[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by prateekm

I can get Motul synthetic oils for a pretty cheap price as compared to the MRP. The person currently has Motul 300 V Factory Line 4T 15W50 in stock, should I get it? I'd like to try the synthetic oil once just to compare the difference.

Motul 300v is a double ester FS oil and costs almost a grand for a liter. Its pegged as a racing line oil and hence commands the premium.

If you really want to move to a FS oil, go with the Motul FS single ester 7100 oil. I use it in my ninja and its an excellent product. The engine feels refined and gear changes are very smooth too. This one costs around 700 bucks a liter in Blore.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Motul 300v is a double ester FS oil and costs almost a grand for a liter. Its pegged as a racing line oil and hence commands the premium.

If you really want to move to a FS oil, go with the Motul FS single ester 7100 oil. I use it in my ninja and its an excellent product. The engine feels refined and gear changes are very smooth too. This one costs around 700 bucks a liter in Blore.

What if I'm getting this for ~600 bucks a liter? The single ester 7100 would cost me 450-550 I guess. The main question is, would this oil cause false neutrals or engine knocking on my Apache?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by prateekm

What if I'm getting this for ~600 bucks a liter? The single ester 7100 would cost me 450-550 I guess.

Wow. That's an awesome deal i would say, Just ensure the oil is genuine and the container is sealed.

The price of the 7100 has gone up by 100 bucks in the last few months so if you're getting a double ester for that less, go with it mate. Pamper her

Edit - Not sure about the knocking part, but make sure the oil confirms to the grade and type mentioned in the owners manual. And of course it should say - for wet clutch use.

The container will also mention that it confirms to API SJ/SH/SL and JA SO MA1/MA2 specs. See the owners manual for exact requirements for your bike.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Wow. That's an awesome deal i would say, Just ensure the oil is genuine and the container is sealed.

The price of the 7100 has gone up by 100 bucks in the last few months so if you're getting a double ester for that less, go with it mate. Pamper her

Edit - Not sure about the knocking part, but make sure the oil confirms to the grade and type mentioned in the owners manual. And of course it should say - for wet clutch use.

The container will also mention that it confirms to API SJ/SH/SL and JA SO MA1/MA2 specs. See the owners manual for exact requirements for your bike.

I told someone to get me the 7100 but he picked up the 300V double ester. Now, I can't ask him to exchange it since I got the oil for free.

I cannot find any info mentioning whether it confirms to API SJ/SH/SL specs on the container. Should I just fill the oil and check if the bike works fine? The owners manual mentions nothing other than 'use TVS Tru4 oil for best results'.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by prateekm

I cannot find any info mentioning whether it confirms to API SJ/SH/SL specs on the container. Should I just fill the oil and check if the bike works fine? The owners manual mentions nothing other than 'use TVS Tru4 oil for best results'.

As long as it says for wet clutch use or for use in motorcycles and confirms to the grade specified for your bike, you are good to go.

[prateekm]

"I'm planning to ride to Bangalore", I announced just after coming back from the Mahabaleshwar trip in November.

"Yeah sure, just that I'll give you permission to do that after the age of 25", quipped mom.

"Naah, I'm doing it in February for sure!".

"This February? No chance. Anyway, your dad wouldn't allow you".

Later that evening, on the dinner table, mom brought the topic again.

"Your son plans to ride to Bangalore".

Dad said, "Ride to Bangalore? Cool. Make sure you leave early in the morning and just get a normal servicing done before the trip!"

So, now having got the permission, I started doing a few basic searches, asking in other forums about the essentials I'd have to carry, etc. However, due to some reasons I couldn't do the trip in February. Now, I had another shot at it in May and I had to make sure I would do the trip, come what may. The initial plans included having a backup car with me as my relatives were travelling on the same day. Long story cut short, that did not happen. Just a few days before my journey, my uncle said that his train tickets weren't confirmed, and thus they were planning to go by their car. Nobody in their family knows to drive, and the chauffuer hasn't done anything more than 200km a day. So dad decided to drive their car. As the news of a 18 year old doing a 2000km round trip spread in my extended family, every other day I would get calls from concerned relatives discouraging me from riding for such a long distance.

"Beech mai puncture hoga toh kya karega?"
"What if you get a sun-stroke?"
"What if you skid and fall down?"
"Go on the plane, it's much better. Nobody does 2000km on a 180cc bike".

Anyway, ignoring all this, I gave my bike for servicing a week before the trip. Told them not to change the oil since I planned to use synthetic oil for the trip. Filled up nitrogen, tanked up and did a 100km city ride to check if anything was wrong. After getting a green signal from the local mechanic too, the bike was ready for the trip. I needed a riding pant for my trip, so purchased Rjays pants for 6,699/- on the day of the trip. PM'ed Bhushan (driverace) and he gave me a couple of suggestions and tips. Thanks Bhushan!

The plan was pretty straightforward;
Day 1: Thane - Pune
Day 2: Pune - Bangalore
Day 7: Bangalore - Thane.

Left at about 4pm from Thane on Day 1. Due to heavy traffic jam, reached Pune by 8.00pm including a 30 minute break at Tony Da Dhaba. Maintained 90-95kmph wherever possible.
Woke up at 5am on Day 2. It was surely going to be one hectic day. I maintained 95-100kmph on most of the stretches, touching 125kmph a couple of times. Had carried a couple of red bulls, gatorade and drank plenty of water in order to avoid dehydration. At a toll naka, looking at my gear and since I was riding without any luggage (everything was in the car), the manager of the toll booth asked me whether I worked for TVS and was testing the bike Taking frequent breaks, we reached Bangalore at 7pm. Thus, Pune - Bangalore took me 14 hours with 2 hours of breaks included.

On day 7, left at 5am again. About 100km from Chitradurga, I faced strong winds. I personally felt bike wasn't stable above 90kmph in that situation. Hence, limited my speed to 80-85kmph throughout the trip. Also, once a bit of fatigue creeped in after 500kms, it was safer to maintain 80kmph than riding at higher speeds. Crossed Pune at around 7pm. Faced heavy traffic in Pune and after Kalwa in Thane, thus taking 4 hours to do the Pune - Thane sector. Now, another thing I noticed is that the headlights aren't bright enough to ride on the unlit NH. Does anyone have a suggestion regarding the same? Reached home at 11pm, tired but happy on completing the journey! Never did the Apache give any unexpected surprises, so I'm very happy with the bike. Even after riding for 1000km continuously, you could enjoy the pull at 6500rpm. I do have plans to get a bigger cc bike before the next summers, but I guess the Apache is here to stay.

Attaching a pic taken by my sister from the car;

[Shivank]

Great adventurous ride there by you, Prateek! Congrats for discovering RTR's touring capabilities. I am sure you now have a new found respect for your bike, and for your own riding skills, after successfully completing such a long trip.

I have done numerous-short, medium and long distance trips on my bike, and I have found that once you are in motion there's hardly any thing that bugs on the bike. Vibrations, comfort, ergonomics, sensibility all take back seat when you start exploring places and start to understand the joys of motorcycle riding...

Originally Posted by prateekm

As the news of a 18 year old doing a 2000km round trip spread in my extended family, every other day I would get calls from concerned relatives discouraging me from riding for such a long distance.

Every one of us has been through such lectures before. However, you must also understand their concern and point of view. Motorcycle riding in India is, well, unsafe. You must agree to that. You have full confidence on your skills, but at the same time, the number of idiots on our roads is something that one can't ignore. I think it's very brave of your parents to allow you to ride for such a long journey...

I for one have had tough times convincing my parents to allow me for such trips. Sometimes they allowed and sometimes they didn't...So, after a few first trips, I decided not to discuss it with them anymore. I take these decisions in a heartbeat now...However, I tell my parents everything about my adventure once I am back home-safe. And then...I get a damn good scolding...

[prateekm]

Just brought home the bike after the 5th and last free servicing which was due at 11,500km. Things included apart from the normal servicing to-do list were;

1) Change the starter motor relay (Rs.581).
2) Changed the horn since it went kaput (Under warranty).

Got the oil levels checked. I had topped up Motul double ester synthetic oil about 2,500km back and the mechanic told me there is enough oil to last another 750km at least.

Might purchase a chain lube & cleaner next week.

Nothing much to report, so that's it!

[prateekm]

Since the past 1 week, I was feeling that the brakes had become very weak, and lacked any bite. Today, almost rear-ended into a Meru cab since the bike almost failed to stop in time. Does this mean that the brake pads have worn out? It's just run 12k kms, 90% highway riding.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by prateekm

Since the past 1 week, I was feeling that the brakes had become very weak, and lacked any bite. Does this mean that the brake pads have worn out? It's just run 12k kms, 90% highway riding.

Yes it is mostly the brake pads wearing out. It mainly depends on the usage and not on the no. of kms. My front brake pads were replaced at 9000kms while a fellow RTR180 owner on another forum used the stock pads for 20k kms before replacing them recently. In the same breath, its 14k kms and my rear brake pads are good for another 6k kms I don't use the rear brakes at all except feather them in wet conditions. Else its all front brake usage. Get it checked and replaced before the pads start rubbing into the disc plate.

[prateekm]

I changed the front brake pads, but I still haven't got that level of braking back. It still lacks the bite and the braking distance has increased by a huge margin (comparing it with earlier braking, when everything was fine). Any idea what might be the problem?

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by prateekm

I changed the front brake pads, but I still haven't got that level of braking back.....Any idea what might be the problem?

It takes around 100-150kms to get that original bite back in the brakes after changing the pads. Nothing else that i can think of as i too faced the same issue after changing the pads. After around 170kms the brakes were back to their usual efficiency.

[prateekm]

Just completed the 6th servicing (1st paid servicing) at 14,500km a few days back. There were a few problems, the clutch plate had gone bad and the rear brake pad had to be changed. There were a few small niggles, like the pass light not working sometimes and the front brakes were still too hard after 1500km of changing the front brake pads. The technician told that the front brake was jammed, and he fixed that too.

As I had mentioned somewhere in the forum that the idle RPM used to rise to 3000 after a few kilometers of running. This issue was fixed too, and the engine has become butter smooth now (comparable to FZ16). This is the first time I'm actually seeing the benefits of using a synthetic oil.

The folks at the service center (Ashwini TVS) are very honest. At the last (5th servicing), I had told them to change both the brake pads. When I went to pick up the bike, they told me that the rear pads still had life of another 3000 odd kilometers. Also, I was not charged for the clutch plate this time. The total servicing bill came to about 760/- which includes brake pads (328), brake oil (40), paid service charges (250) and labour (100).

The rear tyre is puncture prone in my case even though it is a hard compound tyre. I've had 6 punctures in the last 15,000 kms. Will be changing tyres at 20,000km.

[jkdas]

Ran mine without engine oil for 1000kms Looks like the guys forgot to put oil after draining! Wondering what to do now. This was found out by my local garage guy and I took it to dealer telling its engine sounds different. He checks and says bearing etc are gone and that they need 2 weeks to fix AND that this happens to new bikes! I didnt question much since I am sure its their fault (and partly my stupidity). I thought I wil go home get manual and get it fixed under warranty.

Now, the question is, shall I just do give it to them to fix or eat their head?

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Ran mine without engine oil for 1000kms Looks like the guys forgot to put oil after draining! Wondering what to do now. This was found out by my local garage guy and I took it to dealer telling its engine sounds different. He checks and says bearing etc are gone and that they need 2 weeks to fix AND that this happens to new bikes! I didnt question much since I am sure its their fault (and partly my stupidity). I thought I wil go home get manual and get it fixed under warranty.

Now, the question is, shall I just do give it to them to fix or eat their head?

Oh hell! that's gross carelessness by the service centre. The least the buggers can do is drain and refill oil!! Well if they are agreeing to replace everything without charging you a pie then accept without making much trouble but change your service centre immediately to a different one. If they ask you for labour/parts cost or anything, then raise hell and bring the building down around them!!