[WindRide]

^ HH 4T Plus 10W30 is the only one available in HH A.S.S. Even though my 2002 model splendor requires 20W40 (as per manual), the supervisor at the A.S.S convinced me to go with HH 4T Plus 10W30, coz that is "better". I wonder how is it better?

And it is for this engine oil that the supervisor asked me to change at 4000 kms. But as per HH site the commendation is 6000 kms.

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by WindRide

^ HH 4T Plus 10W30 is the only one available in HH A.S.S. Even though my 2002 model splendor requires 20W40 (as per manual), the supervisor at the A.S.S convinced me to go with HH 4T Plus 10W30, coz that is "better". I wonder how is it better?

And it is for this engine oil that the supervisor asked me to change at 4000 kms. But as per HH site the commendation is 6000 kms.

I would not suggest you to change to 10W30. I still think that the current version of the Splendour still needs xxW40 oil since the engine is the same and xxW30 would become too runny to lubricate enough. The change was only to meet Bharath norms and no extra operational advantage. In fact, I think it would be detrimental to the engine life in the long run.

Prajwal

[(Alok)]

Originally Posted by WindRide

^ HH 4T Plus 10W30 is the only one available in HH A.S.S. Even though my 2002 model splendor requires 20W40 (as per manual), the supervisor at the A.S.S convinced me to go with HH 4T Plus 10W30, coz that is "better". I wonder how is it better?

And it is for this engine oil that the supervisor asked me to change at 4000 kms. But as per HH site the commendation is 6000 kms.

Stick to your Owner’s Manual for oil grade. As your bike is quite old, there is no matter of warranty, get the oil change done outside then A.S.S at every 2000 Kms.

[WindRide]

^ Truly scary if the A.S.S is intentionally misguiding older Splendor customers!
Will definitely stick to 20w40 from now on. Thanks for the tip folks.

BIG QUESTION - which 20w40 oil do you guys recommend and what would it cost?

FYI, HH 4T Plus 10W30 costs 215/-.

[(Alok)]

Search out a genuine shop for any brand. I use Servo super 4t 20w 40/ gulf 20w 40/ HP racer 4 with latest API & JASO MA specification.
For Gulf & Castrol products I know an authorized dealers in my city & get the product from them.
All oil costs near about 225/-.

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by WindRide

^ Truly scary if the A.S.S is intentionally misguiding older Splendor customers!
Will definitely stick to 20w40 from now on. Thanks for the tip folks.

BIG QUESTION - which 20w40 oil do you guys recommend and what would it cost?

FYI, HH 4T Plus 10W30 costs 215/-.

They do misguide. Take another example. The CBZ-Xtreme and Hunk both have the Honda Unicorn engine. While Honda recommends xxW40 oil, Hero Honda recommends xxW30 oil. Main reason for that is that they need to buy just a single barrel of oil that will be used for all bikes uniformly, irrespective of the engine. So lots of money saved. I also think, that lower the life of the engine, higher chances that the customer will need to change the motorcycle, so more money to make.

If the engine is used with the correct oil grade, it can last 1.5 lakh kms easily. But the manufacturers don't want that, do they?

The xxW30 oil for Splendor is purely for Bharat norms conformity. It runs much better and lasts a lot longer with xxW40 oil which was the original recommendation for the Splendor right from the beginning.

I guess Castrol Magnatec 20W40 is more than enough. Change it every 1500 kms and see how long the engine will last. It'll just keep going until u get tired of it eventually.

Prajwal

[(Alok)]

Originally Posted by prajwalkashyap

Main reason for that is that they need to buy just a single barrel of oil that will be used for all bikes uniformly, irrespective of the engine. So lots of money saved. I also think, that lower the life of the engine, higher chances that the customer will need to change the motorcycle, so more money to make.
Prajwal

Not agreed. Bajaj is also doing the same.

Originally Posted by prajwalkashyap

I guess Castrol Magnatec 20W40 is more than enough. Change it every 1500 kms and see how long the engine will last. It'll just keep going until u get tired of it eventually.

Prajwal

Castrol Magnetic is not for bikes, it is for cars & not a JASOMA certified product. Also the grade is 5w 30. Please go through the thread (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...must-read.html)

In Castrol products the only suitable oil for HH Splendor ( with 20w 40 oil) is Castrol Power 1 (15w 40) & Castrol Active (20w 40)

[prajwalkashyap]

Originally Posted by (Alok)

Castrol Magnetic is not for bikes, it is for cars & not a JASOMA certified product. Also the grade is 5w 30. Please go through the thread (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...must-read.html)

In Castrol products the only suitable oil for HH Splendor ( with 20w 40 oil) is Castrol Power 1 (15w 40) & Castrol Active (20w 40)

I stand corrected. It is Castrol Active that I had meant.

Prajwal

[svsantosh]

9K for exchange value is peanuts - (I see you have a son? doesnt matter even if you have a girl) - re-build the engine and let the future 18+ kid start learning in dad's fav' bike - its totally worth it it will be a prized possesion like the lamby's and vespa's of our grampa's and let them update this thread in future...

[WindRide]

^ Guys how is Elf brand of engine oils? I enquired at nearby stores for Motul or Shell, but they don't stock those. Only Castrol and Elf are sold in my neighbourhood.

Is Elf comparable to Motul/Shell in terms of quality for 20w40 grade oil? Please guide me. Thanks!

[Gansan]

A complete engine rebuild of my Splendor is on the cards, perhaps next week. I have taken the advise of guys on XBHP. I will procure the parts and a known mechanic who has a small workshop in the neighborhood will act as my hands and do the job in front of me!

I will keep the bike even if I buy another one. As of now none of the bikes in the 150cc range satisfied me fully. Even today I went for back to back TDs of Fazer, FZS and Gs 150R, just to make sure. Honda acted snotty and did not give a TD, so rode my brother's Uni. I found the GS 150R to be the best of the lot, but did not want to buy in December. If I still want it after a month, I will buy in January!

[vinu_pm]

Originally Posted by Gansan

A complete engine rebuild of my Splendor is on the cards, perhaps next week. I have taken the advise of guys on XBHP. I will procure the parts and a known mechanic who has a small workshop in the neighborhood will act as my hands and do the job in front of me!

I will keep the bike even if I buy another one.

Good Luck mate for your rebuild. I own a splendor for 15 yrs i use it very less still in its 50k kms ,never did a engine rebuild. Recently did the registration renewal and still it is my best ride inside city traffic.As you said i also will keep it as long as possible eventhough i go for a new 2 wheeler . Looking for as automatic scooter which will be easy for me as well as wify.

[Gansan]

^^ An engine re-build will be required only around 1 lac KM for this engine>
That too because HH have switched over to 10W30 oil. If we were using the 20W40 oil as per the (then) owners' manual, I feel it would have gone on till for another 50k KM. Even now you can switch to 20W40 and extend the life of your engine. This is the oil I will stick to, post re-build.

For a gearless scooter, have a look at the Honda Aviator with the disc option. I feel it is very good.

[Gansan]

The rebuild job was taken up during the week-end! The mechanic friend gave me a list of parts which I myself procured, including a new bore, piston, con rod, clutch plates, bearings,seals and engine oil. The lathe work on the head, crankshaft and clutch bell were completed yesterday evening. As per advise of guys on XBHP, the clutch plates were soaked in engine oil before fitting. He commenced the engine assembly in front of me around 8.00 PM last evening and completed by midnight.

He said he will mount the engine on the bike, start it and do the trials / adjustments by today afternoon, and I can collect the bike by evening. Going straight to his workshop now! I hope everything turns out well. Will post a detailed break-up of costs later.

[Gansan]

I have done a complete engine overhaul of my bike, through a mechanic in my neighborhood whom I have known even as a kid. Never used to think much of his abilities and engaged him only for small jobs. Looks like I was wrong in my assessment! My bike has been readied perfectly and runs like new! He seems to be very good at his job, just could not articulate his thoughts well. While I sat with him as he assembled the engine, I picked his brains to while away the time. And he was a treasure trove of info about various bikes.

What I liked was his bottom-up approach and attention to detail. And he does not come cheap. Has a small workshop in his home. Works on only one bike at a time - no assistants - and charged me Rs 2500.00 towards labour alone. Asked me to procure all the parts, which I did. He himself went for all the lathe jobs such as clutch bell, cylinder head, crank shaft and con rod work. Took another Rs 2800.00 towards that. I suspect he might have made some commission on that but I did not mind, so long as the work was perfect. He told me he goes to different lathes in the city, depending upon the customers - the best ones with imported machines, if the customer does not mind the cost. And to local ones which charge a lot less, for cost conscious customers. Since we go back a long time, I gave him a free hand. My total cost came to Rs 16300.00, including two brand new tyres and tubes.

Though I have been using the bike for only two days and it is early to say this, I feel the work has been done perfectly and I don't have to worry for another 40k - 50k KM.

The bore, piston, valves, all bearings, clutch plates, oil seals, packings etc have been replaced. The old head with the same cam shaft assembly has been retained, though new valves were installed. Similarly the crank shaft has been retained, though a new con rod was installed. The gears were still perfect, so were not touched. I also procured Shell AX-5 20W40 oil for the engine.

There was no cosmetic work done - the bike still looks the same - so I have not uploaded any photos.

I installed new MRF nylogrip tyres (2.75 X 18 4 PR front, 2.75X18 6 PR rear). Though the 3.00X18 6 PR MRF Moto-C tyre at the rear was only 30k KM old and still good for another 20k, I replaced it since I felt the engine performance deteriorated faster after I installed it when the odo was at 75k KM.

Similarly I have decided to stick with 20W40 oil henceforth - which is the recommended oil in my owners' manual -instead of the Hero Honda 4T plus oil used at the A.S.S., which is 10W30. Increased wear, more spares sale, ultimately more bike sales, therefore more $$$ for Hero!