[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Any updates on the bike?

No updates yet. Hero (even company) doesn't have parts in stock and are sleeping on it. 7 days are over today and I have now raised a complaint to company. I guess due to design change in BS6, engine related parts will be a problem with BS4 bikes in future.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

No updates yet. Hero (even company) doesn't have parts in stock and are sleeping on it. 7 days are over today and I have now raised a complaint to company. I guess due to design change in BS6, engine related parts will be a problem with BS4 bikes in future.

But have they at least opened the engine to find out what's gone wrong?

Which parts are they waiting for if they haven't opened the engine and seen for themselves which are really needed?

Cheers, Doc

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by ebonho

But have they at least opened the engine to find out what's gone wrong?

Which parts are they waiting for if they haven't opened the engine and seen for themselves which are really needed?

Their excuse is that since spares are not available, they will not open the bike. If they open up, there is no space to keep the disassembled parts. Service center is too much crowded (and actually it is). They have placed order for entire cylinder kit as a blanket replacement.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Their excuse is that since spares are not available, they will not open the bike. If they open up, there is no space to keep the disassembled parts. Service center is too much crowded (and actually it is). They have placed order for entire cylinder kit as a blanket replacement.

I hope things work out for you and you get your bike back soon.

Cheers, Doc

[ast.ggn]

20000 kms update



Got the bike earlier this month after it had spent 2 weeks at the service center waiting for cylinder kit. It took multiple phone calls, twitter escalations to get Hero working. I am still not sure whether my escalations worked or they moved on their own timeline.

While the cylinder kit was available in 10 days, it took 3 weeks (in parallel) for dealership to arrange a simple part like side stand. Official Hero spare parts distributor couldn't make it available even after 3 weeks. It was only when I refused to collect the bike and made some noise, the dealership woke up from their sleep and got it from some other dealership.

It has been quite an eventful ownership experience. Little recap of the events till now:

• Total period of ownership - 1.5 years
• 20k kms clocked. It would have been more if not for pandemic.
• Even after BS6 price hike it is still a value for money bike, Aprillia/Vespa scooters cost more than Xpulse on road.
• Excellent city commuter, potholes and bad roads are dismissed without a second thought. I would recommend it over any other commuter if you are looking for a comfortable bike.
• There are no rattles whatsoever. Bike is holding good.
• Good enough for short tours eg. - 800-1000 kms spread over multiple days. 300-400 kms in a day should be easily manageable. I have done upto 600 kms a day. Highway runs to the Himalayan foothills can be boring eg:- Delhi to Chandigarh. Carb variant struggles over 3000 mtr elevation and high passes in Himalayas.
• Comfortable speed on highways is 80-85 kmph max.
• Fuel economy - 40 kmpl. 500 kms+ tank range on full tank.
• Hero service is meant for commuter bikes only. Nothing much to write about. Washing and cleaning are a joke. A single mechanic is trained to work on Xpulse at Gurgaon dealership.
• Rally Kit was on my to-do list but dropped the idea as stock suspension is good enough for my usage.
• Varying cost of spare parts. Some of the parts are cheap while others are priced on a higher side (relative to the category of bike). Overall it is still cheap to maintain.
• Running second set of tyres. Switched to knobbies at 15k kms and stock Ceats had quite some life left. Ralco knobbies are adequate for trails but Maxxis are at another level. So is the price difference between the two.
• Paid service cost is 700-800 including labour.
• Front Brake Pads replaced at 18k kms.
• Chain is making a slapping sound and might need a replacement soon. There is still room left for adjustment, hence I am pushing it to maximum.
• Stone hit during trail ride left me stranded once. Stock PVC protection cover on carb variant is useless.
• Knocking sound from engine was diagnosed due to play in connecting rod bearing. Dealership changed the entire kit assembly. Cost for the same was Rs. 3600 (covered under warranty). Damn cheap in my opinion.
• ABS unit replaced under warranty. Lever locking problem has been solved since then. Still no official recall on the biggest problem in the bike.

Bike has got a new company in parking lot, will update on that in next few days.

A shot from Sach Pass ride to sign off for this post:

[ast.ggn]

Got the bike serviced and chain set replacement done. Been keeping bit busy and bike wasn't used much in last one month. Service center didn't have air filter in stock, so that is a pending task for some other day, stock filter has reached at the end of it's life. Spark plug was in bad shape and was replaced too.

Mechanic didn't set the rpm properly and the bike is running too high now, will go back again to get it adjusted. Handlebar also looks to be misaligned suddenly and will need correction tomorrow

They have charged chain cleaning and lubrication even though new chain set was installed. I missed that in service center.

Total amount: Rs. 2710.
Odo Reading: 21400 kms

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

20000 kms update
[*] Knocking sound from engine was diagnosed due to play in connecting rod bearing. Dealership changed the entire kit assembly. Cost for the same was Rs. 3600 (covered under warranty). Damn cheap in my opinion.

I missed this post. So it wasn't a seizure and a cylinder kit replacement under warranty?

A con rod failure is a whole different ballgame.

Cheers, Doc

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by ebonho

So it wasn't a seizure and a cylinder kit replacement under warranty?

A con rod failure is a whole different ballgame.

This is what mechanic told me and I didn't bother to dig any deeper honestly. They changed the entire cylinder kit assembly and I paid for oil cost. There are lot of cases now where xpulse has undergone/ is awaiting cylinder kit replacement. Urban Nomad is also facing some issues with his bike and awaiting parts now.

[bj96]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

... Urban Nomad is also facing some issues with his bike and awaiting parts now.

Cylinder kit replacement within 20k kilometres is not a good sign. Is it happening due to the poor design and assembly or "rough use" like testing limits with continuous high rpm riding with load for extended period of time, causing lean lubrication and fatigue?

-BJ

[ast.ggn]

Originally Posted by bj96

Is it happening due to the poor design and assembly or "rough use" like testing limits with continuous high rpm riding with load for extended period of time, causing lean lubrication and fatigue?

Both I think. It happened for me when I was on an extended ride, for other cases like Urban Nomad - it might be due to high RPM riding like on trails. Either way, it seems poor engineering is the culprit, not just quality.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Both I think. It happened for me when I was on an extended ride, for other cases like Urban Nomad - it might be due to high RPM riding like on trails. Either way, it seems poor engineering is the culprit, not just quality.

Totally kills the USP of a dirt bike if you cannot thrash it. Even at 3-4k a pop, it's not exactly cheap to keep replacing. And then you lose the workshop downtime (including procuring the parts) and the run-in all over again.

Cheers, Doc

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Totally kills the USP of a dirt bike if you cannot thrash it. Even at 3-4k a pop, it's not exactly cheap to keep replacing. And then you lose the workshop downtime (including procuring the parts) and the run-in all over again.

Cheers, Doc

Its not ideal at all doc. Thankfully though, this thing comes with a 5 year factory warranty and hero is very chill wrt honoring warranty claims. Aftermarket exhaust? Warranty intact. Changed sprockets? Warranty intact

So like I heard a riding buddy put it - Thrash it, park it at the SVC, replace everything for free, repeat

Wait for parts etc is painful but ya, that warranty is real peace of mind

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

So like I heard a riding buddy put it - Thrash it, park it at the SVC, replace everything for free, repeat

That's definitely a big plus.

Cheers, Doc

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Both I think. It happened for me when I was on an extended ride, for other cases like Urban Nomad - it might be due to high RPM riding like on trails. Either way, it seems poor engineering is the culprit, not just quality.

My CT100B that runs on sub 200/liter HDEO's hauling 120+ kg's me at redline speeds on the Interstate says "Hi" at just over 70k on the odometer.

Jokes apart, irrespective of how you ride the motorcycle it failing within the warranty mileage is unwarranted for and is purely the result of either below par maintenance, part quality or QC. Cause I doubt there'd be any poorly engineered motorcycles in 2020, especially when it comes to recycled engines as the one seen in the Xpulse which nonetheless is a Honda.

If you're sure you've maintained the motorcycle well then skip that, as for part quality Hero and Honda used to rely on top notch component suppliers when I used to ride one, the crank if I'm not wrong is from Denzo, and the cylinder kit from SAL and Piston from USHA. Except for the SAL in the mix which is a subsidiary of Hero the rest have proven track records.

So the only obvious reason here is below par QC, which I also have personal reasons to believe as once I'd purchased a Lumax HL unit from Hero and the thing miserably failed and had to be replaced whereas a unit from Bajaj made by the same supplier i.e Lumax is still working fine on my motorcycle.

As for warranty, when it comes to Hero motorcycles they best be seen as a Competitive Event, other than the first time I'd replaced the cylinder kit and tensioner, I've lost count of the other times I'd gone for warranty claims cause that used to be quite common back then in 2011, though the same being the case in 2021 is deplorable by any measure.

Now something I'd like to point out is that when using a motorcycle at its limits its best to revise your drain intervals to more practical ones, cause even in then case of my 100 if I ride it the way I do and then change oil at the factory recommended 5k km's then I'm pretty sure it wouldn't last out of warranty mileage. Again this is personal preference, hence just saying.

All said, do hope to see you clock more miles on the motorcycle and as the Doc pointed out a bottom end rebuild is not like a top end rebuild, the number of things that can go wrong increases exponentially considering the quality of workmanship available in India.

Ride Safe,
A.P.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

All said, do hope to see you clock more miles on the motorcycle and as the Doc pointed out a bottom end rebuild is not like a top end rebuild, the number of things that can go wrong increases exponentially considering the quality of workmanship available in India.

Sadly true. I sold off my LB 500 after the big end bearings went. Rebuilt her by the best in the business, using the best imported bearings.

And sold her out of the workshop.

Figgy. What a babe she was man. That long bazooka punch on tour in the mountains was just sublime.











But for that failure, I would have voted her the best 500 RE ever made. But as things stand, it has to be the one the Brits did and gifted to us.

Apologies for photobombing your thread @ast.ggn!

Cheers, Doc