[bluevolt]

Did an early morning breakfast ride to the biker's cafe Gurgaon and extended it towards Gurgaon-Faridabad Road.

#GFR Circuit is no less than a moto GP Track considering the curves and corners that the expressway offers, along with the amazing scenic beauty of the Aravalli hills.

Sharing few pics of the ride and the biker's cafe mini-photo shoot.

[bluevolt]

One more set of pics

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by alex.joseph30

I ride a 2007 Karizma R. I have a question related to fork outs. Every other time when I come back from an offroading/trail ride, my fork is out. It may not happen after literally every ride but has happened too many times for me to just ignore. So has anyone of you faced similar problems? or is it just me doing something wrong. And if im not at fault then is there a solution to reduce the instances?

By 'fork is out' I'm presuming that your fork seals go bust, in which case next time around it would be best to inspect the fork for scuffs/scratches especially nearing the end of its travel as you mentioned that it only happens after trail riding.

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by HalfOctave

Eventually, I picked up a job and the poor bike had to be left unused for close to 1.5 years.

And then it started to give problems.
The electric system has gone haywire. Self start, odometer, fuel meter, horn etc don't work. Now the bike is just for commuting from place A to place B.

Anyways, now I have taken a vow to bring it back to its original shape.

Good that you have decided to restore the lost glory. Even I had bought a new 'R' in March 2008. Eventually I sold it in 2010 for an old model 2006 Karizma which I always love more than the 'R' and which I ride to this very day. Why, I just spent 3k yesterday to bring up the shine back and delete all the little niggles that the monsoon had brought up as it was almost unused for almost a year now. I always give it pre-monsoon and post-monsoon special tlc.

See, the thing to keep in mind here is that a Zma which otherwise is very trouble free still demands special detailed tlc or special detailed attention every 6 months at least to help in coping up to the things that the elementa do to it.

A little lubricating oil, or Wd40 here and there, good wash up, amongst others helps a lot. You should have a good mechanic at hand. Or a one who can take directions properly. Detail is the key to a happier rider. And avoid spurious spares at all costs.

Your mech seems not upto the mark from the condition it is in. I could have helped if you was in mumbai. All the best.

[akshaymahajan]

Hello bluevolt, my 2007 Karizma needs some love: chain, sprocket, carb cleaning, new filters etc.

Do you still recommend Azad motors? If so, any specific mechanic I should give the work to? Or did you manage to find a better workshop and spare stockist in West Delhi?

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

Hello bluevolt, my 2007 Karizma needs some love: chain, sprocket, carb cleaning, new filters etc.

Do you still recommend Azad motors? If so, any specific mechanic I should give the work to? Or did you manage to find a better workshop and spare stockist in West Delhi?

Azad Motors, in Pitampura bike/car market (near hotel city aprk/narsingh seva sadan) is a good shop and the mechanic there is also knowledgeable with reasonable pricing.

I would still recommend going to him.

[b16h22]

Hey guys, I've picked up a 2012 Karizma with 27k kms on clock last week. I'm so happy to be the owner of a great machine. My other bike is a Duke 390. Zma will be used as the daily commuter and a tourer when it needs to.

I had to ride close to 110kms to bring the bike home through twisty roads and i'm very impressed with the bike. The moment i started riding everything felt so natural like i have ridden it before. Coming from the 390 i found zma to be a very relaxed and neutral handler with no nasty surprises. Even the braking was pretty good. And it was so comfortable with light controls, upright riding posture and a roomy seat (such a relief compared to 390). I'm fearing i might even use zma more than 390 for munching long distances

Bike has a couple of niggles right now
1. The speedo acts like it is drunk. It does not go above 20kmph most of the time. And if i'm accelerating quick it moves to the region of 40-50kmph and goes back quickly to less than 20. Cable is fine. Is the pinion gear worn out?

2. Fuel gauge doesn't want go above two bars even with full tank fuel. Could the float in the tank be stuck?

3. Clunky shifts. This one is more of an annoyance. Even the relatively physical and unrefined gearbox of 390 feels much better. Shifts aren't very confidence inspiring and it goes to false neutral between 1-2 frequently. the neutral is pretty hard to find from both 1 and 2. Chain slack is within 2-3cm and i cleaned&lubed the chain after which the shifts got slightly better. Is this normal for a zma?

A couple of pictures of my steed

[pixantz]

Originally Posted by b16h22

3. Clunky shifts. This one is more of an annoyance.

This is an inherrant problem with this gearbox. Actually the clutch. Happens even with the ZMR. It doesn't happen with all the bikes though. Only the unlucky few. And there were quite a few in the later iterations.

If you're lucky, it can go away by properly re-adjusting the clutch play(if it's not already adjusted properly), or putting in good quality fresh oil of preferably W40 grade. My personal favourite is the Shell AX4 10W40. Pure bliss. Motul 7100 10W40 is also quite good though double the cost as its fully synthetic.

But if this problem is what I think it is, then you have just one sure shot remedy. Disassemble and reassemble the clutch assembly. That's it. And very important: minutely check your pressure plates when you take them out. If they look even slightly fishy/bent then replace with new. This should solve the issue. 100℅.

Word of caution: please see to it that your mechanic knows thoroughly about the zma clutch. There are markings/markers for proper assemly of the parts like clutch bell and hub etc. Its important that they are fit in precisely the way they are supposed to after seeing the markings. The bad part is, they will fit the other way too but performance and longevity of the clutch will be vastly different if not done correclty.

All the best.

[scorpian]

I believe the zma comes with a speed sensor and if your cable is fine then the next step would be to check the sensor.

For the fuel not showing up,try filling the fuel tank full and check,i have seen two bikes which weren't showing and post fill up they have now started displaying properly, i think yes it could be because of a stuck fuel float,another option is to take a stiff wire make a small u bend and manually lift the float while watching the display, if it do-sent show any change then mostly your float is in need of replacement.
For the clunky gear shift please shift to 20w40 grade oil, initially the oil used was 20w40 then in newer bikes from the r series they changed it 10w30.
Mostly after i service my bike its filled with new grade oil and i dont like how the engine or gears feel. So after a hundred kilometres i drain the oil and use 20w40. The used oil which is relatively new i keep for oiling the chain.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by scorpian

I believe the zma comes with a speed sensor and if your cable is fine then the next step would be to check the sensor.

For the fuel not showing up,try filling the fuel tank full and check,i have seen two bikes which weren't showing and post fill up they have now started displaying properly, i think yes it could be because of a stuck fuel float,another option is to take a stiff wire make a small u bend and manually lift the float while watching the display, if it do-sent show any change then mostly your float is in need of replacement.
For the clunky gear shift please shift to 20w40 grade oil, initially the oil used was 20w40 then in newer bikes from the r series they changed it 10w30.

Originally Posted by pixantz

This is an inherrant problem with this gearbox. Actually the clutch. Happens even with the ZMR. It doesn't happen with all the bikes though. Only the unlucky few. And there were quite a few in the later iterations.

Thank you both of you for your valuable inputs. I'll check the clutch free play and already decided to replace oil with 7100 in 10w40 grade. If that doesn't fix the shifts i might have to start looking for a legit zma mechanic

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Thank you both of you for your valuable inputs. I'll check the clutch free play and already decided to replace oil with 7100 in 10w40 grade. If that doesn't fix the shifts i might have to start looking for a legit zma mechanic

I'll suggest a 20W40 oil based on my experience with Karizma R. It is the best grade IMO for the Karizma

[Sportztourer]

Originally Posted by b16h22

Thank you both of you for your valuable inputs. I'll check the clutch free play and already decided to replace oil with 7100 in 10w40 grade. If that doesn't fix the shifts i might have to start looking for a legit zma mechanic

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I'll suggest a 20W40 oil based on my experience with Karizma R. It is the best grade IMO for the Karizma

20W40 for the the Karizma R anyday. Earlier hero honda had recommend 20w40 on the Karizma but latter with the ZMR they changed to 10w40. Motul 7100 also comes in 20W50 viscosity range.
P.S: bluevolt, b16h22 & anurag you guys have really maintained the legendary Karizma very well, I wish hero had done the same way.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Sportztourer

Earlier hero honda had recommend 20w40 on the Karizma but latter with the ZMR they changed to 10w40.

Sir, no offense but are you sure was it changed to 10W40? AFAIK and IIRC it was changed to 10W30 grade.

[Sportztourer]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Sir, no offense but are you sure was it changed to 10W40? AFAIK and IIRC it was changed to 10W30 grade.

My bad, I said 10w40 because I always use to change my friend's ZMR oil with 10w40 shell AX7.
Thanks for the corrections & No 'Sir' Anurag ji, I am a newbie in this forum.

[bluevolt]

I am planning to do a 600+kms ride to hills next month and was skeptical if tyres will an issue. I will be replacing engine oil and oiling the chain.

What is the right time to change tyres on Karizma?

Mine is around 20.5k on Odo reading. A lot of tread is still there as you can also see from the photos above.

Any advice on engine oil grade? Should I make a change as I have used mineral 10w30 in all my ownership period of Karizma till date.

Also correct tyre specification if change is required. I would like to upsize them in permissible limit of the bike only.

Any other trip before the long ride will be appreciated.