[aargee]

My replies in bold for you

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Require few suggestions
1. New 12 V battery - What is the recommendation?
Exide; exide & only exide & don't go for maintenance free

2. 2 T oil - On purchase, it had Castrol. I changed it to Shell 2T which gave a noticeable change in engine characteristics. Any recommendations?
Shell 2T mineral or synthetic based are good

3. Lighting - Plan to change main headlamp bulb. Which one now?
What's the present setup?

4. Tires - Stock size/upsize ? Brand?
I'm not a person who does not like to upsize; so I don't know

[mmxylorider]

@aargee - Thanks!

Regarding current headlamp - not sure what it is or is it even stock. But I do see bikes having brighter lights than others. I would not like to change if there is a need to put cutouts etc.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Regarding current headlamp - not sure what it is or is it even stock. But I do see bikes having brighter lights than others. I would not like to change if there is a need to put cutouts etc.

What you need to do is, first check if you've a 12V or 6V wiring. If its 6V, then I'm not commenting anything here as the discussion is lengthy one.

If its 12V, then, you need to get a good RR unit that supports up to 55/60 or 90/100. If you get one of those generator from RDD, then you can close your eyes & upgrade to 90/100.

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by aargee

If its 12V, then, you need to get a good RR unit that supports up to 55/60 or 90/100. If you get one of those generator from RDD, then you can close your eyes & upgrade to 90/100.

It is 12 V for sure. The other terms you used (RR/RDD) are a little of greek and a little of latin for me. RR = regulator/rectifier? Would appreciate any explanation or pointers to some thread with this terminology.

[aargee]

RDD is rddreams 12V generator that comes along with RR unit. Its simple to install & you can get the 90/100 bulb fixed. Just google for rddreams.

[siddharthp]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

RX135 Restoration!

Require few suggestions
1. New 12 V battery - What is the recommendation?
2. 2 T oil - On purchase, it had Castrol. I changed it to Shell 2T which gave a noticeable change in engine characteristics. Any recommendations?
3. Lighting - Plan to change main headlamp bulb. Which one now?
4. Tires - Stock size/upsize ? Brand?

1. I bought Exide yesterday,Rs.755/- from Exide shop opposite Kothrud depot,Pune.
2. What I have observed is if your oil pump is good then,use Shell.Shell really has good viscosity and has given me good results as well.IF Premix is used,then almost all oils(Servo) are better.On light throttle,we really do not need very expensive oils like motul.Do we?
3. OSRAM.It is good.I will let you know the model number.
4. No upsize for tyres please.Only 'Shtock' tyres sir!!.Yami looks good when original.I bought Dunlop as front tyre for Rs. 900/- last fortnight.Ceat and MRF were not in stock and I was in plain hurry to buy as rainy season was near.BTW,Dunlop is good,ceat is preferred.My rear tyre is Ceat.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

Require few suggestions
1. New 12 V battery - What is the recommendation?
2. 2 T oil - On purchase, it had Castrol. I changed it to Shell 2T which gave a noticeable change in engine characteristics. Any recommendations?
3. Lighting - Plan to change main headlamp bulb. Which one now?
4. Tires - Stock size/upsize ? Brand?

1. Choose ANYTHING except Exide and Amco and you can't go terribly wrong. Not only do Exides not last, but many leak acid and fumes and can ruin all the metal surrounding it. And this happens even if the drain pipe is attached properly and dist. water is not filled above MAX mark. You may regret your decision big time if you buy Exide or even Amco. Am speaking from multiple personal experiences (own, friends, mechanics). My suggestion is to go with Base Terminal or Amaron. BT is significantly cheaper (in price, not in quality).

2. If you can procure it, Shell VSX2 would perhaps be the best bet amongst Made in India stuff. If you want much better, try Motul 510 (Made in France, around Rs. 350 - 400 /lt).

3. Osram are definitely brighter when compared to either Mico or Halonix. Beware of fakes.

4. For better grip, consider Ceat or Dunlop. For better life, MRF, TVS. Btw, MRF tubes seem to retain air much longer than Dunlop tubes.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

My suggestion is to go with Base Terminal or Amaron. BT is significantly cheaper (in price, not in quality).

But there's a significant issue reported with Amaron & RX; I mean not only RX but motorcycles of previous generation. The point being that Amaron requires exactly 14V as input to be charged & these old generation motorcycles do not give a steady 14V inputs causing the battery to be less charged. However, when the input volts is more than 14V, the battery goes for a toss causing even lesser life.

I completely agree with your point on Exide, to counter that issue, the battery must be checked once a month & to be topped & the metal scrapping issue will not occur.

Atleast, this is what I've been told by battery dealers & auto electrical mechanics.

[straight6]

Honestly, you should go for the Michelin M45's. I've been using them for 10.5k kms and even in the wet, with a disc brake setup and hard braking, they've been superb.

Amaron has maintainance free, sealed batteries. How are those? I need one too.

A pic just before the rains.

[mmxylorider]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

1. Choose ANYTHING except Exide and Amco and you can't go terribly wrong. Not only do Exides not last, but many leak acid and fumes and can ruin all the metal surrounding it. And this happens even if the drain pipe is attached properly and dist. water is not filled above MAX mark. You may regret your decision big time if you buy Exide or even Amco. Am speaking from multiple personal experiences (own, friends, mechanics). My suggestion is to go with Base Terminal or Amaron. BT is significantly cheaper (in price, not in quality).

2. If you can procure it, Shell VSX2 would perhaps be the best bet amongst Made in India stuff. If you want much better, try Motul 510 (Made in France, around Rs. 350 - 400 /lt).

3. Osram are definitely brighter when compared to either Mico or Halonix. Beware of fakes.

4. For better grip, consider Ceat or Dunlop. For better life, MRF, TVS. Btw, MRF tubes seem to retain air much longer than Dunlop tubes.

1. Looks like it's a tough choice regarding batteries. What about Tata batteries? Any usage experience?
2. Oil - My running is not going to be significant, so I would not want to hunt around for a specific brand. I've been using Shell as pre-mix in my scooty with good results, so Shell seems to be a good choice
3. Osram it is.
4. Ceat wins this one.

Another question: When I was buying the parts, I was told the lock set comes with only tank/lock/ignition set. Since the 135 also has the tool kit, I would not prefer keeping two keys. What options do I have?

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by aargee

But there's a significant issue reported with Amaron & RX; I mean not only RX but motorcycles of previous generation. The point being that Amaron requires exactly 14V as input to be charged & these old generation motorcycles do not give a steady 14V inputs causing the battery to be less charged. However, when the input volts is more than 14V, the battery goes for a toss causing even lesser life.

I completely agree with your point on Exide, to counter that issue, the battery must be checked once a month & to be topped & the metal scrapping issue will not occur.

Atleast, this is what I've been told by battery dealers & auto electrical mechanics.

I can't recall offhand what charging voltage the Amaron batts require. Yes, if the RR gives higher than 14 V or so, then a VRLA battery will loose water and there will be no way to replace it. So if voltage regulation is a known issue then it may be best to avoid Amaron. In that case BT would be the best choice. But FWIW, Shoguns, which can be considered older gen bikes don't seem to have any issues at all with Amarons. So it may be a Yam specific issue.

Exide and Amco are making very sub standard batteries and really there is nothing you can do to counter it. In fact you should not have to. Even if you keep checking it every month, they are more than capable of ruining your bike within the month. Also many of the batts release corrosive fumes which slowly but surely corrode metal. Thats not going to stop even if you keep checking everyday. Besides, I don't know about others here, but I simply do not have time or the memory to keep removing the side covers and checking on the batts every month. If you forget, the damage will be permanent.

All companies make 2.5 Ah batts. There is absolutely no reason to buy such 4th rate batteries when much better ones are available at better rates and longer warranties.

Originally Posted by straight6

Honestly, you should go for the Michelin M45's. I've been using them for 10.5k kms and even in the wet, with a disc brake setup and hard braking, they've been superb.

Amaron has maintainance free, sealed batteries. How are those? I need one too.

A pic just before the rains.

Michelin would be the 1st choice if grip is the main requirement. But I'v heard they last less. They also cost lot more.

Amarons are currently amongst the best available. I know many who are using them without any issues (2/4 wheeler & inverters) whatsoever. They also last longer. But as I said BT are also very good, esp. if you don't want a sealed VRLA battery. They come with 50 month warranty (pro-rata). You can also consider Bosch. They are reportedly made by Amara Raja (Amaron), but according to Bosch specs.

Originally Posted by mmxylorider

1. Looks like it's a tough choice regarding batteries. What about Tata batteries? Any usage experience?
2. Oil - My running is not going to be significant, so I would not want to hunt around for a specific brand. I've been using Shell as pre-mix in my scooty with good results, so Shell seems to be a good choice
3. Osram it is.
4. Ceat wins this one.

Another question: When I was buying the parts, I was told the lock set comes with only tank/lock/ignition set. Since the 135 also has the tool kit, I would not prefer keeping two keys. What options do I have?

1. Tata Green is new, so I don't know anybody using them; nor have I tried them myself. There aren't any users on tbhp who have used them either. So can't really comment on those. I would go for the above mentioned batts, but if the choice is between Exide/Amco and TG, then definitely go with TG without a second thought.

2. If your running is low, then all the more reason for you to choose a very good oil, as you won't be spending much anyway. Shell and Motul are in completely different leagues. Motul 510 is not only good in other ways, but will also help keep your engine and exhaust very clean (more than any other oil), and hence you will not have to risk manually decarbing your engine and exhaust. As for procuring it, running around will not help as you are not likely to find it in shops. Please contact Motul management directly or try the distributor 1st. I got mine semi-home delivered... lol! Its all mentioned in the 2t oil thread. Please search there.

3. Surprisingly I have found an ordinary (tungsten filament) Ravi bulb to be even brighter than Osram halogen in my Shogun.

Don't know about Yams, but I had the same issue last year. Had to buy the whole lock set (genuine TVS) for my Shogun.

[aargee]

@Staright6 - What's the front disc setup you've? I don't think its Pulsar. Could you pls help me understand? Tks.

[straight6]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Michelin would be the 1st choice if grip is the main requirement. But I'v heard they last less. They also cost lot more.

Amarons are currently amongst the best available. I know many who are using them without any issues (2/4 wheeler & inverters) whatsoever. They also last longer. But as I said BT are also very good, esp. if you don't want a sealed VRLA battery. They come with 50 month warranty (pro-rata). You can also consider Bosch. They are reportedly made by Amara Raja (Amaron), but according to Bosch specs.

I'll post pics of the tyres when they were just put and from now. See if you can tell if they have deteriorated that much to worry about after 10.5k kms with hard riding and braking.

I'll probably go with the Amaron. Currently, I'm using a capacitor kind battery. Charges in 15 seconds and loses charge just as fast.

Originally Posted by aargee

@Staright6 - What's the front disc setup you've? I don't think its Pulsar. Could you pls help me understand? Tks.

Its the type 1 Pulsar setup.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by straight6

Its the type 1 Pulsar setup.

Thanks; was that shot sometime at night, probably along with a Busa or so? 'cause I remember spotting a similar looking mint condition black RX when a Busa also was being photographed.

[straight6]

Originally Posted by aargee

Thanks; was that shot sometime at night, probably along with a Busa or so? 'cause I remember spotting a similar looking mint condition black RX when a Busa also was being photographed.

Yes, that was my bike with pinnacles busa.