check out RD350 replica bars.

There is no problem with the alignment . I will just try swapping the RD handle bar on my Standard350 and give it a try.

Originally Posted by Sankar

I had Philips HID but high beam was blind-all, scattered 9AH would fit in the stock cradle snugly.

Come this weekend i will plonk in a new battery and see how the stock headlamp fares. If the headlamp is still a dud then i will change to 55/60W first .
What is the Ampere rating of the battery that the zma R uses can we put in a battery with a higher ampere rating without blowing anything up.??

Originally Posted by aargee

Paddle? I hope shoes; just give sometime to adjust or is it unbearable harsh noise? It shouldn't be harsh; give sometime to adjust with the internal drum.

The bill mentions RR Brake paddle change it costs 80[FONT=&quot]`.[/FONT]

Originally Posted by aargee

Ok; give sometime to check on the clutch thing, s........., cable & the lever?

No i did not check them. This coming weekend i will get them checked.

Originally Posted by joslicx

Congrats on the ZMA. I owned one once and it is such a ........... liking for bikes - one of the

Thanks Dude. I am starting to enjoy it. I love the way it cuts corners.


I thank everyone for their replies. I did not know the bike had such a huge following. As of Today the bike has done some 220kms with me l\ and i feel everything is starting to fall into place .

[iron]

Hey. I am facing a weird problem. Starting the bike from a cold start (kick start) the pilot lamps & rear break lamps switch on, but the headlamp in low beam fails to switch on. When switched over to high beam the high beam switches on. It is only after running for sometime the low beam switches on. I am running on stock 7Ah Battery. What should be the voltage of the stock battery when tested with a DMM?

[vikramvicky1984]

congratulations on the bike
If you don't mind, could you disclose the price you paid ( else PM me)
I have looking for quite some time in Mumbai for a good used ZMA for myself, with no luck yet :( any leads would be great

[Ajaybiz]

Usual issue with headlamp holder, open and clean it if wear n tear is more replace simple.