[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

The gear indicator goes blank as soon as the clutch is pressed, which makes me confident that it's not actually a gear indicator, but just a computer calculating the gear based on the speed and RPM. Sprocket change would make the gear indicator go kaput. I wonder if this is what you found on the bike that you rode? I also wonder if this thing can somehow be turned off altogether. And finally, like always, I wonder what setup they're running on the factory race bikes.

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I think the gear indicator is connected to the ECU. I had an aftermarket unit connected to the ecu on the Versys and it had a similar-ish issue. Would read the gear only after i fully released the clutch and disengaged.

Gear indicator does not exist in the carb model if i am not mistaken.

There is no physical switch or gear position detector in Xpulse (Carb or FI both), except for neutral position. ECU guesses the gear selected by a combination of speed and RPM. Neutral is read by a physical switch. Recently during one of my rides, I encountered a nail in the rear tyre and was losing air. Before I could guess the situation about puncture, the bike started losing speed. I sensed some problem and saw the gear position being indicated as 3rd/ 4th alternatively. I tried to shift the gear to 5th but the gear lever wouldn't buzz any further. Quickly, I pulled over to left side and realized that there was a puncture. Though the bike was actually in 5th gear, it was showing as 3rd/ 4th due to speed/ rpm combination. The gear indicator disappears from console once you depress the clutch for same reason.

[W.A.G.7]

This is such a beautiful thread - I read it twice in two days. Congrats on the new acquisition; looks like the motorcycle will serve you reliably for a long time to come. And your town and the areas around it are really beautiful for exploration on a bike. The feeling of cool breeze in your hair and the unpolluted air! I just wish I could do it every weekend or month on a bike like that; but being in a city, that seems unlikely for some years.

The other conclusion I could come to - Hero really needs to ramp up their portfolio and their QC, else they are going to be just sitting ducks for Honda and everyone else.

[VR/46_Chet]

Originally Posted by antihero

The solution as I see it are only two.
In and around the city I would choose formula x or similar sealant. For off the beaten track i would choose extra tubes.

How about heavy duty tubes? Is there any specific reason you're not considering them? Not the ultra heavy duty that cost (and weigh) a bomb but the basic HD tubes from IRC for example that are twice as thick and twice as heavy as the regular ones.

I have no first hand experience using them and would like to know why they seem to be a preferred choice among off-roaders (albeit there are almost as many people against using them as there are for).

[antihero]

Originally Posted by VR/46_Chet

How about heavy duty tubes? Is there any specific reason you're not considering them? Not the ultra heavy duty that cost (and weigh) a bomb but the basic HD tubes from IRC for example that are twice as thick and twice as heavy as the regular ones.

I have no first hand experience using them and would like to know why they seem to be a preferred choice among off-roaders (albeit there are almost as many people against using them as there are for).

Ive had the opportunity to participate and race at xcross events across netherlands. In such a "mission critical" scenario we ran mousse and it works. But a mousse system requires a bit of maintenance, too. You can't simply install it and forget it. You'll need to regularly add lubrication. Installing it also is a pain in the neck. Not to mention a Michelin mousse would cost around a 100 euros. Plus adjusting air pressure is not an option. Yet this is the most fail safe solution.

Thicker tubes are just that thick and usually a mix of butyl and natural rubber. They offer better protection against pinch flats / snakebite punctures especuslly when you're running low pressure over rocky terrain. But when it comes to punctures due to a sharp object (thorns / nails etc) they do not offer any benefit. Bear with me. Imagine the rubber thickness of your tyre, now compare it to the thickness of a thicker tube (3mm to 4mm for ultra heavy duty tubes). Do you really think a thicker tube will help prevent a sharp object puncture taht has alreadybpenetested your thick rubber tyre? Given that sharp object punctures are the most common here in the Himalaya I dont think using a thicker tube offers me an advantage. But as they say Your Mileage May Vary.

Sealant again like I said excellent for sharp object punctures but catastrophic failure in case of a large rupture. With sealant you're often not carrying spare tube so your ride is done for and a change is messy.

Normal tubes. Cheap and effective. Works for both sharp object puncture and rips and is a lot less messy to replace compared to a sealant filled tyre. Yes it takes time (40 minutes for me) to replace a tube. But then it doesn't happen often and it gets me home irrespective.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by antihero

Yes it takes time (40 minutes for me) to replace a tube.

Please do share details of the tools you carry (possibly with pictures) to swap tubes.

Tips and Tricks would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance.
A.P.

[antihero]

Meanwhile heromotors is asking for user details on twitter for people who are reporting the ABS issue. If you are facing this issue. I request everyone to ping them asap.

[Red Liner]

Awesome thread. Hope to catch up with you in patnitop when and if I make my way around there some time. Maybe you can show me around a few local trails and regale the evenings with stories from North Africa.

Keep this going. Am in.

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by antihero

Meanwhile heromotors is asking for user details on twitter for people who are reporting the ABS issue. If you are facing this issue. I request everyone to ping them asap.

Thanks for sharing this, will send them the details immediately. Let's see if they really get back or is it just another face saver from customer care on twitter. If anyone here has received a feedback from Hero till now, kindly share.

[antihero]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Thanks for sharing this, will send them the details immediately. Let's see if they really get back or is it just another face saver from customer care on twitter. If anyone here has received a feedback from Hero till now, kindly share.

I got a call today from hero motors asking me about the nature of the problem. So I explained it to the person on the phone. Lets see if it escalates any further. Will update the thread.

Oh and I forgot to share 1000 up

[Red Liner]

Those of you with the Xpulse, try out the amsoil 10w40 or the 15w50. I reckon your gear shifts will improve remarkably once this is done.

It should also last you closer to 4K kms at the minimum. Just get back home from service and throw away the filled in oil to keep the warranty intact.

Sad waste of resources, but the numbskulls at the Svc might not listen.

[RiderZone]

Friend from Bangalore tells me that dealerships there have got a precious few new ABS units. He got the replacement done today, and reports the braking issue fixed.

From the photos, looks like old unit was from ATE, new one says MiniMAB.

Old unit:


New unit:

[antihero]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Those of you with the Xpulse, try out the amsoil 10w40 or the 15w50. I reckon your gear shifts will improve remarkably once this is done.

It should also last you closer to 4K kms at the minimum. Just get back home from service and throw away the filled in oil to keep the warranty intact.

Sad waste of resources, but the numbskulls at the Svc might not listen.

The recommended grade for xpulse is 10w30. While I am only happy to recommend a change to synthetic oil, I usually frown upon a grade change.

Engines are tested with a recommended grade oil and when you change grades all bets are off. Some may argue that the same is the case for fully synthetic vs hero recommended oil but theres no need to change grade as AMSOIL 10w30 is available on amazon so is LIQUI MOLY 10w30 again on amazon. Both are dedicated motorcycle oils meeting JASO2 specifications, so clutch slippage shouldn't be a problem. I will start with LIQUI MOLY after I have clocked 3k, which should happen soon. This is because I have used LIQUI MOLI in my speed triple for over an year (3 to 6k intervals during to a lot of red lining at TT Assen and Raceway Venray) but I dont think you can go wrong with either of these oils. Do share your (personal) experiences with different oils. No youtube videos from other people please as that would be heresay.

[Red Liner]

I agree on the grade bit. I didn't know 10w30 was available.

I guess oil brand choice is just a personal thing. Choose what works best for you!

I have had good luck with Amsoil and their technical info including HTHS and TBN numbers beat the 10w30 liquimoly quite comfortably.

Like i said, choose what works for you!

[antihero]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I agree on the grade bit. I didn't know 10w30 was available.

I guess oil brand choice is just a personal thing. Choose what works best for you!

I have had good luck with Amsoil and their technical info including HTHS and TBN numbers beat the 10w30 liquimoly quite comfortably.

Like i said, choose what works for you!

Oh splendid. I've never given different brands much thought but you're right - numbers don't lie. Based on these, I might just give AMSOil a go. Thanks for sharing the sources, I appreciate the effort.

[antihero]

I wanted to remove the mud and grass from my driveway entry I decided to shoot two birds with one stone. As
some of you may recall I was having some trouble dealing with fist sized rocks on my xpulse. So here its is, driveway entry plus small rock practice area. Took us a couple of days to break some bigger rocks into smaller first size rocks so now I have enough area to practice figure 8s, braking from 40 and accelerating on this kind of terrain.

This is exactly the terrain I do most of my riding on so some practice drills can only help.