[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by jomson13

I use the bike for my daily commute to office and find the following changes:
1. The front feels tighter, the very persistent 'khat khat' sound from the front end has reduced quite a bit
2. I feel that the front wheel is staying in contact with the road surface much better now. Extremely sharp speed bumps taken at moderate speed do not feel as scary as earlier.

Further adjustments would be made over the weekend (sunday morning ride) Will update this thread from time to time.

I think now you can relate to riding my bike with the adjusters. I've dialed out one full ring after switching to heavier fork oil last year. With stock RE oil, I was at your setting. So where are we riding this Sunday?

Interceptor 650, 4th year major service at Pitlane, Pune

Annual service was due and the bike had crossed 20k kms as reported earlier. I had certain jobs in mind for the major service,

1. Throttle body cleaning
2. Valve clearance checks
3. Brake fluid replace (flush/bleed)
4. Motowings (MW) air filter cleaning
5. Engine oil, Motul 7100 & RE oil filter
6. Major service which includes cleaning and lubricating moving parts etc.

Brake pads had life in them and fork oils were changed last year.

I took quotations from Pitlane and Hyperion and decided to go with Pitlane as it was nearby and was charging lesser. Hyperion has a sophisticated bike lift and working area but were charging double for throttle body cleaning and valve clearance checks. Now I've a understanding with the Pitlane folks and mechanics, they're available when I mess up with a DIY. They charged me around 9k all inclusive for the service and spares.

Only drawback was that they didn't do the valve clearance checks as there was no noise from them! Later I'll get this done with a oil change.

This time I'll share only dirty pics of my bike.


Stripped down. Half of the service work is taking out, cleaning, putting it back. How meticulously it's done is the skill of the mechanic and the SOP of the garage.


Dirty oil, 4k+ kms in 6 months, Liquid Gun from RE.


Dirty MW air filter, it was very dirty. I'm using the the stage 2 kit, I'm not sure I'll continue with this setup. Should I?


Dirty throttle body.


Being cleaned in 4 years and 20k+ kms


As clean as it could be.


Air filter cleaning kit from BMC but the mechanic said this filter doesn't need oiling as in the case of BMC filters. I didn't fully agree with the cleaning process as he used compressed air to remove the water after washing under tap water. I checked the filter gauge density was not disturbed though. May be 6 months later I'll return to paper filter with snorkel cover but the intake sound is addictive!


Motul 7100 10W50 fully synthetic engine oil


They charged for 3.1 litres so I didn't have to buy the the extra 900ml. Out of the block and doing 380kms riding in a day didn't feel any drastic change other than it being a new oil.

I believe unless you move to the expensive imported oils, you don't get enough benefits. Oils like Silkolene, LiquiMoly, Putoline, Motorex and Amsoil. In addition, if you change the oil every 6 months with RE Liquid Gun, Motul 7100, Castrol Power1, Total Hi-Perf, Shell Long Ride then you're good too!


I had this purchased in the last service from RE, front master cylinder cover and got it changed. I forgot to collect the old one.

For other service work I didn't stay back.

• Spark plugs cleaned (fairly new Iridium plugs) - I saw it, no pics.
• Brake fluid bleeding - I can feel the change. INT650 has a issue with the rear master cylinder as the brake oil gets dirty even without much use. Bad plumbing or poor placement?
• Brake pads & calipers cleaning and caliper pin greasing
• Wheel axle greasing - a bit too much, seen accumulated at the ends!
• Chain clean, adjust and lube
• Lubing moving parts such as footpegs, stand pivots etc.

I didn't like them lubing the hand lever pivots, it's not required. I washed/wiped them off!

We went for the same day return beach ride after this service which I had posted earlier. The bike performed flawlessly. For past few moths I'm noticing that the RHS mirror has a buzz and the view is not clear. Earlier it was not the case.

I wanted to post all the parts replaced/upgraded/added in 4 years in this post. Let's try this,


Apart from the above, I've changed tyres twice and switched to alloys, that's a big investment! You can find separate posts for both in this thread.

What next? Just ride!

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by jomson13

1. Bike on main stand, front wheel off the ground - 500mm
2. Bike off main stand, rider sitting on the seat with both legs on the footpegs, forks compressed and allowed to rebound - 460mm
3. Repeat 2 but instead of compressing forks pull the forks upwards - this was missed
4. Bike off main stand, no rider - 495mm.

Sag = 1 - Avg(2,3) (Formula sourced from the internet)

Since 3 was not done, we can approximate the sag to be 40 mm
This is too much sag for a road based bike (again, based on internet reading) and it definitely needed to be reduced.

Those are simply guidelines and most of them are related to modern sports bikes (naked and faired), on street and track.

Front rider sag on its own means little. And 40 mm is quite a stiff setup, for a bike like yours that weighs a lot.

You need to correlate it to your measured rear rider sag as well. How much is that? Rule of thumb says both should be near about the same. With a slightly more front bias for aggressive riding. The other rule of thumb being that sag should be near about to within a third of your total travel.

What are the company recommended ranges for both.

Cheers, Doc

[aargee]

Having a very irritable issue - Kindly let me know if anyone has experienced this & found a solution please. Thanks

Interceptor starts, rides good for about 200 meters, then switches off. After this it starts well, but engaging any gear switches off the engine. Will start again, ONLY if neutral otherwise no.

Then the same pattern continues after a while. Bike starts, runs good for no more than 100-200 meters, after that switches off & will not start again in gear or when gear is engaged.

BTW, fuel is fresh as well

I'm attributing to electrical lose connection or like my Son says it could be perhaps due to side stand sensor gone fault. I thought to check with esteemed owners before requesting for RSA as I cannot ride it to even nearby ASC

Thank you

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by aargee

I'm attributing to electrical lose connection or like my Son says it could be perhaps due to side stand sensor gone fault. I thought to check with esteemed owners before requesting for RSA as I cannot ride it to even nearby ASC

Listen to your son! Sounds very much like a side stand sensor issue.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Only drawback was that they didn't do the valve clearance checks as there was no noise from them! Later I'll get this done with a oil change.

I would not worry too much about this.

You won't hear any noise. The gap between the rocker arm and valve reduces with general running and heat expansion. When there no more of a gap, the engine will basically shut off. If you notice the engine skipping a beat, taking longer than usual to start under Hot conditions, that is a sign that you need to adjust the valves.

The oil filter looks very dirty for such low miles. There is a lot more dust getting in there.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by aargee

I'm attributing to electrical lose connection or like my Son says it could be perhaps due to side stand sensor gone fault.

It's the the side stand switch, which seems to be a magnetic one. The sensor is located behind the stand.

From the service manual,


Checkpoints:
- Physical damage to sensor due to debris or rock hit.
- Water ingress/mud accumulation


First step is to inspect and clean the sensor. Second check the connector, which is very oddly placed behind the engine.

The sensor should cost around 500 bucks so better replace it. But availability can be an issue (as always).

Workaround:
- Short the sensor wire to ground and bypass the switch.

Note: Above is only theory, I've not tried it other than cleaning the sensor with some contact cleaner after a wash!

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I would not worry too much about this.

You won't hear any noise. The gap between the rocker arm and valve reduces with general running and heat expansion. When there no more of a gap, the engine will basically shut off. If you notice the engine skipping a beat, taking longer than usual to start under Hot conditions, that is a sign that you need to adjust the valves.

The air filter looks very dirty for such low miles. There is a lot more dust getting in there.

Yes, no such symptoms yet!

For the air filter, first I'll put back the snorkel cover and check the dirtiness. Then I'll switch back to paper filter. Henceforth, if I use the performance filter, I'll clean it myself.

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

[aargee]

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Listen to your son! Sounds very much like a side stand sensor issue.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

It's the the side stand switch, which seems to be a magnetic one. The sensor is located behind the stand

Guys, thank you. Unfortunately, I've to come back without finding the root cause!!

After this stint in the morning, I took my Rx to finish my errand; when I came back, Son said he engaged gear some 3-4 times while in main stand after which the issue disappeared. Refusing to believe, I did some hard riding & there was no issue.

Then I rode for a Km for water wash & there was no issue; after water wash - no issue; rode to school & back ~20 Km, no issue.

I'm in total disbelief; more than what had happened, why it had happened unable to figure out the root cause. Now this reliability issue is like a blackmail as to when this threat might appear out of nowhere again!!

[ashenoy]

I am looking for a good FNG to maintain my Interceptor 650 in north Bengaluru. Any suggestions from the forum ?
I have tried 2 company service centres and the support has bene cursory at best. Also, am looking to get a few minor addons to the bike fitted on, and the service centres flat out refuse to undertake such works.

[jomson13]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

For the air filter, first I'll put back the snorkel cover and check the dirtiness. Then I'll switch back to paper filter. Henceforth, if I use the performance filter, I'll clean it myself.

Happy riding,
surjaonwheelz

I doubt the cover would help but its worth a try.
I've switched back to the stock filter (from the moto wings) since August.
Frankly speaking, I don't find any difference in the performance but I'm pretty sure that engine oil consumption has reduced, Its been 1600kms since the oil change and I haven't had to top up yet. In the past I would need close to 400ml every 1000kms,

I cannot explain this since and do not want to link it to the filter change but it would help if you would keep an eye out for the oil level.

My initial line of thought was that the MW filter was letting in too much dust into the cylinder as a result of which the cylinder lining would have been scratched. This in turn was leading to oil seeping upwards into the combustion chamber.

Obviously this is wrong since the oil consumption issue should have stayed on irrespective of the filter change since the scratches to the cylinder lining have not been fixed.

[akshaymahajan]

Today while riding in the morning, I braked hard and fuel came gushing out from the fuel cap. There is a tear in the O-Ring and google says this is a regular issue with the twins.

Two questions
1. Bike is 4 years old. Would it be still covered under warranty?
2. I hear good things about the Roadpower customs O-Ring. Should I try that or repeal the entire set from the SVC?

[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Today while riding in the morning, I braked hard and fuel came gushing out from the fuel cap. There is a tear in the O-Ring and google says this is a regular issue with the twins.

Two questions
1. Bike is 4 years old. Would it be still covered under warranty?
2. I hear good things about the Roadpower customs O-Ring. Should I try that or repeal the entire set from the SVC?

Start off with SVC first, if you have extended warranty. If you've exhausted your standard warranty sans of extended warranty, your best best is to look for an aftermarket replacement if any. SVC will replace it with a new one and the chances of it conking off again are pretty much the same.

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

[iamgyan]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Today while riding in the morning, I braked hard and fuel came gushing out from the fuel cap. There is a tear in the O-Ring and google says this is a regular issue with the twins.

Two questions
1. Bike is 4 years old. Would it be still covered under warranty?
2. I hear good things about the Roadpower customs O-Ring. Should I try that or repeal the entire set from the SVC?

I had this issue in the first year for my 2020 BS4 interceptor. Got it replaced under warranty and has held up well since. However, they change the complete set of 4 locksets for this, not just the seal. There is also a design change in the updated seal which prevents recurrence of the issue. If you've to pay from pocket then lockset change may be costly.

[iamgyan]

DIY - USB Charger installation using Aux Connector

I really wanted to make use of the aux power terminal inside headlight ever since i came to know of it's existence 3 years ago. However the only plug and play accessory I found was from Hitchcocks and at a price I wasn't willing to pay.

Finally came across the USB charger sold by TVS for Ronin for Rs.850 and thought of getting this done.




Ordered it from TVS accessories website, however the connector on it is anderson type (really good stuff but doesn't match the one on Inty.) Took the charger to work and check if I could find any matching connector to replace but no luck.
Finally found matching connector (to the female connector on bike end) on amazon for 250 bucks (Set of 5 male & female connectors with relevant crimps)

Got the connectors, took help from a colleague at work to do the crimping and making the cable longer and Voila! we had a good looking accessory!





Further installation was pretty straight forward (pics should be self explanatory)





On the charger:
The charger itself is on a feel good kinda heavy side with the mounting made of thick sheet metal, moulded along with rest of the charger, very sturdy and looks it can take the vibrations without breaking. It has a single USB A port and no light indication. I expected the charger to be fast charging type but seems it's not. It was charging my Pixel 6a at max of 1550mA but phone didn't display "Charging Rapidly". On the bike, it turns on with Ignition on AND Kill switch ON.

Note: I overdid the cable length, you only need about 200-250mm extra length of wire over the stock TVS charger length. Also, note the color of wires on female and male connector side, you need to maintain the same polarity

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by VijayAnand1

Start off with SVC first, if you have extended warranty. If you've exhausted your standard warranty sans of extended warranty, your best best is to look for an aftermarket replacement if any. SVC will replace it with a new one and the chances of it conking off again are pretty much the same.

Good luck.

Cheers!
VJ

Originally Posted by iamgyan

I had this issue in the first year for my 2020 BS4 interceptor. Got it replaced under warranty and has held up well since. However, they change the complete set of 4 locksets for this, not just the seal. There is also a design change in the updated seal which prevents recurrence of the issue. If you've to pay from pocket then lockset change may be costly.

Cost wise, it's almost the same. It's ~2000 for the lockset from the SVC and ~1250 for the aftermarket rubber seal.
Had completely forgotten about the extended warranty - let me look if I bought it or not.
Hearing that they have changed the design is a relief. Will probably go the SVC way

[aargee]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Today while riding in the morning..Should I try that or repeal the entire set from the SVC?

The problem for your solution is in this post pls