[ManasN95]

Hello all, this is going to my first ownership thread, and I am mad excited to share it with you all (like a child would be excited to show off his first toy) and what other way to share my experiences about a motorcycle that is almost a decade old in production, but still earns a hat tip at the mention of it - the Honda CBR250R.

Allow me to start with a little prologue:
I learnt how to ride a motorcycle when I was 16, on my fathers Passion Pro, which turned out to be a good learners motorcycle, light-weight and easy on the functionality index. For me, learning was a breeze and I was always fond of automobiles. (I used to spell out the names of the cars just by their headlight shape in the night, when I was very young).

Once I had a grip of the balance and the mechanicals, I got a second hand Pulsar 150 DTS-i for college commute, which would be around 5 KMs to and fro from my home. Let me tell you, Bajaj Pulsar is my first crush, the DTS-i version, I was too young to feel the craze around the 'round headlight twin instrument cluster' Pulsar back in 2000s; but nonetheless, I was a fan-boy of the swept back vertical tail-lights and the digital instrument cluster, and the in general futuristic design of the Pulsar, so when I was in the market for a motorcycle for the college, I looked at nothing else but a Pulsar.

So she came home, a handsome 2011 red Pulsar, and I fulfilled my boyhood dream of owning one, in 2014.



I enjoyed her for a good 2 years, until it was time for the royalty to enter our lives: The Royal Enfield Classic 350 - Fathers dream.

It was 2016, and my father was going to cross the half century - 50 years of age, and he always said, "There should be a Royal Enfield in our parking."

So my Mom planned all the finances, I took a lot of test rides, to access the deal and what not, I even sheepishly wrote a letter to the salesperson assigned to me, asking all the doubts in my mind, and he very kindly sat me down, gave me a cup of coffee and explained me all the things, to the best of his abilities. I must say, Royal Enfield has their sales showroom experience sorted out, there's gigantic posters, gears and apparel on sale, the lighting is to the point, and not to mention the whole range of their impressive looking Enfields, on their middle stand stance, all in their glory. At times, it could turn out to be very intimidating for a first timer like me.

All things done, I chose the maroon colour, because of the it's exclusivity on the roads, and that colour just made an impression on me and my mom, both. So the delivery was set on the day of my fathers birthday, and we surprised him with his wish. Kudos to Royal Enfield to understand my proposition and adjust the delivery schedules likewise.


On the day she was delivered. Majestic, the word that comes to mind.

My father and I used to use the Pulsar and the Enfield turn by turn until he completely took over the Pulsar because he found the Enfield to be too heavy for his city commutes, and not without reason; she is one heavy motorcycle.

I used her primarily for rides, my first ride being to a Powerdrift fan-meet at Pune and she was still in her nascent phase back then, but she took it quite well, and I felt estatic.

As and when the rides would come by, I realised it was becoming a little mundane, a little impractical to tour on this motorcycle; the bike would vibrate after 80, the mirrors were rendered useless, and the seat being stock, would be uncomfortable for long hours, and it didn't help that I was bulky and the added weight of my gears would further slow the tours down. I started off in group rides, to get a hang of it, and used to struggle to keep up, although the lead would always make sure I was in sight.

I then moved on to solo rides, so that I can go about my own pace and comfort, but one fine day, when I rode from Dombivli to Ahmednagar with a pillion, I realised that I'm being shackled and the smooth roads further imprinted that stance; with the lack of ABS being a major mind block constantly.

Two years into her ownership, I put forth the topic of selling her, a little resilience from parents, but they understood, and I started searching for an able tourer which would keep me more comfortable, safer and happier.

Buying Process and Decision:

I had a fall on the Enfield when returning from a breakfast ride, but I didn't get any injuries because of full gears and I was doing speeds in 30s because of an approaching intersection. A dog ran past, and I jammed the brakes which led to the rear tyre slipping. That's when ABS was made mandatory for my next bike, and in that lieu I shortlisted the pre owned Dominar 400, Yamaha FZ-25 if they had launched the ABS version then, and pre owned CBR250R ABS. No other motorcycle within my budget of below 1.5L ticked all boxes.

I was a member of Xbhp back then, and I came across a brilliant thread https://www.xbhp.com/talkies/showthread.php?t=31802

It is such a brilliant thread, which every single nut and bolt covered in the ownership experience and so many experiments done on the CBR which finalised my decision there and then itself, it's going to be CBR and no-one else.

I started my search on the usual sites, and I had decided to take it slow, carefully assess my options and carry out a detailed checkup before turning to finance.

As luck would have it, I came across an ad, stating 2017 CBR 250R C-ABS with, wait..for..it.. ONLY 855 KMs on the odometer, with an asking price of only 1.4L. She was just an year old! At first I shrugged at it, but then saw that the ad is posted by an individual and not a dealer, so thought what's the harm in atleast speaking?

I called him, and turns out he was very genuine, and wanted to sell because he feels left behind in his group of superbikes and hence the sale. I checked the papers, two service were done through Honda, and he promised to give her only after doing the third service. I asked a mechanic to come by, and to be very honest, there was nothing to check, imagine a Honda with only 855 KMs!

The tyre threads, brake pads, Engine Oil, everything was in top shape, and there were obviously no sounds at all, and I had specifically asked him to let me cold start her. A big thumbs up from the mechanic later, I paid the token and told him to wait until I sell of my Enfield and he was kind enough to let me do so, and also offered to keep her serviced when I tell him. Everything about Pune and me will always be romantic, and there's just these vibes that are lucky for me - first an internship with Mercedes and now this cracker of a deal.

Meanwhile I sold off my Enfield at a resounding 1.2L after 2 years and 20,000 KMs later, which IS on the higher side, but I had religiously maintained the Classic 350. She looked as spankingly new and mechanically sound as she was in her first month.

So with just a difference of 20K bucks, I was upgrading to a whole lot better motorcycle.

Moving on to actual ownership experience and I'll keep this very short as I'm aware I've already typed too much.

Likes: (Some of these maybe in direct comparison with the Classic 350 and hence tad unfair)

1) Smooth engine, the vibes start creeping in only after 7K RPM with a mild buzz between 3K and 4K RPM. Nothing numbing, especially if you're wearing gloves.

2) Brilliant brakes, three pot Nissins drop anchor like nothing else, and it's a delight how much you can modulate with just three fingers. The bite points are good for both, and even the rear brakes are unnerving if pressed urgently. Engine braking is also present just the right amount.

3) Heat management is superb, never does she go beyond 3 bars. Liquid cooled engine works wonders. Fan kicks on in intense afternoons and traffic, but never have I felt excessive heat on my legs.

4) Stock visor does a fair job of wind deflection below 100, I'm 5"10.

5) Seats are comfortable and spacious to move around. I take regular stops every 100 KMs hence never faced butt pain yet. Though they could do with a little cushioning, but didn't modify as it's not a pressing need. I'm yet to tour 500kms+ in a day to warrant modifying the stock seat.

6) The gears are precise, finding neutral is an easy job, and the clutch is super light, coming from an Enfield. Typical Honda.

7) The speed masking ability is stupendous - In a group ride, I was following another experienced CBR rider on a fairly empty highway, and I looked down to see 140+ on the speedometer and I grinned bigger than The Joker! Mind you, I am 110+ kilos. I got to know her capabilities that day and I never again did those speeds because I felt I was out of my comfort zone and I mostly ride solo, hence 90-110 is a very safe band for both me, and CBR. She's just humming at those speeds.

The meh:

1) Suspension is jittery at slow speeds and bottoms out on extreme braking.

2) The riding position is a little bit too committed for me, I faced wrist pains in the initial days of ownership, but that is 99% due to my obese body structure.

3) Headlights are ordinary at stock. The BS4 LEDs look smashing, but expensive at 6K, but is a like for like replacement thanks to the same fairing. Pondering...

4) I was luckily for MRF Zappers instead of the crappy ContiGo which everyone swear at. So, in that regard I'm better off, but these MRFs take a lot of time to heat up for ideal grip levels. For now content with them, and can't comment between these and Michelin PSRs which everyone say are a match made in heaven for the CBR.

Modifications:

I like to keep my motorcycles as much as I can in stock condition. I absolutely hate anything that protrudes out of the motorcycle silhouette, and hence they have been minimal.

1) Radiator guard from CarbonRacing, in silver. Does the job, and looks smashing.

2) Phillips Extreme LED headlamps, although not the best, I'm satisfied with them.

3) Osram 0.5W Pilot lamps, a visual over functional modification.

4) Earth Wire Mod - Where you connect the negative terminal of the battery with the negative terminal of the Regulator. Took this out of the thread on Xbhp, this helps negate the issue of stalling. As my CBR was new when I got her, she never stalled, but still carried out this modification as it costs 50 bucks all inclusive.

5) One round of Shell Rimula R4 - a diesel oil with high ZDDP content which acts as a brilliant flush, and if for a newer engine like mine, it coats the engine internals which in turn reduces the friction between the moving parts. I didn't observe any differences as my sample set is too small.

6) Taller windscreen from a local market, solved the wind blast issue plus makes the bike look smashing.

7) Added blind spot mirrors to the already perfect RVMs and I can see the world behind me.

8) Rim decals, it was completely the idea of the shop owner. Looks sick.

That's it for the first post as it's too long already.
I'll post some parting images to spruce it up a little bit.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Motorcycle Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your bike is going to our homepage today .

[aargee]

Honda CBR250R Review : Still relevant in 2020!

With the advent of CB350, I was just thinking about mine yesterday & it dawned on me that Honda is no longer making competitive products (possibly in India) but very much in competition in making money!

CBR 250R is a very practical sports motorcycle that can be serviced at any corner of India without the need for some specially trained mechanics or service center; very low cost of ownership, excellent fuel efficiency, basic safety & more of fill-it-forget-it type.

And for that money & that segment, there's no really worthy alternative or upgrade in terms of any realist.

Adding another Meh for you - The tank size is peanut; should've been atleast 15 liters capacity; and the suspension, yes you can stiffen it both front & rear. I have a much much better riding experience when I bought down my weight by atleast 10 Kg from what I used to weigh from 77.

[swiftnfurious]

Good thread. Glad that you could find almost a brand new bike. She'll serve you for a decade without trouble. I have mine going strong at 45xxx kms and argee has done 1L+ kms.

Enjoy the ride, there aren't many bikes in the price bracket (especially in the pre owned route) which is so bl**dy fun.

[kaushikr]

ManasN95, Congrats on the acquisition. CBR250 is very practical for everyday use and a comfortable tourer.

Originally Posted by ManasN95

As luck would have it, I came across an ad, stating 2017 CBR 250R C-ABS with, wait..for..it.. ONLY 855 KMs on the odometer, with an asking price of only 1.4L. She was just an year old! At first I shrugged at it, but then saw that the ad is posted by an individual and not a dealer, so thought what's the harm in atleast speaking?

Similar to my story. Was having an RE and sold it off. Wanted a fill it, shut it, forget it bike. Picked up my CBR (non ABS) with <100 Kms on the Odo from an individual. The previous owner bought the bike to try get into motorcycling, but he did not enjoy the experience. Was more of a car person. The bike sat on their driveway for few months and i picked it through a known source.

Originally Posted by ManasN95

7) The speed masking ability is stupendous - In a group ride, I was following another experienced CBR rider on a fairly empty highway, and I looked down to see 140+ on the speedometer and I grinned bigger than The Joker! Mind you, I am 110+ kilos. I got to know her capabilities that day and I never again did those speeds because I felt I was out of my comfort zone and I mostly ride solo, hence 90-110 is a very safe band for both me, and CBR. She's just humming at those speeds.

Am still using the ContiGo's and don't feel very comfortable riding at high speeds. Combined with the fact that mine is a non ABS model, my speeds are in the 90-100 range.

Originally Posted by ManasN95

2) The riding position is a little bit too committed for me, I faced wrist pains in the initial days of ownership, but that is 99% due to my obese body structure.

Saw some videos about adjusting the riding position for Sports Tourer and this helped. Maybe worth a shot.

Originally Posted by ManasN95

3) Headlights are ordinary at stock. The BS4 LEDs look smashing, but expensive at 6K, but is a like for like replacement thanks to the same fairing. Pondering...

4) I was luckily for MRF Zappers instead of the crappy ContiGo which everyone swear at. So, in that regard I'm better off, but these MRFs take a lot of time to heat up for ideal grip levels. For now content with them, and can't comment between these and Michelin PSRs which everyone say are a match made in heaven for the CBR.

The two changes am also contemplating. But am not riding much, have hardly done 5000 Km in 2 years. Maybe next year. The tyres are a priority though.

Picking up the non ABS model is the only regret with the buy for me. But i made the decision didn't i

Ride safe and please keep the thread updated.

[NTO]

Great read and your bike looks lovely. I just bid good bye to my CBR 250R, 2017 Repsol (nicknamed Fanta). Since the start of Covid, I was unable to ride and there were too many bikes to manage. I couldn't spend sufficient time with the bikes and Fanta was the only bike which was bought used and the one which would fetch the highest resale value among the other motorcycles I own. Hence I let Fanta go.

There is a similarity in our purchase pattern. I bought Fanta in 2019 March by Selling my classic 500 (originally bought in 2013). Sold Classic for 1 lac and bought Fanta for 1 lac. Again, my dad was the primary user of the classic and he started to develop a significant pain in his left arm and was unable to move around the classic due to its weight. Also in the last DGR ride, I escaped a possible tragic accident due to Classic's pathetic rear brakes. Since it was DGR, I was wearing a suit and formal shoes. Helmet and gloves were the only protective gears. The accident would've scarred me for life. All my lucky stars came together to protect me that day.

After I sold the classic, a Friend of mine moved to the USA and asked me to sell his CBR on his behalf. When the bike was with me for a couple of weeks, I serviced it once and took it for a couple of rides and felt how refined the engine was and the vibe free riding experience made me fall in love with the CBR. I immediately transferred the money I got from Classic's sale and bought the CBR. However, the love was short lived and sold it off in June this year. The bike somehow felt underpowered for me and started to feel boring on long rides. All that said, it is a great overall motorcycle and a perfect beginner's touring machine. It does stand out in the sea of Royal Enfields.

Here is a pic of Fanta camouflaging into early morning Sun.

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by GTO

Your bike is going to our homepage today .

Thank You so much GTO! I was so elated at this, that I literally went jumping to my mom to show her!

Originally Posted by aargee

Adding another Meh for you - The tank size is peanut; should've been atleast 15 liters capacity; and the suspension, yes you can stiffen it both front & rear. I have a much much better riding experience when I bought down my weight by atleast 10 Kg from what I used to weigh from 77.

True, and I missed this because I haven't yet done any long rides which would present me with the issue of small tank capacity for touring needs.

Yes, about the suspension, I have filled in Motul 20W Fork Oil, but that was just before the lockdown, hence couldn't reap it's benefits. I am yet to play with the rear suspension.

Wow, imagine I'm feeling a comfort level of 7/10 even when I am 110 kilos, I could only imagine what she must be to ride when I lose the fat! Working for it

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Good thread. Glad that you could find almost a brand new bike. She'll serve you for a decade without trouble. I have mine going strong at 45xxx kms and argee has done 1L+ kms.

Enjoy the ride, there aren't many bikes in the price bracket (especially in the pre owned route) which is so bl**dy fun.

Thank you Sir, and I agree. CBR has a different level of respect in the pre-owned community, and I am still scratching my head as to how have I bagged such a good deal. Nusrat (her name) is just going to touch 10K kilometers, which is abysmal for such a capable bike in 1 year of ownership if we disregard the time lost due to the lockdown since March.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

ManasN95, Congrats on the acquisition. CBR250 is very practical for everyday use and a comfortable tourer.

Thank You Sir.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Am still using the ContiGo's and don't feel very comfortable riding at high speeds. Combined with the fact that mine is a non ABS model, my speeds are in the 90-100 range.

90-110 is I think the sweet spot of our roads, no matter which bike we own, but yes, I have heard poor reviews of ContiGo and you'll be better off with Michelins or Apollo Alphas (I think they come with 150 rear) and as you have a non-ABS it shouldn't be an issue with the calibration

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Saw some videos about adjusting the riding position for Sports Tourer and this helped. Maybe worth a shot.

Will do.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

The two changes am also contemplating. But am not riding much, have hardly done 5000 Km in 2 years. Maybe next year. The tyres are a priority though.

The LEDs look smashing no doubt, but from what I have heard, they do not offer much width as the halogens. Please check.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Picking up the non ABS model is the only regret with the buy for me. But I made the decision didn't i

You can still carry out some upgrades to improve your braking quite a bit, viz. better pads, steel braided lines, better brake oil for example.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Ride safe and please keep the thread updated.

For sure, thanks for dropping by! You are welcome to add your experiences too, for this is a CBR thread after all!

Mod Note : Please do NOT reply to posts using bold text within a quoted post, as it leads to visual discomfort for readers. Additionally, it's inconvenient to quote & reply to such a post.

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Any further such bold replies will invite Moderator action on your account.

Thanks!

[tchsvy]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

Hello all, this is going to my first ownership thread, - the Honda CBR250R.

Congratulations and welcome to the baby ceeber club! I too own a pre-owned 2018 BS-IV 250R and grin ear to ear whenever I take her for a spin, and whenever I take her out, I wonder why someone ever needs more than a CBR 250R! But now I get it, when you are introduced to real quality, you develop an urge to get it in more quantity!

The meh:

2) The riding position is a little bit too committed for me, I faced wrist pains in the initial days of ownership, but that is 99% due to my obese body structure.

I have read ownership threads on TBHP and XBHP before bringing my ceeber home and was ready for some wrist pain, but as aargee and swiftnfurious mentioned in their ownership threads, finding a relaxed riding position is the key and not keeping the elbow straight helps a lot, just bend the elbow a little bit, with that, and with time, the wrist pain will go away.

Originally Posted by aargee

With the advent of CB350, I was just thinking about mine yesterday

And for that money & that segment, there's no really worthy alternative or upgrade in terms of any realist.

I am in the same boat and would absolutely love to have the CB in my garage, ideally along with my ceeber, but won't be able to do so. Either I have to sell off the CBR to get the CB or settle down with CBR, and like you said the gains will not be much with CB, for now, the CBR is all I need.

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the CBR, Manas! Its a great bike and the ABS model especially via the pre-owned route is great VFM. Wish you a happy ownership period with the bike.

I've been looking for a year now but haven't had any luck with finding a good one in Black with ABS. The few I liked got sold before I could go and take a look at the bike.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by ManasN95

The meh:

3) Headlights are ordinary at stock. The BS4 LEDs look smashing, but expensive at 6K, but is a like for like replacement thanks to the same fairing. Pondering...

Even the old ones were good in 2011, but during later years I had it replaced with Osram (or Philips, don't recall) which wasn't luminous enough. So in 2016 I moved to this setup & this has been a trustworthy addition.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I've been looking for a year now but haven't had any luck with finding a good one in Black with ABS. The few I liked got sold before I could go and take a look at the bike.

I think, if you're serious enough, you should book the vehicle you find attached; with the advent of CB350, I get a hunch that, there will be more takers for CBR 250R now

[kirans_nair]

Originally Posted by aargee

And for that money & that segment, there's no really worthy alternative or upgrade in terms of any realist.

Isn't the Gixxer 250/SF a worthy alternative (at least among the current crop of bikes in the segment)? Though not at the levels of the CBR-250R isn't the Suzuki the next best thing in that segment and can't it be the cbr of the current generation? If not why? What else comes close?

Mod Note : isnt = isn't, cant = can't. Please capitalize wherever necessary [cbr = CBR, suzuki - Suzuki]. Please proof read your posts before submitting them.
Thanks.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by kirans_nair

Isn't the Gixxer 250/SF a worthy alternative (at least among the current crop of bikes in the segment)? Though not at the levels of the CBR-250R isn't the Suzuki the next best thing in that segment and can't it be the cbr of the current generation? If not why? What else comes close?

Very good question, let me tell from my POV that may or may not be applicable to majority

First & foremost foundation to lay down is the ownership perspective of a person with a medium to heavy usage combining of both city & highway across the country

1. When you ride across states what comes foremost to rescue is ASC. 99% of the time a vehicle is on the road, doing it's job or at garage parked safe. it's that 1% of the time - panic time, totally dreading when something goes wrong & cannot fix it especially when you're away from home.
2. Next is the reputation as a brand, especially the model you buy (inclusive of specs), technology, how much it sells, the availability of spares, cost of ownership & how much of the features that you leverage. Price plays a role, but let's say you're able to do a trade-off for what you're leveraging
3. Then what percent of that model/brand suits to you for your need

Keeping all the above in mind, where I think CBR 250R scores slightly better?
1. Launched in 2011 & still running now, which makes, the model is around for 9 years now with decent amount of models sold, and the spares to be availability is more (connoting to other 250s)
2. DOHC vs SOHC means less stress on engine
3. Pro-Link suspension; totally unbeatable till date; it's Volvo/Mercedes on two-wheelers
4. Wide-spread ASC; means, you dislike one ASC, you're welcome to another one close-by; plenty of choices
5. Both the engines have near identical bore X stroke ratio, but how does Suzuki SOHC make 26 Bhp at 9300 RPM than Honda's 25 Bhp at 8500 RPM? It's the compression ratio; this means more heat. Has Suzuki released their CR yet?

All other points are common be it ABS, LED, Alloys, everything else is similar. In a nutshell am I saying C250R is still the best? Well yes & no. Yes to folks who're considering the above factors into consideration. Some of them might have a relative or friend inside a Suzuki ASC, so a Gixxer 250 might tick well for them. Some of them might be of pure office/college-city-home users, may be a Gixxer suits them.

I've put over 130,000 on the ODO & except for once it left me stranded on Goa & very 3rd day it nearly stranded me, it has served me very reliably. Would a Gixxer 250 stand-on to this performance? I don't know; had Suzuki launched a 250 in 2011, may be if I've clocked this number on Gixxer I might be on a Gixxer ownership euphorically & talking rhapsodically about SF250.

Answering what comes close - I'm tempted to say a Ninja 250 (used ofcourse), but then Kawi's reputation is at stake; forget KTM & Bajaj; they're making numbers, long term reliability is something to await. Hero's legend was ZMA, may be ZMR, after that they annihilated it like turning a Mayim Bialik to Justin Bieber!!

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by kirans_nair

Isn't the Gixxer 250/SF a worthy alternative (at least among the current crop of bikes in the segment)? Though not at the levels of the CBR-250R isn't the Suzuki the next best thing in that segment and can't it be the cbr of the current generation? If not why? What else comes close?

Ride the FZ25, CBR250R and Gixxer 250 back to back. In both city traffic and open highways.

Take my word for it, you'd love the Gixxer 250, the powerband is simply best of both worlds(FZ25 Low/Mid End, CBR250R Top End) on offer.

Before Suzuki came up with the Gixxer 250 the choice in the 250cc range was binary, you'd have to settle for either Lows and Mids or Tops. But with the G250 you get a well balanced machine that does everything fairly well.

The headlight is a downer and some say wind buffeting is as well but all things considered I'd still go with the Gixxer.

Do contemplate riding them yourself and arriving at a conclusion cause let's face it, Indians when it comes to anything foreign tends to value the extrinsic over the intrinsic.

[ManasN95]

Originally Posted by NTO

Great read and your bike looks lovely.

The bike somehow felt underpowered for me and started to feel boring on long rides. All that said, it is a great overall motorcycle and a perfect beginner's touring machine. It does stand out in the sea of Royal Enfields.

Thank You so much! Yes, CBR definitely is the gateway to bigger touring machines, and especially the pre-owned route is still way to go!

Originally Posted by tchsvy

But now I get it, when you are introduced to real quality, you develop an urge to get it in more quantity!

just bend the elbow a little bit, with that, and with time, the wrist pain will go away.

Haha true, I am waiting for either the CB500X and/or the Himalayan with better power outputs and a twin!

And yes, I did see some videos immediately after 3-4 days of ownership and got the wrist pain sorted!

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Congrats on the CBR, Manas!

I've been looking for a year now but haven't had any luck with finding a good one in Black with ABS. The few I liked got sold before I could go and take a look at the bike.

Ah! Thank You Sir! And yes, if you're still on the CBR, you would get some good deals in the upcoming days because of the slew of launches and competition than an year or so ago!

Originally Posted by aargee

So in 2016 I moved to this setup & this has been a trustworthy addition.

Glad it solved your visibility issue, but as I said I hate to mess up the bikes silhouette and in any case, my rides in the dark are close to nil, hence not really in need of auxiliary lights as such!

Thank You all for your replies, I will try to keep the thread as updated as possible!

[ManasN95]

Hello all, in a bid to keep the thread active and as detailed as I can, this post will contain the modifications done and/or the first service under my ownership.

Modifications:

1) Radiator Guard from CarbonRacing: The guys are very welcoming to talk with, and this costed me ~2000 bucks along with shipping, which I feel is a good investment for the radiator to be in good shape.



2) Front Mudguard extension (KTM 390): This cost me just under 100 bucks along with holes on the fender, and this helps a lot to avoid splashing of the muck on the radiator!




3) Phillips ExtremeVision LED headlamp and Osram Pilot Lights 0.5W: Do about okay, I haven't undertaken night rides yet to judge the vision.




4) Paddock Stand: Chose red to contrast the black themed CBR, costed ~2000. A big help for chain maintenance.



5) Taller Windscreen: Got it for 850 bucks from Kurla market, makes a big difference in the windblast!



6) Rim Decals: For me, they look good, and makes the tyres look buff



7) Shell Rimula R4: Acts as an excellent flush and/or protects the internals with a layer of ZDDP. As my CBR would be very less driven at the time of this engine oil, I believe it has formed a good layer of ZDDP material, and I would love to try it again after the current oil (Shell Advanced Ultra)






That's it for this update, I'll update about the service I undertook after this!