[tc89]

Hello Everyone,

On Fri last week I was headed out on the CB and on the Cubbon Road Junction before Kumble Circle, When i pressed the start button every thing on the display went blank, thankfully Bigwing was about 1.5 KM away and i managed to push the bike there and was stored in their basement till the battery was replaced the next day
Vehicle : Honda CB300R 2020 BS4
Battery : Unchanged for the last 5 years
Purchase Year : 2020
Odo : 7.5K ( Yes, i know that it hasn't run all that much !!! But Such is life)

You can see 2 videos that I recorded one on the road and the one in the basement of bigwing

https://youtu.be/NXAfgP7Lsuk?si=mMjxlD-GRo1k8RCU

https://youtu.be/yizzRjxvm6s?si=fieJDBDM0Npkr4Q-

I use the bike regularly barring Dec 24 because I was under the weather

The instrument cluster doesn't provide a battery voltage readout too

Question : Is there a way in which the battery health can be monitored and such a situation be pre-empted ?because there is no Kick start (Darn !! I miss those) and I'm worried if this happens on a bike ride

I got the rear brake pads changed just the day before and the disk had very light scouring, these were the stock pads that came with the vehicle
Question : How to know when to change brake pads, the service personnel at Honda told me i could use them for a 1000KM more and then change and that's what I did, now they mentioned that the front can be run for about 2.5K

Would be glad to know your suggestions on any or both of these topics
Thanks for reading
Cheers !!

[bpapache]

Hey tc89,

Regarding battery:
5 years is very good life.
If you use your motorcycle on a daily basis, your vehicle battery could last 4 years easily. I have driven 1,00,000/- plus kms on my past two motorcycles (Honda Unicorn Dazzler and TVS RTR200) over a period of 13 years. Since these bikes were used regularly, the batteries would last for 4 years consistently.

My 3rd and current motorcycle (KTM RC 390) is not used on a regular basis and hence it can last from 1.5 years to two years only. As we speak, my RC’s battery replacement is due.

Answer to your question1:
If your bike doesn’t have a voltmeter, just pay attention to the electricals at the time of cranking your motorcycle. If your screen goes blank for a second, or if the starter motor takes a little longer to crank, that’s a sign.

Quick tip: learn to jump start your motorcycle. You can find several YouTube videos. Look it up. This is what we need to resort to since we no longer have kick starters.

Regarding brake pads:
Brake pad wear and tear changes from one user to another.
I’m a rider who uses >90% front brakes and very limited rear brakes. So, my rear brake pads last a very long time.

Answer to question2:
Every brake pad has a wear indicator. Look it up on YouTube. This will give you an indication on how much more pads is left for you to use. The mechanic also refers this to tell you how much life is left.

[jomson13]

Doesn't the instrument cluster have a battery symbol that stays lit if the voltage level is not upto the mark?
The interceptor has it; when the battery was nearing replacement, I would see this symbol stay lit on the cluster for a slightly longer time than usual.
For a good battery, the symbol dis-appears immediately after the bike cranks up.

In-spite of this warning, my habit of procrastinating meant that I put off getting the battery checked and it eventually died on me when I was out for a game of badminton. If I remember correctly, I rode the bike for around a week with the battery indicator showing the warning as described above.


Regarding brake pads - just keep an eye on the groove depth. Some pads have one down the middle, others have 3. If the pad surface is nearing the groove depth - change the pads

[tc89]

Originally Posted by bpapache

Hey tc89,

Regarding battery:
5 years is very good life.
If you use your motorcycle on a daily basis, your vehicle battery could last 4 years easily. I have driven 1,00,000/- plus kms on my past we speak, my RC’s battery replacement is due.

Quick tip: learn to jump start your motorcycle. You can find several YouTube videos. Look it up. This is what we need to resort to since we no longer have kick starters.

Regarding brake pads:
Brake pad wear and tear changes from one user to another.


Answer to question2:
Every brake pad has a wear indicator. Look it up on YouTube. This will give you an indication on how much more pads is left for you to use. The mechanic also refers this to tell you how much life is left.

Hi bpapache,

Thanks for responding !!
Yes I do understand that 5 years is pretty good and the problem is that this can creep in on you at any time, any place and this is what I want to avoid
Yes there is no voltmeter and when I started the bike that evening it wasn't very normal the screen did go a bit dim and i was too hurried to get to my meeting and missed observing (so much for that)


Will check out the jump start technique and the most amazing part of the CB is that the battery is located below the fuel tank which is covered by the tank covers, so thoughtfully designed by Honda

Will also check out the brake wear indicator
Thanks again !

[tc89]

Originally Posted by jomson13

Doesn't the instrument cluster have a battery symbol that stays lit if the voltage level is not upto the mark?
The interceptor has it; when the battery was nearing replacement

Regarding brake pads - just keep an eye on the groove depth. Some pads have one down the middle, others have 3. If the pad surface is nearing the groove depth - change the pads

Hi Jomson13,

Thanks for responding!
No the CB doesn't have a voltmeter so no way to observe
Will keep an eye on the groove depth
Cheers !

[Ratan Prabhu]

CBR250R (C-ABS) owner since 13 years. And I'm assuming there isn't a huge difference in the battery and brake pads between 250R and 300R.

So, for reference, my battery lasts anywhere between 3 and 5 years. If ridden regularly, battery lasts longer. You have only ridden 7.5k in 5 years and still battery being fine all this while is a big deal.

For brake pads, I use both my brakes. Can say 50-50 usage or slightly more usage of the front brake.
My disc rotors have some scratches and have lost some of the thickness too so the pad wear is higher. Front and rear pads both last between 6,000 and 7,000 kms. Yours being fairly new and less used, ideally they should last around 10,000 kms but it will be lower if used harshly.

But as suggested above, keep an eye on the brake pad contact material thickness. It is easy to check. Better to change the pads slightly early than slightly late because if it is worn, the metal part of the pad with rub against the disc rotor and cause scratches which will reduce the life of your next pads.

[tc89]

Originally Posted by Ratan Prabhu

CBR250R (C-ABS) owner since 13 years. And I'm assuming there isn't a huge difference in the battery and brake pads between 250R is higher.
But as suggested above, keep an eye on the brake pad contact material thickness. It is easy to check. Better to change the pads slightly early than slightly late because if it is worn, the metal part of the pad with rub against the disc rotor and cause scratches which will reduce the life of your next pads.

Thanks for your advice Ratan !
I'm really not sure about the similarity between both machines and I'll take your word for it

Good to know that my battery did last well
It was a Yuasa (Thailand Make) given by Honda originally with the bike

Will do some reading and keep a keen eye on the brake pad situation. Perhaps I'll do a post with my research.

Cheers