[S@~+#0$#]

Nice RX Anjan. Please keep it like this forever along with your other landmaster.

Also, since you have converted to 12V, let me suggest a simple modification which will give you better lighting. Replace the standard beams with that from a Eisher\Canter LCV. You will now be able to run a H4 halogen bulb (I think 55\60 W). Ask for an 'autopal' one as its reflector has a very good spread and length. It should all cost you less than Rs.500 but well worth it.

Originally Posted by anandkumargb

I had Hero Honda, Shogun, Roadking and RX 100. Without any doubt, RX 100 is the best bike I ever had and like most of you regret selling it........Longing for a RX 100 from a long time, will keep the seach on!

Whoa!! Greetings GB!! Remember me?? Funny, even I remember each and every one of those mods you listed in your post. The mods that you have on your RX were the rage in those days and Vijaynagar-Bangalore area was the place for RXes. You will be able to relate to some of my nostalgic posts in this this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...rts-rx100.html

Originally Posted by anandkumargb

(spent all the money Dad had kep in my bank ac) .

I remember this too..LOL

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

Nice RX Anjan. Please keep it like this forever along with your other landmaster.

Also, since you have converted to 12V, let me suggest a simple modification which will give you better lighting. Replace the standard beams with that from a Eisher\Canter LCV. You will now be able to run a H4 halogen bulb (I think 55\60 W). Ask for an 'autopal' one as its reflector has a very good spread and length. It should all cost you less than Rs.500 but well worth it.

Santosh- Oh there are dollars in your name!. Thanks for the nice compliments and suggestion.Please elaborate about the "standard beam replacement with that from a Eicher/Canter".Which component exactly needs replacement to get the new kinda standard beam? A halogen 55/60W should be good enough.
A small anecdote- My Landmaster had a Lumax headlight sealbeam to its left, while the original Lucas (Made in England), still does its duty on the driver's side.I got an used, original Lucas (Made in England ) sealbeam and replaced the Lumax on the left. The reflector is not as good as the Lumax. This has reduced the headlight output on the left side. But its original and goes with the car's decor.
I am sure the Yamaha's headlight will do much better.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

On an average every 10,000 kms the silencer requires decarbing. The cylinder was decarbed once at about 45,000 kms and gaskets changed.Earlier I used to do he decarbing on my own at home, but now prefer not to soil my hands, unless unavoidable.It involved heating on a stove on an open part of my house plot and scraping the pipe that connects the cylinder, manually. Before heating the silencer, I used to give it a thorough kerosene wash.

I had written a long note about how spurious oils are being sold as Castrol in India, even through authorised outlets to them. It had many anecdotes including a reputed spare part dealer committing to me "I have stopped keeping Castrol in stock because I just want to avoid being labelled as one who sells adulterated stuff." As I did not mention the dealer's name , the company people were after me asking me to reveal it. I said "No".I had also written to them that only Castrol remained in India all through the past many, many decades when many others came and went away due to adversities, but again came back in fair weather.The Area Manager told me that this had become a topic of discussion and their management in the U.K. also took note.
But as you rightly say, their products are overpriced.They are quite laid back in their approach towards marketing.But touchwood again! I get their products at my doorstep from the depot.

Unbelievable that is! A battery for seven years! People change automobiles faster! But this seven year feat deserves compliments.Once I went to change my EXIDE car battery after 4 years 8 months. I told the dealer that I was waiting for another four months for this to complete 5, but it conked off.
The dealer said that if people keep batteries nicely for so long, the dealers would be on the streets with no business. ME ! The Dealer
If its seven years then imagine!

Decarbing the silencer every 10,000 km? That sux! And you still love Castrol Super TT!!

Interesting that Castrol took so much interest in your mails. I tried thru both email and phone to ask them if a shop that has put up a board claiming to be an authorised dealer is indeed genuine, along with some technical queries. The emails never got any reply. On phone once I was told that there is no such dealer in their database. I told them to check it out and gave them the name and address. They promised to get back to me, which of course they never bothered. Second time I was told something else... I just gave up after that. The shop contines to do business as usual with a big board claiming they are authorised. I still have no idea if they are really authorised. However I don't have a reason to believe that the couple of bottles we bought from them are spurious.

Whats more they have one of the least informative website with the least technical details for their products. In fact many pages are simply incomplete.

Have you ever seen a spurious Castrol bottle? What differences could you make out?

Originally Posted by kannan666

@ Raccoon - The brand that I have on my RX is Exide which I got in 2005 June, not too sure it is still available any more. Also, over the years, the Exide brand name has taken a beating and today the product quality is not what it was. Also, remember having a debate with you over my usage of Castrol and my decarb experiences, so not going into that again here ! Which brand of battery for you ran for 7 years ?

@ Anjan - I too am a Castrol diehard fan and use only that brand of oil in all my vehicles too, Castrol TT for the bike and the Kine and Castrol Magnatec for the four wheelers.

The battery that lasted 7 years was Amco Yuasa. However, now it is only Amco... apparently the Yuasa colloboration has ceased. And it seems even their quality has gone for a toss. So don't expect that kind of life with the current Amcos. If you take care of some basic issues it should not be very surprising for a good battery that does not have to support an electric starter to last over 5 years. Unfortunately, not just the dealers, but even customers don't seem to like batteries that last, and a battery dying in 3 years or so has simply become the accepted norm.

And yes, you don't have to tell me about Exide. Its one of my most hated brands. I'v vented about it elsewhere so won't start over again. Just forget about its lifespan, but if you value your vehicles, just keep far away from one!

Currently, I have a Base Terminal (Panasonic) in my Shogun. Its been 4-5 months... so far so good. No leaks either. But best is a sealed battery (Amaron). That way you simply eleminate the risk of leaking.

[S@~+#0$#]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Santosh- Oh there are dollars in your name!. Thanks for the nice compliments and suggestion.Please elaborate about the "standard beam replacement with that from a Eicher/Canter".Which component exactly needs replacement to get the new kinda standard beam? A halogen 55/60W should be good enough.

LOL.. You would need to replace the stock bulb with a Halogen H4, the stock beam with an 'autopal' unit from an eicher\canter (6inch IIRC) and stock holder with a H4 bulb holder. You may need to fold the terminals behind the Halogen outwards if it touches the rear end of your headlight dome.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

I am sure the Yamaha's headlight will do much better.

I can vouch for the results. I have described everything that I can remember. You can safely go ahead with this mod, I can check with my mech if you need assistance with mod. A decade ago, all our RXes used to look like anandkumarGB's bike(posted above) and we used to run 90/100 halogen bulbs on a Yezdi headlight cover/Autopal HL-102 beam combo. However, there were a few amongst us who would want to retain the original shape but wanted better lighting. These bikes would have the 12V conversion done and modified as described by me above.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

A small anecdote- My Landmaster had a Lumax headlight sealbeam to its left, while the original Lucas (Made in England), still does its duty on the driver's side.I got an used, original Lucas (Made in England ) sealbeam and replaced the Lumax on the left. The reflector is not as good as the Lumax. This has reduced the headlight output on the left side. But its original and goes with the car's decor.

OT: The 'M-I-E' Lucas would be RHD specific. Sealed Beams are very difficult to find today. I am looking for a pair of 12V LHD Sealed beams for my 55'Willys Cj3b. If you come across used\new ones, please let me know. They need to be American and same size as your landmasters (7.5 inch dia?). Brands that suit the 3B's character are GE, Westinghouse, Wagner(semi-sealed beams) etc. My 3B even has the original sealedbeam covers\buckets, but no sealed beams yet :-(. See pic here

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

The reflector is not as good as the Lumax.

IMO, Lumax is not that great in terms of performance. The best VFM(Rs.125/- only) beams that you can buy in India in that size are Autopal HL-102s and HL-103s.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Decarbing the silencer every 10,000 km? That sux! And you still love Castrol Super TT!!
Interesting that Castrol took so much interest in your mails. I tried thru both email and phone to ask them if a shop that has put up a board claiming to be an authorised dealer is indeed genuine, along with some technical queries. The emails never got any reply. On phone once I was told that there is no such dealer in their database. I told them to check it out and gave them the name and address. They promised to get back to me, which of course they never bothered. Second time I was told something else... I just gave up after that. The shop contines to do business as usual with a big board claiming they are authorised. I still have no idea if they are really authorised. However I don't have a reason to believe that the couple of bottles we bought from them are spurious.
Whats more they have one of the least informative website with the least technical details for their products. In fact many pages are simply incomplete.
Have you ever seen a spurious Castrol bottle? What differences could you make out?
The battery that lasted 7 years was Amco Yuasa. However, now it is only Amco... apparently the Yuasa colloboration has ceased. And it seems even their quality has gone for a toss. So don't expect that kind of life with the current Amcos. If you take care of some basic issues it should not be very surprising for a good battery that does not have to support an electric starter to last over 5 years. Unfortunately, not just the dealers, but even customers don't seem to like batteries that last, and a battery dying in 3 years or so has simply become the accepted norm.
And yes, you don't have to tell me about Exide. Its one of my most hated brands. I'v vented about it elsewhere so won't start over again. Just forget about its lifespan, but if you value your vehicles, just keep far away from one!
Currently, I have a Base Terminal (Panasonic) in my Shogun. Its been 4-5 months... so far so good. No leaks either. But best is a sealed battery (Amaron). That way you simply eleminate the risk of leaking.

Thanks Raccoon for the feedback.Yes those are the Castrol ways. Very laid back in their marketing approach.I would suggest that you mail them again and again through their website till they take notice saying that you are really in need of genuine Castrol products.
As regards spurious Castrol products, even an old dealer said he's stopped keeping Castrol and that he can't say the fake from the genuine. The spurious business is quite classy. They use genuine containers(used),labels from Castrol (company), seal it also to appear like its a company seal, but the oil inside is used and recycled oil as I was told.The only test as told to me was that when its time for oil change, one will find there are sediments at the base of the oil sump, that prevent free flow of the oil while draining.Thats for the gear oil. But for our bikes, the engine oil burns during combustion, so I doubt whether we can check its quality.By far, it may be facilitating faster engine wear. I haven't seen a spurious bottle yet.
The older sealed and packed one litre tins (for cars and even the SAE-20W-40W for our RX 100 gear oil)from Castrol were foolproof.
Thanks for the battery information. Now Amco batteries is owned by Exide which we all detest these days.Exide has also taken over a company that marketed batteries under the name Standard Furukawa.So it has grown financially, but not in product quality. I'll too go for Amaron sealed batteries that are far better.Its an Exide under my RX 100 seat now.

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

LOL.. You would need to replace the stock bulb with a Halogen H4, the stock beam with an 'autopal' unit from an eicher\canter (6inch IIRC) and stock holder with a H4 bulb holder. You may need to fold the terminals behind the Halogen outwards if it touches the rear end of your headlight dome.
I can vouch for the results. I have described everything that I can remember. You can safely go ahead with this mod, I can check with my mech if you need assistance with mod. A decade ago, all our RXes used to look like anandkumarGB's bike(posted above) and we used to run 90/100 halogen bulbs on a Yezdi headlight cover/Autopal HL-102 beam combo. However, there were a few amongst us who would want to retain the original shape but wanted better lighting. These bikes would have the 12V conversion done and modified as described by me above.
OT: The 'M-I-E' Lucas would be RHD specific. Sealed Beams are very difficult to find today. I am looking for a pair of 12V LHD Sealed beams for my 55'Willys Cj3b. If you come across used\new ones, please let me know. They need to be American and same size as your landmasters (7.5 inch dia?). Brands that suit the 3B's character are GE, Westinghouse, Wagner(semi-sealed beams) etc. My 3B even has the original sealedbeam covers\buckets, but no sealed beams yet :-(. See pic here
IMO, Lumax is not that great in terms of performance. The best VFM(Rs.125/- only) beams that you can buy in India in that size are Autopal HL-102s and HL-103s.

Thanks Santosh for the detailed information. I'll be reading through it carefully again and again.
For the Willys CJ3B original sealed beam I would suggest you get in touch with Maulana Mansoor of Mumbai in case you happen to go there. I'll pm his landline no. to you.A wait period of 6 months (a few months plus/minus) and a few phone calls will get you the most wanted sealbeam!

Note from mod : do not use more than 2 smileys per post

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Thanks Raccoon for the feedback.Yes those are the Castrol ways. Very laid back in their marketing approach.I would suggest that you mail them again and again through their website till they take notice saying that you are really in need of genuine Castrol products.
As regards spurious Castrol products, even an old dealer said he's stopped keeping Castrol and that he can't say the fake from the genuine. The spurious business is quite classy. They use genuine containers(used),labels from Castrol (company), seal it also to appear like its a company seal, but the oil inside is used and recycled oil as I was told.The only test as told to me was that when its time for oil change, one will find there are sediments at the base of the oil sump, that prevent free flow of the oil while draining.Thats for the gear oil. But for our bikes, the engine oil burns during combustion, so I doubt whether we can check its quality.By far, it may be facilitating faster engine wear. I haven't seen a spurious bottle yet.
The older sealed and packed one litre tins (for cars and even the SAE-20W-40W for our RX 100 gear oil)from Castrol were foolproof.
Thanks for the battery information. Now Amco batteries is owned by Exide which we all detest these days.Exide has also taken over a company that marketed batteries under the name Standard Furukawa.So it has grown financially, but not in product quality. I'll too go for Amaron sealed batteries that are far better.Its an Exide under my RX 100 seat now.

Keep mailing Castrol?? No ways! What for? Have much better things to do. In any case, I'm in absolutely no need for any Castrol products. There are better and cheaper much products in the market now. I'v even been offered home delivery for products from other companies like Gulf, Veedol, Cheveron, etc. They are also far more responsive. I'll simply stop using the few Castrol products I'm currently using and change over to other better and cheaper brands.

You said you are using a 20W40 for your RX gearbox. Which oil specifically (I assume its a Castrol)? I'v been using CRB in my Shogun till now. I don't intend to continue with it now. Planning to use Gulf Pride 4T 20W40 next time. Works really well in my CBZ-x (10W30).

Amco taken over by Exide?? I didn't know that! But I guess it figures... no wonder the quality has gone the Exide way!

Since you have an Exide... please keep a very close eye on it. Exide has already ruined 2 vehicles in my case. The gas and the leaking electrolyte has ruined everything around it. Wish I could sue Exide.

Exide also seems to be designing its battries to give up the ghost just after the warranty period. And they still sell!! Proves that anything can sell in India.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

(1) Keep mailing Castrol?? No ways! What for? Have much better things to do.

(2) You said you are using a 20W40 for your RX gearbox. Which oil specifically (I assume its a Castrol)? I'v been using CRB in my Shogun till now. I don't intend to continue with it now. Planning to use Gulf Pride 4T 20W40 next time. Works really well in my CBZ-x (10W30).

(3) Since you have an Exide... please keep a very close eye on it. Exide has already ruined 2 vehicles in my case. The gas and the leaking electrolyte has ruined everything around it. Wish I could sue Exide.
Exide also seems to be designing its battries to give up the ghost just after the warranty period. And they still sell!! Proves that anything can sell in India.

(1) Oh! Raccoon thats a purely personal choice!

(2) The last time I changed it was CRB Plus (20W-40W). For my Activa I have just got Castrol Manual SAE90EP.

(3) Likewise, my Activa's battery, an Exide still going strong since 2005, spills the electrolyte from time to time, on the front mudguard spoiling the paint work.Awful that is. Even in my Yamaha the previous 6 V battery spilled the electrolyte on the rear drive chain cover. I coated that particular portion of the chain cover with MSeal and that saved the metal. But the electrolyte droppings on the Activa mudguard has me worried!
FROM NOW ON ONLY SEALED BATTERIES !!!

[S@~+#0$#]

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Likewise, my Activa's battery, an Exide still going strong since 2005, spills the electrolyte from time to time, on the front mudguard spoiling the paint work.Awful that is. Even in my Yamaha the previous 6 V battery spilled the electrolyte on the rear drive chain cover. I coated that particular portion of the chain cover with MSeal and that saved the metal. But the electrolyte droppings on the Activa mudguard has me worried!

Not sure if you have already tried this. Here is what we used to do on our RXes and still have on my RD350. Connect a petrol pipe from the battery electrolyte outlet and take it all the way down such that it almost touches the ground. This way, the electrolyte falls directly on the ground. If you leave the pipe dnagling any higher, the electrolyte will damage your bike's main stand.

[kannan666]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

Not sure if you have already tried this. Here is what we used to do on our RXes and still have on my RD350. Connect a petrol pipe from the battery electrolyte outlet and take it all the way down such that it almost touches the ground. This way, the electrolyte falls directly on the ground. If you leave the pipe dnagling any higher, the electrolyte will damage your bike's main stand.

+1 to this, I have always had this on my RX and any discharge from the battery has not affected the aesthetics of the bike

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

Not sure if you have already tried this. Here is what we used to do on our RXes and still have on my RD350. Connect a petrol pipe from the battery electrolyte outlet and take it all the way down such that it almost touches the ground. This way, the electrolyte falls directly on the ground. If you leave the pipe dnagling any higher, the electrolyte will damage your bike's main stand.

Gosh dude... always done that! Have never kept any battery without a properly routed and clean breather pipe. Even ensured that the rotten batt. dealers and service centers don't fill distilled water above the max mark. But no matter what, it leaks! Exides leak because they love to and they are designed to. What you do does not matter... lol!

And now have even seen this with Amco. If Exide have then them over, then its perfectly expected, of course.

[anjan_c2007]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

Not sure if you have already tried this. Here is what we used to do on our RXes and still have on my RD350. Connect a petrol pipe from the battery electrolyte outlet and take it all the way down such that it almost touches the ground. This way, the electrolyte falls directly on the ground. If you leave the pipe dnagling any higher, the electrolyte will damage your bike's main stand.

Thanks Santosh! I'll do it.Its a simple and practical solution. Exide excels in leakages.

[darthvader5000]

I still regret selling my RX 100 after owning it for 10 years in 2001. Bought it for 26.5K in 1991 plus interest on a two year loan at 16% per annum flat !!! ( sounds terrible today ) Never had any issues with it except the damn 2T tank leaking once a while , whihc you later learn to adjust yourself. Remember fiddling around with the oil screw to increase / decrease the smoke when you rev off from a red light , all depending on your mood :-)

Travelled with it far and wide, driven it through sheet rain down the ghats of Lonavla onto Mumbai all at 90kmph , insane , but it never let me down. Then in 1997 , during the floods in Mumbai we started from Colaba , to go for dinner to Sion at a friends place. Rain was heavy , didnt think it would flood at 4pm. Trust me we drove all over but finally took the Wadala route on passing advice . My fuel tank had about 5 litres when i started from Colaba . On reaching Wadala I drove her thru water level just below the spark plus level for almost a km and a half. Continuously clutching / decluthing with revvs on to prevent water from flooding the silencer. it was a thrill and people stranded in their cars and buses cheered us on. But finally on reaching the Sion underpass we had to park her , since the even buses were flooded almost to the roof level. So we entered a housing society at 9pm ( they were nice enough to let us) and parked my darling there for the night . Checked the fuel and guess what it was just about empty !!! :-) Anyways we waded through chest deep water amidst the chants of Ganpati Bapa Morya , wit people helping each other and all , and reached our hosts place to find that they were still struck in Andheri.

Back to the bike. I bought my first car a year later and somehow neglected the bike. But whenever i drove it , she drove like a darling. nver less than 40kmpl. And fotr some damn stupid reasoning made me sell her in Jul 2001 . I got 25K for it :-)

Regret selling her till today. She was my red beauty :-)

Originally Posted by nnandi

Hey Anjan, I too am a RX fan, brought back a lot of old memories after seeing the pictures of your tiger! I had a similar baby which I sold some years back and am regretting it ever since. In fact, after parting with the baby, I have virtually stopped riding bikes as no other bike could satisfy me like the RX.
IMO, RX is a class machine and looks best with it's stock slim trim looks. I agree with others, if you can remove the huge rubber mats, the black carry bag and the stickers and then give it a fresh waxing, you would feel like the first day when you fell in love with the bike, everyday!

Cheers and surely waiting to see the baby's pictures in 2019!
-Nandi.

[anandkumargb]

Originally Posted by Mpower

what is this balancer thing? please explain.

It balances!

sorry! Buddy forgot..too long dont remember it.

Maybe it was just for looks.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by S@~+#0$#

Not sure if you have already tried this. Here is what we used to do on our RXes and still have on my RD350. Connect a petrol pipe from the battery electrolyte outlet and take it all the way down such that it almost touches the ground. This way, the electrolyte falls directly on the ground. If you leave the pipe dnagling any higher, the electrolyte will damage your bike's main stand.

There is one possible adverse effect of doing this. If you keep the pipe dangling too far down, it will catch a lot of mud and slush, esp. in the rains. This may eventually clog the pipe at the bottom end. And you know what this means...

Have myself seen this happening... so its not just a theoritic possibility.

[anandkumargb]

Whoa!! Greetings GB!! Remember me?? Funny, even I remember each and every one of those mods you listed in your post. The mods that you have on your RX were the rage in those days and Vijaynagar-Bangalore area was the place for RXes. You will be able to relate to some of my nostalgic posts in this this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...rts-rx100.html


I remember this too..LOL

[/quote]


Hey! Santosh - Good to see you man!!

When I read GB.. I was sure that it must be some one from Vijaynagar
Moved to BSK, nobody calls me GB anymore except Sumanth (remember the Doc) from Zak garage calls me that.

Do you still stay in Chandralayout? Hey, How is Kushal doing any idea?


We shd catch up sometime soon buddy!