[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

I am looking to buy a bike for city use mainly and some long highway trips. Leh has been on my mind for a couple of years now...

Adi, when you decide to take it to Leh, I guess you are going to ship the bike to the North and then ride. Also for Leh as well as city, a bike without any fairings or minimal plastics is better than half fairing or full fairing bikes.

Other members have already listed the pro's and cons. To the cons list you can also add easily breakable plastic clips that hold the fairing and also low quality plastics used overall. But the engine + gearbox is like no other. Most relaxed and comfortable tourer even for 2 up riding. And if you are going to buy new, you might want to think again looking at the way Hero have murdered the iconic design of the ZMA-R.

As an aside, you can think of the Impulse as a good city run-about. The Hero impulse thread has some good inputs with riders doing Leh on it as well as one member who tested it in the hills of Himachal. All the best for your research!

[motionfreak]

Karizma + Michelin Sirac street tyres + 55/60W headlight bulb = perfect machine for Ladakh

I just traveled Mumbai-udaipur-srinagar-Leh-khardungla-pangontso-manali-udaipur-mumbai with this combo. from 28July to 15Aug 2013 abt 6000+Km
(fairing removed to install P220 projector H/L assembly)

most of the passes were done in 3rd gear with just a little bit of throttle. the meaty low end torque did the rest.

if you get a good ZMR (karizma with FI) grab it. gives better FE than carb zma.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by motionfreak

Karizma +55/60W headlight bulb

Hi Bro,

I have a thought of upgrading to 60/55W headlamp bulb. Have you added a relay or is it not required? Which bulb? Cost?

Is there any problem with respect to the reflector?

Anurag.

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by BulZire

Slightly OT



Since you are already happy with the services provided by Bajaj to your Ninja, any reason why P220 was not chosen?

Karizma is definitely a good bike for city ride and a very good tourer as well. But upfront it lags the rear wide tyres and the disc compared to P220.

Just trying to understand why you are planning for Karizma specifically than a P220. since i am eyeing at a P220 for sometime, your thoughts may help me decide.

Sorry for hijacking the thread, will not drag it with OT anymore.

I sold off my 2010,p220(had a big bore,ffe and a bigger carb from race concepts) and bought a 2012 Karizma a few weeks back.Reason, my arms started to ache in the long run.My collar bone used to feel numb.My palms used to ache,reason when you brake,some of the weight from the pillion gets transferred to the palms.I didnt touch the bike after my Mumbai-Bangalore-Mumbai stint for a week because of a sore back.Plus the pillion seat was very hard.My wife used to complaint.The p220 has loads of features than the zma.For me right now comfort is a priority and the zma fullfills it.Plus the ultra smooth engine and gearbox is what bowled me over.
Just my 10 cents.

[motionfreak]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Hi Bro,

I have a thought of upgrading to 60/55W headlamp bulb. Have you added a relay or is it not required? Which bulb? Cost?

Is there any problem with respect to the reflector?

Anurag.

No need of any relay for 60/55W bulb. 100+W needs a relay.
Go ahead. H4 bulb is direct fit.

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by motionfreak

Karizma + Michelin Sirac street tyres + 55/60W headlight bulb = perfect machine for Ladakh

WOW! Can you please elaborate on how you got rid of the fairings? I want to do the same!

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I have a thought of upgrading to 60/55W headlamp bulb. Have you added a relay or is it not required? Which bulb? Cost?

I replaced my tail lamp bulbs with LED ones, They save (26x2)- (3x2) = 46W of lighting power. Hence switched to Philips Xtremevision 60/55W up front. Zero battery issues even after the upgrade, especially since I have Roots Megasonic as my horn!

[motionfreak]

i just removed the fairing, made a bracket for the headlight and done.
the fairing is intact, in my old home.

Originally Posted by motionfreak

No need of any relay for 60/55W bulb. 100+W needs a relay.
Go ahead. H4 bulb is direct fit.

Dude !! dont do it. I burnt my hands by doing the same. The wiring went Kaput. Fuses blow away often.

Zma's wiring is not so great. Installing a 55W bulb works. But sideeffects are inevitable.

If possible, Install it with a relay, that should solve the problem. My 2 cents.

[motionfreak]

running like this for more than two years, no harm caused yet

[a4anurag]

Suggestions Please!

The lock in my ZMA has developed a loose contact and has a mind of its own.

When the bike goes into a pothole the engine goes OFF due to the loose contact. It is dangerous and I want to change it ASAP.

Can I know the cost of the change and what all I must look into?

Anurag.

[motionfreak]

no need to worry.
First
check all the connections esp male -female sockets, hidden inside the fairing

if they are ok, the ignition lock soldering must be worn out

open the fairing, gain access to to the bottom side of the lock,
remove the bottom cap (bit difficult to remove).
you will find two wires (red and red-black) soldered to the lock assembly.
re solder the weak joint(if any)

NO NEED TO CHANGE THE WHOLE LOCK ASSEMBLY, even if your mechanic insists on it

[a4anurag]

HELP NEEDED:

Not an update but just wanted to rake up the thread and need suggestion son the points below.

The bike is now at 23000 kms (June, 2009 model) and is used very sparingly as I use the car for commuting to work and back (110 kms a day). I ride the bike on Sunday's only so this weekend I have planned a few updates to the bike. Earlier when the bike was used regularly I used to reach 120 kmph with ease and with the least vibration but now I feel that the bike struggles to cross 90 kmph without vibrations. The top speed I get now is 110 kmph with horrible vibrations. So I want to get the bike serviced once.

1) Get a through servicing done - a total inside out stuff;

2) Change the clutch and accelerator cable;

3) Get the chain and sprockets opened and examined for wear and tear - If worn out then replace else clean it thoroughly and put it back;

4) Brake pads and brakes shoes with brake fluid bleeding and refill with a new one.

5) Carburettor servicing;

6) Battery charging as it is dead (It is a new one [2 or 3 months old] but dead due to no usage) - Could there be a problem or is natural for it to die due no usage and the bike sees all the nature activity (Rain, Sun, Day and Night)

7) The left (Air filter cover) and right side cowl (battery cover) have broken and need to be changed.

8) Get the lock mechanism checked and appropriate measure to stop the loose contact.

All of the above points will be carried out my friendly mechanic garage and the parts will be sourced over-the counter from Hero MotorCorp.

I need the approximate costs for the points mentioned above for the spare parts.

Thank you.

Anurag.

[interc00led]

Before carrying out any work -check and recharge the battery.
Only a XxW40 engine oil must be used in ZMA/ZMR.
Veedol Take off 20W40, Motul 3000 20W40 and Gulf Pride 20W40 are few good oil in 20W40 grade. You can even try using Heavy duty diesel engine oil in your ZMA as a HDEO does not contain any friction modifiers. Many bikers have used Mobil Delvac 15W40 with good results.

Clean the carburetor and set the AFR initially at 3.5 turns Anti-clockwise(after fully closing the afr screw) then fine tune it .
Replace air filter.
Clean the chain with kerosene and Lubricate it with SAE 90 gear oil or even 140 will do.

Still, if the engine feels strained post 90kmph then remove the cylinder head and decarb the piston crown, head and polish the valves.
Usually, the head is opened at 30K mark.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

HELP NEEDED:

1) Get a through servicing done - a total inside out stuff;

2) Change the clutch and accelerator cable;

3) Get the chain and sprockets opened and examined for wear and tear - If worn out then replace else clean it thoroughly and put it back;

4) Brake pads and brakes shoes with brake fluid bleeding and refill with a new one.

5) Carburettor servicing;

6) Battery charging as it is dead (It is a new one [2 or 3 months old] but dead due to no usage) - Could there be a problem or is natural for it to die due no usage and the bike sees all the nature activity (Rain, Sun, Day and Night)

7) The left (Air filter cover) and right side cowl (battery cover) have broken and need to be changed.

8) Get the lock mechanism checked and appropriate measure to stop the loose contact.


I need the approximate costs for the points mentioned above for the spare parts.
Anurag.

1) Cost ~ 300 Bucks. + If you open carb or engine, additiional cost of 300~.
2) Accelerator cable. 70 + 70 as there are two cables for Zma. Dont do this as they are hard to procure. Check and then replace only if you have spares.
Cost of clutch of Zma is around 1600 /- + Labor 100/- ~
Zma clutch lasts for around 55K kms. Dont change it unless you use your clutch extensively. Air filter replacement should solve the issue.
3) Cost of chain 700/- It might last for some more K's
4) Front brake pads 1200 ~ rear brake shoe ~120-160. Get apache's pads for your zma as they are direct fit. Cost < 250
5) Zma's carbs often get blocked. + carb screws often get jammed. Dont try anything hard over here. If you break anything, new carb costs 6K. Use the drain nut of carb to flush out crap.
6) recharge it. check water levels.
7) This is difficult. Each piece costs ~800. Check whether any of the tail pieces are broken too, if yes, get all of them at one shot. These are hard to procure in my opinion. However the situation might be different in your location.
8) Often its a wiring issue. go to a good electrician. Fixable for < 100 bucks.

[a4anurag]

Thanks Gemi for the prompt and detailed reply.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

1) Cost ~ 300 Bucks. + If you open carb or engine, additiional cost of 300~.

Done!

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

2) Accelerator cable. 70 + 70 as there are two cables for Zma. Dont do this as they are hard to procure. Check and then replace only if you have spares.
Cost of clutch of Zma is around 1600 /- + Labor 100/- ~
Zma clutch lasts for around 55K kms. Dont change it unless you use your clutch extensively. Air filter replacement should solve the issue.

I will change the clutch and the two accelerator cables first. The clutch is absolutely fine and has life left in it.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

3) Cost of chain 700/- It might last for some more K's

Ok. Will check the condition and replace if needed.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

4) Front brake pads 1200 ~ rear brake shoe ~120-160. Get apache's pads for your zma as they are direct fit. Cost < 250

I will stick to OEM pads as I had used the Apache ones and have found lot of scratch marks on the disc plate.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

5) Zma's carbs often get blocked. + carb screws often get jammed. Dont try anything hard over here. If you break anything, new carb costs 6K. Use the drain nut of carb to flush out crap.

Will be careful here and see to it that it is cleaned well.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

6) recharge it. check water levels.

Done!

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

7) This is difficult. Each piece costs ~800. Check whether any of the tail pieces are broken too, if yes, get all of them at one shot. These are hard to procure in my opinion. However the situation might be different in your location.

I will be going for parts hunting tomorrow and only then give it for servicing.

Originally Posted by gemi_kk

8) Often its a wiring issue. go to a good electrician. Fixable for < 100 bucks.

Will check it too.

Anurag.