[Frank Zappa]

Originally Posted by rbp

3) My bike is extremely smooth till 4K rpm, after that I feel vibes at the foot pegs. Any solution or anyone else exp the same?

My bike has done around 800 Kms and I too have a distinct vibration on the pegs from 3000- 4500 Rpm, taken it for a few very short bursts above that and the vibration tapers off.
Hoping this reduces as the engine runs in.

[dinyaar]

Hi RBP

I too am running in my bike & hence have stuck to 4000 rpms but have ridden a friends 650 which has done more kms and can hopefully answer your queries.
1)At around 5500/6000 the bike pulls beautifully and emits a 'bassy' roar. In my opinion a deeper roar than the 2011 bike. Perfectly acceptable exhaust note for a parallel at least for me.

2)You can get a paddock from the PBK guys itself. Its around 6K. Problem is u will need a helper to get it on & off. Honestly u can do a lot of DIY maintanence even with a bike on a side stand. Regarding checking fluid levels one just has to ask the 'spouse' or girl freind to sit & hold the bike up straight Alternatively Performance racing too has a paddock stand but am unaware of the cost.

3)Well not that I have ridden too many twins but from the few that I have I would say the 2012 Kaw is absolutely acceptable vibrations for a parallel twin. In fact I would say it was a pleasant surprise. Maybe u could get the PBK guys to tighten all the bolts in the first service ( I presume they will in any case) IN YOUR PRESENCE.

Am happy with the bike in every way.

I wanted a bike that I can truly use everyday. To work, to play & also the occasional longish ride with fellow bikers.

Have been riding for 26 years & still retain my first bike which was the puny RX and I use the first edition Karizma as my daily commuter. Would love to use the 650 more as its totally capable in the city but am jittery to leave it unattended.

Rgds

[dinyaar]

Hi
Further would like to add the few things I have bought for this machine.

Cant post pics as yet as I hardly ever post on forums and I understand I will be able to after 25 posts or so.

1) Zero Gravity double bubble visor in black. Looks cool and also partially hides the ugly windshield bracket from view. Dropped the windshield to the lowest position on the day I got the delivery itself ( was in the in between slots)

2) Put a CLEAR tankpad as I wanted something simple. I think its an Italian brand called 'Harris' and bought it from performance racing. Its absolutely needed in this bike to have a pad.

3) R&G Sliders. Yet to arrive also from Performance Racing.

4) Puig rim tape. Thought the green of this tape matched the colour on the bike the closest. Great quality & with the applicator its a breeze to DIY. Bought from Ultimate Impex for Rs 1200. I personally dont like rim paint & this seemed a good option.

5) Thickest oil I found for lubrication. manual suggests SAE 90 & I found Castrol SAE 80/90. Also bought MOTUL CHAIN LUBE but I prefer the 'old way' of lubricating the chain with oil rather than the 'super sticky' lube and the old way of cleaning the chain with a 'hard tooth brush' rather than MOTUL CHAIN CLEAN.

After about 200 Kms I found the chain to have too much play so I adjusted it myself & it was very easy. Much better shifts there after. Also adjusted & lubricated the clutch cable for a better, smoother feel.

I already have a superb Bikers tool box & Do not use the supplied tool kit. If one is attempting DIY then buy a box of cotter pins & decent tools. Very easily got on the internet for not much money.

Rgds

[Frank Zappa]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Hi
Further would like to add the few things I have bought for this machine.


3) R&G Sliders. Yet to arrive also from Performance Racing.

Dinyaar,
I got a set of R & G sliders from Performance racing tardeo on the 7th of Oct and they had received only few pieces with bookings already in place so yours should be there if you had called for it.

Did you order the visor on line?

safe rides.

[rbp]

@Dinyaar:- Thanks a ton for the detailed reply. From where did you get the bikers toolbox?

I have ordered for the clear type tank pad and R G cut type frame sliders they will be shipped today by performance racing. you should get in touch with them ASAP for your order.

[dinyaar]

Hi Frank & Rbp,
I had placed an order with Performance racing too & just got a call this evening that my R&G sliders have arrived so will collect & install asap.

Bought the zero gravity DB windshield from them too. I prefer it over the SR series which is basically the same style as the original BUT with a smoke tint. The touring one is obviously great if you tour but looks a tad too big on the machine. Anyway Frank thats a matter of personal taste & double bubble rocks my boat!! Point to note is that EVEN THE DOUBLE BUBBLE is larger (greater height) than the stock & hence can function well for touring in the uppermost setting of the bracket.

RBP this collection of tools is over a decade & more. Most of them are bought when on holiday in Europe and are either German or British. Excellent quality and you dont screw up the heads of bolts & screws. Plus I bought a large set of Allen Keys made by Clarke (UK) from what is called ' chor bazaar' in Bombay. Apart from the above I have the regular spanner sets from Taparia which is a safe Indain brand for tools. Cotter pins, fasteners etc etc can all be bought from the car spares market at Avantika bai Gokhale street, opera House, Mumbai.
In my opinion the cool , fancy biker tool kits from Victorinox for example are a tad impractical to use regularly.

I have a few questions for the guys who have this machine & have had the first service done.


1) Is it OK to bring your own oil and coolant or do we HAVE to put the Veedol 10 W 40 that Bajaj uses in this Kawasaki? Would PBK have a problem with this?
2) Would PBK instsall things like stuff like sliders, bar end weights etc etc or does one get stuff done elsewhere?


Reason I ask is Motul 10W 40 synthetic & ice are two fluids I would love to have in the machine at the earliest but if it is going to cause a problem with PBK & the warranty I will do a rethink. I had a few problems with the Hero honda service when I would take the karizma there for periodic maintanence and hence would like to just double check with fellow owners.

Thanks in advance
Rgds

[Frank Zappa]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Hi Frank & Rbp,
I had placed an order with Performance racing too & just got a call this evening that my R&G sliders have arrived so will collect & install asap.


I have a few questions for the guys who have this machine & have had the first service done.


1) Is it OK to bring your own oil and coolant or do we HAVE to put the Veedol 10 W 40 that Bajaj uses in this Kawasaki? Would PBK have a problem with this?
2) Would PBK instsall things like stuff like sliders, bar end weights etc etc or does one get stuff done elsewhere?
Rgds

Dinyaar,
I shall be taking my bike for the first service next month as I am travelling presently and will be back in India only by the first week of Nov. Do post your service experience with PBK mumbai so we could learn from it.
I would be inclined to think that PBK will refuse to put in any other lubricant than that recommended by Kawasaki.
The Rand G frame sliders should be a DIY affair .
safe rides

[dinyaar]

Originally Posted by Frank Zappa

Dinyaar,
I shall be taking my bike for the first service next month as I am travelling presently and will be back in India only by the first week of Nov. Do post your service experience with PBK mumbai so we could learn from it.
I would be inclined to think that PBK will refuse to put in any other lubricant than that recommended by Kawasaki.
The Rand G frame sliders should be a DIY affair .
safe rides

Frank I should be taking it for the 1st service sometime in November too.

Have used Motul in all my bikes & personally can vouch for the improvement in engine performance overall. Well I guess I will call PBK service & check before the service is due.

Frank I got the R&G sliders home yesterday and read the instructions. Yes it can be a DIY for sure but I want some experienced bloke to open the fairing and I will keep an 'eagle eye'. I guess I am a bit jittery with the fairing and its refitting.

Rgds

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

I want some experienced bloke to open the fairing and I will keep an 'eagle eye'. I guess I am a bit jittery with the fairing and its refitting.

Rgds

BTW, is it possible to get rid of the firing completely and convert to naked/street fighter look?

[Frank Zappa]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Frank I should be taking it for the 1st service sometime in November too.

Have used Motul in all my bikes & personally can vouch for the improvement in engine performance overall. Well I guess I will call PBK service & check before the service is due.

Frank I got the R&G sliders home yesterday and read the instructions. Yes it can be a DIY for sure but I want some experienced bloke to open the fairing and I will keep an 'eagle eye'. I guess I am a bit jittery with the fairing and its refitting.

Rgds

Dinyaar,
Check this thread as Narula123 has got the sliders fitted and has put in some snaps with the fairing removed.
I intend to do it myself once I am back as it looks like a straightforward job. I have removed the front 'ugly' number plate and have got the number on the visor shield. Now I need to remove the two brackets for the number plate coming out of the mirror stalk base which are sticking out like a sore thumb.
DSG store in Poona have a scorpion exhaust for about 45K for the bike. Anyone fitted that?? PRS mumbai have supplied a Akrapovic to one customer in Bandra, intend to go and have a look once I am back.

Safe rides.

[dinyaar]

Originally Posted by Frank Zappa

Dinyaar,
Check this thread as Narula123 has got the sliders fitted and has put in some snaps with the fairing removed.
I intend to do it myself once I am back as it looks like a straightforward job. I have removed the front 'ugly' number plate and have got the number on the visor shield. Now I need to remove the two brackets for the number plate coming out of the mirror stalk base which are sticking out like a sore thumb.
DSG store in Poona have a scorpion exhaust for about 45K for the bike. Anyone fitted that?? PRS mumbai have supplied a Akrapovic to one customer in Bandra, intend to go and have a look once I am back.

Safe rides.

Frank I have also removed the front number plate myself and put a number sticker on the front fender as I wanted the Zero gravity screen to be clean & free of stickers. I too have those ugly small plates of metal sticking out from under the mirrors which I will get the PBK guys to remove in the first service.

Here in South Mumbai there is a lot of police patrolling at night and a noisy can attracts attention. Plus I also ride this machine when I go for tennis every evening & there are loads of cops around. Keeping all this in mind and for my peace of mind I will stick to the stock can for now. My fellow buddies have advised me to go only acrapovic as they claim its the best for performance & roar though I have seen / heard a Yoshi on the 2011 ninja sound pretty good too. Cost of acra is pretty steep as its not a slip on for this 2012 edition. Have seen the Akrapovic on the new ninja & its pretty impressive though I have not ridden on it.

Regarding the R&G bobbins well it seems pretty straight forward with detailed illustrations & instructions BUT inspite of that there are some blokes on the Kawi forums who have had issues/ problems fitting the left bobbin for some reason. The right one goes on easily as I understand. Hence decided to get an experienced hand who has DONE THIS before. I doubt he will charge more than 500 / 700 Rs at the most. Should be done this evening after work so will keep you posted.

Anandpadhye well it is possible in theory if one is willing to junk a great deal of what is the ER6f & buy some of the parts of the ER6n online. Have a smart mechanic on your side & one can attempt it but I doubt you will be able to get it to be identical to the Naked. STRONGLY NOT SUGGESTED THOUGH.
Buy another bike if one likes a naked rather than attempt the above. Have seen guys remove that terrible fairing in bikes like the karizma, fabricate brackets to support the lights & speedo but in my opinion the end result is never like a factory job.

Rgds.

[dinyaar]

Hi

Got the R&G No Cut frame sliders installed yesterday by a reputed mechanic of Performance racing. The reason I chose him & not PBK service is that PBK workshop is an hour away from where I live & for small issues if any I need to find a competent guy.

The guy told me this is the first 2012 Ninja that he is installing a slider on. Met him at his garage to just see his set up & there were quite a few busas, R1 and some wierd looking modified BUSA which I was told belongs to one of the most 'popular' sports persons of our country!!!!!! I stood and supervised the entire operation. The only problem in my opinion was that the guy came a bit late (after sunset) so had to work in my garage under tube lights.

To remove the fairing is a pain in my opinion. Its not just a few allen Bolts!!! There are too many clips to remove carefully. The top portion next to the cluster also has to be loosened or even removed to gently lift the fairing off from the groove and then the indicator wiring has to be disconnected. Once the fairing is off (about 15 mins each side) installing the Bracket (please read the manual carefully) is a breeze. Re fitting the fairing so that it has 'perfect lines' also takes skill and I advise any owner to NOT ATTEMPT IT . The first time i think its best you let a qualified guy do it in your presence & then u can always do it thereafter.

I am good with mechanical stuff & basically DIY most stuff but this fairings etc are a bloody pain I guess my love for nakeds has a strong foundation!!
If only they had got the ER6N but thats wishful thinking.

Slider installed & am Crash ready!!!! Hardly in my opinion as I dont really know how much of the bike that small bobbin is going to protect!

Rgds to all

[dkaile]

^
Please do post photos of all such mods for the benefit of all members.

[Frank Zappa]

Originally Posted by dinyaar

Hi

Got the R&G No Cut frame sliders installed yesterday by a reputed mechanic of Performance racing.
I advise any owner to NOT ATTEMPT IT . The first time i think its best you let a qualified guy do it in your presence & then u can always do it thereafter.

Slider installed & am Crash ready!!!! Hardly in my opinion as I dont really know how much of the bike that small bobbin is going to protect!

Rgds to all

Dinyaar,
I see your point in getting this done from someone who has done it previously as the fittings need to go back in place securely to get the original fit and finish.
Could you please PM me this guy's contact details so that I can this done from him when I am back . How much did he charge you for that? Does he come to your place to do it? That would be great.
About the effectiveness of the sliders, honestly you put my thoughts down . Hope they are never needed. In my 15 years of riding bikes I have never had a crash guard on my bike, be it my RD350, Roadking or my bullet and so am hoping this is never put to test.
Please put down your experience with PBK for the service when you get it done.

safe rides

[dinyaar]

Dkaile, would love to post pics but cant as I have hardly ever been on TBHP & require 25 posts before I can post pics or send PMs

Frank for the above reason I cant send u a PM but u can PM me your details & we could get in touch when you are in town.

This guy from Performance racing charged me Rs 700/- which I think is more than fair. Yes he came to my home & did it under my nose (literally!!)Job was 9/10 but I would keep double checking till I got it 10/10.

My advice to u and others wanting to fit R&G sliders or similar is to go to PBK itself if u are located close enough. They could have affixed them for me too but I would have to wait a month till the first service as its too far for me to ride in this crazy bbay traffic just to get a bobbin fitted! Am sure quality of job will be same or maybe even better & I doubt they will charge too much more.
You will need them to remove both fairings in any case to remove the brackets under your mirrors and change the oil & filter. DIY the fairing is OK once u have the hang of it as u dont want imperfect lines or overlapping nor can u risk broken fairing clips.

Now I dont know how much of the bike this small bobbin will save. The PRS guy felt otherwise He said it has saved the fairing in many cases & the max u lose in case of a 'gentle drop' could be a lever or a mirror. I am not worried about a crash really as that can happen however safe one rides but more worried about it falling off the damn side stand when unattended. So 9K is not too much of a price for a bit of peace of mind I guess. Have had one fall about 20 years ago on an RD and the crash bar didnt save much and one crash on an Enfield maybe 10 years ago & the crash guard saved me!!

Rgds