[mobike008]

We have been avoiding hitting the Hyderabad-Mumbai highway for last couple of years as this highway until Solapur (300-odd kms) was being widened. Last time, I was on this highway was in May/June of 2016 on the Versys when we did a 2-day 1600kms trip to Mahabaleshwar and went through 300kms of nightmarish no-road conditions that took us nearly 7 hours to cover (ofcourse, V gobbled up those road conditions without batting an eyelid) but, my poor friend on his Speed Triple suffered with multiple issues on that trip

Fast forward, I heard couple of months ago from friends that section of highway is almost done (except for the last 60-70kms to Solapur) and we decided last week to ride to Bidar Fort as it was just 100kms until Zaheerabad and then get off the main highway and another 30-40kms of nice curvy state highway to reach Bidar Fort

I have done Bidar Gurdwara and Fort multiple times in the past on my Bullet as during those days it was the most popular destination for bull riders

It was five of us that morning and even though it was 4-lane highway there was lot of traffic until 50kms and only after which the crowd thinned out and we were able to open up the throttles. Overall, highway condition is good but, not that great to enjoy a motorcycle ride

Out here the winters refuse to go away and we have been having some great weather (chilly and cloudy) and that day it was perfect weather to enjoy a couple of hours exploring the fort before returning home by 1:00pm after covering around 275kms

P.S : Less than a couple of hundred kms away from 24,000kms with no opportunity to ride for next 2 weeks. Dark Knight will now go for its service later this month before resuming to explore the beautiful terrains of our country

[mobike008]

24,000kms Service Report

Damn, yet again i had to fork out my thread from the second page...Not good at all..LOL!

It's been exactly a month that I even touched the Dark Knight due to travel and work commitments and when there was some respite from work the first thing that came to mind was to get the bike serviced and be ready for summer riding season (Yeah, I know sounds little crazy...doesn't it? Folks pack up their bikes for long duration in summer but, for some of us weather does not matter and we go about as if this tough weather onslaught does not have any effect on our riding and infact, our summer ride plans are getting chalked out. Our simple motto-If you have to ride, you have to ride. Period )

I called up the ASC a day before and fixed up an appointment for 10:00am and next morning when I thumbed the starter after exactly a month, the Dark Knight came to life in first instance....This is true definition of reliability-had it been my bullet, I would have had to fetch my mechanic to get it started after non-usage of a month...

Well, to get on with the story, I reached the ASC at 10:30am and was immediately attended to by the SA and the 2 service mechanics (Ismail & Owais)

My service advice to them was simple and as follows :

1. Oil Change (I wanted to try a new oil this time so it's Mobil 1)
2. Oil Filter Change
3. Clutch Lever Replacement (It bent due to a standing fall)
4. Air Filter Cleaning (I had installed new one at 15K kms, replacement at 30K kms)
5. Clutch Cable Cleaning with Petrol and Lubrication
6. Front Brake Pads cleaning
7. Rear Brake Pads Installation (I'm still on stock rear brake pads--Can you beileve it..LOL!!...And they said another 20-25% life is there but, I decided to change to new ones)
9. Front sprocket cleaning
10. Thottle Body cleaning
11. Water Wash
12. Chain Adjustment, Clean and Lube

Above sounds like a heck of a lot of work..Doesn't it? But, they wrapped up the work as if it wasn’t!!

They were meticulous and worked diligently on bike to complete it by 1:15pm and after paying the bill, I was out of ASC at 1:30pm

2.30 Hours to complete the above work. Not bad..Huh?

Kawasaki service has improved by the mile and there is actually nothing to complain as they really take care of you. Nice waiting room, constant supply of Almond Tea/Coffee and marketing folks come up and chat with you to keep you entertained

There is one thing that I'm unhappy about it as you can see from the picture of the bill. Their labor cost is ridiculously high and totally unjustifiable

Some not so good things below :

1. Air Filter cleaning was charged at 1000/-
2. Coolant Check at 100/- (When you remove the fairing its visible so you are not doing anything special)
3. Rear Brake pad installation charged at 850/- (I fixed a bent rim and cleaned rear brake pad for 300 bucks at a place outside back when I was at 10K kms)

Now the good things :

1. Was not charged for Clutch Cable cleaning which I saw was a tedious process with lot of petrol being used

2. Front Brake Pad cleaning work was not charged

3. Throttle Body cleaning with petrol was not charged

Overall, it was a good experience if you decide to ignore the high cost of labor. On second thoughts now with Dark Knight completing 2 years and is out of warranty so I can explore places outside for basic service related work

Total Bill for this 24,000kms service with me carrying the Lever and Rear Brake pad was : INR 5685/-

P.S: Thanks to Kyffin from Anzen Kawasaki, Mumbai for sending over the Clutch Lever to me as a month back this was out of stock at Kawasaki Hyderabad and costed INR 1700/-

P.S 1 : Trivia for folks-Brake lever is going to set us back by a huge amount and apparently costs 6K...Woah...So be careful of how you drop the bike on ground...Haha!!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Folks pack up their bikes for long duration in summer

And once summer is over - they wait for the monsoon to finish.

By the way, when did you change your front brake pads? Mine needs to be changed now. Thinking whether to go for Kawasaki or just get the EBC from outside and be done with it.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

And once summer is over - they wait for the monsoon to finish

#Truethat....We live in India and not in a country with extreme weather condition so I believe every season is riding season for us. We just have to exercise necessary caution when riding in summer/monsoon

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

By the way, when did you change your front brake pads? Mine needs to be changed now. Thinking whether to go for Kawasaki or just get the EBC from outside and be done with it.

I changed my front brake pads at 18,000kms

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post4250972

However, when the ASC folks were cleaning it over the last weekend they mentioned that I should be ready to change it at my next service (30,000kms)

So it's little weird that first instance it lasted until 18K kms and now it may go kaput at 12K kms

I'm still trying to figure out how that is possible?

[manson]

Originally Posted by mobike008

So it's little weird that first instance it lasted until 18K kms and now it may go kaput at 12K kms

Perhaps, you were taking it relatively easy in the early days which would cause lesser wear and tear on the brake pads. Also, the next brake pad change is an estimation by the service advisor so it may /may not imply an exact state of deterioration.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by manson

Perhaps, you were taking it relatively easy in the early days which would cause lesser wear and tear on the brake pads. Also, the next brake pad change is an estimation by the service advisor so it may /may not imply an exact state of deterioration.

Good to see you here Mannu

Well, my riding style has not changed from Day 1, so I wonder why interval is effected for the front brake pads over 2 set changes?

I apply front/rear in standard 90:10/80:20 principle and since front brakes are more important than rear, I will not take chances and replace them even if there is some life left in them

I reckon a re-inspection at 30K kms will give me the right picture about what to do next..

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I reckon a re-inspection at 30K kms will give me the right picture about what to do next..

Just don't brake. No matter what happens. Fly over obstacles

On a serious note - Are you planning to stick to Kawasaki OEM brake pads? I'm planning a switch to EBC this time.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Just don't brake. No matter what happens. Fly over obstacles

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

On a serious note - Are you planning to stick to Kawasaki OEM brake pads? I'm planning a switch to EBC this time.

Most certainly I'm going to try the EBC front brake pads whenever its due for replacement as feedback for them is quite good. Stronger bite and may last longer than stock pads too

You too go for EBC

[nasirkaka]

24,000kms Service Report

No throttle body vacuum syncing? I think kawi recommends every 12k kms. I am at 23K kms and looking forward to the 24k service. And yes, the ASC labour costs are high everywhere. 850 for just rear brake pad installation is a crime and so are most of their other costs. i can understand parts being expensive cos of duty and taxes, but labour in India is comparatively not expensive. With a bit DYI inclination, most of the service related work can be take care of at home, including oil change and air-filter replacement. A paddock or center stand, some good quality tools and intent. The bike is well designed from maintenance point of view, so cleaning brakes, and other regular maintenance work etc are pretty simple. Will attempt some of them and share the experience on tbhp.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

but labour in India is comparatively not expensive.

Problem is all with the sales numbers. Maintaining an independent superbike network in India will never be a cheaper affair unless these numbers improve. This is where companies like Honda who don't have a seperate setup scores in terms of cheaper after sales as compared to the likes of Harley, Kawasaki, Triumph, Benelli etc.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

[/u][/b]No throttle body vacuum syncing? I think kawi recommends every 12k kms. I am at 23K kms and looking forward to the 24k service. And yes, the ASC labour costs are high everywhere. 850 for just rear brake pad installation is a crime and so are most of their other costs. i can understand parts being expensive cos of duty and taxes, but labour in India is comparatively not expensive. With a bit DYI inclination, most of the service related work can be take care of at home, including oil change and air-filter replacement. A paddock or center stand, some good quality tools and intent. The bike is well designed from maintenance point of view, so cleaning brakes, and other regular maintenance work etc are pretty simple. Will attempt some of them and share the experience on tbhp.

Throttle body sync was done recently at 22,000kms

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superb...ml#post4344505

I missed the actual interval of 12K kms and got it done for the first time at 22K and bike feels wonderful now. Acceleration is crisp and lively

Now I plan to stick to the 12K interval and will get the next one at 36K kms

Well, honestly speaking I dont have the time nor inclination for DIY activity (Well, I never leave the bike and sit with it and get the work done but, getting my own hands dirty has never been my interest or forte) so I just have to rely on the Kawasaki ASC or find a good one outside now that bike is out of warranty

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Problem is all with the sales numbers. Maintaining an independent superbike network in India will never be a cheaper affair unless these numbers improve. This is where companies like Honda who don't have a seperate setup scores in terms of cheaper after sales as compared to the likes of Harley, Kawasaki, Triumph, Benelli etc.

Spot on! These folks make money from ASC like all car manufacturers do as margins are shrinking and they compensate it through ASC

Also, they assume when you can spend 8 lakhs on a bike. Spending 10K a year on maintenance should not be an issue (I concur to this point. Heck, it works out to 1K/month which is darn reasonable and if this cost sounds high, Imagine what BMW owners must be thinking)

In 4-wheels category also it's happening, take for example Hyundai, they sell their cars at premium and also their service cost rose through the years and is now at a super premium compared to others in same category

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I missed the actual interval of 12K kms and got it done for the first time at 22K and bike feels wonderful now. Acceleration is crisp and lively

Now I plan to stick to the 12K interval and will get the next one at 36K kms

Kawasaki service did not do it for me at 12k kms. They checked and reverted that its not required currently and they'll check it again during next service.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Kawasaki service did not do it for me at 12k kms. They checked and reverted that its not required currently and they'll check it again during next service.

I was going by Redliner input that it needs to be done at 12K kms. Not sure it it's mentioned in manual.

Well, on a separate note. I'd like to share an outstanding feat by a fellow Versys rider-Hemanth

Now that's some serious riding



He went through the following key consummables

1. Currently on 4th set of tyres
2. Currently on 3rd set of chain & sprockets
3. Currently on his 3rd set of brake pads

Whew! I'm envious of his job

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Well, on a separate note. I'd like to share an outstanding feat by a fellow Versys rider-Hemanth

The second rider in India to acheive this milestone.

A couple of others are very close to achieving this too. To me, this clearly shows why tourers are the best usable big bikes for Indian conditions and how Versys is absolute VFM in that list of expensive machines.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Whew! I'm envious of his job

I'm envious of his marital status.

[Red Liner]

Vacuum sync on the first versys 650 by the kawasaki team in bangalore was done last Saturday in my presence and not my bike. I had the service manual with me. Service manual mandates 12k sync. The kawasaki asc here is a bit clueless about certain numbers and technicalities when i asked them basis info on service manual. Few others have done the sync in coimbatore and Hyderabad and i am in touch with them for further feedback.

At the moment, i do not recommend vacuum sync in bangalore until these guys get a handle of things.